No Horse Wanted (28 page)

“We don’t have time for that,” Steve said.
“It’ll be better if the girls beat his cousins to the finish
line.”

“Gwen went too,” Olivia said as we climbed
ashore. “Hustle up. We can still get there and win.”

Lew and Steve ripped into the bag. They began
pulling out puppies. Porter took the first one, a black and white
furball. Olivia caught the second, a little gold one. They couldn’t
have weighed five pounds each. The next three were even smaller.
The mother danced around us, sniffing each one and us, of course.
She must have realized we were helping since she didn’t try to nip
us.

Wet, yes. Dead, no! Thank heaven, the rainy
season hadn’t started. Thank Gawd, the river hadn’t risen to its
normal winter height, or they’d be goners. I took the next pup and
snugged it close. I heard runners coming. We were losing our
lead.

“Let’s go. We have to win today if we want
that banner my mom’s making.”

Still holding the pup, I turned and ran for
the trail. After less than a moment, Olivia and Porter followed me.
Steve whistled to the mother dog, and then he and Lew were with us.
We had a race to finish. There were people ahead of us, but they
wouldn’t be for long. I increased my pace.

I ran six miles a day, every day. And my team
ran with me, so we were beyond ready for this course. I saw Wanda
ahead of me, but Caine’s trick wouldn’t do her any good. I booked
past her, then I was by Ashley and still going. When I hit the
track, there were only three girls in front of me, and they wore
Lincoln High blue and gold.

Cedar was first, Kanisha second and Gwen
third, but I came in fourth. They cleared the finish line funnel
for us, then whirled back to meet us. “Did you save them?” Gwen
demanded.

“All of them.” I headed for the grass where
Coach Norris waited. “Go grab the towels.”

“Why?” Kanisha asked. “We’re in shape. We
never use them.”

Cedar elbowed her. “For the pups, you idiot.
We have to dry them off before they catch cold. And I’m so telling
my cousins what Caine did. He’s evil. They’ll kick his butt all
over the rez.”

The two of them headed to our bags of stuff
and spoke to Coach Norris. He hurried to us. “What did you ladies
find?”

“Puppies,” Gwen said. “Caine threw them in
the river.”

“What?” He looked at me, then at the other
girls and the collie dog that followed us to an open spot. “Robin,
I know you have issues with the boy, but that’s a serious
accusation.”

“And she’s not making it,” Gwen said. “We
are.”

“Got that right.” Kanisha handed out towels,
then dropped to her knees to rub on the adult collie. “You don’t
have to do anything, Coach. We’ll handle it.”

He looked at us again, then at Olivia and
Porter as they came toward us. “I’m talking to the race officials.
I can’t believe you were able to save them and still come in
first.”

“Hey, our leader runs us at least six miles a
day,” Lew said. “We could have saved more dogs, but we don’t want
to do that again.”

Coach Norris walked away. I rubbed my puppy
dry, then put him down by his mother to nurse. “I wonder if they
have burgers at that concession stand.”

Steve handed me the gold and white female pup
he’d carried. “Finish drying her and I’ll go see.”

“What are we doing with them?” Olivia asked
me.

“I’m taking them home,” I said. “We haven’t
had a dog in ages. They can move into the back porch.”

Porter hugged her puppy tightly. His dry fur
fluffed up and he licked her chin. “I want this one. Will you save
him for me while I talk my folks into it?”

“You bet.”

* * * *

Thursday, November
7
^th
, 5:45 p.m.

“I don’t believe this.” Smiling, Dad watched
the dog family settle into the corner of the back porch. “Only you
could go to a cross-country meet and bring home six dogs,
Robbie.”

“Blame Mom,” I said. “She’s the one who
stopped to buy puppy kibble.”

Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I
can’t send you girls anywhere. You know that when you tell Felicia
about them, she’ll want one of the babies.”

“She’d have to move out of the dorm if she
intends to take it to Pullman,” I said. “Jack and I will look after
it for her at home. Then, Lassie won’t freak over losing her
babies.”

“Lassie?” Dad eyed me and then looked at the
momma dog again, content with her family. “I can see that. She does
look like the dog in the movie.”

“I couldn’t believe it when Officer Yardley
showed up and took our statements, then sent the cops out to arrest
Caine for animal cruelty,” I said. “That was incredible.”

My phone vibrated and I dug it out of my
pocket. “It’s Bill. I’ve got to tell him that Caine is going to
jail. And after that, I’m going to the barn.”

“Why?” Dad asked. “It’s almost dinnertime,
and I’ve already fed all the other animals.”

“Because I have to give Twaziem carrots and
tell him that he’s safe.” I answered my cell and told Bill all
about the events at the meet.

“But, where did the dog come from?” Bill
wanted to know. “Will her owners be looking for her?”

“No, she’s a stray. Officer Yardley got the
truth out of Wanda when he threatened to arrest her as an
accessory. She said the dog was just hanging around, looking for
handouts, and that was how Caine trapped her.”

While I was talking, Lassie looked up from
her puppies and barked. I heard the knock on the back door a moment
later and went to answer it.

Bill stood there. He tucked his phone into
his pocket. “Hi.”

“Hey.” I ended the call on mine. “I was on my
way down to give Twaz some carrots and share the good news. Want to
come?”

“Always.”

He took my hand and we headed for the arena
together. Everything had changed in the last two months for the
better. I could live with that. And it was all due to Twaziem, the
horse I hadn’t known I wanted.

THE END

Coming Soon...

“
No Time for Horses”

Book Two of the Shamrock Stable Series

Sixteen-year-old Vicky Miller feels
overloaded since her parents filed for divorce. Her mother got the
house and a new job. Her step-dad has the new car and a new
girlfriend. Vicky has the five kids, her younger half-brothers and
sisters who range from 18 months to 10 years old to look after, and
her own life now comes second to their needs and wants.

It’s been six months of house-cleaning,
baby-sitting, cooking, non-stop laundry and Vicky is through
waiting for her life to improve. She has plans for her sophomore
year at Lincoln High and they don’t include being an unpaid
servant. If it takes a constant battle to attend her riding classes
and complete her internship at Shamrock Stable, she’s ready to
fight for her goal to be the best natural horse trainer around.

Her parents may not have time for her to be
with horses, but she has dreams no one can steal. Why should she
give them away? But, will keeping them mean she loses her
family.

About the Author

Shannon lives and works at her family
business, Horse Country Farm, just outside of Granite Falls in
Washington State. Teaching kids to ride and know about horses since
1967, she finds in many cases, she's taught three generations of
families. Her life experiences span adventures from dealing cards
in a casino, attending graduate school to get her Masters in
Teaching degree, being a substitute teacher, and serving in the
Army Reserve—all leading to her second career as a published
author.

Website:

www.shannonkennedybooks.com

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