Montana Sky

pressure, sister.”
    “Then I suggest you reload.” Willa bent down for the ammo. “You’re both going to be shooting empty.”
    “What’s the winner get?” Carefully reloading, Tess hunkered down. “Besides satisfaction. We need a prize. I do best with clear, set goals.”
    “Loser does the laundry for a week,” Willa decided. “Bess could use a break.”
    “Oh.” Lily rose. “I’d be happy to—”
    “Shut up, Lily.” With a shake of her head, Willa looked at Tess. “Agreed?”
    “Everyone’s laundry. Including delicates?”
    “Including your fancy French panties.”
    “By hand. No silks in the washing machine.” Satisfied with the deal, Tess stepped back. “You go first,” she told Lily.
    “Twelve shots each, in two rounds of six. When you’re ready, Lily.”
    “Okay.” She took a breath, replayed everything Willa had taught her about stance, breathing. It had taken her days to stop slamming her eyes shut as she squeezed the trigger, and she was proud of her progress. She fired slowly, steadily, and watched four cans fly.
    “Four out of six. Not too shabby. Guns down, ladies,” Willa ordered as she walked over to reset the targets.
    “I can do that.” Tess straightened her shoulders. “I can hit all of them. They’re all that freckle-faced bastard JoeyColumbo. I bet he’s on his second divorce by now. Two-timing Kool-Aid swiller.”
    She shocked everyone, including herself, by knocking three cans from their perch. “I hit that other one. I heard it ping.”
    “It did,” Lily agreed, generously. “We’re tied.”
    “Reload.” Enjoying herself, Willa strolled over to reset. When she turned and spotted Nate heading their way, she lifted an arm in salute.
    “Hold your fire.” He stopped short and threw his hands up when Lily and Tess turned. “I’m unarmed.”
    “Want to put an apple on your head?” Fluttering her lashes, Tess stepped closer and met him with a kiss.
    “Not even for you, Dead Eye.”
    “We’re in the middle of a shoot-off,” Willa informed him. “Lily, you’re up. I see a giant pink teddy bear in your future.” She laughed and set her hands on her hips. “You had to be here,” she told Nate, then whooped when Lily hit five out of six. “Sign her up for the Wild West Show. Beat that, Hollywood.”
    “I can do it.”
    But her palms were sweaty. She caught a whiff of horses and cologne that was Nate and rolled her tensed shoulders. She took aim, squeezed the trigger, and missed all six shots.
    “I was distracted,” she claimed as Willa cheered and pulled Lily’s hand up over her head. “You distracted me,” she told Nate.
    “Honey, you’re a wonder. Not everybody can hit thin air six times out of six.” Nate cautiously took the gun, unloaded or not, out of her hand and gave her a hard kiss in consolation.
    Willa smirked. “Don’t forget to separate the whites, laundry girl. And pick up your spent shells.”
    Lily moved close as she and Tess gathered up shells. “I’ll help you,” she whispered.
    “The hell you will. A bet’s a bet.” Tess cocked her head. “But next time, we arm-wrestle.”
    “I’m heading into Ennis for some supplies.” Nate rocked back on his heels and tried, too obviously, not to stare atthe denim straining over Tess’s butt as she picked up spent shells from the ground. “Thought I’d stop by and see if you needed anything.”
    Like hell, Willa thought, noting just where his eyes kept wandering. “Thanks, but Bess went in a couple days ago and stocked up.”
    Tess straightened. “Want some company on the ride?”
    “That’d be good.”
    Her eyes stayed on his as she dumped her handful of shells into Willa’s open palm. “I’ll just get my purse.” She tucked her arm through Nate’s and shot a sly look over her shoulder. “Tell Bess I won’t be back for dinner.”
    “Just be back for wash day,” Willa shouted after her. “She’s got a clamp on his balls all right.”
    “I think they’re nice together,” Lily said. “Handsome and easy. His smile just breaks out whenever he sees her.”
    “That’s because he knows his pants are going to end up around his ankles.” She laughed at Lily’s disapproving look. “Good for them. I just don’t get the sex thing, that’s all.”
    “Are you afraid of it?”
    The question was so unexpected, considering the source, Willa could only gape. “Huh?”
    “I was. Before Jesse, with him. After.” Automatically Lily walked over to stack the