Read Online Lauraine Snelling - [Wild West Wind 01] by Valley of Dreams - Free Book Online Page A

asked Chief when he returned from checking on the livestock.
    He nodded. “But we hunt first.” He’d gone hunting the evening before but returned with empty hands. “You come with me.”
    Cassie stared at him. “B-but I’ve not had time to practice.”
    “You’ll have to learn.”
    She stared at him, searching for excuses. “You didn’t find anything when you went hunting. Shouldn’t we just go on?”
    “Deer are over there.” He pointed toward a thicket off to the east.
    “How do you know?”
    “Deer sign.” He held her gaze, his dark eyes serious.
    “Oh. What about taking Micah?”
    “He is not used to guns. You are a better shot.”
    She almost asked why he didn’t shoot the deer himself, but something stopped her. She nodded instead. “Now?”
    “Before sun gets higher.”
    “Take the horses?”
    He nodded and headed back outside.
    Cassie pulled two rifles out of her gun bags, dumped shells into her pocket, and once on the steps, closed the door behind her. Here she thought they would be on their way again immediately. Riding one horse and leading Wind Dancer, Chief stopped for her to mount. She handed him a rifle and ammunition and shoved her own rifle into the scabbard. Why did he insist she come along?
    He set off and she followed. It was hard to believe they’d been snowed in for two days. The melting snow had left a soft layer of soil that had immediately turned to mud. Leaves still clung to the aspens and oaks in the wooded area ahead. Passing through sagebrush released an aroma that smelled clean and fresh, with a bite to it. Chief signaled a stop and dismounted, motioning her to do the same. She tied Wind Dancer to the sagebrush, where he dropped his head to graze.
    “Aim for heart, right behind shoulder,” Chief whispered. He loaded his rifle, so she did the same.
    Keeping up with him took every bit of concentration she had. If she looked away, he seemed to disappear into the landscape. At one point, when she lost him, she hunkered down to wait until he returned, which he did within minutes. “I can’t keep up.”
    He nodded. She could tell he wanted to say something, but he only turned to forge ahead. When he dropped to the ground, she settled in next to him, belly flat to the grass-cushioned earth. At least they weren’t in a mud puddle.
    “Deer break there.” He pointed to the south end of the thicket. “Be ready.”
    She studied the distance as if she were in a competition. How could she shoot a living animal? Birds were bad enough, but a deer was big and alive and beautiful.
    Turning to ask Chief a question, she discovered he had disappeared again. Why couldn’t he tell her what he was doing? She heard brush crackling, and then one deer with horns broke from its cover, bounding over the prairie. Moving the rifle, she sighted and pulled the trigger. The deer kept on bounding away, disappearing into a draw.
    “I missed.” Disappointment kept her on the ground. What had she done wrong?
    Not bothering to keep hidden now, Chief strolled back to join her, shaking his head.
    “Sorry. I—”
    “Moving target is harder.”
    “But I’ve shot moving targets before. Pigeons move, they fly.”
    “Fly straight. Deer are different. Best to shoot when standing still, but he ran.”
    “Why didn’t you shoot?” She waited, keeping a close watch on his face. One eye watered and he blinked. “Your eyes?” She’d have missed his nod had she not been staring at him. “How bad?” He shrugged. “You could see the deer?” A nod. “But not through the sights?” Another nod. He stared out at the horizon, refusing to look at her again.
    “And Micah?”
    “Slow.”
    She closed her eyes against the knowledge and levered the shell out of the chamber, then picked up the empty shell and put it in her pocket. If having food to eat depended on her, then she’d better do some practicing, not just talk about it. She stood and stared across the plains. Surely there were other things to eat