“Sure, Emily, no problem.”
The father reached into a backpack and withdrew something.He rushed over to Sarah and Emily.
Instantly, Ben stepped between them, put a staying hand on the man’s chest.
The man fell back, his mouth falling open.
“Ben!”Sarah said, aghast.
The man raised the object in his hand.It was an old digital camera.“Sorry, Miss Sarah,” he said, clearly chastised.“I meant no harm.Guess we don’t need the picture.”
Emily looked crushed.
Sarah sent Ben a warning glance.“Of course you’ll get your photo.”Sarah crouched down, put an arm around Emily and Pinto and smiled.
After a tense moment, Ben stepped aside.
Keeping a wary distance from Ben, the dad snapped a few shots and thanked her profusely.
****
Ben stood by stiffly.He didn’t like this: the crowds, the noise, the confusion, the people rushing Sarah.Under these circumstances, it was nearly impossible to protect her.
Three more people approached—a woman, a teenager, and a man.The man wore a shirt and vest, the woman and girl were in simple cotton dresses.The woman carried a small baby.
They didn’t look threatening, but he stepped forward anyway, placed his body between them and her.Sarah wasn’t going to like his rudeness.He didn’t care.With his height and bulk and tense demeanor, he supposed he presented an intimidating figure.Perfect.
Eyeing him warily, the three slowed.The woman came to a halt several feet away.“Miss Sarah,” she said, keeping Ben in her sights, “Virgil and Daisy and me just wanted to say hello.You look so nice.Don’t she look nice, Daisy?”She gave her daughter a little shove.
Timid and halting, Daisy came forward.A grudging Ben allowed it.
“You’re so pretty,” Daisy said.“The prettiest person in all the county.”
Sarah smiled and got up to give Daisy a quick hug.“I bet you’re getting ready to head off for college soon.When do you leave?”
As the women chatted, Ben realized the father, Virgil, was watching him.
Virgil leaned his head to the side, indicating Ben should come his way.
Taking three steps closer, Ben waited.
“We know about Sarah,” he said in a low voice the others couldn’t hear, “havin’ some kook comin’ after her.We don’t like that.”Moving surreptitiously, he opened his vest just enough for Ben to see a hidden shoulder holster and a handgun tucked inside.
Ben felt his brows go up.With a short nod, he acknowledged that he’d seen the weapon.“It’s good to know others have her back.”
Keeping his gaze, Virgil slowly nodded back.
In a short time, the three moved off, with Sarah waving and smiling.
An elderly man pushed an even older woman past them in a wheelchair.The woman’s hair was snow white, and she had a blanket draped across her lap.“Hello, Sarah,” she called out, her voice reedy.“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Hi, Mrs.Atchison,” Sarah called back.“It’s a great day!”
“That it is, dear.You stay safe now.”As the wheels of the chair turned, the woman caught Ben’s eye.She lifted her blanket to reveal her veined hand wrapped around the ivory grips of an old Ruger .22 pistol.She winked at him, lowered the blanket, and the man pushing her rolled on.
Ben’s eyes widened.Holy crap!Was everyone here packing?He glanced around the crowd.How often had he heard the townspeople call Sarah,our Sarah?Well, they’d known her since childhood.There was no secret that she had a stalker because he’d told them himself.Now, it appeared that many of their number had taken that to heart.He did personal protection for a living.But her friends and neighbors weren’t willing to rely on his services alone.
Nobody was going to hurt Sarah.Not on their watch.
