Dare to Love (Young Adult Romance) Page 10

  I nodded and faced the target. Raising my arm, I focused on the center area for what seemed like several seconds before pulling the trigger.

  “I can’t believe this!” someone shouted.

  This time, I hadn’t closed my eyes and I noted with pleasure that I’d hit the target dead on again.

  “Let’s step back, gang,” the lieutenant told the group. We all moved back several feet. “Try again, Laura,” he encouraged, still beaming.

  I shot the gun again with the same results. Shaking his head, Lieutenant Hudson thumped me on the back before removing my ear guards. “No need to shoot again,” he said. “You’ve made the team.”

  I handed Lieutenant Hudson the glasses, then stepped back to stand beside Jennifer. “Where’d you learn to do that?” she asked me, her voice filled with wonder.

  I shrugged, still disbelieving myself.

  “Way to go, Laura.”

  I recognized Dare’s deep, masculine voice. I turned toward him. Our eyes met, and curiously, his blue eyes appeared to darken as they’d done on the night he’d kissed me. I felt him reach for my hand and give it a gentle squeeze, before quickly releasing it.

  I gulped, and my heart fluttered nervously. I turned to face the front. I really wanted to talk to Dare, but this was hardly the place.

  “Courtney, you’re next,” Lieutenant Hudson said, and I turned my attention back to the front. Courtney stepped forward, and I noted that the lieutenant didn’t offer her any instructions. I knew she’d probably gone target shooting a million times so it wasn’t necessary. But when Courtney took aim and fired the pistol, the bullet fell way short of its mark, as it struck the outer most ring of the target.

  Lieutenant Hudson took the gun from her for a few seconds. He gave her a few words of encouragement and passed it back to her. She was about to shoot when he stopped her. He reached out and tapped her right hand.

  She nodded and transferred the gun from her left hand to her right hand. She fired again, but the second bullet fell way short of its mark. She passed the pistol back to the lieutenant, clearly frustrated.

  He spoke with her briefly, then passed her the pistol again. She held it in her left hand before transferring it to her right hand. Then it dawned on me! Courtney seemed to hold the gun in left-handed fashion before transferring it to her right hand.

  “Lieutenant Hudson!”

  He reached to take the gun from Courtney and then turned around. I suspected from the somewhat irritated look on his face that it wasn’t really a good idea to interrupt someone when they were getting ready to shoot, but I just had to talk to him.

  “What is it, Laura?”

  My dad suddenly appeared at my side. “Hon, you shouldn’t talk when someone’s preparing to shoot,” he whispered.

  I glanced from my father to Lieutenant Hudson. “Uh, yeah, I figured as much, but ... maybe Courtney should try to shoot left-handed. She seems to hold the gun so naturally left-handed.”

  Dad and the lieutenant watched each other for a few seconds. “You don’t think....? Lieutenant Hudson’s words trailed.

  Dad shrugged, and chuckled. “I’ve seen it before.”

  The lieutenant turned his attention back to Courtney. “Now, Courtney,” he said, “try it the way you were going to, before I corrected you.”

  She nodded, and we all stepped back a bit. She turned slightly and held my gaze. She looked so frightened.

  She was about to put the ear guards on, when I said just loud enough for her to hear, “Courtney, envision the bullet striking the center. Take a deep breath, and pull the trigger.”

  She nodded and put the ear guards on. Then she did as I’d told her. To everyone’s astonishment, she hit the target dead on.

  “I did it! I did it!” she cried.

  Dad shook his head and chuckled. “I haven’t seen it very often, but you’re a right-hander who happens to shoot lefty.”

  The lieutenant patted Courtney on the back. “Try again.”

  She grinned, then eagerly turned back to face the target. She shot the gun again, and hit the center ring.

  “Well done, Courtney!” the lieutenant enthused.

  Courtney passed the gun to him, along with the glasses and ear guards. She spun around. “Dare, I did it! I did it!” she shouted.

  She dashed toward him and threw her arms around his neck. He lifted her off the ground and twirled her around. Finally, he set her back down on the ground, but they still held one another for several long, agonizing seconds. I felt as if my heart were breaking in two.

  Finally, they parted. Courtney turned, and to my dismay, ran right to me. She gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, Laura,” she cried, “I never could have done it without you! You saved my life!”

  Chapter Twelve

  After several more explorers had taken their turns shooting, Lieutenant Hudson calculated scores, and then announced those who would represent our club at L.E.C. Glancing at his watch, he declared that the meeting was over but said we would have a meeting the following Monday. Then everyone headed for the vans.

  As Jennifer, Keith, and I were walking back to the van, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning, I looked up into my father’s smiling face.

  “Hey, Annie Oakley,” he said. I couldn’t miss the unmistakable pride in his voice.

  Jennifer and Keith went on ahead, but I stopped walking. “I didn’t know you were coming today, Dad.”

  “Hudson had mentioned you’d be shooting, so I thought I’d come out and watch. I’m glad I did,” he declared, grinning, “but I’d sure like to know how my little girl became a sharpshooter.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, Dad. I just aimed and I hit the target. It was kind of weird.”

  “You take after your mother,” he said with a nod. “She could outshoot me any day of the week.”

  “Really? I didn’t know Mom could shoot.”

  “Oh, sure,” he said, smiling at the memory.

  I watched him, intrigued by the emotions that crisscrossed his face.

  “Your mom was something else,” he said finally. Then visibly shaking himself, he asked, “Hey, would you like a ride back to the station?”

  “Sure.”

  We started walking. I was surprised when Dare, Courtney, and Lieutenant Hudson fell into step beside us.

  For a few brief minutes, I’d forgotten about Dare. Earlier, when he’d hugged Courtney for such a long time, it had become apparent to me that he did have feelings for her. My heart did a flip-flop just thinking about it.

  Dad stopped walking and Courtney surprised me when she clutched my arm. “Thanks again, Laura,” she said beaming. “Thanks a lot. I may even be able to qualify now.”

  I attempted a smile.

  “Oh, I think that’s a pretty sure bet,” Dad said, chuckling.

  The lieutenant glanced at me. “That was a good call, back there, Laura. I should have figured out Courtney shoots lefty.” He shook his head. “And you’re quite a shot yourself, young lady. With that kind of shooting, we may have a chance at first place at L.E.C.”

  Dad laughed. “Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. We have two girls here who can outshoot any of us.”

  “We’ll try not to make them mad, eh Dare?” Lieutenant Hudson joked.

  Dare smiled and caught my eye. “That was some impressive shooting, Laura,” he commented.

  “Thanks.”

  I shifted uncomfortably, and was relieved when Dad said we should get back to the station.

  “You riding with us, Laura?” Dare asked.

  “Um, no, I’m going to catch a ride back with my dad.”

  Dare frowned. “Oh, okay. See you back at the station?”

  “Sure.”

  I followed Dad to the patrol car and climbed in. Sighing, I buckled the seat belt and slumped in the seat. I turned and watched Dare and Courtney climb into one of the vans. “Oh, well,” I muttered aloud, as the van drove off. I told myself it was good to find out where I stood with Dare. Unfortunately, I couldn’t
just turn off my feelings for him on the spot.

  “Did you say something, hon?” Dad asked as he slid into the driver’s seat.

  “Oh, no, Dad.”

  He watched me briefly before starting the car and pulling away from the curb. He surprised me when he said, “It was sure fortunate for Courtney that you figured out she shoots lefty.”

  “Huh?”

  Dad nodded. “In order to be a police officer, you have to qualify with a pistol. Hudson told me she’s been worried to death about not being able to qualify. I know Dare has been taking her out to the range periodically to try to help.”

  The last thing I wanted to hear was that Dare and Courtney had been spending even more time together, whatever the reason.

  “I’m sure someone would have figured out she shoots lefty eventually.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But you really helped her a lot. She is one young lady who is very serious about law enforcement.”

  “A little too serious...” I grumbled.

  Dad watched me curiously. I wasn’t feeling particularly charitable towards Courtney right now. Up until today, she hadn’t been especially fond of me, either.

  As Dad steered the patrol car into the station parking lot, I was surprised to see Dare, Keith, and Jennifer standing beside Keith’s car, talking. Keith had his arm wrapped possessively around Jennifer, and I felt a stab of jealousy.

  I shook myself. I felt awful being envious of my best friend, and resolved never to let it happen again. But just seeing Dare’s handsome, smiling face caused my heart to lurch painfully in my chest. I longed to feel his arms around me.

  Suddenly, I wondered where Courtney was. I’d expected her to be with Dare. From the refuge of the patrol car, I peered at him for a moment.

  Dad, who was organizing some paperwork, broke into my thoughts. “Coming in, hon?”

  “Uh, yeah.” We climbed out of the car, and I followed him.

  “Hi, Laura,” Jennifer called to me.

  I glanced over. She waved at me. I managed a tight smile and a quick wave, careful not to look at Dare, and then hurried after my father.

  I took a deep, steadying breath when we stepped into the station. I realized it was going to be difficult seeing Dare on a regular basis at the explorer meetings, considering my feelings for him, but I knew I would have to make the best of it. Even if I wanted to quit the explorers’ club, it wasn’t an option.

  “Hon, I have to take care of a few things. You want to head on home or do you want to hang around here for awhile?” he asked.

  “I think I’ll wait for you, Dad.”

  I knew that leaving the station would require walking to the parking lot. I didn’t want a face-to-face meeting with Dare just yet. It would hurt too much.

  Standing in the main room of the station, I glanced around me. The sight of all the Teddy bears almost caused me to smile—almost.

  I noticed a pile of bears on Lieutenant Hudson’s desk. I decided to carry them to the conference room. I figured the lieutenant might like to have his desk back. I scooped up as many of them as I could, and slowly walked into the large room.

  I couldn’t believe what I saw—Teddy bears! Probably a couple hundred! I couldn’t help smiling then. I knew that many would be given to little kids when they needed a friend most. I was kind of proud of myself when I thought about it.

  I began stacking the bears into some semblance of a neat pile. I was nearly finished when I heard my name.

  I swallowed hard. I didn’t have to turn around to know the voice belonged to Dare. Slowly, I turned and attempted a smile. “Hi,” I said softly.

  He simply grinned at me. I realized he had his arms behind his back. I watched him as he brought them around and handed me a little, brown bear.

  “Uh, thanks,” I said nervously. “I’ll … add it to the pile.”

  “Oh. No, Laura.”

  “What?”

  “The bear ... it’s not for the Teddy bear drive. It’s ... for you.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. Dare reached for the bear and turned it so I could see it. I hadn’t really looked at it before. The bear held a pink, satin heart between its paws that read, “I love you.”

  My mouth dropped open. I could only stare at the bear, stunned. Did this mean what I thought it meant?

  Dare continued to watch me, his eyes brimming with anticipation. He nodded, as if urging me to understand his message.

  I met his gaze. “But ... but ... I thought...”

  He took a step toward me. His sky blue eyes were questioning. “You thought what?”

  “I thought you and Courtney...” My words trailed off and he shook his head, confused.

  “You thought Courtney and I...?”

  I nodded. “I saw you together a few times. And, I saw you, well ... hugging her a few days ago... And then today at the range... And well, she’s so beautiful...”

  “And you’re so beautiful. Inside and outside,” he cut in. He searched my face, his blue eyes intent. “And yes, I’ve spent time with Courtney. I’ve been trying to teach her to shoot. The day you saw her hug me,” he emphasized the words, “was the day we’d gone shooting and she’d gotten so frustrated, she started crying.” He shook his head. “None of us could figure out she shoots lefty and you came along and figured it out right away.” He smiled. “You’re amazing, Laura.”

  “But I thought you thought...”

  “What?” he asked as he leaned toward me.

  “I thought you thought I was reckless and...”

  “I did, and you were,” he said, laughing softly as he inched even closer to me. “But that didn’t stop me from falling for you. Besides, didn’t you say you’re reformed? I was sure you told me you’re reformed.”

  I nodded and he closed the gap between us, pressing his lips against mine. My heart leapt with joy. Dare loved me!

  When we pulled apart, I could only shake my head in wonderment. Suddenly, Jennifer and Keith burst into the room. “Laura!” Jennifer cried.

  I spun around surprised, and somehow tripped on a huge Teddy bear. Dare’s strong arms shot out to grab me. Too late! I took him with me and we tumbled into the pile of bears.

  Dare and I turned toward one another at the same time, laughing. I threw my arms around him and gave him a big hug.

  I heard Keith laughing hysterically, and then I heard Jennifer’s smug voice. “I told you she liked him, liked him...”

  The End