"How much longer do you think we'll have to wait?" Tilly Carpenter asked rather questioningly, with her fingers crossed and some degree of impatience.

She had never been any good at waiting around for something to happen! But this was one thing that no one was able to speed up; it would simply happen when Brownie was ready, and not before… no matter what Tilly did in the poor attempt to hurry things along.

"I'm not sure," Coral Johnson shrugged in answer. "But Dad thinks it will be soon. Maybe one or two more days?"

"At least we're on spring break, so it doesn't really matter." Tilly sighed in exasperation. "We're going to be here at Saddlers Ranch as much as we can until then. Right, Lexie?"

"Absolutely!" Lexie Howard nodded in avid agreement. "And afterwards too, don't forget."

"Of course," Tilly seemed almost affronted by the suggestion that she might not have remembered. "How could I forget! Brownie's standing right in front of us, and she's grown so much that it looks like she really did swallow another horse!"

"Mares always have protruding bellies when they're in foal." Coral explained, chuckling slightly.

"Yes, I know. But not that much, surely?" Tilly stuttered. "She's huge!"