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all realized how close Max had come to disaster. The only person making any noise at all was Amelia, who was sobbing violently. Carole hoped that Amelia had learned her lesson. If Max had been killed, it would have been her fault.
    “What happened?” Lisa asked as she came hurrying up. She bent over her cousin. “Amelia?”
    “Max!” Amelia launched herself, still sobbing, at him. She threw her arms around his legs, and when he bent down she cried against his shoulder. “Oh, Max! I was so scared! I thought you were going to die!” She sobbed harder, and the Pony Clubbers clustered around her while Max patted her shoulder. Lisa felt sorry for Amelia. Whatever had spooked Patch had obviously spooked Amelia, too.
    “Patch is a scary horse!” Amelia sobbed.
    Lisa remembered the “scary” guest room. Her back was still aching slightly from sleeping on the floor. Her sympathy toward Amelia began to fade.
    “It’s okay,” Max soothed her. “I’m okay, Patch is okay, you’re okay. Nobody got hurt.”
    With all her crying, Amelia had claimed everyone’s attention. Everyone looked concerned about her—everyone,Stevie realized with a shock, except Carole. Carole stood alone by the water trough with a bucket in her hands, and she looked livid. Stevie blinked. She had never, ever, seen her friend so angry.
    “Carole should have been more careful!” Amelia sobbed.
    “More careful with what?” Max asked.
    “She knocked that bucket over! She was telling me how Patch is scared of loud noises, and then she knocked the bucket off the fence, and Patch jumped and I was so-oo-o s-scar-ed!” Amelia broke into a torrent of fresh sobs. “I think she did it on purpose! She doesn’t like me!”
    Lisa couldn’t believe her ears. Carole was never careless around horses, though even she sometimes had accidents. But Lisa knew for a fact that Carole hadn’t dropped the bucket on purpose. She looked around the group of riders. “You know that isn’t true,” Lisa said. “Carole wouldn’t do that to you, Amelia.”
    “Did anyone actually see what happened?” Max asked quietly. No one had.
    “Max,” Lisa said quickly, “you can’t possibly believe—”
    “Max,” Stevie cut in urgently, “Carole would never, ever—”
    “I was so scared!” Amelia wailed. “She did it on purpose. She doesn’t like me, and she wanted to scare me.”
    “Carole, what happened?” Max asked.
    Carole looked strangely pale. “I told her Patch spooked atloud noises,” she said, in an oddly tight voice. “And then—”
    “Patch spooked! He nearly ran you over, Max! He’s a bad, scary horse, and I don’t want to ride him, not ever!”
    Max looked as though he couldn’t stand another second of hysteria. He stood up, patted Amelia absentmindedly, and looked around at his riders. “All right,” he said, “let’s put this behind us. Amelia, stop crying. Carole, I’d like to talk to you in my office in five minutes. Stevie, take that bucket from Carole and go get some more grain. We’re going to have to catch those horses if we ever want to ride.”
    “Max—” Lisa said.
    “Later, Lisa!”
    “But Max—”
    “Go get the grain, Stevie!”
    When Max spoke like that, they knew better than to argue. Stevie gave Carole’s hand a quick squeeze as she took the bucket from her. Carole looked at them all and lifted her chin. She hung Patch’s lead rope and halter carefully on the fence, then walked slowly back into the stable. She didn’t look at, or speak to, anyone.
    Lisa’s heart went out to her friend. Even though the stampede had been frightening, Amelia was blowing things way out of proportion. The little brat was just looking for an excuse not to ride Patch.
    “Go get Barq, please, Lisa,” Max directed wearily. Lisawanted to go after Carole instead. But what had Max said? He’d talk to Carole in five minutes. Everything would be cleared up then.
    Lisa turned back to the pasture. “Just keep me away from that brat,”