That made Maggie feel better. At last she had something important to show Tim and Jodi. She rode proudly around the yard twice, before she stopped and slid off.
"My turn," Tim insisted. "Can we gallop?"
Dad shook his head. "Let's try a walk first." He boosted Tim onto Molly's back. "Slide forward and get hold of the mane."
Tim grabbed the mane in both hands and began to wiggle his body. "Giddy up," he said eagerly.
Dad shook his head and led Molly forward. Tim's eyes got big. "Steady, horse," he said nervously. "Not so fast." Everyone laughed. After awhile he said, "This is awesome. Mom, can we get a horse?"
Aunt Jane groaned. "Oh, sure," she said. "That's all we need. We've got a dog, a cat, two gerbils, and we live in town. Where would we put a horse?"
"And horses are very expensive pets," Maggie's mom added.
"Jodi's turn now," Dad said.
Tim slid off into Dad's arms. As he landed on the ground he said, "Can I ride again after Jodi? Can I ride by myself like Maggie did?"
"We'll see," said Dad. "Maggie's been practicing for awhile." Maggie felt proud.