Grandpa and Mr. Hanson jolted across the uneven track the farm truck skidding and slipping around corners, over potholes and roots. Every once in a while they could see the horse and its rider up ahead. Neither man spoke. They each knew the danger Joey was in.

Where the rocks and trees blocked the headlong path of the big horse the animal slid to a halt. Joey felt himself slipping from the saddle. At that instant the horse reared up on its strong hind legs and let out a long, loud whinny.

How did Joey Dugan, a self-proclaimed bad kid from New York City, find himself on the back of a runaway horse on a ranch in Montana? Will he ever learn to trust people again? And is it true that God cares what happens to him?  

This book by Charles Mills is the first in the series and has three stories in one -- Escape to Shadow Creek Ranch, Mystery in the Attic, and Secret of Squaw Rock.