“No, but it pays to be super careful.”
She nodded and slipped the magazine into the handle of the pistol.
Rafe stood at her left. “Now, do the same thing you just did with the empty gun. Aim down the sights at the target, and squeeze the trigger gently.”
He stepped back and nodded. “You can do this.”
Briana held the gun just as he’d shown her, switched off the safety and squeezed the trigger. The loud bang made her jump slightly.
The bullet hit the log below the can, sending splinters of rotted wood in all directions.
“That’s good,” he said.
“But I missed the can,” she argued.
“You did, but only by hitting low. Aim a little high of the target this time.”
She did and nicked the can, making it spin and fall from the log. Briana laughed and glanced his way, her smile bright in the afternoon shadows.
They fired over a hundred rounds, adjusting her stance and the gun’s sights, until Briana was comfortable with how the gun felt in her hands and she could consistently hit the target.
By the time they finished, the shadows had lengthened, and the sun had ducked behind the highest peak of the Crazy Mountains. Without the sun to warm the air, it got cold quickly.
Rafe helped Briana fit the shoulder holster over her arms and buckled it around her torso, his knuckles brushing against her breasts.
His groin tightened. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said with a smile.
When she looked up at him, her gaze melted into his, making him even more aware of how close they were standing and how much he wanted to kiss her. But it was getting late.
“We need to get back to the cabin.” Rafe took a step backward, shifting his gaze upward to the darkening sky.
Briana’s chin dropped, and she fiddled with the straps around her arms before sliding the now empty pistol into the holster. “Lucy will be beside herself, thinking we left her.”
“I was thinking more along the lines that this is bear country. Now that we’re not shooting and making a lot of noise, they might come out of the woods to check things out.”
“Bears?” Briana glanced around.
He nodded. “Let’s get back so we can walk Lucy before it gets too dark to see.”
Briana carried her gun case in her right hand.
Rafe carried his gun case in his left hand. He reached for her empty hand and curled his fingers around hers. “You did good today.”
“I had the best instructor.” She looked down at his hand holding hers. “Do you always hold hands with your students?”
He started to let go, but she tightened her grip. “No,” he said. “But then I’ve never had as pretty a student as I did today.”
She leaned against his arm. “Thank you for being patient with me. This is all new, but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.”
“You will. It just takes practice.”
As they approached the cabin, Lucy started barking.
Rafe entered first, grabbing her by the collar and holding on long enough to snap the lead onto the metal loop. The border collie darted through the door and out into the yard, coming to an abrupt halt at the end of the long lead. Then she raced back to Briana and wagged her entire body at her feet.
Briana laughed and ruffled the collie’s coat. “You have to wait for us, girl.”
The three of them wandered around the perimeter of the yard until Lucy had done all of her business for the rest of the day.
When they returned to the cabin, Briana closed the door and let Lucy off her lead.
Rafe ducked back outside to start the generator and was back a couple minutes later.
Together, they went through the pantry staples Sadie had stocked the cabin with and settled on making chili.
“You can hit the shower while I cook.” Rafe suggested.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Chili is about the only meal I can cook, besides steak on the grill. All the ingredients are here. I think I can handle the meal for tonight.”
She smiled. “Deal. I’ll come up with something for tomorrow night.”
“Hopefully, we won’t be here too many nights.”
“I’m okay with it. I don’t have any place else to go.” Briana lifted her chin. “Besides, this is my chance to see some of Montana. Albeit a small corner of the Crazy Mountains. But what I’ve seen so far is stunningly beautiful.”
Rafe nodded. “Agreed. One of these days, I want to try my hand at fly fishing in some of the mountain streams in the area.”
“It could be