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Melissa, “Silly. You aren’t barging in. We made you the head of our parade committee, remember? We wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t want you around. Right, guys?”
    Tori and Colt grinned, and Colt patted Melissa on the shoulder. “Now that all the girlie, emotional stuff is settled, how about we decide what we’re going to do about this mystery horse?”

    Late the next morning, Tori, Colt, and Melissa sat around the table on the Ferrises’ outdoor patio. Kate set down a tray of pink lemonade and four glasses filled with ice, then slipped into the empty seat by Tori. “Help yourselves.”
    Colt removed the piece of straw from between his teeth and tossed it on the grass, then reached for the pitcher. “Thanks. So what do we do now?”
    â€œI’ve been doing some checking on the parade rules,” Melissa reported. “Want to hear them?”
    â€œYeah!” the other three chorused at once.
    Melissa sobered. “It’s going to cost all of us. There’s an entry fee.”
    Tori groaned. “I didn’t think of that. Great. How much?”
    â€œA whopping two dollars and fifty cents each! Think we can handle it?” Melissa laughed.
    Tori gaped at her, then chuckled. “You had me worried for a minute. I thought we’d have to do some kind of fund-raiser or something. Whew! That’s great!”
    â€œYeah.” Kate nodded. “Is that it?”
    â€œWe have to fill out a form and tell them if we’re entering as individuals or a group, but since we’re representing the barn and it would only be ten dollars for the whole group, I figured that’s the way to go, right?” Melissa cocked her head.
    â€œFor sure,” Colt said. “What else?”
    â€œWe give them a description of our entry for the parade announcer, show up at the starting point ahead of time, and stay in line during the parade. It says we can throw candy along the sidewalk in front of the crowd if we want to, or just wave and smile, and that’s it. Sounds simple enough.”
    Kate leaned back in her chair. “Awesome. I figured we’d have to have a designated pooper-scooper to go behind the horses.”
    â€œI read somewhere that some towns make horses wear diapers,” Tori added. “Can you imagine? That makes a pooper-scooper sound pretty good.”
    Colt hooted with laughter. “No way. You’re making that up.”
    â€œAm not. Mom found it on the Internet and told me about it when I said we wanted to be in the parade. She was worried about having to make a diaper big enough to fit Mr. Gray, Kate.” Her eyes twinkled.
    Kate gagged. “Nasty. Hopefully they won’t change the rules for this parade.”
    Melissa giggled. “Any of our horses would probably turn into bucking broncos if you tried to strap a diaper under their tails. I’d sure like to see a picture of someone who actually did it!”
    Colt sobered. “So, that’s all we need to do? Come up with ten bucks, fill out the application, and show up on time?”
    Melissa nodded. “But remember, we still need some kind of banner with the barn name on it. Either draped behind the saddle with the words on both sides or on a pole that we carry like a flag.”
    Tori winced. “I think I need both hands on the reins. It’s going to be scary enough riding Mr. Gray in a parade without trying to hang on to a flagpole. No thanks.”
    â€œI agree,” Colt announced. “I’ve ridden in one parade, and my horse did great, but not every horse does. We don’t want any accidents.”
    Tori paled. “Maybe I should stay home. Or I can be the pooper-scooper if they say we need one.”
    Kate took a sip of her lemonade, then set down the glass. “No way. Mr. Gray is an old hand. The previous owner said he’d been ridden in several parades.”
    â€œO-kay …” Tori didn’t look