Chapter 4

"Here, try this," said Mark, as he sat back down on the cushions by Kara's side.

Kara took a sip of the hot liquid. "This is good! What is it?"

"Hot chocolate, with a classic West Virginia mountain kick. A perfect addition to a nighttime fire."

Kara sighed and took another sip, snuggling against Mark and staring at the blazing fireplace before them. The rest of Mark's family had already retired. Kara turned and kissed Mark's cheek. "This day has been like a dream. I've never had a Christmas like this!"

"Both of my parents find you enchanting. Leon and Lois do too... And you should have seen my dad's face after you came in from your pistol shooting match with him. He pulled me aside and practically ordered me to marry you."

"Ha! What exactly did he say?"

"Let me think... He said you had a tough-as-nails exterior over a soft core of pure female. I remember him saying, Mark my son, do not let this one get away!"

"And how, dear Mark, did you respond?"

"I told him very solemnly that I would do my very best."

Kara clapped her hands in delight. "He really is a wonderful person. And our shooting match was close!"

"Kara, I remember a month ago you told me you were a crack shot, but I had no idea how modest you were being. My dad said you emptied a full clip into a 2-inch bull's-eye from a 100 yards! And then you went on to beat him in his specialty; a rapid fire, multiple target contest. Is this all true?"

"Yes. I was in the zone. I love shooting your family's Glocks! I had never seen a Model 35 before, and the pistol scope was superb. It's as if the model were made for me. The trigger pull did feel quite a bit different than a Colt. And the kick from the 1800 fps Smith & Wesson ammo was also new to me, but I love the power from the 84-grain rounds. Vertical drop at 100 yards was only about 6 inches, so much nicer than the sub- sonic ammo I used to fire in South Bend. For the close-in rapid-fire work, I just put my sight directly on my target points. I loved it!"

"My dad was semi-serious about ordering me to marry you. There's a big regional father-daughter pistol competition here in the fall. He and you would take first place."

"But I wouldn't be his real daughter."

"This is the Appalachians of West Virginia. Attitudes here are a lot different in some ways, compared to the rest of the country. Father and daughter-in-law teams are very common in the competition. Daughter-in-law here is pretty much the same bond as daughter."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. No kidding. Take a look at your Christmas present from my mom."