The weather stayed good. Peter and Bernadette wandered all over his 1,000 acres and much of the adjoining land. Bernadette was intrigued with the way the cabin nestled into the hillside. Peter took her hand and said, “Look at this.” He moved some brush aside and exposed the opening to an old family coal mine. Bernadette said, “How deep does it go?”

“I don’t know its extent but it goes in at least a couple of hundred feet. I plan to build a hidden room in the shaft that will open into the master bedroom. Enough of this. I want to explore some more of the mountain while the weather is good.”

They moved the campsite a few times, but always close to the small stream. Bernadette practiced with the .22 Hornet until they were both satisfied. Both worked on their conditioning. Peter taught her a few deadly Hapkido moves, and she learned quickly.

Bernadette showed Peter her knife-throwing skill. She could hit a five-inch circle from 20 feet nearly every time. As much as he tried, Peter couldn’t get the wrist release right and threw a foot right of the target.

Bernadette said, “I hope you are better with gun.”

“Why? I’m counting on you to take care of me.”

When the contractor packed up for the weekend, he told Peter that the bathrooms and kitchen would be functional by the end of the next week.