Ellen wished she’d thought to bring her notebook to write the names of the four handguns down. She knew two were revolvers and they looked familiar to her because of watching westerns with her dad when she was younger. The other two guns were 9-millimeter, and she knew nothing about them. She’d thought to bring water and a hat, but it hadn’t occurred to her that she might want to take notes.
Barrett, “Viper” a former Army sniper, “Bear” a gruff Delta Force vet, and Travis “Ballistic,” a new protector she hadn’t met before, were on the long guns, which were Bucks shotguns and rifles. He’d brought several of the guns he used to protect the ranch livestock.
Hank introduced Travis; aka “Ballistic” to everyone as a SEAL vet who was the newest member of the Brotherhood Protectors.
Her eyes widened when Hank said SEAL.
By the slight grin on the corners of his mouth, Travis appeared to notice.
She couldn’t help but smile when he did, and then she blushed and looked down.
The only SEAL she’d ever met was Hank.
All the men were fit and well trained, but there was just something about a SEAL.
As Travis said “Hello, ladies,” his voice resonated with Ellen and her eyes were drawn to his.
Oh my. That voice.
Then he smiled and it was as if the sun came out even stronger.
He’s so handsome and fit, and that voice. I could listen to his voice all day.
It took a major effort on her part to turn her focus back to the guns. What helped was that he went to his post at the other end of the shooting range and many people between them were getting ready to shoot.
When he got there and turned to see her watching him, again, because she couldn’t help it, he winked at her.
Such a small simple thing, that wink, but it filled her with happiness. It made her feel pretty. She couldn’t help smiling.
It also flustered her. Removed from regular society at the secluded ranch in Montana, it had been a long time since any man had given her that kind of attention.
When was the last time any man flirted with me?
So long she had no idea how long it had been. She’d forgotten how nice it felt. She smiled, feeling his gaze on her, and not daring to look back at him. Already her cheeks were warm from the attention, and she knew they’d be rosy.
I have to focus on handguns now. It’s time for me to shoot.
Something she wasn’t thrilled about.
The range was loud and busy. She might’ve forgotten about Travis, during class, but she didn’t.
She could sense where he was, even when she wasn’t looking at him. It was an unusual feeling for her, but one she had no time to examine. The frustration of her first time on the range was almost overwhelming for her.
Ellen, having smaller fingers and hands, had more trouble with the large guns than the other women. The whole experience had her frustrated. “I’m not going to be carrying a gun anyway,” she said.
“You don’t have to carry,” Hank Patterson said. “Some women aren’t comfortable carrying,” he said. “But there are smaller guns which would fit your hand better. So don’t give up. We’ll bring a few smaller handguns out tomorrow. You can try my wife’s.”
Ellen shook her head. “I’m a kindergarten teacher and there are no guns allowed in the schools. It would be a tragedy if a child got ahold of one.”
“I understand,” Hank said. “You could keep one at home though, in case of a home invasion. Burglars are often armed. And the police can’t get there fast enough for that. If you don’t want a handgun, a shotgun is good for home defense.”
Buck gestured to her and said, “Come on over here and try out my shotgun.”
She left the handgun area and walked over to where Buck was teaching the women how to shoot his long guns.
Buck was a patient man, and it was clear he enjoyed teaching them.
Travis helped some of the other women shoot, but Ellen never got to move down to the last spot to have him show her how the gun he was working with shot. She was disappointed about that.
