A Mail-Order Hope (Miners to Millionaires Book 3) by Janelle Daniels

Author:Janelle Daniels [Daniels, Janelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dream Cache Publishing
Published: 2017-02-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

At Sawyer’s words, Asher’s fists clenched. Asher and Ronan. He would be shooting against Ronan.

Asher wiped his damp brow with the edge of his shirt as a wave of nausea roiled through him. The last time they’d shot together—

His body shook, dislodging unwanted memories. He couldn’t go back there. He couldn’t go back to a time where fear, death, and despair ruled his life. They weren’t soldiers anymore. That time was long past.

“Are you all right?” Belle asked, and again it surprised him that she could pick up his moods so easily. “You don’t look well again. Perhaps you should sit down. I’m sure Sawyer could call a break.”

And let this feeling fester any longer than it needed to? No thanks. “I’ll be all right.” He had to be. Besides, unless they tied, there would only be one shot. He could stand by Ronan that long.

She didn’t argue with him, although she still looked skeptical. He just needed to get away from here. Get away from everything and everyone. Stop everything from reminding of him of how he’d failed the people close to him continually. Ronan was only one in a long line. He couldn’t pull Ronan from the dark hole he’d been in.

And look what had happened, what would probably still happen. Ronan would lose his wife, and most likely his life, over his revenge. Asher couldn’t stomach watching it.

Taking up his rifle, he marched over to the center targets where the final shots would be taken. Ronan arrived at the same moment, but Asher was only capable of nodding in greeting. He wasn’t sure he could speak over the lump in his throat.

“Asher…” Ronan’s voice trailed off as if he couldn’t think of anything else to say. And really, what could he?

It’d been so long since they’d had a conversation. Even when they’d teamed up to find Clara they hadn’t spoken, unless it was absolutely necessary. It was the way it had been since they’d come to Promise Creek. Almost a lifetime ago, it seemed.

He cursed himself for ever agreeing to Belle’s conditions. It had caused more trouble than it was worth. The run-in with Simon, the tension between him and Belle, and now this. He should’ve let her keep visiting him at the cabin.

“You ready, gentlemen?” Sawyer asked the two of them.

They both nodded.

“Good. Same rules as before: One shot; winner takes all; no rematches. Agreed?”

They both said yes and turned their attentions to the targets.

As Asher began to tune everything out, giving sole attention to the target and his task, he heard Ronan say, “Good luck.”

The sincerity in Ronan’s words startled Asher a moment, but he recovered in time to block everything and focus.

“Fire!”

Asher didn’t need the smoke to clear to see that he’d shot perfectly. Pride and derision spiraled within him. This is who he was. This is all he was good at—shooting, killing. His time as a boy soldier had certainly shaped him.

War had shaped him.

“Asher’s the winner!” The cry rose up and the crowd cheered.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.