Caleb's eyes shifted to something in the corner and went narrow, and a dangerous calm replaced his outrage. "My shotgun," he said disbelievingly. "Isn't that my shotgun?" "I only borrowed it," Lily said, squaring her shoulders. "You shouldn't make such an issue of a little thing like that." "Have you fired it?" Lily thought of the large round bruise on her stomach where the butt of the weapon had struck her when she pulled the trigger. She wasn't about to talk about that, or the fact that the force had thrown her ignobly to the ground. "Yes, sir," she said, putting a pointed and mocking emphasis on the word "sir." Caleb let out a long sigh and shoved splayed fingers through his dirty hair. "Lily, you could hurt yourself with that thing. You've got no damned business being out here without a man to protect you." Lily ladled water into her shiny new enamel coffeepot and set it on the stove with a bang. "Well, I won't have to worry anymore, will I? Now I'll have you for a neighbor!" "You could be a little happier about it." "Why should I be? Velvet and Hank are settling just over the next hill. What do I need with a man who won't marry me, who thinks I'm sneaky? Besides, you're not interested in settling here-you just want to be handy so you can gloat every time I make a mistake!" Caleb chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "To think I actually imagined you'd be waiting for me at home." "This is home," Lily said tautly, spooning coffee grounds into the pot. "We'll see how you feel when the snow is six feet deep and you've been eating beans for two months straight," Caleb replied.
( Linda Lael Miller )
[ Lily and the Major ]
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