Page 5 of The Fence Between Us

He rose from his seat beneath the tree and tucked the tri-folded packet of papers he held between two of the sturdy, unfeeling vinyl planks. Swallowing back his sorrow, Rabble turned from the fence and walked away.

Rabble’s spine went ramrod straight as he passed that welcome sign, a bit faded with age but still the same. The town itself looked almost exactly as he remembered.

Deep-red brick buildings, the color of blood and chalky rust, lined Main Street and bordered the courthouse town square on three sides. Beyond the main square, the oldest homes stood tall and proud, a testament to when craftsmanship mattered more than convenience. Each street beyond that featured a mix ofbrick ranchers and cottages, until the very edge of town—where he’d grown up.

Lost inside a town established by the same five families who still ran things, Rabble was an outsider. Always had been. Always would be. Even the moments when he felt like he’d belonged were now wrapped in the same dark memories that haunted his every step. No matter how much regret and pain he had in abundance, they wouldn’t carry him through life, not anymore.

Driving down Main Street, Rabble noted the subtle yet vital changes made during his absence. As people strolled by and customers entered and exited shops, a sort of quiet tranquility and eager, barely controlled excitement danced together to create a strange feeling of youthful age. It sang in the breeze that blew through the red, white, and blue banners hung outside several storefronts.

Rabble took a deep breath and let the feel of the town settle over him.Just a job. Just a job. Just. A. Job.

Parking his truck across from The Wild Bride, he took a moment to assess Elyza’s renovations. The shop, built of traditional brick and aged wood, displayed large glass windows and antique double doors at the entrance. Behind the glass, mannequins in an array of poses wore varying lengths of white fabric. Perfectly placed bright lights made the crystals and beads shimmer. The cynic in him wondered how Elyza’s security system held up as he mentally calculated how much money sat exposed in those huge front windows.

He let the truck door fall open, propelled by the light shove he’d given it, and took a moment to assess the strange feeling that welled in him when his boots touched the ground. An odd mix of disquiet, relief, and anticipation. The first he expected, the other two took him by surprise and set him on edge. His eyes drifted toward the southside of town, as if he could see clearpassed the buildings, beyond the trees, to the outskirts of polite society, where the privacy of the high-browed met the poverty of the riff-raff. Scrunching his eyes shut, Rabble pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Those old memories awakened a thrum in his chest, one that felt an awful lot like regret.

He strode to the bridal shop, pushing open the door and let the pleasant jingle of a bell announce his arrival to Elyza.

He arrived earlier than his friends. While Declan picked up Bekah from the airport in St. Louis, Dash had gone to the rental cottage she’d be using and installed an assortment of security measures to keep Bekah safe in the event her psycho ex-husband decided to show up.

Elyza came running from behind a rack of white dresses hanging from rolling carts, “You’re finally here!”

Rabble straightened his shoulders, willing his negative mood to roll off him. He gave her a crooked grin and winked, “Of course I am, and you’ll notice, the cool brother showed up first.”

She giggled, a girlish laugh that brightened Rabble’s mood just a bit. Rabble had the pleasure of meeting the twins’ sister only a few times, despite that, they still considered each other family. Several months had passed since he’d last seen her, and he studied her with a brother’s watchful eye.

Her rich mahogany hair, a shade or two darker than her brothers’, fell in thick waves down her back, held away from her face loosely by some sort of clip. Her eyes, emerald green to her brothers’ hazel, tended to shine and sparkle when she smiled.

“How’ve you been?” he asked, accepting her embrace as she raced toward him, her long tanned legs eating up the distance.

The strength in her arms as she held him with genuine warmth impressed and reassured Rabble. Her hug settled into him, easing some of the tension that coiled there.

Before she could answer, the bell above the door jangled again, admitting Declan, Dash, and a pretty young woman with straight light-brown hair. Elyza repeated the exuberant welcome she’d given Rabble with both of her brothers, ribbing them good naturedly for taking so long to visit. She shook Bekah’s hand, her genuine smile seemed to loosen something in the other woman’s shoulders and she relaxed ever so slightly. Rabble suppressed the desire to lift his brows in surprise. Elyza’s quiet welcome showed a level of restraint he hadn’t known she possessed.

“I’m Elyza,” she introduced herself to the young woman, whose eyes held a weary type of watchfulness Rabble recognized all too well. Behind that though, a flash of curiosity, of interest in her surroundings.

Good. That interest meant surviving and overcoming. They could work with that curiosity

“Cath—Bekah. I’m Bekah,” the woman hurried to correct herself, her cheeks going pale and pink all at once.

Elyza smiled reassuringly, no stranger to her brothers’ work, “It takes some getting used to.”

Rabble noted the way Bekah’s shoulders relaxed a bit more, how her eyes conveyed a type of gratitude for Elyza’s gentle understanding.

Pride welled in his chest, for Elyza’s easy acceptance, for Bekah’s terrified determination. Maybe he didn’t have a right to feel anything for either of them, but here were two strong as hell women. They reminded him so much of another strong individual who haunted his sleeping and waking dreams.

Declan and Dash took turns bumping the side of their fists against Rabble’s in acknowledgement.

“All good?” he asked, curious how Bekah’s initial home visit had gone.

Declan had already shown Bekah her rental cottage where Dash played the dedicated technician and explained everyinstrument at work on the property, from locks to sensors. The rental cottage and Elyza’s home were only a block from the bridal shop, an added security aspect they hadn’t bet on, but appreciated nonetheless. Having grown up with brothers like hers, Elyza herself was a force to be reckoned with when necessary.

Elyza’s green eyes caught on Bekah’s wary chocolate brown gaze as she cast them toward the ground, “Bekah, how’re you feeling about all of this?”

Bekah’s head whipped up, a startled expression marred her face, “Oh, this is wonderful. It’s all wonderful.”

Rabble’s bullshit detector pinged, but it was Declan who stepped nearer to her.

“Bekah,” he said, his face gentle and open. They waited in the quiet for her to answer truthfully.

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