Page 38 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

“So, then, you trust me?”

“You know that I do.”

Ben held her gaze and looked deeply into her eyes to be sure before handing Selah the 9 MM.

There was only a slight pause before she took it. It wasn’t the first time Selah had held a gun, but it had been a long time, so it took a moment to get used to the feel of the cold, hard, steel.

“Can you hit that tree?” Ben pointed toward a target no more than twenty-five yards away.

Selah nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” She got into position, lifted her arms, and pointed it towards the target.

“Focus.” Ben coached. “Aim, don’t think too hard, inhale, release it, and pull the trigger.”

Selah did as instructed. She squinted one eye until it was opened just a sliver, took a deep breath, released it, aimed, and fired several shots. The initial sound was much too loud, but she didn’t jump. Her body remained still, and her arms firmly outstretched. It all began to feel familiar after pulling the trigger a couple more times. Once Selah fired off the last shot, they walked over to the tree to inspect it.

Ben whistled low, “Damn, girl. You shoot better than Lucas.” He chuckled. “Don’t tell him I told ya that.”

She missed more than she hit but beamed with pride because of Ben's compliments.

“I knew it would come back to ya.”

Selah smiled up at him. “I’m a little rusty.”

“We’ll keep practicing, and you’ll be an expert in no time.”

“You’ll be so great when you have more kids.” Selah’s face paled. She didn’t mean to say that. The words just slipped out. She held her breath, waiting for Ben’s reaction.

He smiled. “It’s all good.” He wanted to tell her about Dillyn and the baby but promised not to say anything. “I’m learning to be okay, and I hope you’re right. Now you . . . you are going to be just fine too.”

Chapter 16

Oh my god! How much longer are these people going to be in my house?The nonstop banging and drilling by the construction crew to get their new home in order drove Dillyn nuts. All she could do was deal with it since she couldn’t stay over at Ben’s. Unfortunately, his house didn’t have the high-tech IT security Dillyn needed.

Covering her ears, Dillyn managed to make her way through the hallway and into their shared office. Cat and Selah were seated around the conference table, deep in conversation. Dillyn felt a hint of guilt because Cat was working hard to bring the orchard to life. There was just so much to do. With so many men in the house, they all took it upon themselves to ensure Selah was never alone.

Cat glanced up when Dillyn entered. “Hey girl.”

“Hey!” Dillyn was surprised to see Selah, “I thought you were off today?”

She glanced up too after making a few notes in her portfolio, “Hey, Dillyn. I was but had a couple of ideas I wanted to share with Cat.”

Cat turned to Selah, “if you have everything you need, I’m going to go run a few errands.”

“Yep, I’m good! Thanks, Cat.” Selah was hesitant as she pressed her lips together, “Um . . . Dillyn, can I talk to you for a second?”

Dillyn could tell by the tense look on Selah’s face that something was up. “Of course.”

That was Cat’s cue to exit, “Great. If either of you think of anything you need while I’m out, just text me.” She left the room closing the door behind her.

Dillyn took a seat where Cat had been sitting.

“Um . . .” Selah glanced down and started fidgeting with her hands. “I was hoping I could talk to you about something.”

Dillyn reached out and placed what she hoped was a calming hand over Selah’s. She spoke softly, “You can always talk to me.”

Slowly, Selah looked up. Her eyes looked so haunted that Dillyn just wanted to hug her. She would do anything to bring back the sparkle.

Selah swallowed hard before speaking. Her voice cracked as she began, “I was really scared that night.”

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