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"I think that will work," the man said, and he steepled his fingers. "Good thinking. It does require waiting longer than I wanted, but as you said it will make an excellent distraction."
The boy beamed. The idea had come to him out of the blue, and he was proud of himself.
"Good. Good," the man continued. "I’ll have to tell the missus. That should give her a little joy until then. She's waited so long." His belly jiggled and his watch chain rattled as he laughed.
I dashed through the front room and flung open the door, completely out of breath. Without speaking a word, I then disappeared inside. Elias stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Sorry, come in!" I called, and I raced down the hall.
My entire morning had come unglued. First, Papa needed me to cook breakfast. Me, who couldn't cook a lick; I, of course, burnt it. Then Brian had overslept and was late to work, this despite the smoke fuming through the house. Mrs. Tansy, who ran papa's store when I wasn't there, had to step out for an emergency, and I’d filled in for her for a while. All of that left me no time to get home, no time to be prepared when Elias arrived, and as usual, no thought for my appearance.
I grasped the rifle from the corner of my room, crammed my hat on my head, and sprinted back into the living room. "Sorry," I called. "Busy day," and grasping his shoulder, turned him about. "Out you go.”
It wasn't until we walked toward the woods that I finally caught my breath. I handed him the rifle, and he looked at me uncertain. "You can go first."
"You sure?" He cocked his head.
"Absolutely. Just tell me how you want it set it up."
He shrugged, his hand encircling the stock. "I don't know. I guess whatever you usually do."
I stared at him, hesitant. "Tell you what. You can try what won me the rifle."
He took on a curious gaze then, but didn't respond.
I led him just inside the tree line to the clearing where I'd already marked out the target, and stepped back. "We'll start from this distance. That good?" I hadn't any idea what he was capable of and didn't want to overstretch it.
He only looked at me and walked further still. "This looks better to me."
I twisted my head. "That's ..." I began to say too far, but I bit my lip.
Never make a man feel inept, Steven said this morning.
"That's fine," I corrected myself, and I took a place behind him.
He settled the rifle on his shoulder, his eye squinting along the barrel. When the blast of the explosion rattled in my ears, I gasped, not realizing I'd held my breath.
"How's that?" he asked.
I eyeballed the target, now split in two. "You held back on me.”
He smiled. "Perhaps."
"Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, let's go for something harder then," I muttered, and I marched back to the stump.
His gaze flicked from me to the target and back, and he shrugged. "If you say so."
I crossed my arms. My brothers couldn't even do this one. Elias reloaded and raised the rifle to his shoulder. The roar shook through my limbs, and with a whoop and a fist pump, he leaped. It was dead on.
Sheepish, he held the rifle out in his palms. "Your turn."
A sly grin crept over my lips. I took my time with reloading, my gaze never leaving his face, and removed myself yet further. Lifting the rifle, I aimed past the target. "See that tree? The one with the crooked limb?"
He studied the view, and his back stiffened. "That rifle won't even shoot that far."
Truth was I wasn't sure if it would, but I wouldn't be shown up, so I inhaled to steady my arms and shifted the barrel slightly left to account for the breeze and the angle of firing. I tightened my finger on the trigger. Steady. Steady.
The snap of a twig messed the whole thing up. I pulled. The rifle flew upward, smacking me in the mouth. My lip split open, and I fell flat on my back, all the air swishing out. Lying there I coughed and choked for air.
Elias fell to his knees and raised my head in his lap. "Relax," he said. "Breathe slowly. Concentrate on my face."
I stared upward, forcing oxygen in my lungs. The salty taste of blood trickled in my mouth. But gradually, my chest loosened and my breathing restored. Yet even then, both of us sat there as if frozen in time. The warmth of his lap and the heat of his hands as he wiped the blood away permeated every cell of my body.
"Are you ... are you all right?" he asked at last.
But I couldn't speak. I couldn't even close my eyes, and the minutes flew past. A sharp sensation in my back at last brought me awake.
"I need to sit up," I said.
Pushing my shoulders, he helped me to rise. I dusted the leaves from my hair. Sucking in great lungfuls of air, I paused, unsure what to do next.
"I guess I overdid it." How stupid I must look. I'd wanted him to come today so I could show off, but I never should have attempted that. What had possessed me?
I struggled to my feet. "We should. We should ..." I said, and I made to move away.
He grabbed my arm. "Angel."
I spun around, the imprint of his hand burning my skin. He stood and stared at me, a look in his eye. Then stepping forward, he planted a kiss on my lips. Fire raced from his mouth to mine and upwards into my brain charring any thought I had left. I could only think of the feel of him, the moisture of his breath.
Scalded, we leapt apart.
"I'm sorry," he babbled. "I don't know why ... I had no right ... I gotta go." And before I could speak, he fled.
I stood silent, my fingers touched to my lips. How could he just leave? For I’d have him do that again.