the yard in Wisconsin.”
“You planning to curdle some milk when our place is finished?” She cracked the barrel and tossed the spent shells in the trash bag she’d brought along. “That place is crawling with cows.”
“How long before we can go?” Hayden asked as he loaded his birthday present, the shotgun that was a replica of hers. “I think Granddad misses it.”
“Jerry told me another month, so we’ll go check it out when school ends.” She watched as he took his turn, smiling when he shot at the same point she had with the same results. At moments like this she really missed her Da. Casey family traditions would be passed down for generations to come, if she had any say, but the lessons would’ve been richer with her Da looking on. “I’m ready for my milking lesson.”
Lou and Mook stood close by watching for any potential threats. A gun range could be the perfect place for a hit, and she’d sighed loudly the fourth time Lou had said it. The second target fell to the ground intact, and she couldn’t make out what Hayden was muttering. She guessed it was a litany of curse words he didn’t think she knew he used at times. Cursing was something she indulged in only when necessary to get some idiot to understand a simple concept, like “don’t fuck with me.”
“It’s a learning process, son,” she said, waiting for him to clear his barrels before she put her hand on the side of his neck. “Eventually no clay bird will escape your clutches.”
She tied up the trash bag of used shells and dropped it by her feet as she slid her gun back into the leather holder. Leaving the shells behind was an invitation for a rival or an unscrupulous cop to set her up, and she knew plenty of both.
“Can you make my game on Friday night?”
Hayden had spent the spring on second base for his junior-high baseball team, and she’d rescheduled whatever she had to so she wouldn’t miss a game. “You know I’ll be there, along with the rest of the Casey cheering squad.”
They talked about their upcoming plans as they walked, and she barely noted the line of people on the pistol range shooting at paper targets. There were a few more men than women, but all of them were focused on their imaginary foes. Nothing about them stood out, but the guy closest to the exit made her stop so she could see his face. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary about him, but an invisible hand to the chest and something in her mind whispered, “Look at me.”
“What?” Lou asked.
The guy finished his clip and, as if sensing the attention, turned and stared back. His blond hair, pulled into a short ponytail, was much lighter than his eyebrows. He was short and slim, and he shrugged his shoulder in a what? motion. She’d never seen him before, but like stretching for something a hair out of your reach, she felt she should have. Something was familiar about him, but whatever it was eluded her. He pushed another clip into the big shiny gun, which struck her as a flashy piece for such a twerp, but he acted harmless.
“Nothing.” She steered them toward the car and didn’t look back.
“You sure, Mom?” Hayden asked as she walked away.
“Yeah,” she said, but she wasn’t being honest. At the car she gave in to the need to find the guy again, but he was gone. Probably into the restroom, she thought, since the entrance was close to where he was. “Maybe I’m hungry.”
“That’s Mom’s line.”
“Boy, you say that to her face, and you’d better hide that gun.”
Chapter Five
“Mom,” Hannah said from Cain’s lap the next morning, “I need a pony.”
“Has Mama been telling pony stories again?” She laughed when Emma stuck her tongue out at her. “Your mama’s short, so what she had wasn’t a pony. It was a puppy.”
“I need a puppy, then,” Hannah said quickly.
“Your birthday is the perfect time to ask your mama for that.” Hayden laughed at her answer, probably remembering a dog that
“You planning to curdle some milk when our place is finished?” She cracked the barrel and tossed the spent shells in the trash bag she’d brought along. “That place is crawling with cows.”
“How long before we can go?” Hayden asked as he loaded his birthday present, the shotgun that was a replica of hers. “I think Granddad misses it.”
“Jerry told me another month, so we’ll go check it out when school ends.” She watched as he took his turn, smiling when he shot at the same point she had with the same results. At moments like this she really missed her Da. Casey family traditions would be passed down for generations to come, if she had any say, but the lessons would’ve been richer with her Da looking on. “I’m ready for my milking lesson.”
Lou and Mook stood close by watching for any potential threats. A gun range could be the perfect place for a hit, and she’d sighed loudly the fourth time Lou had said it. The second target fell to the ground intact, and she couldn’t make out what Hayden was muttering. She guessed it was a litany of curse words he didn’t think she knew he used at times. Cursing was something she indulged in only when necessary to get some idiot to understand a simple concept, like “don’t fuck with me.”
“It’s a learning process, son,” she said, waiting for him to clear his barrels before she put her hand on the side of his neck. “Eventually no clay bird will escape your clutches.”
She tied up the trash bag of used shells and dropped it by her feet as she slid her gun back into the leather holder. Leaving the shells behind was an invitation for a rival or an unscrupulous cop to set her up, and she knew plenty of both.
“Can you make my game on Friday night?”
Hayden had spent the spring on second base for his junior-high baseball team, and she’d rescheduled whatever she had to so she wouldn’t miss a game. “You know I’ll be there, along with the rest of the Casey cheering squad.”
They talked about their upcoming plans as they walked, and she barely noted the line of people on the pistol range shooting at paper targets. There were a few more men than women, but all of them were focused on their imaginary foes. Nothing about them stood out, but the guy closest to the exit made her stop so she could see his face. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary about him, but an invisible hand to the chest and something in her mind whispered, “Look at me.”
“What?” Lou asked.
The guy finished his clip and, as if sensing the attention, turned and stared back. His blond hair, pulled into a short ponytail, was much lighter than his eyebrows. He was short and slim, and he shrugged his shoulder in a what? motion. She’d never seen him before, but like stretching for something a hair out of your reach, she felt she should have. Something was familiar about him, but whatever it was eluded her. He pushed another clip into the big shiny gun, which struck her as a flashy piece for such a twerp, but he acted harmless.
“Nothing.” She steered them toward the car and didn’t look back.
“You sure, Mom?” Hayden asked as she walked away.
“Yeah,” she said, but she wasn’t being honest. At the car she gave in to the need to find the guy again, but he was gone. Probably into the restroom, she thought, since the entrance was close to where he was. “Maybe I’m hungry.”
“That’s Mom’s line.”
“Boy, you say that to her face, and you’d better hide that gun.”
Chapter Five
“Mom,” Hannah said from Cain’s lap the next morning, “I need a pony.”
“Has Mama been telling pony stories again?” She laughed when Emma stuck her tongue out at her. “Your mama’s short, so what she had wasn’t a pony. It was a puppy.”
“I need a puppy, then,” Hannah said quickly.
“Your birthday is the perfect time to ask your mama for that.” Hayden laughed at her answer, probably remembering a dog that
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