Read Online Wed to the Witness by Karen Hughes - Free Book Online Page B

stuff.”
    â€œLike you can sometimes put an arrow into the center of a target,” Cheyenne commented, then glanced at her watch. She knew Johnny had a reading lesson in less than an hour. “Go ahead and head for breakfast. I’ll take care of stowing the equipment.”
    â€œOkay.” Sticking his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans, the teenager turned and headed up the dirt trail that led to the dorms and dining hall.
    â€œSeems like a nice kid,” Jackson commented.
    â€œHe is.” Cheyenne watched until Johnny’s gangly, stoop-shouldered form disappeared from sight. “No one ever believed in him, so it’s no surprise he has a hard time believing in himself. He still has trouble accepting the fact he can accomplish something worthwhile.”
    Jackson cocked his head. “Was what I just witnessed an archery lesson or a counseling session?”
    â€œA little of both. With kids, you can only sit so long in an office and talk. You have to do something. Show them there’s a way to deal with their problems, even sometimes solve them.”
    â€œSo, you use archery to build Johnny’s self-esteem.”
    â€œArchery, riding and roping lessons and other skills along those lines. Like all the kids at Hopechest, he has daily chores to do, too. Everything is geared to teach them a sense of responsibility, accomplishment and self-worth.”
    â€œFrom what I saw this morning, things appear to be working for Johnny.”
    â€œI hope so. I hate to think about what might have happened to him if a social worker hadn’t referred him to Hopechest.”
    Jackson’s gray eyes measured her for a silent moment. “Your job makes a difference. That must be a nice feeling.”
    â€œIt is.” She thought of how his father had groomed him to be an attorney, that one of the reasons he was staying in Prosperino was to decide if he wanted to continue his work as a lawyer. Her brow furrowed. Did the aura of trouble she had sensed so strongly in her vision stem from his uncertainty over his career? Or was it something unconnected?
    The thought had her angling her head. “How was your trip yesterday to L.A.?”
    â€œA waste of time.” His eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze to the table. “So, these are the tools of an archer’s trade.”
    His change of subject had her hesitating. Clearly, he didn’t want to discuss his trip. “Some of them,” shesaid after a moment. “I use other types of bows, depending on a student’s progress and strength.”
    When he slicked a fingertip along the curve of the bow Johnny had used, Cheyenne felt her stomach turn over. Two nights ago, Jackson had brushed that exact fingertip down the length of her cheek just moments before he’d kissed her.
    â€œWhat type is this?”
    She blinked against the memory. “What?”
    â€œThe bow. What type is it?” The slow smile he gave her just about stopped her breath. “Since there’s an expert handy, I might as well learn something about archery.”
    â€œSure.” Struggling to pick up the thread of the conversation, she lifted the bow off the table. “This is called a recurve.”
    Jackson regarded the bow’s curved ends. “Looks like Cupid’s weapon of choice.”
    â€œExactly. Have you ever used a bow and arrow?”
    â€œSure, when I was a kid, playing cowboys and Indians with my cousins, Rand and Drake. Even your boss sometimes joined us. Our arrows had rubber suction cups on the ends, which was a good thing since Drake’s aim was deadly.”
    Cheyenne smiled at the image. “Real archery is a little different.”
    â€œIt appears so.” Pursing his lips, Jackson slid one of the arrows from the quiver then tested its sharp metal point with a fingertip. His gaze slowly raised to meet hers. “You any good, teach?”
    She lifted her brow.