(OOC: That's okay. You can use that post later, if we stick with that part of the storyline.)

Allison's lips spread wide in a delighted smile when Frank took her offer with a firm, "Deal."

He first credited his acceptance to wanting a safe home for little Robert, but Allison sensed that he likely would have taken the offer even without being responsible for Little Bit. He spoke of offering more than labor, telling her he might have labor-saving ideas at times, but then immediately gave Allision permission to dismiss his offerings. She doubted that Frank could tell her much more about farming and ranching than she already knew, but at the same time, Allison knew that she wasn't the most knowledgeable person in the world either. Her experience was limited to what she'd learned working here on the estate; she'd never gone away to school or worked off the property, so there was likely a [i]lot[/i] Frank knew that she didn't.

"So ... what else can I do?" he asked. "There's got to be more that you want me to participate in. I could do the dishes, since you cooked, I mean."

"[i]Finally[/i]," she said with overexaggerated joy. "Someone else to do the frickin' dishes."

They laughed together, and when Allison looked off to the west and realized how late it was getting, she said, "Yes, Frank, there is definitely something more you need to learn." She stood, saying, "I'll be right back."

She disappeared into the house for a few minutes, and when she emerged she was dressed in camouflage to perform her perimeter patrol, carrying .30-06, her 12 gauge, her hip-mounted pistol, and her backpack. 

"Every night, I walk the perimeter of the property," she explained. "That's what I was doing when I came across you and Little Bit last night. We used to get intruders all the time just after the pandemic began. People looking for food, shelter ... trouble. We'd ask them politely to get off the property, and if that didn't work we'd run them off with a couple of pot shots.

"Over time, as the population began to peter out," she continued, slinging the rifle over her shoulder, there were fewer of them, but the ones we [i]did[/i] encounter were almost always armed and rarely willing to leave without trouble. We, um ... we dealt with them, too, not unlike the way I dealt with your pursuers yesterday.

"I'd never actually shot anyone personally," she said, her tone a bit more solemn. "Other family members had. It's not an easy thing to do." 

Allison hesitated, looking at Frank for signs that he may have killed in the past or that he might want to speak about that now. If he did want to talk, she would listen; if he didn't, she'd understand that, too.

"But, after a while, they stopped coming. Still, I circle the property looking for them. I [i]would[/i] invite you to walk the trail with me, but--" She glanced at the playpen again, then continued, "Someone has to be here for Robert."

She looked back to Frank a moment, then reached to the small of her back to pull out the 9mm he'd been carrying the day before. "I collected all of the weapons when I went back last night. I think this belongs to you."

Allison waited for Frank to take it, then said, "It's loaded. And there are two loaded clips on the kitchen table that I took from one of the men last night. Same model as what you have there. I checked."

After a moment of studying him, Allison said, "I'm trusting you with the care of my family farm, Frank ... and ... with my life. You could shoot me in the back as I leave the porch--" She looked out to the farm again before continuing, "--and all of this would be yours. I don't believe you'll do that. So..."

She gave him a smile, headed down the steps, and called back over her shoulder, "I'll be back in two hours."