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“Beatrice, but Mama calls me Bea,” she said.

“I’m Lily, and we’re about to kill a lot of snakes.”

“Make them all dead. I want to see my mama again,” Bea whimpered.

Lily loaded every gun on the table. She had no idea how many snakes had been in the nest, but she got ready to make them all dead like Bea had asked. Pretty soon, three crawled out of the grass, and she took them all out. She swore under her breath because she missed one and wasted a bullet.

“You said a bad word, but that’s okay.” Bea inhaled the sulfuric smell floating in the air and coughed several times.

“Here comes the next round,” Lily said and fired twice more, then grabbed another pistol to kill two others. “The creek bed must have been a haven for them, and the storm that’s on the way is going to flood it ...” She talked to herself as she waited for more to come into the clearing.

When there were a dozen that were either completely dead or still wiggling, the grass finally stopped moving. Smoke still hung around the table while Lily reloaded the empty guns and then hugged Bea next to her. “You were a brave girl. Thank you for having a sharp eye and saving our lives.”

“You killed them,” Bea said. “I didn’t.”

Lily hugged her tighter. “But you’re the one who saw the first one and pointed out the others.”

“Mama is going to be mad,” Bea said. “She told us not to come down here around the guns.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Lily promised and then saw a movement to her right. She raised the pistol lying in her lap and took aim before she realized that it was Daisy leading a group of women down the path.

Daisy raised her hands and then sniffed the air. “We heard a lot of shots and came to see what was happening. What are you doing on the table? And what is that smell?”

Bea raised a finger and swung it around to take in the first snake and then all the others. “She made them all dead.”

“Made who dead? And, Beatrice Eleanor Grant, what are you doing down here?” Amanda snapped. “I told you to stay away from this area and play in the churchyard.”

“Saving my life, and most likely a bunch of y’all’s as well. You might want to stay back for a few more minutes,” Lily shouted. “Just to make sure there are no more of those demons coming this way.”

Frannie watched her step, but she walked right up to the table and picked up a gun, checking whether it was loaded. “I got to shoot yesterday, so I’ll help you keep watch for more snakes while the rest of them learn or practice.”

“Thank you.” Lily eased off the table, then lifted Bea down to the ground.

“Mama!” she yelled and ran into her mother’s open arms. “I won’t never sneak off again.”

“I’m just glad that you are all right. Now, go on up to the safe places, and watch out for snakes on the way.

You were a brave girl today and I’m proud of you, but next time something like this happens, you will be punished.

” Amanda’s tone said that she was both glad that her daughter was safe and angry that she had disobeyed her.

“Yes, ma’am.” Bea lifted her skirt and ran so fast that she was barely a blur.

Frannie grabbed each snake by the tail and dragged them, one by one, over underneath a shade tree. “I’ll skin these out and take them up to the church for our next meal.” Then she stood up and focused on Lily. “Are y’all really going to make hats in your store?”

“We are,” Lily answered.

“Then I’ll keep the skins, take them back to the barn, and stretch them for you to use as hatbands,” she said. “Folks go crazy for that kind of thing.”

“Thank you,” Lily said. “But how are you going to watch for snakes and do all that at the same time?”

Frannie raised the pistol and fired, killing two more snakes.

“Just like that. I can take care of skinnin’ and shootin’ at the same time.

If there’s a lot of them out of the tall grass, maybe we will have enough to feed us all for supper.

I bet there’s a big nest of them nearby.

Just be sure that you leave those severed heads alone.

They can still produce venom for an hour or so after they’ve been killed. ”

“Beulah told us that there’s a dry creek bed not far from here,” Lily said. “I bet instinct has told them that the storm that’s coming will put water in it, and they’re all moving to higher ground.”

“I’ll watch out for more,” Frannie said with a nod, “and maybe make a trip down there to kill the slow ones that are left before the rain starts. That’ll for sure give us enough for supper.”

“No, you will not hunt them!” Daisy yelled.

Frannie’s eyes twinkled. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I don’t, but I don’t want to watch you die a horrible death, either,” Daisy shot back at her. “So promise me you won’t go down there.”

“Okay, then, I’ll just kill what slithers out of the grass—but it might be best if y’all call this off for today. I’ll hang back and keep watch around this area while I skin these out.”

Lily raised an eyebrow at Daisy.

“We cleared the air this morning,” Daisy whispered. “I’ll tell you about it later. And I’m going to hang back with Frannie and help her. One of those vicious things could sneak up on her while she’s cleaning the dead ones.”

“Are we really going to eat rattlesnake?” Lily asked.

“Best thing next to chicken that there is,” Frannie said. “If anyone doesn’t want it, then they can shove their share over to me.”

Lily wasn’t sure if she could put snake in her mouth after the rush of pure fear that she had experienced.

“Anyone home?” Elijah’s voice came through the open church doors that evening. “Matt and I come bearing supplies.”

“Come on in, and welcome,” Beulah called out.

“Did you know they were coming today?” Lily snapped at Beulah.

“Nope, but it’s a good thing they did. We are out of meat and used the last of our salt pork to make beans for tonight.

Thank goodness Frannie brought in that tub of rattler steaks to fry up,” Beulah said.

“Besides, why are you fussin’ at me? I can see that you have got a thing for Matt.

It’s either him or Elijah, and he’s old enough to be your grandpa. ”

“No I do not!” Lily answered.

“Methinks the lady named Lily protests too much with that tone,” Beulah teased as she walked past.

“Oh, hush!” Lily growled at her retreating back.

Matt was the first one to come inside, and he had a crate full of wrapped meat on one shoulder and another one of what looked like slabs of bacon on the other. “The mutton is from our sheep ranch. Elijah rounded up the bacon from one of the husbands, who sure wishes his wife would come home.”

“Just sit it down on the front pew, and please tell your family and whoever sent the bacon that we are obliged to them,” Beulah said.

“This is a bushel of potatoes from another husband who says he misses his wife and will sign anything to get her to come home,” Elijah said as he hauled in more supplies.

Matt tipped his hat toward Lily. “You are looking very pretty today.”

“Thank you.” Lily blushed in spite of her efforts to keep the redness from her cheeks at bay. “Thank you so much for all this.”

“We are glad to do what we can to help,” Matt said and then went back out to the wagon to help his uncle bring in more.

This time he brought in a twenty-pound bag of sugar on one shoulder and one of flour on the other.

“Uncle Elijah tells me that the men are grumbling about not having supper on the table when they come in, and that they’re really upset that there’s no women in the saloon.

Speaking of which”—he pointed toward the crate—“you’ll find a couple of bottles of whiskey in the bottom of that crate over there.

I know how Beulah likes a little shot in her coffee and tea. ”

“Did you think of that?” Lily wished she had been given enough notice to at least wipe the sweat from her face and put on something that fit better than a calico housedress.

“Yes, I did. You might need it for medicine,” he whispered.

“Thank you, again.” Her voice went all high and squeaky.

“Mr. Elijah!” Bea skipped down the center aisle and hugged the old man.

“Lily killed a hundred snakes this morning, and Frannie skinned them, and then she cut them up in pieces and we are eating it for supper, and I ain’t never et snake before .

..” She stopped long enough to take a deep breath and went on.

“Mama and Miz Frannie says it tastes like chicken.”

Elijah reached inside his pants pocket and brought out a small bag of hard candy. “I love rattler steaks, too. I thought you might like to give all the kids here a piece of this tonight.”

“Mr. Elijah ...” Bea’s face lit up brighter than the Independence Day fireworks show. “You are my favorite person, next to my mama and Miz Frannie and Miz Lily. They saved my life today.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Elijah said. “I’m going to the kitchen now to see if they’ve got enough rattlesnake to share with an old man like me. You want to go with me, Matt?”

“I’m good,” he answered and sat down on the back pew.

“I’ll just rest here awhile and be ready to take you home before I start that long ride back to the ranch.

Oh, I almost forgot ...” He took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to his uncle.

“Alma sent this to Beulah. Will you give it to her, please?”

“Sure will,” Elijah agreed and headed toward the front of the building, where Beulah was frying snakes in bacon drippings with Maggie and her crew.

Matt looked up at Lily and asked, “So, how are things going? Did you really kill a hundred snakes today?”

She sat down on the pew but kept a respectable distance between them.

“Not a hundred—but it seemed like it was when I was shooting them as they slithered out of the tall grass. Bea was terrified, so she exaggerated a little. Tomorrow it might be a thousand, but in reality it was more like a dozen. They must have been nesting down in the rocky creek bottom.”

“You amaze me, Lily Boyle,” Matt said.

“Because I can shoot a snake?” she asked.

“For that, and so many other reasons,” Matt answered. “You help people—just look at all these women gathered. To me, that makes you one special lady.”

Another blush started on her neck and shot around to her cheeks. “Well, thank you, Mr. Maguire.”

He looked deeply into her eyes. “That’s Matt to you, ma’am. I would like to invite you out to my family’s ranch. I’ve told them all about you, and my mother would love to meet you.”

For a few seconds, she was totally lost in his gaze. “I would like that very much,” she said, and then wished she could put the words back into her mouth. She couldn’t lead Matt on or meet his family. He was too good of a person for that kind of treatment.

Bea ran right up to them and grabbed Lily’s hand. “Come quick, and bring your gun. One of them snakes has got into the outhouse.”

Matt was on his feet in a split second and had his gun out of the holster as he ran ahead of Bea. “Show me where and I’ll take care of it.”

Lily wasn’t used to running beside a person with legs as long as hers, but she found it to be exhilarating.

She heard Bea say something, but it was lost in the heat of the moment and the hard thumping in her chest. Finally, Bea tugged at her skirt and screamed, “You’re going to the wrong one! It’s the outhouse behind the barn!”

Lily changed course and Matt followed her. The rattler had made its way out of the outhouse and was slithering to the open barn door when Matt shot it. The noise rang out through the whole area, and women ran out of every building to see what had happened.

“There’s one more for the frying pan,” Matt said as he holstered his pistol. “You ladies need to be very careful. This whole area is bad for rattlers this time of year.”

Lily could have listened to him read Job or Exodus out of the Bible all evening just to hear his deep voice. “I promise we will be on the lookout. I’ll even address the next community meeting about the need to be aware of snakes.”

“That’s good,” Matt said. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you ...” He paused. “Or any of the ladies.”

“You ready to go? Miz Beulah has fixed me up with a whole platter of snake meat to take home with me,” Elijah called out from the back of the barn.

Matt held up the dead snake. “Look what I shot. This will replace whatever those sweet ladies gave you.”

“Well, give it to Frannie. Seems like she’s the one that can skin them out,” Elijah said. “You need to get going toward the ranch. You don’t want one of those varmints to spook your horse and then have a bite of you for their midnight snack.”

Matt laid the six-foot snake on the porch and used his free hand to tip his hat toward Lily. “Good night, Miz Lily. I’ll see you next time I’m in town, and maybe this will be over by then.”

“I hope so,” she said with longing in her heart for what could not be. “Safe travels back to your ranch.”