Fighting, shooting, and dancing

The days passed quickly and Shane's apartment renovation was coming along well. It was almost ready for her to move in. The renovation work had been going on for almost two weeks now. In the meantime, she was itching to get the Copper Creek Gazette restarted, but she needed content for the new paper. She printed up a mock edition to share with the townspeople. A letter from the editor was on the cover page, followed by what her version would look like filled with articles and advertisements on all four pages; two outside and two inside. The entire paper was filled with the names of all the businesses currently listed in their small town. She found all the old contracts from previous business owners who advertised with Mr. Kellser. Those owners' advertisements got the front page. The new version of the Gazette looked beautiful and modern. Her experience with the Washington Post was proving to be invaluable, as she put her vision into print.

She made the rounds in town and delivered one free copy to every business and household. She then borrowed Eleanor's wagon and made the rounds to farms and ranches located within a 5 mile radius of the town centre. She not only met the Kellsers and Dale whom she already knew, but also some new members of the community. Sam and Marie, the Amidons, Charley and Kelly Riggs, the Lasseters, Ellie Richards's parents, Mr and Mrs Kempert, Nikki and Graham, Maggie, Ben Parker's mom, Peg Parker, Minnie, and last, but not least, Mr. Joseph O'Toole, Oliver's father.

Joe was a hunter who lived in a little cabin near the woods located the farthest away from town. He smiled fondly at her and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure meeting you Miss McInerney, but what are you doing so far from town without a firearm?"

She looked surprised and responded. "Why should I be armed?"

"Miss McInerney, I can tell you're from the big city. This ain't it! You are in the Wild West now. You need a gun to protect yourself, especially if you're going to go gallivanting into the mountains without an escort."

She smiled and shook her head. "I must confess Mr. O'Toole, the thought never crossed my mind."

"Did you tell anybody in town where you were going?"

"No, not really. As I said, I never thought of it."

"Well, I'm escorting you back to town."

She shook her head again, "There's no need Mr. O'Toole, thank you anyway." "Miss McInerney, I wasn't actually asking for your permission. Thank you for coming all this way, though. I can't see that I'll need your newspaper at the moment, but you never know. It does look beautiful. You're obviously very good at what you do." He said, admiring the paper in his hand. With one fluid movement, he got himself up on his horse and turned him towards the way back towards town.

"Let's go. I'm afraid you'd have lost your way on your way back." He said, shaking his head. "Please don't do this again."

Shane smiled realising there was no point in arguing with him. However, it did cross her mind that returning to Copper Creek might have been a bit more difficult than she had anticipated. She was very grateful to Joe for guiding her back to town. She really needed to adjust to country living, and quickly!

On their way back she learned a few things about the O'Tooles. Oliver's mom had abandoned them, running away to the city with a rich merchant when Oliver was about 13 years old. Oliver blamed his father for his mom's departure and their relationship was strained. They hadn't talked in about 9 years. Joe stopped going to town. Instead, when he needed something, he went to Little Coyote Creek to avoid upsetting Oliver. He hadn't attended church for almost 10 years. He'd never met Holly, but he was sorry when he heard she had abandoned his son. It was the second woman to abandon him. Joe was thoughtful and quiet for some time as they neared town. He appeared to be a very nice and kind man, just like his son, Shane thought.

As Shane got back into to town, Oliver was locking up the post office. He saw his father escorting her while she drove the wagon. He walked decidedly towards her and demanded in a rough voice. "Miss McInerney, where have you been all day?"

"I beg your pardon?" She said, looking at him, appalled at his tone towards her. "You're not in DC anymore, Miss McInerney. This is dangerous country. Do you even have a gun?"

Joe edged his horse between Oliver and Shane, blocking Oliver's view of her. Joe said, "She's ok, son. I've already talked to her about it. I'm giving her one of my guns for now until she can buy one for herself." He said, extending his rifle towards her as he kept his eyes keenly on his son. She grabbed it blindly, not even realising what she was doing.

"Thank you, Mr. O'Toole", she said meekly. Joe nodded to her, and returning his gaze to his son again, he asked, "Can you teach her how to use it before she hurts herself?" Oliver just nodded with eyes still blazing. "Thanks Dad." He said softly, really looking at his dad for the first time.

Joe nodded and turned his horse to leave when Shane called after him. "Mr. O'Toole, please come with me to the inn. I'd like to show my gratitude by buying you dinner. Will you dine with me, please?" He flashed her a most gorgeous smile and said, "Thank you Miss McInerney, but there's no need. I will take a rain check though. How about you buy me dinner next time I'm in town and you can show me how well you can shoot." "Deal!" She waved at him and he tipped his hat in response.

When she turned to Oliver, she noticed he was still angry with her, not even attempting to hide it from her. He climbed the wooden steps of the wagon and sat down beside her. He then grabbed the reigns from her hands and pulled on the horse to move.

"Excuse me, Mr. O'Toole, what do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking you home."

She could tell he was actually fuming and that made her angry! What right did he have to treat her this way?

"You are not my husband or my father. You can't treat me this way."

"I don't care what I am to you, but let me tell you, I can and I will treat you this way until you wise up, stop being foolhardy and end up dead, just to prove you are an independent woman."

"I am independent and I certainly don't need you." She spat back.

"Yes, that's fine by me. As I said, I don't care." He said, whipping the horse to pick up speed to the point that she had to grab onto his arm or be thrown out of the wagon. Within a few minutes they arrived at the inn and he put the brakes on. He breathed deeply, trying to control his temper, raking his fingers through his hair. She was still holding on tightly to his arm and looking at him in utter disbelief. He placed his hand over hers and whispered in a desperate tone. "Please, don't do this to me again." His eyes softened. He then looked from her eyes to her mouth as if he was going to kiss her. She forgot she was angry with him and nodded in agreement, unable to take her eyes off him. He removed his hand from hers and she removed her hand from his arm. He looked back at her and said quietly, "I will pick you up tomorrow at 5 o'clock so we can go shooting at the lake and get you up to speed with protecting yourself. Please, Miss McInerney, this is very important."

"Ok, Mr. O'Toole, thank you." She said so softly her voice was barely above a whisper.

She climbed down from the wagon and walked into the inn. Oliver manoeuvred the wagon into the stable, unhooked the horse, and gave him a good rub down and some food and water.

"I can't believe this woman." He told the horse while he rubbed him. "She probably thinks riding into the mountains alone is exactly the same as going into a fashion house in Washington DC. What am I going to do with her?" He kept on rubbing the horse, which was calming to the horse and his own tumultuous heart. "I have only known her for three weeks and she already drives me crazy. What do you recommend?" The horse gave him a good whine and he laughed. "Yes, I agree."

The following day, Shane stayed home at the inn trying to control her emotions. They were running high all over the place, threatening to overwhelm her. She had promised Eleanor not to mess with Oliver's heart, but did he promise Eleanor not to mess with hers? It felt like this was exactly what he was doing to her. The way he had been so angry with her and then looking as if he was going to kiss her; did he know what he was doing to her? She was nervous about the shooting lesson, but she couldn't wait for 5 o'clock to arrive. Finally he stopped his wagon by the front door and she walked out with the rifle.

"Good afternoon Miss McInerney." He said, cheerfully looking at her. She smiled and greeted him back. He stepped down, walked to her side of the wagon and extending his hand to her, he helped her up. She sat on the bench seat, leaving a good gap of space between them.

"I'm afraid I don't have any ammunition." She said apologetically.

"I have plenty." He informed her. Within 15 minutes, they arrived at the lake. Oliver grabbed a dead log and set it between them and the water. He then took several empty cans from a box inside his wagon and arranged them on the log. He grabbed the rifle from her hand and loaded it. He noticed his dad kept it in perfect condition. He showed her how to hold it and aim it.

"Here." He said, "You should stand perpendicular to the target, put your feet roughly shoulder width apart with elbows pointing down. The right hand holds the grip with the right elbow pointing out, but not too far. The butt of the rifle should be snug against your shoulder. Remember to keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire." Then he fired it and hit the first can perfectly making it fly up into the air and land in the water.

"Would you like to try it?" He said, offering her the rifle after he loaded it.

She smiled and nodded her head. "You made it look easy." She said, moving to take his position while he helped her place the rifle in position. She was too forward facing, so he grabbed her hips, twisting them towards him while her feet stayed in place. She held her breath while his hands lingered on her hips for a few extra seconds. He then moved behind her and adjusted the rifle so it tucked against her shoulder. She could feel his breath on her neck. She couldn't focus on anything with him breathing just by her ear.

Oliver was barely aware of what he was actually doing or what he was supposed to be doing. All he could sense was her feel under his hands and her womanly scent right under his nose. She was intoxicating. She filled his senses. Before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him. She lowered the gun and leaned into him. He lowered his head to her neck and took in a deep breath of her scent.

Within a split second, it felt like a lightning bolt struck their hearts and they jumped back from each other.

"Miss McInerney, I… I apologise for my behaviour. I… please forgive me."

She nodded, lifted the gun and shot the second can as if this was the most natural thing to do. She lowered it, reloaded it, took aim and shot again, hitting the next can. She repeated the same process until she ran out of cans.

His jaw dropped. "Wow! Have you done this before?" He asked her, amazed. "No, but I thought I should make the most of the lesson while my adrenaline was pumping on high." He smiled at her and said. "Well, if you're ever confronted by a bear or a mountain lion, your adrenaline will be pumping on high, so you should be alright based on that display." She smiled back and said, daring him. "Well, I guarantee you, it won't be the same."

After a few more rounds, she proved to be an excellent shot. Oliver, satisfied with her progress, took her home. On the way back he asked her for a favour. "Miss McInerney, every year on the 4th of July we have a dance competition as part of the celebrations. Pastor Ramon is in charge of the showcase. Would you like to be my partner for this year's competition? I believe it is a great deal of fun, but we will need to practice with Pastor Ramon and the other competitors."

"Oh, who do you normally dance with?"

"I have never actually taken part in the competition, because at first, my wife was too busy to practice and last year she wasn't here."

He became very quiet and looked ahead, trying to focus on the drive. Shane noticed how tense he was and she remembered Joe mentioning Oliver was abandoned by both his mother and his wife. Her heart squeezed within her chest with compassion for him.

"Yes! It will be my pleasure Mr. O'Toole!"

He relaxed, releasing his breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.

"Thank you, Miss McInerney. The practise starts tomorrow at 7pm in the church hall. I will pick you up at 6:45."

"Thank you, Mr. O'Toole."