Eric Walters - The Rule of Three

I minded, but what could I say? Having more help suited Mr. Peterson just fine. If Todd hadn’t been inside stuffing his face with pie, I knew exactly the look he’d be giving me.

“It’s settled, then,” the farmer said. “Now let’s go take a look at that mower. It’s been giving me fits.”

“Can we talk?” Herb asked me later, after the riders were back and the others were in the barn, helping them put the horses away.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I want you to be careful,” Herb said.

“Don’t worry.”

“You know I wouldn’t leave you here if I didn’t feel it was safe.”

“I just hope my mother thinks the same thing.”

“She’ll understand. And don’t worry about Rachel and Danny. You know I’ll watch over them tonight.”

“Okay.”

“I spoke to Mr. Peterson to let him know he can count on you. I also told him I was giving you this.” Herb pulled out his little snub-nosed pistol.

I drew away slightly.

“The safety is on. You know how to use it, right?”

“Yeah, but I can’t take your gun.”

“If you don’t take it, I don’t think I can leave you here. Just ask Mr. Peterson where you can keep it today. And make sure you carry it tonight.”

I took it from him. It felt frightening and reassuring all at once.

“But what about you? Don’t you think you might need it?”

“I have a second weapon with me,” he said. “I always have a backup just in case.”

Of course he did, I thought, as we swapped the holster from his belt to mine. The holster was compact, and the gun was concealed under my jacket. It felt so heavy as we walked back to join everybody else that I was certain everyone would notice it, but nobody seemed to. I handed my car keys to Brett.

“I still think it would be better for me to stay,” Brett said.

“You have to go out on patrol tonight, Officer,” Herb said.

“That’s true. Duty calls,” he said, acting like a big cheese.

I gave Rachel a hug, while Brett thanked Mr. and Mrs. Peterson for a great visit. I got the feeling he was laying it on pretty thick, and I definitely didn’t like the way Lori was looking at him.

They got into the car with Brett behind the wheel. It just seemed wrong to have him driving—as wrong as it was for him to even be looking at Lori. Rachel waved out the window as they started away. We watched until they made the road, turned, and were gone.

“So what now?” Todd asked.

“Now we get down to work,” Mr. Peterson said.

Despite thick work gloves, the barbed wire still got through, puncturing or scratching my skin. There was no good way to handle the stuff.

Todd and Mr. Peterson were ahead, driving posts into the soil with a big sledgehammer. They alternated who held the stake and who wielded the hammer. I could feel the pounding running through the ground and up my legs. They were moving pretty fast, driving the posts just deep enough to support the wire but not deep enough to stay upright very long. There had to be a sacrifice made here—strength and depth versus speed and distance. With any luck, by dark the whole north and west sides of the barn and house would be fenced, leaving only two approaches to be guarded.

I hammered the third staple into the post, trapping a strand of the wire in place. I removed a glove and wiped the sweat off my forehead. The sun was almost directly overhead and blazingly hot.

“Looks like you’re falling behind.” Lori was standing there holding a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. That looked really good. She looked even better.

“There are two of them and only one of me,” I said.

“Maybe you don’t have time for a glass of lemonade.”

I put down my hammer. “I think I better find some time.”

She poured and handed me a glass. “This is so nice of you and Todd to help.”

“I’m the nice guy. Todd’s only here because of the pie.”

“Seriously. I hope with you here my father will be able to get some sleep tonight. He’s hardly slept since this all started,” she said.

“I guess none of you has gotten much sleep.”

“Not much. I must look hideous.”

I looked her up and down. “I wouldn’t say hideous.”

She smiled.

“Now, horrible or haggard, those words would fit.”

She reached out and gave me a playful smack on the shoulder.

“Careful now, don’t go abusing the hired help.”

She laughed and then suddenly stopped. “You know, that’s the first time I’ve laughed in a couple of days. This has been hard, really hard.” She suddenly looked like she was going to lose it.

“Just remember that you all can sleep well tonight and we’ll take care of things.”

“That’s tonight, but what about tomorrow night and the night after that?” Lori asked.

“Tomorrow things might be fixed and this will be over.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked.

I think we both knew it was a lame but reassuring lie.

“Could you stay another night?” she asked.

“Maybe.” But probably not. My mother wasn’t going to be happy about this. Doing it without asking was the only way I was here tonight.

“If you can’t come back, maybe somebody else can. Your friend is very nice,” she said.

“Todd is actually a pretty good guy.”

“I meant Brett.”

“Brett isn’t that nice,” I blurted out.

She looked surprised by my reaction. I was more than a little surprised myself, considering I barely knew the guy.

“I mean, he’s not my friend. I guess he’s a nice guy, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. Some people confuse fake manners and a fancy car for nice.”

“Fancy car?” she asked. “Just who are we talking about?”

In a blink of an eye I’d moved from Brett to Chad.

“I could be talking about a lot of people,” I said, trying to back away.

“You haven’t ever liked Chad very much, have you?”

I’d said too much already, but since I’d started I went on. “I guess I just don’t like his type ,” I said.

“And you think that Brett and Chad are the same type?”

“Not exactly. Brett is a grown-up who’s old enough to be your, well, much older brother.”

“And Jeremy?” He was the guy she had dated before Chad. “You didn’t like him either, did you?”

“I figure you yourself didn’t like him much, because you broke up with him.”

“So you think I’ve been interested in the wrong type of guy?”

“That’s not for me to say.”

“Have you ever thought that I’m dating the wrong guys because the right ones haven’t ever asked me out?”

“I’ve sort of, you know, thought about that.”

“Maybe it’s time to stop thinking and start doing ,” she said.

Was she asking me to ask her out? That would be incredible, unbelievable and—

“Hey!”

We both turned around. It was her father.

“Are you planning on sharing any of that lemonade?” he yelled out.

“Oh, sorry, Dad!”

Lori took the empty glass from me. “All right, Mr. Nice Guy. I guess we’ll have to finish this conversation later.”

I walked up the driveway, slowing down as I approached the trip wire. I couldn’t see it, but I knew which trees supported it. I stopped just short, leaned over, and reached out until I brushed my hand against it, making sure I didn’t disturb it and trigger the bells. I just wanted the reassurance it was there.

I turned to the right, retracing the steps I’d taken two dozen times before, walking sentry on the south side of the farm. Todd was doing the same on the east side. The other two sides were bounded by the fence. We hoped that the fencing would either stop any intruders or slow them down enough so that we’d hear them trying to get through.