Read Against the Grain for Free Online

came across her group a couple days ago; she needed some help so I stepped in. Honestly though, I think she might be a good addition to this place.”  
    “Oh yeah, how so?” Nick asked.
    “She’s smart, down to earth, and she used to garden and do medical type stuff too,” I summarized.
    “Is that all?” Nick again asked, baiting me into what I knew he wanted to hear.
    “Yeah she’s a cutie too,” I conceded.
    And she was. Megan’s angel face was accented by her dirty blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. She was thin but with the right curves; a young woman in her prime was an art form, but it was always the mind that sealed the deal for me.  
    “Good deal man,” he smiled broadly at me. “Has Breanne met her yet?”
    “Uh yeah, kind of. Actually they’re a lot alike, so that’ll be… interesting.” I answered.
    Breanne was the more active one in the marriage, with Nick being a somewhat more passive person. It worked for them for the most part, although there had been times of frustration that Nick would confide in me about. Breanne had talked to me too about it once or twice, but there were a couple other girls like Cary and Michelle, her brother’s wives, that she was closer with.  
    “So how’s that thing treating you?” I changed the subject and pointed to the gun leaning next to him.
    I had helped out by loaning a few of the people on the Ranch a couple of long guns that I had in my little collection. It was just a couple of bolt actions, a semi auto SKS, two shotguns and a couple .22s, as they were just good enough for what everyone needed. I knew each gun well and loved them all, but it was mutually beneficial for everyone to have a means of defense and getting food. After some basic safety and handling instructions, we started to see who had a knack for it and who struggled. The ones who had shooting experience and picked it up quickly, or those who were devoted to practicing, I paired up with certain guns.  
    Everything I had loaned out so far was pretty much your standard long barreled, wood stocked, politically correct firearms. All the other fun guns were still locked away. I had been planning on upgrades at some point for the people who really showed an aptitude for shooting, but hadn’t got around to it yet. I wanted to be sure that I saw people could not just hit their target, but really be able to work with their firearm.  I wanted to know that they knew how and when to use it, like Breanne had shown me.  
    Nick currently had my short M38 Mosin Nagant carbine, and Breanne kept a Yugoslavian SKS close by her side.
    “Good I guess, for only having shot it a handful of times,” Nick shrugged.  
    “Yeah it’s too bad, but we’ve gotta conserve ammo and keep the noise down. That’s why I’m so big on the dry firing,” I subtly reminded him about keeping up on his own practice routines.  
    The dry practice was mostly used so we wouldn’t waste bullets and also to get everyone familiar with their weapons. The families here didn’t need an army, they needed people who could hit their target and run their guns successfully, be it against a coyote going after the chickens, or a looter sneaking around the farm. The way I figured it, they needed more mindset and non shooting smarts than they’d need to be proficient in extreme close quarters, or making five hundred yard head shots. So far there had been few threats out here that a couple people with guns, and the smarts on how to have the upper hand, couldn’t take care of.
    “We’ll get in some more live firing soon. I’ve got a few fun drills we can try out too,” I told him.  
    We talked on for a while longer before I offered to relieve him of the OP and let him get back to his family. Besides everything else, they were in the middle of the first round of weeding the substantial garden plot at the main house and could use all hands that were available. The families were doing well living off the canned food they had put