Chapter 6

6

" S ight down the barrel and hold it steady." Garrett found it increasingly difficult to instruct Aundy in how to shoot his revolver with her floral scent tantalizing his nose and a wayward wisp of hair engaged in a teasing dance by his cheek.

His mother returned from town with Aundy in tow, insisting J.B. begin her lessons in agriculture that afternoon. Aundy spent a couple of hours at the kitchen table taking notes as J.B. shared information about farming.

Garrett interrupted the lessons when he stopped by the house to ask his father a question.

Aundy appeared to share his stunned feelings when Nora had insisted he give the girl a shooting lesson right then.

"Ma, I just needed to ask Pops a question," Garrett said, backing toward the door, hoping to escape. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around Aundy. The problem was that he wanted it too much. He'd like nothing better than to spend the afternoon sitting somewhere quiet listening to her lilting voice and getting lost in her sky-blue eyes. He'd promised himself to stay away from the widow, and he had more than enough work to keep him busy.

"I'm sure Garrett has much more pressing matters this afternoon," Aundy protested, rising to her feet from her place at the table. "I really should be getting home anyway."

"Nonsense. Garrett could use a break from his work, couldn't you?" The silvery stare Nora sent his direction let him know she wouldn't tolerate any argument from him.

"Sure, Ma, but Mrs. Erikson isn't exactly dressed for a shooting lesson." Garrett tried not to stare at Aundy's pretty outfit, from the frill of lace around her long neck to the elaborate stitching on the hem of a skirt that was the exact same shade of blue as her sky-colored eyes.

"She can leave off her jacket and put on one of my aprons. She'll be fine." Nora hustled to pluck a clean apron off a peg on the wall and tied it around Aundy before she could generate an excuse for immediately returning home. Quickly placing a handful of cookies in Garrett's hand, Nora pushed him and Aundy toward the door. "Have fun."

Garrett stared at his mother with a narrowed gaze. He bit back a smart comment and held the door for Aundy. He led the way behind the barn where he set some old cans they saved for target practice on top of a few fence posts.

Although he planned to have Aundy shoot his revolver once or twice and send her back to the house, she held the gun in her hand, looking at it then him expectantly. Resigned to giving her a real lesson, he took the gun from her. He described in detail how it worked, how she should hold it, gun safety, and everything a beginner needed to know about the weapon.

When he finished, she smiled at him, causing him to forget what it was he was going to say. He pointed toward a post and told her to try to shoot one of the cans.

Aundy had a hard time holding the gun steady using only one hand and her first shot went wild.

"Here, let me help you."

She started to hand him the gun, but he stepped close behind her and put his arms around her. Garrett placed his big hands over her smaller one, helped her raise the gun, his cheek pressed against her temple.

That was his first mistake.

His second was taking a deep breath. Nearly undone by her soft rose fragrance, her warmth seeped into him, making him feel slightly overheated.

"Normally, you'd learn to shoot using both hands to steady your weapon. Since that isn't an option, you'll just learn to do it one-handed from the start." Garrett desperately wanted to kiss Aundy. He could almost taste the sweetness of her lips. "You hold it like this, see?"

Aundy nodded her head, unable to see or think. Not with Garrett so close to her. He smelled of horses and sunshine, and some musky scent she found to be both alluring and inviting.

When he stepped behind her, pressing close, her knees wobbled and she fought the desire to lean back into his strength. Her stomach fluttered as his breath stirred the hair by her ear then she felt his cheek against her temple. His deep voice filled the air and her soul.

She blinked her eyes, trying to keep from collapsing at his feet. Intentionally blocking out just how wonderful it felt to have Garrett's arms around her, she focused on the can on top of the fencepost.

"When you feel ready, gently squeeze the trigger. Don't pull or tug it, just let it come easy." Garrett drew on what was left of his restraint as he kept his arms around Aundy, helping steady the gun in her hand.

She pulled the trigger and hit the can, knocking it off the post.

"That's great, Aundy!" Garrett shared an enthusiastic hug with his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Mindful of what he'd done, he dropped his hands and stepped back. "You seem to be a fast learner. Try the next one."

Aundy wasn't sure she could concentrate enough to hit the side of the barn, but tried to regain her focus. She missed a few, but the more she shot the more she hit, gaining confidence. Garrett reloaded the gun for her several times. The last round, she hit five out of six cans.

"I'm very proud of you." Garrett was amazed at how quickly she picked up shooting, especially since she was learning one-handed.

"Thanks." Aundy beamed a smile at Garrett, rather pleased with her efforts considering she'd never before held a gun. "I can see why Dent said you should teach me to shoot. You've been so patient and informative."

"Glad you think so." He took the gun from her and reloaded it. "Want to try again?"

"I've killed enough cans today. However, I'd like to see you shoot." She wondered if he would hit all the cans he lined up on the posts.

"Are you sure?" Garrett asked, returning to stand beside her, holstering the gun.

"I'm absolutely certain." Aundy nodded her head for emphasis.

Garrett whipped out the gun, knocked all the cans off the posts, and returned it to his holster so rapidly Aundy had barely seen anything. She wasn't sure she'd even had time to blink.

She laughed, thrilled at the opportunity to watch Garrett in action. "No wonder Dent said you should teach me. Were you a gunslinger in a past lifetime?"

"No, ma'am." Garrett grinned. He didn't usually show off, but he was in the mood to do so today, wanting to impress his neighbor. "I practiced a lot growing up. I guess I read one too many western adventures as a kid."

"I can't believe your mother would allow you to read dime novels." The look she gave him made him wonder what kind of retribution he'd face if he kissed her. She looked so lively and pretty with her cheeks flushed and errant strands of silky golden hair twirling in the afternoon breeze.

"No one said she knew I was reading them." Garrett offered her a devilish smile. "She'd have boxed my ears if she knew I was reading those instead of the books she deemed acceptable."

"Now I've got something to hold over your head." Aundy teased as they walked together.

"Just try."

"I'll save it for a day when I really need it."

As they strolled around the side of the barn toward the house, Garrett breathed deeply of Aundy's fragrance that put him in mind of summer roses. He tried not to stare at her tall figure and trim waist. "I'll come over soon and we can set up some targets so you can use Erik's guns. They're yours now, so you should practice shooting them, get familiar with how they feel in your hand."

Elated at the idea of being with Garrett, Aundy knew she shouldn't be. A wave of guilt swept over her for enjoying the time she spent with her handsome neighbor as much as she did. Her husband had only been gone a few weeks and she told Nora earlier that morning she refused to get involved with another man.

Her last two relationships ended with the men she cared for dying and she couldn't go through the pain of losing someone else again.

She stopped on the front walk and turned to Garrett. "Thank you for teaching me to shoot. I hope I never need to do it, but I appreciate you helping me learn."

"You're welcome, Aundy. Most welcome." He marveled at the way the sun played in her golden hair. His mother must have been the one to pin it up in the poufy style because he knew Aundy couldn't manage it with her arm in the cast. Although it looked stylish, he much preferred it rippling in golden waves down her back.

Dreams of burying his hands in all that hair made his temperature climb. He cleared his throat, trying to chase his thoughts in a less amorous direction.

"Are you staying for supper?" he asked, motioning Aundy to precede him down the walk.

"I've been enough of a burden to all of you today. If someone wouldn't mind taking me home, I need to see to some things there." She waited as Garrett opened the kitchen door for her.

"If you're certain," Garrett said, hoping she'd stay. He enjoyed hearing the cadence of her voice and the conversations around the dinner table were much livelier with her there.

"I'm certain." Aundy stepped into Nora's kitchen where the woman bustled around with dinner preparations.

"Certain of what?" Nora asked, sliding a pan of rolls into the oven.

"That I need to go home. Dent will be wondering if things went well in town today." Aundy removed Nora's apron, returning it to the peg on the wall. She slipped her arms in her jacket sleeves and picked up her hat. After setting it on her head, she attempted to jab a hatpin in one handed and struggled to get it into place without the ability to hold her hat steady with her other hand.

Garrett wondered what she'd do if he helped her. He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets before he found out. "Dent? What did he need in town?" He tried not to grin when Aundy's tongue came out of the corner of her mouth as she fussed with her hat.

"Aundy lost four hands this morning. Up and quit when they found out she's keeping the farm and staying. I neglected to mention it earlier," Nora said. She asked Garrett to send over some extra help and gave him the names of the men who'd quit.

He wasn't surprised by the news.

"That leaves you really short-handed." Garrett studied Aundy, wondering if she'd accept their assistance. "I'll send over a couple of men in the morning. Did you put an advertisement in the paper? Let people around town know?"

"Yes, we did." Aundy gave up on her hat and pulled on her gloves. "That was one of the reasons we went to town. I hope someone responds to the advertisement."

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of people answer the ad, honey." Nora took Aundy's hatpin and jabbed it into the hat then put her arm around the girl's waist as she walked her to the door. "You're more than welcome to stay for dinner, but if you're of a mind to go home, Garrett can take you."

"Thank you, Nora. I appreciate all your help today." Aundy hugged the woman before walking down the porch steps. Garrett quickly hitched the horse to the buggy and in no time, they were on the road to her house.

"Do you think Dent can interview and hire the men?" Aundy asked as Garrett easily held the reins in one hand.

He turned his silvery gaze to her and observed her for a moment before answering. "He's more than capable. Why?"

"I don't think it would be in anyone's best interest for me to conduct the interviews. With my lack of agricultural knowledge and the obvious problem of having a woman in charge, I thought it might be best to have Dent do the hiring."

"Maybe, but whoever you hire will have to come to terms with the fact they are working for a woman at some point. Why don't you and Dent interview them together?"

Aundy nodded her head, giving it some thought. She'd talk to Dent and see what he wanted to do. All of it depended on someone being interested in working for them. If they couldn't get anyone willing to work for her, she didn't know what they'd do. Running cattle and farming was extremely hard work and required many hands to make it successful.

"If you have trouble finding some help, you could always sell the cattle. That would lessen the load and the men you have could handle the farming part of the operation." Garrett tried to think of ways to make things easier on Aundy and her crew.

A few of the men at Aundy's place would rather work with cattle than the land, but the ones who stayed on were good hands who'd do what needed to be done. "You could also think about renting out some of the ground to someone else. On the other hand, you could run more cattle and put the wheat ground into pasture or plant seed to cut for hay. If you run more cattle, you'd have to have a way to feed them."

"What would you do, if you were in this situation?" Aundy asked, looking at Garrett with her beautiful blue eyes moist and intent.

He turned his gaze to the road and had to swallow twice before he answered her. His thoughts lingered on her inviting lips. "I'd see what kind of response comes from the advertisement. If that doesn't go well, I'd probably sell the cattle. The price is good this year and then you wouldn't have to worry about their feed and care."

Garrett took in the determined look on her face. While his gaze rested on her, he couldn't help but notice the freckles dotting her nose, or the pink hue the pleasant afternoon brought to her cheeks.

Lovely. She was absolutely lovely. Although he greatly appreciated her outward appearance, he also respected her intelligence, fortitude, and gentle spirit.

"I'll take that into consideration." She smiled at him with such tenderness, he leaned toward her, wanting to kiss those rosy lips of hers in the worst way. Her eyes widened and he caught himself before he did something he'd later regret.

"If you decide you do want to sell the cattle, I'd be happy to help you find a buyer that will give you a good price. There's a man in Umatilla who raises Shorthorns. He might be interested in expanding his herd."

"Thank you. If I decide to sell the cattle, I'll be sure to let you know." Aundy was relieved they were nearly to the house. She didn't know how much more time she could spend in Garrett's presence without losing all her common sense.

For some reason, she got the distinct idea he almost kissed her a moment ago, but that was impossible. Someone as handsome, generous, and fun as Garrett Nash wouldn't want anything to do with her. He needed a beautiful, charming wife content to sit in the house and be domestic.

Aundy had never been fond of the domestic arts, as her mother called them. She was a good cook, could maintain order in a home and perform all the duties flawlessly, but now that she had a farm of her own, she'd much rather be outside than in the house. Her spirit felt free out in the warm sunshine and clean air.

Maybe too free , she thought as she glanced at Garrett out of the corner of her eye. Reminding herself she was a new widow with no plans to commit to another man, she straightened her spine along with her resolve and lifted her head. She would not allow her imagination or her longings to get the best of her.

"Here we are." Garrett stopped the buggy at the end of her walk. Before she could get out, he was at her side, placing his hands to her waist and swinging her to the ground. His hand engulfed hers and she felt a charge of something powerful work its way from her fingers up her arm at his touch.

While she still possessed the ability to do so, she pulled her hand free. She hurried up the porch steps and opened the door. Garrett followed behind her, carrying her purchases from town. He set them on the kitchen table, tipped his hat to her, and walked out the door without another word.

Aundy sank onto a kitchen chair, wondering what she was going to do about her farm, her lack of employees, and her feelings for Garrett Nash.