After five or six tries, Maggie was finally able to leap on. But just as she did Molly stepped aside. Maggie grabbed at the mane and managed to stay on.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"Whew! I did it!" Maggie crowed. "I'm riding all by myself. Giddy up, Molly."

But Molly didn't move. She simply put her head down and started eating. Maggie kicked and kicked, but Molly ignored her.

Finally Maggie slid off and started home. Next time she would bring the bridle. She would get Dad to teach her how to put it on.

Dad laughed when Maggie said she wanted to bridle Molly. "You're too short," he said. "You can't even reach the top of her head."

"Then Molly will just have to put her head down," said Maggie.

"What if she won't?" asked Dad.

"I'll feed her oats while I put the bridle on," said Maggie.

And that's what she did. While Molly gobbled oats from her hand, Maggie pushed the bit into the horse's mouth. But that was the easy part. Molly spit out the bit before Maggie could get the rest of the bridle over the horse's ears. Dad had to hold the horse's head down until Maggie could get the bridle completely on.

"Good work," said Dad. "Molly's pretty stubborn, but so are you." Then he lifted Maggie onto the big horse, and she rode for awhile.

Mom came along just as Maggie put Molly back in the pasture. "Well,"

she said, "at least our horses are giving pony rides. I don't see them doing anything else that's useful."

Dad heard that, and he said, "I'll use them tomorrow when I haul in straw bales."

Mom made a face. "Let's hope you don't have another runaway."

Maggie knew Mom thought Dad's horses were a waste of money. But Maggie had learned to love Molly. Now she wanted to keep the team.

Later, when Mom went to town for groceries, Maggie begged to go along and visit Kelly. When the girls got to Kelly's room, Maggie said, "I can ride Molly any time I want now. I can bridle her, and I can get on her by myself."

"But how?" Kelly wondered. "Molly is so tall."

Maggie said, "Come out for a visit, and I'll show you."

Kelly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'll wait until you get a pony instead."

Chapter Eight

The next Sunday, Maggie's family went to St. Paul to visit Tim and Jodi's family. Tim and Jodi had lots of new things to show Maggie, but they also wanted to hear about the horses.

"I ride Molly whenever I want now," said Maggie.

"Boy, are you lucky," said Jodi.

Maggie nodded and added softly, "I even ride Molly in the pasture, but Mom and Dad don't know about it. Mom would have a fit if she knew."

"Wow!" said Tim. "How do you get on?"

"I crawled up on a gate and jumped on."

"Awesome," Jodi and Tim said in unison.

Tim asked, "Can I ride in the pasture when we come out next time?"

Maggie had to think about that. She was afraid Tim would be reckless, but he never ever seemed to get hurt.

"Okay," she said. "When can you come?"

"Maybe next Wednesday," said Tim. "I'll start begging tomorrow."

At breakfast on Monday morning Dad said, "I should bale the rest of the straw today, but first I have to fix fence. I don't want the cows in the corn again."

Mom looked at him with her arms crossed. She said, "I noticed you used the tractor for the straw bales."

Dad scowled and said, "Well, I'll use the horses for the fencing."

Then he jammed his hat on his head and headed for the door. "Maggie, please come and help."

Maggie went with her father, and they caught the horses. She could tell Dad was in a bad mood because he slammed the harnesses on the horses' backs.

When they were ready, Dad led them to the wagon. He had Maggie hold the horses while he walked around to hook up. "Doggone it," he growled. "I'm missing a trace chain. I'll be right back."

Dad went into the barn, and Maggie stood between the two huge horses, holding them still. Dad seemed to take forever, and Maggie's mind began to wander.

Suddenly Dad burst through a door just behind the team. A bunch of fence posts swung crazily in his arms.

Polly leaped forward, knocking Maggie to the ground. "Owww," she wailed as her ankle bent under her. She had to scramble to avoid being run over.

Molly stood her ground, and since the horses were hooked together, Polly couldn't go far. But Maggie's ankle HURT.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Dad dropped the fence posts and caught the horses. He tied them up and ran over to Maggie. "Oh, I'm SO sorry, Maggie," he said. "I never thought about the fence posts scaring those silly horses. How bad is it?"

Maggie rolled back and forth on the ground holding her throbbing ankle.

Dad picked her up and started toward the house. "Betty, Betty," he yelled as they neared the back door. "Get some ice. The horses stepped on Maggie."

Mom met them saying, "Oh, no, those darned horses again. I knew someone would get hurt." She bent over Maggie's ankle.

Mom put ice on the ankle and gave Maggie a pill for the pain. At first her parents discussed taking Maggie to the hospital, but it didn't seem to be broken.