Move the Sun (Signal Bend Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

her n onna had bonded tightly. They adored each other. And Lilli spoke fluent Italian and, under the tutelage of his mother, could cook and bake like a pro. Between the two of them, they’d packed fifteen pounds on him.
    His mother sighed, and, in heavily accented but intelligible English, said, “Sit. Eat. I bake you bread.”
    “Good, Mamma.” He sat with his daughter and mother and ate breakfast. Then he and Lilli went off on their hunting adventure.
    ~oOo~
    Johnny was impressed by Lilli’s patience, her ability to be still for long periods. She took his instruction seriously, too. Though they enjoyed each other’s company very much, spent the long drive into the woods engaged in lively debates, and chatted easily during their lunch break, they could sit side by side in perfect quiet for hours.
    He was watching her, feeling mesmerized with love for her, when she shifted slightly and brought her Remington rifle to her shoulder. He turned his head slowly and saw that she was sighted on a pretty nice buck. Looked like an eight-pointer. This was the second season he’d been taking her out. She’d sighted deer twice before, but had missed both times. He resisted the urge to talk her through this chance. He’d taught her what she needed to know. Right now, she was still and focused and seemed to be waiting for her shot.
    She fired just as the buck heard something from another direction, and his position shifted. Her bullet hit him in the shoulder, and he went down. But it wasn’t a mortal hit. The buck was flailing and screaming, trying to get back on its feet. Lilli had to take the kill shot. He turned to her. She looked stricken, and he was afraid she’d lost her heart for this.
    He started to raise his own rifle so that he could end the animal’s suffering, when in his periphery he saw her sight her rifle again. The buck was down and flailing. Not an easy shot. When she took her stilling breath, he felt it rather than saw or heard it. She fired, and the buck’s head dropped to the forest floor.
    “Good, cara . Good.” He put his hand on her back. She looked pale and upset.
    They walked over to the buck. The kill shot had gone through his eye. A perfect shot. He watched as she dropped to her knees and stroked the buck’s side. She was crying but trying not to.
    He squatted at her side. “Good, Lilli. It’s good to feel your kill. You have taken a life. Remember that. Guns are never toys. Never. When you point a gun at another living thing, you do it with purpose, and you do it to kill.”

CHAPTER THREE

    Lilli woke from the dream on full alert, on her feet and on the defensive before she was fully conscious. After a tense second, she realized where she was and concentrated on pushing the adrenaline surge down. She woke like this three or four mornings a week, sometimes in the middle of the night, too, so the process was routine.
    Better than coffee, she supposed, for getting the day started quickly.
    By the ambient light in the room, she guessed it wasn’t long past dawn. She went to the dresser and fished her phone out of her pocket to check the time: 5:52am. Good morning, Signal Bend. She went into the shitty little bathroom.
    Her stomach growled. She’d never had much of the burger she’d shared with Isaac last night, and it was pushing 24 hours since she’d eaten anything else. Plus, she might not strictly need coffee, but it was a nice start to the day nonetheless. Sadly, she had nothing in the house yet. Fuck.
    Okay. Run first, then find that diner Mac Evans recommended—Marie’s, she remembered—for some breakfast. Then errands to stock the place up. She rummaged through one of her duffels and dug out a pair of spandex running shorts and a top. She combed her fingers through her hair and yanked it into a high ponytail. She found her trail running shoes in the other duffel. She intended to run through what served as residential areas, but there was a lot of gravel out here, and she didn’t want