“It’s your turn,” he said in a low voice.
I threw a glance at my brothers. “Peter and Charles are impatient to begin. I am happy to wait.” Nothing sounded worse now that having Owen watch how terrible I was with a bow. I had no doubt it was harder than it looked.
He must have sensed my narrow escape, because there was a playful smile on his lips. “If you insist.” He set to work instructing my brothers with their child-sized bows, and I felt my shoulders relax. After several attempts, Peter finally hit the edge of the target from a closer range. After he had hit it once, he rarely missed.
“Well done!” Owen said. “You have a natural talent.”
I could tell Peter was trying to keep his smile moderate when he said, “I know.”
When Charles tried, though, he struggled to come even close to the target. Owen gave him plenty of advice, but nothing seemed to do the trick. Charles shot arrow after arrow with no success.
While Owen was working with Charles, I decided to try myself. I watched carefully as Owen adjusted Charles, and tried to replicate his stance. I was proud of how accurate it felt, until I released the arrow.
The moment I let it fly, I winced. The arrow flew into a tree at least twenty feet behind the target, embedding itself in a branch near the top. I gasped and covered my mouth.
I could feel the shock of Owen’s gaze on me. “Are you trying to hunt a squirrel?”
I turned to him as casually as possible. “Yes. I barely missed him.”
An amused smile teased his lips. He squinted at the tree thoughtfully. “Perhaps you should try again.”
I shrugged. “He ran away.”
“Hmm. That sounds far too convenient.”
I laughed, dropping the bow in defeat. “Fine. I did promise I wouldn’t lie to you again.”
He strode toward me, picking up the bow I had discarded and placing it back in my hands. “Try again, but this time keep your elbow lower.” He handed me an arrow.
I wiggled the notch into the string and pulled it back. “Like this?”
Owen laughed under his breath, and then I felt his hand on my waist. “Face me, not the target.” His breath brushed across the back of my neck, and I completely forgot his instructions. He applied gentle pressure to my waist until my feet stepped in the right direction.
I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes, my heart pounding fast. His hands moved to my arm. He touched my elbow,drawing it downward, then adjusted my fingers on the bow. He stepped behind me, examining every angle of my stance. I held the string back firmly, though my arm was shaking with the effort.
“Relax,” he said in an amused voice. His hand grazed my shoulder, and I realized how tense it had been. A shiver raced down my back, and my shoulder relaxed too much. I let go of the arrow.
To my surprise, it hit the target. The outer edge, yes, but I was still proud. I turned to Owen with an exhilerated gasp. “Perhaps I underestimated you.”
He grinned. “Don’t make a habit of it.”
I laughed, gazing up at his smiling eyes. “You have proven yourself a suitable teacher.”
“Did I not already prove that in the water gardens?”
I pursed my lips. “I think my brothers liked this lesson better.”
“Did you think this was my lesson?” He frowned. “No, this was simply an…entertaining introduction.”
My brows lifted. “You have something else planned?”
He nodded with a smile that made my stomach twist with nerves. “Of course, I do.”
I scowled with confusion, but he brushed past me with a grin. “I told you to stop underestimating me.”
I whirled around, watching his back as he approached my brothers. He gathered them closer, sitting down on the grass across from them. I walked tentatively forward.
“Allow me to begin part two of your lesson from the water gardens,” Owen said.
