Adele (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #18) - Cynthia Woolf Page 0,28

“No. I’m just putting extra flavor into the ham and beans.”

“That explains why yours taste so much better than mine.”

Adele heard footsteps coming down the hall.

Lissa entered the kitchen. “Did you get them all out?”

“Yes. I’m free of those itchy little things. I feel almost normal.”

“Do you think we can get back to sharing the milking and egg chores? Daddy wouldn’t let me do it until you got better.”

Adele smiled. “Of course. Just like before. I’ll carry the milk and you the eggs.” I’m so glad she missed it. Was it just the chore or was it me, too?

*****

The next day Adele, Ruama and Lissa were cleaning up after breakfast. Lissa brought the dishes from the table, Adele washed and Ruama dried and put them away.

Edward walked into the kitchen through the back door. “May I borrow Adele, ladies?”

“Sure,” said Lissa.

“Of course,” said Ruama.

Adele put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “Well, I don’t know if you can borrow me. What do you want me for?”

He lifted a brow. “You wanted lessons to learn to shoot a pistol, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then come with me.” He held out his hand.

She wiped her hands on her apron, and then put it on the end of the counter before taking his hand. Adele smiled wide. “Thank you.”

Edward smiled back. “You’re welcome. Let’s go out behind the barn. I’ve got some targets set up for you to practice on.”

“Great.”

Adele couldn’t take the smile off her face. Edward was granting her request. Maybe he was forgiving her for lying about who she was. She hoped so.

He held her hand the entire way to behind the barn. When they reached the target area, he finally released her.

He removed a small pistol from his vest pocket and held it in his hand. “This is a derringer. Specifically a Sharps Pepperbox. It has four barrels, and this one fires a .32 rimfire bullet. This detail probably doesn’t make a difference to you, but it does to me. I want you to be able to fire more than one bullet, if you need to.”

“Will this one fire far enough to keep Richard away from me or Lissa?”

“Yes, but it’s not a long shot gun. You need to be no more than forty or so feet from him to do any damage. To kill him, you need to be no more than about twenty feet away.” He handed her the gun with the barrel pointed at the ground. “Never point the weapon at anyone unless you mean to shoot them.”

She took the gun and rubbed her fingers over the pearl handle. Can I really kill Richard? Would I rather wound him so he can be brought to justice? If he harms or threatens to harm Lissa, I will kill him. “It’s a beautiful weapon.”

“I bought it for Catherine.” His mouth formed a straight line. “She obviously didn’t need it, since she didn’t object to the advances made toward her.”

Adele didn’t comment. He didn’t seem like he wanted anything from her on the subject of his dead wife. “Is this loaded?”

“No point in having a gun if it’s not loaded.”

She nodded. “No, I suppose not. So how do I shoot this? Don’t we have to get closer?”

He smiled. “I’m glad you noticed that. Follow me.”

Edward walked to about twenty feet from the targets. “I could have taught you with my pistol but one, it’s too big for you, and two, you should learn on the weapon you’ll actually be using.”

Still holding the gun pointed down, she fingered the barrels. “I agree. I want to be familiar with it so I’m not figuring it out when I need it most. If he comes at me, especially if I’m not expecting him, which will probably be the case, I want to know what I’m doing.”

He frowned. “I hate that I have to teach you this skill. I hate that I can’t always be there to protect Lissa.” After a moment, he looked at her. “And you, too, even though you are the reason this precaution is necessary.”

Adele was unable to ignore the guilt she felt. She didn’t want to think about the way Edward’s empty hand fisted until the knuckles were white. Guilt was a destructive emotion, and if she let it take hold, she wouldn’t be able to do what was necessary. She laid her free hand on his arm. “I know you always want to protect us. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was necessary. I don’t