October 8, 2023 – 9:48 PM
The farmhouse had finally settled into its nightly rhythm.
Richard and General Fang were in the living room, quietly discussing tomorrow's fencing plans over mugs of coffee.
Jake had fallen asleep almost the moment his head touched the pillow.
Helen had already disappeared upstairs with a veterinary journal tucked under one arm.
Only Lin remained in the kitchen.
She rolled up the sleeves of her flannel shirt before filling the sink with hot, soapy water.
The scent of lemon dish soap mixed with the lingering aroma of melted cheese and garlic knots.
She picked up the first plate.
Scrub.
Rinse.
Into the drying rack.
Another plate.
Another glass.
Another fork.
The familiar routine slowed her racing thoughts.
From the living room, Richard's voice drifted in.
"...west fence should be finished by Tuesday."
General Fang answered calmly.
"If weather cooperates."
"Forecast says clear."
Lin smiled to herself.
Even after retirement...
Neither man really knew how to stop working.
She rinsed the last pan and wiped down the countertops until every crumb had disappeared.
Only then did she glance toward the pantry.
Old habit.
She opened the wooden door.
Bright LED lights flickered on.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined three walls.
Everything had its place.
Everything had a label.
She slowly walked inside.
Her fingers brushed across neatly printed inventory tags.
Rice
42 bags
She checked.
Correct.
Flour
28 bags
Still correct.
She moved farther down.
Rows of canned vegetables.
Chicken.
Beef stew.
Fruit.
Tomato paste.
Soup.
Every shelf perfectly organized by expiration date.
She crouched beside the lower shelves.
Cooking oil.
Sugar.
Salt.
Powdered milk.
Coffee.
Tea.
Spices.
Nothing looked disturbed.
She opened one of the large food-grade buckets.
White rice.
Vacuum-sealed inside thick mylar bags.
Still intact.
A small oxygen absorber sat exactly where it should.
She sealed it again.
Satisfied.
Her clipboard hung from a hook beside the door.
Lin picked it up.
A sharpened pencil rested in the spiral binding.
She made several quick notes.
Kitchen Pantry
✓ Rice inventory verified
✓ Canned goods organized
✓ Oils stocked
✓ Coffee sufficient
✓ No moisture detected
She turned the page.
Need to Order
• More baking powder
• Vinegar
• Aluminum foil
• Yeast
She tapped the pencil against the clipboard.
Yeast.
Easy to forget.
Hard to replace once stores emptied.
She underlined it twice.
Next...
She opened the chest freezer beside the pantry.
Cold air spilled into the room.
Vacuum-sealed beef.
Chicken.
Pork.
Fish.
Every package labeled with both the date and weight.
She counted several stacks.
Still exactly where they should be.
She closed the lid.
Then opened the refrigerator.
Milk.
Eggs.
Fresh vegetables.
Butter.
Cheese.
Enough for everyday cooking without touching the long-term storage.
Exactly as planned.
She quietly nodded.
One pantry for daily life.
One pantry for emergencies.
Keeping them separate reduced waste.
It also made inventory easier.
She switched off the pantry light before closing the door.
As she reached the kitchen doorway, something caught her eye through the window above the sink.
The security floodlights near the equipment barn had turned on.
A familiar figure crossed the yard carrying a flashlight.
Richard.
Behind him walked General Fang.
Even at this hour...
They were making one final inspection before bed.
Richard shined his flashlight along the newly installed fence.
General Fang checked each camera mounted beneath the barn's eaves.
Satisfied, the older men exchanged a few quiet words before heading back toward the house.
Lin watched them through the window.
October 8, 2023 – 9:56 PM
Lin had just finished checking the pantry when her cellphone vibrated on the kitchen counter.
She glanced at the screen.
Eric Dawson
She blinked.
For a moment she considered letting it ring.
Instead, she answered.
"Hello?"
Eric sounded slightly embarrassed.
"Hey... am I calling too late?"
Lin leaned against the counter.
"No. I was still awake."
"Good."
There was a brief pause.
She could hear the faint hum of a patrol vehicle in the background.
A police radio crackled somewhere nearby.
Eric laughed softly.
"I'm actually parked outside the old mill finishing paperwork."
Lin smiled.
"Exciting night?"
"Paperwork never is."
That earned a quiet laugh from her.
For a few moments they simply talked.
Nothing important.
The weather.
How Maple Creek had calmed down after the robbery.
Whether the pharmacy owner was alright.
Eric finally said,
"Everyone's going to be okay."
Lin nodded even though he couldn't see her.
"That's good."
Another comfortable silence settled between them.
Then Eric cleared his throat.
"So..."
Lin already knew.
She smiled to herself.
"Yes?"
"There's an old movie playing at the community theater this Friday."
He chuckled.
"Nothing fancy."
"Just one of those classic western nights they do every month."
He paused.
"Would you like to go together?"
Lin closed her eyes for a second.
He really was persistent.
Not pushy.
Just hopeful.
She answered gently.
"Eric..."
"I appreciate you asking."
"Really."
He stayed quiet.
Waiting.
"But I'm going to say no."
A small sigh came through the phone.
Not frustrated.
Just disappointed.
"Because you're busy?"
She smiled.
"Very."
She looked toward the stack of notebooks sitting on the kitchen table.
Construction schedules.
Invoices.
Supply lists.
Tomorrow's work plan.
The list never seemed to get shorter.
"I've got contractors coming every day."
"Livestock deliveries."
"Construction inspections."
"Inventory."
"My mom's veterinary work."
She laughed softly.
"Somehow I became everyone's extra pair of hands."
Eric laughed.
"I noticed."
She continued,
"And next week I've got several vehicle deliveries arriving."
"Plus more building materials."
"Honestly..."
She shook her head.
"...I'm barely keeping up."
Eric understood.
"Sounds exhausting."
"Worth it."
"I hope so."
There was another brief silence.
Finally, Eric spoke again.
"Can I ask one question?"
"Sure."
"Are you saying no because you're busy..."
He smiled to himself.
"...or because it's me?"
Lin appreciated the honesty.
She decided he deserved the same.
"Mostly because I'm busy."
She paused.
"But I'm also not looking to date anyone right now."
No mixed signals.
Just the truth.
Eric let out a quiet breath.
"Fair enough."
His tone remained warm.
"I figured I'd regret it if I didn't ask."
Lin laughed.
"Now you know."
"Now I know."
He chuckled.
"Mrs. Porter is going to tell me to keep trying."
Lin groaned.
"Please don't listen to Mrs. Porter."
He laughed.
"Noted."
She smiled.
"Friends?"
"Friends."
"Good."
A dispatcher called over his radio.
Eric glanced toward the dashboard.
"Looks like I've got another call."
"Duty calls?"
"Always."
Lin smiled.
"Drive safe."
"You too."
He laughed.
"I'm hoping you don't drive anywhere tonight."
"Not planning to."
"Goodnight, Lin."
"Goodnight, Eric."
The line clicked off.
Lin set the phone back on the counter.
She stood there for a few seconds before turning off the kitchen light.
Eric really was a good man. Honest.
In another life, maybe she would have accepted.
But not this one.
Right now, every spare hour had already been promised to the future.
October 8, 2023 – 11:48 PM
The farmhouse was silent.
Only the occasional creak of old timber and the distant chirping of crickets drifted through the open bedroom window.
Moonlight spilled across the wooden floor.
Lin lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep refused to come.
Again.
She rolled onto her side.
Then back again.
Her mind replayed the entire day.
The Wilson Ranch.
The café.
Mrs. Porter's endless matchmaking.
The hardware store.
The pharmacy robbery.
Too much had happened.
Her eyes slowly settled on the notebook resting on her nightstand.
She reached for it.
Flipped it open.
Instead of writing...
She simply stared at a blank page.
Then one name came to mind.
Adam Walker.
Lin frowned.
It wasn't because Mrs. Porter wouldn't stop talking.
It was because something about him bothered her.
Not in a bad way.
In a familiar way.
She tapped the end of her pen against the notebook.
Prepared.
That was the word.
Most farmers kept extra feed.
Extra fuel.
Maybe enough supplies to get through a harsh winter.
Adam...
Was operating on another level.
Freeze-dried food.
Hand-operated equipment.
Water storage.
Manual grain grinder.
Food-grade barrels.
Items chosen with purpose.
Not convenience.
Lin quietly exhaled.
Coincidence?
Possible.
Plenty of people believed in being prepared.
Especially farmers.
But...
He never laughed at her purchases.
Never questioned the water tanks.
Never joked about the solar array.
Instead...
He'd answered every question with an explanation that made perfect sense.
Just like she had.
She remembered their conversation beside the truck.
"People sleep better when they're prepared."
Then...
"Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst."
Simple words.
Normal words.
Yet something about the way he'd said them lingered in her mind.
She picked up her pen.
At the top of the page she wrote:
Adam Walker
Below it, she began making notes.
Strengths
• Owns four hundred acres.
• Knows farming.
• Heavy equipment.
• Tractor.
• Mechanical skills.
• Financially stable.
• Plans ahead.
She paused.
Then added another heading.
Unknowns
• Why so much emergency stock?
• Former occupation?
• Family?
• Military?
• Prepper?
• Lucky guesses?
The last question remained blank.
She wasn't ready to answer it.
Lin leaned back against the headboard.
Could they help each other?
If...
He really was just a practical farmer...
Then yes.
Good neighbors mattered.
Reliable neighbors mattered even more.
If he turned out to be trustworthy...
Sharing equipment.
Trading crops.
Helping during emergencies.
That would benefit both farms.
But...
If there was something else...
If he somehow knew more than he should...
That changed everything.
She immediately dismissed the thought.
No.
That was impossible.
She had been given a second chance.
The odds of someone else receiving one too...
Were so small they weren't worth considering.
Still...
She couldn't ignore what she'd seen today.
His purchases.
His answers.
His calmness.
Even during the robbery, he'd never looked panicked.
Just...
Observant.
Exactly like her.
Lin closed the notebook.
Don't jump to conclusions.
That mistake had nearly gotten her killed once already.
Trust had to be earned.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Action by action.
Not because someone happened to think the same way she did.
She switched off the bedside lamp.
Darkness settled over the room once again.
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees surrounding the farmhouse.
Somewhere across Maple Creek...
Another insomniac might also be lying awake.
Making plans.
Counting supplies.
Preparing for a future no one else believed was coming.
Lin closed her eyes.
Tomorrow...
She would start paying closer attention to Adam Walker.
Not as a potential romance. As a potential ally.
October 8, 2023 – 11:59 PM
The digital clock beside Lin's bed quietly changed.
11:59 PM
She sighed into the darkness.
Still awake.
Again.
Moonlight streamed through the bedroom window, painting pale silver lines across the hardwood floor.
Outside...
The farm was quiet.
Only the distant chirping of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves disturbed the silence.
Lin rolled onto her side.
Then onto her back.
Sleep refused to come.
Her mind wasn't thinking about the robbery anymore.
Or Deputy Dawson.
Or even tomorrow's construction schedule.
Instead...
It kept wandering back to one conversation.
Adam.
She frowned at herself.
"This isn't about him."
She said it quietly.
Almost as if she needed convincing.
It was about farming.
Or rather...
Someone who actually understood farming.
She closed her eyes.
Until three months ago...
She couldn't tell wheat from barley.
She'd spent most of her adult life surrounded by conference rooms, spreadsheets, airports, and executives.
After regressing...
She'd read hundreds of books.
Watched countless videos.
Taken online courses.
Visited agricultural suppliers.
Asked endless questions.
She understood the theory.
Crop rotation.
Soil testing.
Seasonal planting.
Composting.
Irrigation.
Livestock management.
But theory...
Wasn't experience.
Adam had both.
She remembered the way he'd looked at the hardware store.
Comfortable.
Confident.
Someone who'd probably spent his entire life fixing equipment and working fields.
She quietly stared at the ceiling.
A good farmer wasn't grown in one season.
Knowledge came from mistakes.
Bad harvests.
Broken machinery.
Weather.
Experience.
She had skipped straight to the textbooks.
He had lived it.
Lin turned onto her side again.
Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation outside the loading dock.
"Need hay..."
"...or someone with a tractor."
At the time it had sounded like simple neighborly politeness.
Now...
She wondered if she'd been too quick to dismiss it.
Not because she needed a date.
Absolutely not.
Because she needed neighbors she could rely on.
In her previous life...
The people who survived longest weren't always the strongest.
They were the ones who worked together.
Doctors.
Mechanics.
Electricians.
Farmers.
Everyone brought something different.
She already had...
Her father.
An engineer.
Her mother.
A veterinarian.
General Fang.
Military logistics.
Lucas...
Combat.
Security.
Mechanical repairs.
Adam...
She quietly counted on her fingers.
Large-scale farming.
Heavy equipment.
Livestock.
Crop management.
Repairing agricultural machinery.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Those weren't small skills.
Those were community skills.
She sat up.
Reached for the notebook beside her bed.
Under today's date, she added another page.
Potential Local Allies
Walker Family Farms
Below it she wrote:
Strengths
• Crop production
• Heavy machinery
• Irrigation knowledge
• Hay production
• Tractor equipment
• Mechanical ability
• Financially responsible
She tapped the pen against the page.
Then added another section.
Possible Cooperation
• Hay purchases
• Equipment borrowing
• Shared harvest labor
• Emergency fuel exchange
• Livestock feed
• Future trade
She stopped writing.
Crossed out the last line.
Future trade.
Too vague.
Instead she wrote...
Build trust first.
Lin smiled faintly.
That was better.
No rushing.
No assumptions.
Just...
Neighbors helping neighbors.
If trust naturally grew from that...
Good.
If not...
Having another competent farmer nearby still benefited everyone.
She closed the notebook.
One thought lingered.
Adam had said he'd bought four hundred acres only six months ago.
That wasn't common.
Most people didn't move to a tiny farming town without a reason.
Maybe he'd simply wanted a quieter life.
Maybe he'd inherited the land.
Maybe he'd gotten tired of the city, just like everyone assumed she had.
Or maybe...
She immediately stopped herself.
Enough.
She was starting to invent mysteries where none existed.
That had nearly gotten her killed once before.
People deserved to be judged by what they did.
Not by theories.
Tomorrow...
She'd keep building her farm.
If she happened to run into Adam again...
She'd ask him about crops.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Outside, a cool breeze stirred the maple trees lining the driveway.
Inside, Lin finally switched off the bedside lamp.
This time...
Sleep came a little easier.