CHALLENGES: The Foresters (Sample only, Published at Amazon)

Chapter 4: Showing Off

The weather in Virginia had turned dark and stormy. Rain pelted against the windowpanes until a sheet of water obstructed the view. Out of boredom, Lori stood in front of her bedroom mirror practicing her fast draw, pretending to face some overconfident male wanting to drag her off. She wasn't sure if she could kill a man, but she wouldn't hesitate to put a hole near the brain he was thinking with. Her eyes squinted into slits while drawing her lips together as if she'd whistle, and then her hand moved in a blur of speed as she drew her gun.

When she holstered her six-shooter, she noticed Bo's reflection in her doorway. The expression on her face didn't change. It didn't help her mood to see him swallow down his laughter. With him as her target, she drew her gun and squeezed the trigger with such speed it blurred. Her aim—his belt buckle reflected in the mirror.

That cocky grin died and his eyebrow cocked. "Guess you're still unhappy with me." She holstered the gun and ignored him. After a few minutes, he asked, "Do you still hate the idea of moving to Texas?"

"The truth?" She drew again. A resounding click filled the quiet room, and then she re-holstered her weapon. "Actually, the idea of moving isn't what made me angry. It was the fact that none of you bothered to tell me you were thinking about it. I still can't understand why it wasn't planned and discussed over the past year. It would have given me the chance to get used to the idea." She drew again and this time, her hand flew even faster. "Believe me; you wouldn't like it one bit if I did that to you."

"I doubt you'd be telling me to pack or get married either." His lips turned up at the thought. "Lori?" She looked his way. "We were afraid to tell you too soon. You might have found a way to stay here."

Her bottom lip puckered out as her eyes turned sappy. "Awe, Bo, that's so sweet."

He lowered his eyes to the floor while digging his thumbs into his pant pockets. "It's the truth. We should stay together. You need us." He peeked back up; his cheeks holding a blush.

He sounded so sincere; her heart swelled. "Yes, I do."

His face lit up with her answer. "Then you aren't upset?"

"Not any longer." The explanation made all the difference. How could she stay irritated when shown such love?

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The next day, the skies were clear and Lori was determined to practice with her rifle. Her ability with any kind of weapon was excellent. But hitting what she aimed at while riding a moving horse was a different story. She tried hitting the trunks of trees first and laughed when she missed. Somehow, she had to keep her torso still, and that meant using her legs while keeping her bottom free of the saddle.

She found the horse's rhythm and adapted it to the way she often rode standing up on her horse's back. The effort it took, in this case, quickly tightened the inside muscles of her legs, but once she had the movement down, she pulled her rifle, aimed at a tree limb the size of a rolling pin and fired.

"Yahoo!!" Whirling the horse around, she went back to see. She had winged it. Encouraged, she began again, keeping her upper body level to give her a steady arm. Again, she shot and hit. After doing it multiple times, she succeeded at a gallop. But, she didn't stop there. She discovered the position allowed her to rotate around even shooting behind her. The practice became a game because of overcoming the obstacles. But the consequence of not stopping sooner left her legs so sore she could barely walk.

At home, Bo came skipping down the stairs, when he saw Lori coming towards him stooped over like an old woman and walking as if she would topple over. He hurried to help her. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"