Montana Sky

daytime. “Bad business. Kid, wasn’t it? From Nebraska?”
    “Kansas, I hear. Runaway. Got the shit killed out of her.”
    “Young girls ought to stay home where they belong.” Eyes narrowing, Jesse studied the flame of his cigarette. “Learn how to be wives. Women want to be men these days, you ask me.” This time his grin was just a little mean. “ ’Course, maybe that don’t bother you, seeing as you got a woman for a boss.”
    Jim’s back went up, but he nodded easily enough. “Can’t say I care for it much, generally. But Will knows what’s what.”
    “Maybe. The way I hear it, by next fall you’ll have three women bosses.”
    “We’ll see.” His pleasant anticipation of showing off in front of the women faded. He picked up the package. “Appreciate you dropping this off.”
    “No problem.” Jesse turned back to the rig. “You come on by tonight, and bring money. I’m feeling lucky.”
    “Yeah.” Soured, Jim adjusted his hat, watched the rig drive off. “Asshole,” he muttered, and went back in the bunkhouse.
     
    O N THE MAKESHIFT TARGET RANGE , WELL BEHIND THE pole barn, Lily shuddered.
    “Getting cold?” Tess asked.
    “No. Just a chill.” But she caught herself looking over her shoulder, peering against the sun at the glint of it on the chrome of a departing rig. “Someone walked over my grave,” she murmured.
    “Well, that’s cheery.” Resuming her stance, Tess drew a bead on the tin can with the little Smith & Wesson Ladysmith—what Willa called a pocket pistol—and fired. Missed by a mile. “Shit.”
    “You can always beat him over the head with it.” Will stepped behind her again, steadied Tess’s arm. “Concentrate.”
    “I was concentrating. It’s just a little bullet. If I had a bigger gun, like yours—”
    “You’d fall on your ass every time you fired it. You’ll use a girl gun until you know what you’re doing. Come on, even Lily hits the mark five times out of ten.”
    “I just haven’t found my groove.” She fired again, scowled. “That was closer. I know that was closer.”
    “Yeah, at this rate, you’ll be able to hit the side of a barn in a year.” Willa drew the single-action Army Colt out of the holster riding low on her hip. The .45 was a lot of gun—weighty and mean—but she preferred it. Showing off only a little, she picked off six cans with six shots.
    “Annie Fucking Oakley.” Tess sniffed and hated the surge of admiration and envy she felt. “How the hell do you do that?”
    “Concentration, a steady hand, and a clear eye.” Smiling, she slid the gun back into its sheath. “Maybe you need something more. Hate anybody?”
    “Besides you?”
    Willa merely raised an eyebrow. “Who was the first guy to dump you and break your heart?”
    “No one dumps me, champ.” Then her lips pouted. “There was Joey Columbo in sixth grade. Little son of a bitch led me on, then two-timed me with my best friend.”
    “Put his face over that can standing on the fence rail there and plug one between his eyes.”
    Teeth set, Tess shifted, aimed. Her finger trembled on the trigger. Then she lowered the gun with a laugh. “Christ, I can’t shoot a ten-year-old.”
    “He’s all grown up now, living in Bel Air, and still laughing about the chubby dork he dumped in junior high.”
    “Bastard.” Now her teeth bared as she took her shot. “I nipped it.” She shouted it, dancing a bit, and Willa cautiously removed the gun from her hand before Tess could shoot herself in the foot. “It moved.”
    “Probably the wind.”
    “Hell it was. I killed Joey Columbo.”
    “Just a flesh wound.”
    “He’s lying on the ground, watching his life pass in front of his eyes.”
    “You’re starting to enjoy this too much,” Lily decided.
    “I just pretend I’m in one of those arcades at the carnival and I’m trying to win the big stuffed teddy bear.” Her cheeks flushed when her sisters both turned and stared at her. “Well, it works for me.”
    “What color?” Willa asked after a moment. “What color teddy bear?” she elaborated.
    “Pink.” Lily slanted her eyes left at Tess’s chortle of laughter. “I like pink teddy bears. And I’ve won a good dozen of them while you’ve been shooting thin air.”
    “Oh, now she’s getting nasty. I think we should have a contest. Not you, killer,” Tess said, nudging Willa aside. “Just me and the teddy bear lover.” She leaned closer to Lily. “Let’s see if you can handle the