Page 45 of The Apple Tree

My breath didn’t stand a chance of being steady in such close proximity to him.

“Are you nervous?” he mumbled with his lips at my ear. “I can feel your heart racing. I’m not going to let you kill anyone.”

With his help, I hit the first target on the edge.

“Good,” he said, releasing me and helping me set another arrow on the bow, tweaking my grip. “Now you try it on your own.”

I wanted to impress him, but I felt out of my league and weak like I did when I tried to start that boat engine. Of course, I missed the target by a lot.

“You held your breath, and you tensed up.”

“I didn’t try to.”

“I know. But you did, so this time, think about the steps, relax, breathe, and know that you’re not going to steady it perfectly over the target, but that’s okay. The target is a lot bigger than the arrow tip.”

I tried a third time. “I did it!” I turned, proud of myself for hitting the target.

Kyle’s grin swelled. “Good job.”

“Daddy, I'm going to get my tractors,” Josh said.

“Okay, buddy. They’re on the deck. Do you need help?”

“No.” He ran toward the house.

I shot a dozen or so arrows before my hands and fingers hurt.

“Let’s not overdo it.” He winked, taking it from me as I shook out my hands and massaged them.

“Can you hit the target every time?” I asked.

He attached his quiver and shot six arrows in a matter of seconds—all within fractions of an inch from each other.

“I guess you can,” I murmured.

His grin doubled as if he were trying to impress me rather than the other way around. Then, we retrieved the arrows together.

“Josh hasn’t made it back, which means he's using the flower beds as a play zone. I’d better get back.”

I nodded, following him into the barn.

“Does your dad hunt?” I asked.

He returned the bows and arrows to the cabinet. “Yes. My mom said they wouldn't still be married if he didn’t take hunting trips.”

I laughed.

“Do you eat what you kill?”

“Yes, most of the time.”

“So you’ve eaten bear meat?”

He locked the cabinet and turned. “No. I don’t hunt bears.”

I tucked my thumbs in my front pockets and rocked back and forth on my heels. “Thanks for showing me how to shoot today.”

Kyle eyed me, and I felt his gaze as tangible as if his hands were on my body. And I couldn’t help but wonder if I was delusional. Did he look at me like a child? It didn’t feel like that.

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