Free Mail Order Minx: Fountain of Love (Brides of Beckham) by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

thinking?"  She didn't recognize the voice that said that.
    Slowly she left the door and went back to work, preparing the food for the day.  Did the whole town see her as some sort of idiot who could do nothing right? She couldn't stay somewhere where she wasn't appreciated, but where would she go?  She certainly couldn't go back to Beckham, because she would be laughed at. 
    Finally, she hit on the idea.  She'd heard the mountains near Gullet Gulch were riddled with caves.  She'd go live in a cave somewhere.  First she'd have to learn to shoot, though, but she had money.  She could pay one of the local teenage boys to teach her to shoot.  How hard could it be?
    When Connor came back into the kitchen, he looked angry, but he said nothing to her about the conversation with the men in the dining room.  She knew he was angry with her though.  How could he not be?  She was angry with herself when she heard all the things she'd done wrong listed at one time.
    They worked together in silence, with him unable to meet her eyes.  That's how she knew he was angry with her.  He'd never avoided her eyes before, not even when he'd found out she couldn't cook.  She would have to put her plan in action.
     
    *****
     
    That afternoon while Connor was doing the books for the hotel, she caught one of the teens on their way home from school.  "Do you know how to shoot?" she asked.   She knew he'd know how, because all boys could shoot, couldn't they?
    The boy nodded.  "I hunt all the time.  Why?"
    "Well, I want to learn to shoot.  Do you think you could teach me?  I would pay you."  She'd never imagined that she would ask a boy to teach her to shoot, but her plan wouldn't work if she had no way to defend herself.
    He studied her for a minute.  "Girls can't shoot.  It would have to be a lot."
    Millie thought about what a fourteen year old boy would consider a lot.  "How about fifty cents?" 
    His eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly.  "You got a gun?"
    "No, and I don't want my husband to know about this, so would you buy one for me?  I'll give you the money."  She was certain with the way the mercantile owner felt about her, he'd never sell her a rifle anyway.  She took ten dollars from her purse and handed it to him.  "Is this enough?"
    His eyes gaped, and he nodded.  "I'll go get it now.  Going to get you some ammunition too."
    "Wait, before you run off, you need to at least tell me your name."  She didn't dare let him leave with her money without knowing his name.  What if he never came back?  She'd be out ten dollars.
    "It's Louis.  Louis Stockton."
    She nodded, watching as he ran off toward the mercantile.  He met her in the park ten minutes later with a gun and a small bag that he said was shells.  "Let's go to the woods.  I don't think it's a good idea for you to teach me out in the open like this."  Truly, with the luck she'd been having, she was certain that if she learned to shoot in town, she'd simply shoot a passerby. 
    He walked toward the woods just outside of town.  "I got you a shotgun, because it's easier to aim.  You have so many pellets shooting out, it's hard to miss your target."
    She nodded.  "That sounds smart."  She didn't want to miss her target, whether it was a bear or a deer.  She needed to be able to shoot well.
    When they got to the woods, Louis showed her how to load the shotgun, explaining what each part of the gun was called, and then showed her how to aim and shoot.  She hated holding the gun, but knew if she was going to make it for any length of time up on the mountain, she'd need to be able to shoot. 
    They practiced for several hours until she realized it was getting dark.  "I need to get home.  Do you think I'm ready to go out on my own?"  She watched him carefully, hoping that he'd say yes, but she was prepared to ignore him if he said no.
    He made a face.  "I dunno, lady.  You probably need a few more lessons."
    "Could I protect myself if I needed to?"