Free Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] by Taming the Wind Page B

Besides, she hadn’t been encouraged to join Hannah and her sister.
    She walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. It felt comfortable enough. The mattress felt firm, but not hard. Carissa gave a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. She was glad that Marty had taken the kids to play. Gloria had been so rambunctious that morning, and Carissa held little patience for her antics.
    A noise drew her attention, and Carissa opened her eyes to find Tyler watching her from the doorway. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb your rest. You looked . . . well . . . you looked comfortable,” he said, setting down the two trunks he carried.
    “I was just enjoying the quiet.” She got to her feet. “I had hoped to talk to you for a minute.”
    He straightened and smiled. “I’ve always got time for a pretty lady.”
    She frowned. “This is serious.”
    “Is something wrong?” His tone took on an edge, suggesting he was all business.
    “It’s just this . . . well . . . this whole Indian thing. I didn’t want to say anything to Brandon or Laura, for I know it’s already hard enough for Brandon to leave my sister in her condition.”
    “So what is it that has you worried?”
    Carissa drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I want you . . . I mean, I wonder if you would be willing to teach me to shoot. You mentioned it once before.”
    His stance immediately relaxed. “Is that all?”
    “I know you men plan to leave in the next two days, so that doesn’t afford us much time, but I want you to teach me what to look out for . . . what kind of signs we’d see if the Indians were going to attack.”
    “You probably wouldn’t see any signs,” he replied. “They’re crafty that way. They know the land and how to survive on it. I’ve seen bands pick up in the middle of the night and slip right past the army. If they decide to attack this ranch, you probably won’t see it comin’.”
    “Then how are we supposed to protect ourselves?” she asked.
    Tyler considered the question for a moment. “I’ll take you out to shoot this afternoon. We can get a lot of practice in before I have to leave. Chances are you won’t need to worry. Like I said before, Hannah has earned the respect of the Comanche. Word among the tribes is that she’s a friend to the people.”
    “And so they’ve never attacked this ranch?”
    “No. They’ve taken things from time to time. Mostly a few steers and some horses. Will lets them, however. He feels that if he shows a willingness to overlook small thefts, the Indians won’t be inclined to make trouble.”
    His words gave Carissa little comfort. “You will be gone for a very long time.”
    “There will still be men here. Will’s got a good right-hand man in Juanita’s husband, Berto. And there will be others. You’ll be well looked after.”
    “I couldn’t bear to lose Gloria.” Carissa’s words were choked as she fought her emotions. “I couldn’t bear to lose Laura or Daniel.”
    Tyler stepped rather awkwardly toward her and started to put his hand to Carissa’s shoulder before pulling back. “I know, but don’t go borrowing trouble. Things have been peaceful here for a good while. With the war over and the army forts resupplied, the days of the Indian wars will soon come to a close.”
    She trembled. “Do you really believe that?”
    “I do. The Indians will either give up and go to live on the reservations, or the army will kill them. I don’t see that there will be much in the way of compromise.”

    Tyler tried not to dwell on his earlier words to Carissa as he showed her how to handle the Henry repeating rifle. “Hold it tight against your shoulder,” he instructed. “It’s got a recoil to it.”
    Carissa looked at him in confusion. “Recoil? Will it hurt?”
    He looked at the petite woman trying hard to hold the rifle up and shook his head. “This is crazy. That rifle is almost bigger than you.”
    “I can handle it,” she told him. He