We Are Bulletproof

"Oh I see!" Then he definitely wouldn't have come across Mona. His ma might have, though; she was sort of big on art and painting and all that jazz. The only stores that Luke went into was the hardware store or the lumber store for supplies for their old farmhouse. Otherwise he worked at the farm and ranches on the outskirts of town to earn enough money to help support the family.

"Well now that I know about it... maybe I'll swing by sometime." He smiled slightly at her; she seemed like an artistic type, sure. "Were you out painting or sketching earlier then?" The notebook under her arm didn't go unnoticed.

Luke Bennett was not an artistic person; he didn't have any artistic talent, merits or even one single artistic bone in his body. There might be some artistry in the neat layout of a vegetable plot, or the shiny new paint job on the side of a shed, but that was about it for him. So it wasn't much of a stretch to think that he and Mona wouldn't have met; they probably didn't run in the same circles.

"A shop? Do you own a shop in town?" He asked curiously, glancing at her as he walked. They were off the property now and onto the pavement, which was easier to walk on at least. (Easier than the slippery trampled grass and mud of the land around the farmhouse anyway.)

"Oh that's not far from here." Luke brightened as he withdrew his hand and tucked it back into his pocket. "Follow me. We'll get you home in no time." He turned to lead her off the property, taking a narrow path through the grass. They didn't have enough money to pave it—it had simply been trampled out by many feet coming and going. Mostly Luke's, and whatever brother or sister helped him out around the vegetable patches.

He glanced over his shoulder at her with a small smile. "It's no trouble. I'd hate to think of you going through town after dark, all alone." Besides, it was only a few blocks away; he could take fifteen or twenty minutes out of his evening to help someone out. Luke believed in old-fashioned chivalry; he'd been brought up right by his adoptive parents.

"Are you new in town? I don't think I've seen you around."

"Ah..." Luke was tempted to smile, but he held it in. "This... is Hazleton, miss. You're in Hazleton. I meant maybe a street name?" Their farmhouse was on the outskirts but it was still in Hazleton! He thought perhaps she might be new the area, and needed him to guide her home (or back to wherever she was staying.)

Luke walked forward towards her, holding out a hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you, miss Mona. We'd best get you home soon. It gets cold around these parts at this time of the year." And some weird things happened after dark that he didn't think a nice-looking girl like her wanted to be involved in.

Oh it was just a girl who had lost her way. Luke let out a silent sigh of relief, glad that it wasn't an animal. There were wolves around the place, and coyotes and bears. Normally they avoided the town but here on the outskirts, all bets were off. He smiled at her and nodded. "Of course. Be glad to help, miss. I'm Luke."

He nudged the bucket away and walked towards her. Sometimes people cut through their property on the way to and from town; it wasn't uncommon for someone to take the wrong path and start wandering around. "Where were you headed?"

Great! Good luck fixing your car

He's probably driving slow, that's why it's taking so long to get there

He says 15 min
Hard to drive in this fog

Not long now!

You okay? Let me call the tow truck guy again, see where he's at. He did say 45 min...

Do you have anything like a coat or blanket in your car?

Haha yeah I wouldn't trade em for the world

But sometimes I wish I was an only child
Sharing the house with 8 other kids
Oh boy

I have
Way too many younger sibs haha

You?

Nah I'll stay with you until the tow guy gets there

Wouldn't feel right leaving you there all alone. If one of my brothers was stuck I wouldn't want him all alone either.

Yep, well I have to—I live at home. Folks need me to help out around the place too, fix up the old farm house, things like that.

Tow truck guy there yet?

Feel like it's gettin weirder every day here

Farm hands are only busy during the planting and harvesting season but yeah. It gets really busy during those times. I barely see my family! But on the off-season I do odd jobs around town, handyman stuff, that sort of thing.

I mean you couldn't have known it'd get this bad. And no, I'm not much of an artist haha

I work on a farm