Gunner by Judy Andrekson

Author:Judy Andrekson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781770492271
Publisher: Tundra
Published: 2010-06-15T21:00:00+00:00

Mike helped brush Heather off and remount, then he led them to the ring, where the class was about to enter. As always, Gunner put aside all play when he stepped inside, and they came out of the class with top scores.

At the end of the week, they were once again awarded the All Round title in their category, the prize that Heather had been longing for so much. Now they could head home for a well-deserved break.

Gunner enjoyed the remainder of that summer and autumn in more relaxed fashion, although, with another show season coming up in just six months, he was not left to become grass-fat and sunburned. Heather continued to work with him several times a week, as much to keep him sharp and fit as to teach him new skills now. Occasionally, she and E.W. would take him to a small, local show, or a roping show and try him out there (and endure the constant teasing about having her baby in with the “real” horses), or ride him for pleasure, but mostly, he was a show horse and enjoyed a pampered life.

Wesley started school that autumn and spent most afternoons at his grandmother Maria’s house in Picayune, waiting for his mom to pick him up on her way home from her nursing job in New Orleans before they made the drive to their ranch in Laurel. During those weeks with his grandma, Wes became one of Gunner’s favorite people. The boy shared donuts with him and Buttermilk, played with them over the fence, and just seemed to always be around, chattering and providing a little excitement and stimulation in their otherwise quiet days.

At Wes’s side, at almost all times, was a little Schnauzer called Tramp, who Wes and E.W. had brought home from a roping show that summer. Heather had been furious at yet another stray being brought home and had, at first, insisted that they get rid of him. But the dog was still there a few days later, and as she watched her son play and fall in love with the little creature, she resigned herself to the fact that it was staying. The dog had worked its way into their lives and into Heather’s heart, and now it was with them wherever they went. Like Gunner, this was not a working ranch dog, kennelled and tough and scrappy. This was a family member and enjoyed a much more pampered existence.

To look out the window of Maria’s house and see the dog Tramp, Wes, and Gunner playing together that autumn was a perfectly normal, everyday sight, but one that stirred the heart every time.

Gunner would wait each day for Wes to arrive, eager for the donuts and other treats the boy always had. He would nicker as soon as he saw him and become rowdy if Wes didn’t come to him right away. Likewise, if Heather was away for more than a day, Gunner would start getting into trouble, as though complaining about her lack of attention.

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