If I had to keep leveling my gaze on the damn beer bottle perched on a log in the distance, my eyeballs were going to pop out. Every time he adjusted my stance, I had to find it again, and my focus felt strained. My arms ached from holding the gun, and I hadn’t even taken my first shot.
He hovered a palm under my elbow, glancing where I was looking.“Good. You ready?”
I nodded, my finger on the trigger, poised to pull it.
“Okay, breathe in, then out, hold for a second, then shoot.”
I followed his instructions.
With a loud crack and a whiz, the ignition triggered and fired. The rifle’s butt jutted back into the nook of my shoulder, and I grimaced. The bullet grazed the bottle, making a loud clank. Despite the bottle’s spin off the log, the glass remained intact.
I slumped, dropping the barrel of the gun to the dirt.“Damn it!” I really wanted to see it shatter.
“That was great!” he assured me.
I pouted, unleashing my full puppy-dog gaze on him.
He stepped closer and cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs stroking my cheeks.“Most people don’t get that close on their first try. That was really good,” he reiterated, his blue eyes fixed on mine.
The warm weather had returned, and the rapid shifts were giving me whiplash. Each day felt different from the next, making it hard to keep up. It seemed the snow was finally surrendering to the sun, with sprouts beginning to emerge from the ground. Spring seemed to win at last; I was 75% sure this time.
Gray walked over to the log and set the bottle back up. I admired his arms as he carefully controlled his movements to balance the bottle. It was like watching a bull balance a teacup.
“Try again,” he urged.
I sighed and lifted the gun, aiming it at the bottle after Gray was safely out of the way.
His voice was low and steady.“Do what you did before, but this time, aim to compensate for the last time.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, let it out, and pulled the trigger.
The sound of glass shattering rang through the trees, and a wide grin spread across my face as I turned back to Gray, eager to seek his approval.
“There you go!” he shouted, taking two long strides toward me and gently taking the gun from my hands. He placed it on the ground, then pulled me into a hug, lifting my feet off the dirt.
“That felt amazing!” I shrieked.“Guns are so much cooler than a taser.”
He chuckled.“The taser is pretty cool, though.”
“Nash is going to have to let me use his guns now,” I added.
Gray shook his head as he set me down and took a step back.“I’m not sure he should trust you with a gun just yet, especially anywhere near people or civilization. Besides, guns don’t serve a purpose in the city, only here.”
I huffed and rolled my eyes.“I can be careful if I want to,” I muttered, scanning the woods.“Can we hunt for more elk now? I’ve enjoyed the elk you’ve been cooking for us.”
He beamed at my compliment and enthusiasm.“Yeah, as soon as I get a few new tags.”
“Tags?” I questioned.
“Hunting tags. Even though I live in the middle of nowhere, the law still applies. You can’t just shoot the wildlife whenever you want; you have to get approved first.”
I nodded, thinking it made sense. Still, who would even know he was out here? It’s not like anyone would check. The fact that he still cared, though, told me something about his character.
“If you’re looking to hunt something, we could go fishing. Have you ever been fishing before?”
“Never,” I blurted.“There aren’t many opportunities for fishing in the West Village,” I laughed.“Unless you count the catfishing,” I joked.
He laughed.“Perfect. That’s what we’ll do next, the real fishing I mean. Not the catfishing.” He picked up the gun and walked back towards the shed, vanishing inside.
