When Maggie was resting on the couch, Dad said, "Betty, I think you're right about those horses. I'll see if Larry still wants to buy them."

"No," said Maggie. "I love Molly."

Mom lips made a tight line. She said, "Maggie, those horses are too dangerous and too expensive. The sooner we get rid of them the better."

Chapter Nine

By Wednesday Maggie's ankle was almost back to normal. She was out feeding calves when Tim and Jodi's car drove in.

They ran over, and Jodi pointed at Maggie's purple ankle. "What happened?" she asked.

"The horses knocked me down," Maggie said with a sigh. "And now Dad's going to sell them."

"But Molly is your friend," said Tim.

"Yes," said Maggie, "but Mom never wanted Dad to buy them. When I got hurt, he said he would sell them."

"How soon will they go?" Tim wondered.

"Soon," said Maggie. "Mr. Croon already said he wants to buy them."

"Then we have to ride Molly today," Tim whispered.

"Children!" Tim's mom called. She and Maggie's mom looked excited.

"Aunt Betty says the blackberries are ripe. Let's all go pick some for supper."

Maggie looked at Tim and made a face. Normally she liked to pick blackberries, but not today.

"Do we have to?" asked Tim. "Maggie said her ankle hurts." Maggie wondered what he was talking about. He added, "And you know how whiny Jodi can get."

"I don't whine," Jodi protested. But then she caught on to what Tim had in mind. "Well," she added, "maybe I would with the mosquitoes and sticker bushes and all."

"Why don't you two go by yourselves?" said Maggie.

Aunt Jane frowned. "We can't leave you kids alone for the whole day."

"Uncle Fred can watch us," said Tim.

"Sure," Maggie agreed. "He said he's going to be greasing machinery in the machine shed today."

"Well ..." said Aunt Jane. "... maybe that would be okay. But you kids stay close to home. Do you hear?"

Three heads nodded solemnly. She didn't say how close, thought Maggie.

So the women set off for the woods with their berry buckets looking very happy. The minute they were out of sight Maggie gave Tim a pat on the back.

"Good work," she said. "That bit about my leg was really smart. Just let me lock Corky in the house, and we can get going."

They slipped into the barn by the back door so Maggie's dad wouldn't see them. Tim took Molly's bridle, and Maggie filled her pockets with oats. Then they cut through the cornfield instead of going up the lane in plain sight.

"How's your ankle?" asked Tim as they hurried through the tall green stalks.

"I'll be fine," she a.s.sured him.

At first the horses seemed to be hiding. They weren't in the meadow or under the oak tree. They weren't in the brushy spot along the south fence row. That meant they were probably in the small trees next to the neighbor's wood lot. But where?

Maggie saw a flash of white in a thicket next to the fence and stopped.

"What the matter?" asked Jodi.

"Shh," said Maggie. "There's a cow lying in there. She's all by herself, and she could be sick or something. You guys stay here, and I'll check on her."

Maggie crept forward until she could see the cow more clearly.

"Is she okay?" Tim whispered from right behind Maggie. Jodi was right behind him.

Maggie turned and scowled at them. "You were supposed to stay back there," she said crossly.

Tim shrugged, and Maggie looked back at the cow. It was Splash, one of their best milkers. Maggie wondered why she was here all by herself.

Cows usually liked to stay together.

Then the answer was clear. A pair of tiny ears and a darling little white nose appeared from behind the resting cow. Splash had a new calf.

Maggie turned to tell Tim and Jodi, but then she froze. Corky was bouncing toward them. In a flash, Maggie remembered other mother cows charging after dogs. She and her cousins were in the way. They could get trampled.

"Get back!" she shouted.

Sure enough, as Corky got closer, he began to bark. Splash lurched to her feet, and swung her head from side to side searching for the danger.

"Run!" yelled Maggie, pushing her cousins back. "Run to the fence."

The three kids sprinted toward the fence as Corky barked with delight.

He nipped at the cow's nose, and she charged at him.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"Yip!" Corky cried. He put his head between his legs, raced after the children, and pa.s.sed them.

Splash crashed out of the brush toward the dog and the children. The fence wasn't far away. They just might make it.

But just then Maggie's bad ankle gave out and she fell. She knew she'd never get up in time. The cow was coming fast. Maggie shut her eyes and prepared to be attacked.