Ben Trogdon returned to the house from Atlanta the following morning around ten o'clock to find a sheriff's deputy sitting in his patrol car by the front gates. The Sheriff had hesitated to call Trogdon while they were on the road once Bernice insisted it would upset Franklin to no end. They would be along soon enough.

Franklin drove up to the house rather quickly after seeing the deputy to find Carl's truck, the Sheriff's car and the County Fire Marshal's vehicle parked in the driveway. He pulled around the side of the house towards the garage and stopped short when they saw the men gathered by the back porch. Ben let himself out of the car and quickly strode over to where they were standing.

"What happened?" Trogdon asked, staring down at the charred wood that had once been the steps and the blackened posts standing above them.

"The boys are fine," Carl said, probably not realizing Trogdon was thinking the kids had been the ones to set the fire.

"It was Nathan Bates," The Sheriff said. "Perry and MT were out camping beside the pool when Bates rolled up on a four-wheeler and tossed a gasoline bomb at your porch. The boys called the fire department and proceeded to put out the fire themselves."

"Damn fine work," The Fire Marshal said.

"Oh, and they wounded Bates with this it seems," the Sheriff said, holding up Ben's shotgun. "Perry winged him real good. We found traces of blood in the grass."

"Oh My God," Trogdon said. "Where are they?"

"Inside having something to eat," Carl said. "Afraid you'll have to go in the front door if you want to see them."

Trogdon looked at the mess left by the fire and then up at the house. "This property has been in my family for almost two hundred years, and it could have all gone up in smoke. They deserve a medal."

He turned towards the front of the house and the small group of men followed him.

"I'm going to leave a deputy on watch the next few days," the Sheriff said. "We have a bulletin out to all the doctors and hospitals in the area for a wounded man. I know that birdshot probably didn't reach anything vital, but Bates has to be in a lot of pain and he will need medical attention ... at least we hope."

"This is my damn fault for talking to that reporter," Trogdon said. "He was out to get me and not the boys. Damn good thing they weren't asleep in the house when it happened. I bet the damn dogs didn't even bark ... useless damn critters."

Trogdon threw open the front door and hurried down the hall towards the kitchen at the back. Perry was the first to see him when he burst through the doorway and leapt up from the table.

"Pops," Perry yelled, and ran into his grandfather's embrace.

"I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry. I never should have left you here alone."

Trogdon looked up and saw MT sitting at the table, and with his free hand motioned the boy over. Once he had a boy under each arm he kissed them both on the forehead and gave out a mighty sigh.

"The Sheriff told me what you did. That was so brave. We should have figured that sum'bitch would try something like this. I wish you had shot him dead."

"That's what I said," MT said.

"I only had birdshot; we weren't expecting anything but varmints," Perry said, and then he blushed. "I forgot everything I know about shooting and let him have both barrels at once. It almost knocked me over."

Trogdon chuckled. "It happens sometimes, but I'm proud of you standing up to him like that."

"I guess that's for the best," the Sheriff said. "We'll catch him, damned if we won't."

"I guess we better get you home, MT," Carl said. "Your momma is worried enough."

MT looked over at Perry and smiled. "See you tomorrow, cuz."

"You got it," Perry replied.

MT gave Perry a wink, and then turned away, following his father down the hall and out to the truck. Suddenly he felt tired, very tired. They had not slept all night, even after the fire department had left and the deputy had called Bernice to come over and stay with the boys.

She had brought Missy and two of the Ball cousins to keep watch. With a deputy sitting at the gates and two large black men on the prowl outside, Perry and MT had felt quite safe. But they were too wound up to sleep and sat drinking coffee and playing cards with the ladies until dawn.

The sheriff and the fire marshal had kept them busy all morning until Carl had been called. He arrived only an hour before Ben Trogdon came home. It had all been so exhausting and MT leaned back against the passenger door of the truck and almost fell asleep.

He slept away most of the day, only getting out of bed to shower and sit at the dinner table. His mom gave him a kiss and said they would talk about things later. His father had much the same attitude, which was a relief. MT tried to follow a regular evening and went to bed on the porch as usual, but his eyes refused to close.

The night before kept replaying in his head. Not the events with Bates, but the short time with Perry in the tent. What had they begun? MT thought about the Perry he had first met. Had there been any clue that they would end up like this?

The bottom line was that he'd had real sex with the boy and loved it. It was the best moment MT had ever experienced. Perry was gay and had just proved it, but now he wondered about himself. Being gay didn't matter if no one knew about it. But you certainly couldn't get more personal than discovering you were gay.

Perry had known he would do it ... had known exactly what to do. The sex had produced some strong feelings well beyond that incredible orgasm. MT knew he would do it again in a heartbeat because it was that good, but what else did he feel?

The past two weeks since he had met Perry had been filled with excitement, and not all of it good. But what had started out as a boring summer now had an entirely new dimension. The experience in the cave would not keep them from going back. MT still had not shown Perry his secret cavern in the heart of the mountain.

Maybe he couldn't lay claim to be the only one who had ever been down there. But he and Alvin had discovered it quite by accident and now he wanted to show it to Perry. It only remained to be seen if the boy was willing to go back underground after his little accident.

Sleep took MT by surprise and once again he awoke with the dawn. It was Sunday and he figured he'd better be prepared to attend church with his parents, especially after the events of Friday night. No one was about to attach any blame to him about the incident with Bates, but still that reflected on his freedom of movement.

If his father thought Bates was a danger then MT would be kept close to home and he couldn't allow that to happen. So far Bates probably didn't know he'd been shot at by two kids, and the Sheriff would keep their names out of the news.

Jason Wicket had known about the moonshine incident, which still had MT puzzled. But anything that involved the Trogdon family was big news around town, so the fire wouldn't be a secret for long either. Yeah, he would go to church today ... and maybe Perry would be there.

MT made the coffee and sat down to read the comic pages in the paper until his parents got out of bed. They had breakfast and then walked the three blocks over to the church as a family. Dozens of people stood outside on the sidewalks, but MT didn't see anyone give him a knowing glance. Good. The word about the fire had not spread.

Ben Trogdon was in his usual front row seat and beside him sat Perry. If MT had any thought to keeping the boy's relationship a secret that was gone. Everyone would notice him now. MT's parents took a seat several rows back and he smiled across the aisle at Bernice and Franklin.

Perry looked so alone sitting next to his grandfather in that long empty row and quite suddenly MT made his decision.

"Dad ... can I go sit with my cousin?" MT asked.

Perhaps his father knew what such a move would mean, but he smiled and nodded his agreement. The choir was gathering to begin the service when MT stood and walked to the front of the church. Ben Trogdon looked up and then stood to shake MT's hand before the boy sat down next to Perry.

Almost everyone had seen that handshake, and now they would question why there was a Teague sitting with the Trogdon family. MT shook Perry's hand and gave him a warm glance as the choir started to sing.

It was different sitting here in the front row looking up at Reverend Hayes. But MT could feel Perry's leg pressed against his and that gave him a secret thrill. Behind him he could almost feel the curiosity of the congregation wondering what was going on here. Perhaps it was time they knew.

He had been foolish to think he could keep Perry all to himself this summer. The choir finished their singing and the Reverend went into this sermon about the sacrifice Jesus had made for their sins. But he defined that in terms of the love Jesus felt for his flock, and MT found meaning in the words.

The Reverend went on to raise his copy of the Bible up off the pulpit, telling them that there was love on every page of the Good Book. MT didn't remember it quite like that, but then he had read only parts of it. Then the sermon went on to explain how mankind had come to know the love of God from the words in the Bible.

Hayes finished his sermon with an admonishment to love thy neighbor, for only then could we find peace and happiness in our lives. It all ended with a generous chorus of 'Amen' from the congregation, and then the choir sang another song to end the service.

The Reverend made his way down the aisle towards the back of the church and everyone stood to take their leave. Ben Trogdon stopped in the aisle to let MT's parents out and he chatted with them as they headed for the back of the church. MT and Perry trailed along, feeling the eyes upon them.

Finally they reached the back of the church where everyone was pausing to speak to the Reverend. MT heard Trogdon thank the Reverend for a fine sermon, and then the man was looking at him.

"Thank you, Reverend," MT said. "I don't believe you've met my cousin here. Reverend Hayes, this is Perry Trogdon."

"Nice to meet you, young man," Hayes said, shaking the boy's hand. "Hope to see more of you."

"Thank you, sir," Perry replied, and they moved on down the steps to where Trogdon was standing with MT's parents.

MT could see the glances now, ladies talking quietly to one another. A half dozen people had heard MT name Perry as his cousin and it would be all over town by this afternoon. MT looked up at Ben Trogdon and saw the man smile.

"That was nice thing you did," he said. "But it's only going to complicate your life around here."

MT smiled. "Looks like things are pretty complicated already."

Trogdon clapped MT on the shoulder. "I expect it won't get any easier from here on out."

Franklin had the car waiting in the driveway, so Trogdon and Perry said good-bye and drove away. MT turned back to his parents and saw his father smile.

"You'll see Perry later ... we've invited Mr. Trogdon to supper."

That was nice, and then MT could only imagine the fuss this would cause his mother and he grinned back. They walked home and spent the afternoon in preparation. Trogdon would be there at five.

MT fully expected his mother to go crazy with anticipation, but it seems they had planned this event without telling him. His father laid out all his tools for the back yard barbecue while his mother prepared the ribs. Hmm, ribs, a family favorite.

By four o'clock the picnic table was set up on the screened porch to keep away the flies and later on the mosquitoes. Carl was sitting on the front porch drinking the remainder of the morning coffee. It was an old habit that had been passed down in his family because none of them drank alcohol.

"This is the first time the Teagues have had a millionaire over for supper," MT's father said.

"I suppose you're right," MT replied. "I think Mr. Trogdon is a pretty normal guy."

"He is, unlike his daddy before him."

"Oh, you knew that Trogdon, too?" MT asked.

"I wasn't even born when he died," Carl said. "But he was buying up land all across the valley, and that caused some hard feelings. The Great Depression was hurting the economy at the time and people sold out because they had to. I'm sure they taught you about that in school, didn't they?"

"I think so," MT said.

"That Old Mr. Trogdon might have taken advantage of the situation to expand his empire, but he created the jobs that keep people in the valley working. Some of those farms had been in families for generations, and now they all work for Trogdon. They could have failed, moved away, but he kept them here. I suppose it took folks a good long time to see that he was doing the right thing."

"But he paid them for the land, didn't he?"

"Yes, but how do you put a price on what has been in a man's family all his life?" Carl asked. "My business depends on people and their needs. Trogdon did me a favor by keeping them here. So I don't suppose we can begrudge Ben Trogdon his money; he's never acted like the king of the valley even though he probably is."

"I'm not related to him directly, am I?" MT asked.

"Not really, you're related by marriage and that's not the same thing as blood relations."

"I think Mr. Trogdon likes me ... he acts like he does."

Carl smiled. "What's not to like? Ben is a smart man and he sees how well your friendship with his grandson has helped the boy. Perry may well inherit the Trogdon fortune one of these days and I would reckon being his friend, and a cousin, might turn out to be a good thing for you."

"I guess," MT replied, and then Mr. Trogdon rolled up to the house in his big old pickup truck. Carl went out to look at the truck and speak with Trogdon while Perry climbed out with a wrapped box in his hand.

"Where's Franklin?" MT asked.

"Aw, Pops gave him the night off. Besides I like riding in that big old truck," Perry said. "Here, this is for you."

MT took the box and stared at the wrapping. "Bit early for Christmas, isn't it?" He said.

Perry smiled. "Pops says that's your reward for saving the house by putting out the fire."

MT sat down on the porch steps and began to peel away the paper. By then Carl and Trogdon had walked over and stood there smiling. The wrapping came off and revealed the HP logo. MT had his first laptop computer.

"Oh Wow," MT said, and looked up at Trogdon. "Thank you, sir ... thank you very much."

"Thank Perry, he says that's what you wanted and he'll have to teach you how to use it," Trogdon said. "But you deserve a lot more than that, and we'll talk about it when the time comes."

MT carried the box up to his room and set it on his bed. Perry would have to show him how to hook it up after dinner and then ... well, MT didn't know what was possible. This had been so unexpected and a sweet gesture that he was sure Perry had brought about.

Everyone was gathered on the back porch when MT came back down. His mother and Trogdon were sitting at the table with a pitcher of ice tea and his father had lit the charcoal fire for the ribs. Perry was standing there waiting.

"Do you have a phone outlet in your room?" He asked.

"I think so, but I don't have a phone," MT said.

"Won't need one. You can call people on your computer. Where is your phone service box located?" Perry asked.

"Uh, the basement I think."

"Show me."

MT led Perry down the steps and over to the corner where the breaker box and the phone service were located. Perry unsnapped the cover from the box and looked inside.

"Great, you have all the right wires. All you have to do is call the phone company and have them upgrade your service to add DSL. I know the town is wired for it."

"We'll have to take this slow since there are so many things about computers I don't understand," MT said.

Perry turned around and pulled MT close until their lips met. The kiss felt like a jolt of electricity running through MT's body. Yes, this is what he loved about their friendship. Perry finally pushed back with a sigh.

"You know, we're getting pretty good at this, all we need is more practice. Maybe we can get another night together, but without any interruptions this time."

"You name the place and I'll be there," MT said.

"Pops is gonna keep a close eye on me now ... at least until Bates is caught," Perry said. "He's going to start locking the gate and he's hiring a security company. I don't want living there to feel like a prison, so will you come spend time with me?"

"I'm sure we can do that. Is he gonna let you stay in the summerhouse?"

"Hasn't decided that yet, but I hope so."

When they returned to the porch Carl was still out in the yard, but now he was talking to Trogdon. MT's mother was in the kitchen preparing the rest of the dinner, so the boys sat down on the porch.

"I have something to tell you," Perry said. "I'm not going back to Atlanta when school starts ... I'm staying here."

The shock of that statement took MT by surprise. "What ... why would you do that?"

"You think it's wrong?"

"No ... but you're in a great school, why stay here? Marsh High School is hardly the best choice for someone like you."

"You don't want me here?" Perry asked.

"Oh God ... it's not that, I do want you here ... I ... damn, we can't talk about this here," MT groaned.

"It's my fault, MT ... my Mom thinks I need to get away from the gay influence ... "

MT's mother walked out on the porch with a platter of fresh vegetables and set them on the table. Perry waited until she left to resume his explanation.

"I suppose she's discussed this with Pops; I think she'd have to for me to stay. School doesn't matter, you know, I can do well just about anywhere. But I'm sure Mom thinks I'll be better off here with him ... and you. What do you think?"

MT smiled. "I guess what they don't know won't hurt us. You'll have to be pretty brave to be a Trogdon and walk into that high school."

"Well there is that small detail ... "

MT's mother walked back on the porch and sat down. "So, what are you boys talking about?" She asked.

"Camping," MT lied. "Our last attempt got cut short and we were wondering if we ought to try again."

"I don't see why not. Mr. Trogdon seems to have a handle on the matter now."

Their conversation during supper was light and no mention was made of the Friday night events. MT broached the idea of another campout and everyone agreed that was a good idea. Carl mentioned his camping experience while he was a Boy Scout and Trogdon admitted his last outing was years ago while hunting for bear in Alaska.

There was talk of teaching the boys all about the proper use of firearms which would allow them to participate in deer hunting season that fall. But no mention was made of Perry cutting loose at Bates with a double-barreled shotgun. Carl and Trogdon agreed that it might be a good experience to take the boys hunting, although June expressed dismay at anyone shooting a poor helpless deer.

That shifted the discourse to a discussion of how many of the crops in the valley were devastated by wild animals, something Trogdon understood quite well. Then it was decided that the boys should take a firearms class and get some practice hunting small game on a patch of Trogdon land.

MT wondered if this was all about teaching Perry some of those manly arts, or if Trogdon was thinking about teaching them a means of self-defense in case Bates came back around. Either way, it seems they would be shooting guns very soon and going on a hunting trip later in the year.

MT's parents didn't wonder, at least not aloud, about Perry being around after the summer ended. Perhaps they already knew what plans had been made, or maybe that had been the whole point of Perry being here this summer. MT felt like the adults were making changes in his life without discussing it with him. At least things were going in his favor.

Perry was a little more astute in asserting himself at this moment and suggested he and MT would like to resume the campout, only this time they would turn it into a several day experience. Trogdon agreed that they ought to be able to find a good camping spot in one of the back pastures where they could pitch a tent and cook out to their heart's content.

"But you'll be responsible for maintaining a safe location, keeping a fire and preparing your own meals," Trogdon said, and Carl agreed.

MT's mother said she would help plan their meals and purchase the goods. It would take a day to prepare and so Tuesday was the agreed starting date. MT mentioned Perry's suggestion about the computer hookup and Carl agreed to call the phone company. It was then Trogdon's moment to invite them all to the Fourth of July events in Chattanooga.

It seems he was one of the sponsors of the festival and so there would be a grand picnic by the river, followed by a musical concert and fireworks. Trogdon said his family attended every year and now he was inviting the Teague family to join them.

MT settled down that night and listened to the bugs battering the screens on the porch. This had been quite a day of revelations and it left him with a lot to think about. He was grateful to Perry for the computer and the promised lessons, but first they would have time alone in a tent to explore other matters.

He had almost said it today while they sat at the table. His feelings about Perry were evolving ... there was no doubt about that. But saying I love you had been on the tip of his tongue when he really didn't know what that meant, or if it would be accepted.

How did Perry view their relationship? Was it more than friends? They would have maybe two or three nights in a tent to figure this out. But if his Aunt Barbara was expecting Perry to change his ideas about sex then she was wrong. Instead she was sending her son right into the arms of the boy who could love him.

The intensity of that encounter in the tent had been on MT's mind all weekend. Nowhere in his wildest dreams did he think they might go all the way like that. Perhaps intercourse with a girl would feel much the same, but MT wasn't interested in finding out. Even now all he had to do was remember Perry groaning with pleasure to give himself a massive erection and create a slimy mess on his stomach.

Three nights in a tent with a boy who was more than willing to ... and MT paused in his thoughts. What could he give back? A relationship meant sharing and so far all he had done was bring Perry off with his hand and mouth. All things being fair, MT knew he had better be prepared to give as well as he took.

This whole gay thing was so different than what MT had expected. Perhaps Perry liked to be the bottom guy. But if that was true then MT would never learn what it was like. Maybe they needed condoms. Why didn't Perry say anything about using condoms? The boy had to know about safe sex, didn't he?

Marsh County didn't teach real sex education, just that crap about abstinence. Yeah right, like that was going to happen. Telling a bunch of horny teenage boys they shouldn't be having sex was the wrong thing to do because it only encouraged bad behavior.

MT was very aware that girls like Cassie Wicket had a reputation that attracted boys, and at least he wasn't one of them. Perhaps he ought to get some condoms in case Perry wanted to ...

Monday was a busy day. MT packed some clothes, aware that they would probably have to bathe down in the creek. If this was to be a successful campout then they would have to avoid going up to the house. He made his way down to the basement to find his father's little folding shovel, the one he called an entrenching tool. That was just what he needed, something to make a trench in which they could ... it all sounded pretty primitive.

They had a cooler with a locking lid, something raccoon-proof. The ice would be all melted by the second day, so maybe they would need to visit the house for something. But MT went to the store with his mother and bought hot dogs, chips and bread. Perry said he would bring some food items but MT didn't have a clue what they would be.

He thought about a visit to Dubb's, but short of shoplifting a packet of condoms there was no way MT could see himself buying any. He could only imagine what Elvis would think ... and then all of a sudden it didn't matter. Of all the people in town who might see him purchase condoms, Elvis would be the least likely to say anything.

Twenty minutes later MT walked into the drugstore and down the aisle past the toothpaste and the mouthwash to the small rack that held the little boxes of condoms. Mrs. Foster was behind the lunch counter which meant Elvis was the only one in the pharmacy. MT grabbed a little red and white box and proceeded to the register.

Elvis gave him a smile, which turned to surprise the minute he looked down at what MT had laid on the counter next to the ten dollar bill. Without taking his eyes off the box Elvis reached for a little white paper bag and snapped it open. Only then did he look up at MT and his facial expression turned to shock. His hand grabbed the box of condoms and quickly slid them in the bag before looking over MT's shoulder and smiling.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hayes," Elvis said.

MT almost fainted, the Reverend's wife was standing right behind him ... did she see the box? He figured no, Elvis had been pretty quick. MT took the bag and the change, not daring to look Elvis in the eye, and turned around.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hayes," He said, and then he bolted for the door.

MT felt pretty good about what had just happened. Elvis had covered for him, or was he just trying to protect his own reputation? There was nothing illegal about selling condoms to a boy, but the subject would never survive the scrutiny of the Reverend's wife. MT had dodged that bullet.

He folded the little bag around the box and shoved it deep into the pocket of his shorts. He was sure Perry would be surprised and maybe they would get put to good use. That thought brought MT to an abrupt halt on the sidewalk. Condom or no condom, he had no idea what it was like to have something shoved where the sun don't shine.

Perry had made it seem so easy, but that was all MT had to go by. Would it hurt? What if it hurt so bad he couldn't do it? That would be so embarrassing it might just spoil the whole summer. The only way out of this was to be honest with Perry and just flat out tell the boy he wasn't sure it would work.

MT turned the corner to his house and saw the phone company truck sitting out front. Cool, they had sure come fast. He ran up the steps and down the hall to the kitchen.

"There you are," His mother said. "The phone man is down in the basement and says you're all hooked up for your computer. It seems Mr. Trogdon was thoughtful enough to call them."

MT heard footsteps on the basement stairs and the technician stepped into the kitchen.

"MT, this is Mr. Parks," His mother said.

The guy didn't look any older than a college boy, but he had a belt full of tools and a nice smile.

"So, off on the internet, are ya?" Parks said.

"Uh, as soon as I learn more about computers," MT said.

Parks held up a little box and nodded. "Why don't we go find out if it works?"

The man was very nice indeed as he instructed MT on how to hook up the modem, and showed him where to plug in the Ethernet cable.

"You don't really need the cable since you have a wireless interface in this laptop. That means you can use it anywhere in the house without plugging it in. Have you learned how to use this machine?"

MT shook his head and admitted he didn't. Parks looked at his watch and said he had a little time on his hands. He demonstrated how to reach the internet on the default browser, and then said he would load Firefox, which was more reliable. Within the hour, MT was shown all the basic tricks of working online and Parks packed up for his next service call.

There went the afternoon as MT looked around and tried to figure out how to download Skype so he could make a call to Perry's laptop. It wasn't easy so he decided to wait until they were together for that one. He wondered how Perry would survive at Marsh High School, since they didn't even have a computer lab.

But MT wasn't going to argue about the boy staying in town. After all, wasn't this what he wanted? It would be a bad ending to a great summer if he had to say good bye to Perry and face the Jason Wicket types at school all alone.

The evening was dinner and television, although MT wanted to go play with his new toy. But he would be away from his parents for a few days and that was something he had never done before. Perry might have travelled to Europe, but MT had never been further than Dollywood, and even then he had been barely old enough to appreciate the thrills of a theme park.

Now that there was some kinship with the Trogdon family MT expected some things in his life might change. But all of that revolved around Perry and how their lives might become different if the friendship evolved to something more serious. They would have to be so careful to make sure no one found out; otherwise the changes would be a disaster.

MT went to sleep on the porch knowing that at this time tomorrow he and Perry would be alone in a tent. They could sleep naked, and they probably would because it would be cooler. The same rhythms of the night would lull them to sleep, and yet they could lie in an embrace if they wanted. MT certainly had the desire, but what did Perry want?

They needed more time together, time to understand what these feelings were, at least the feelings MT had. If Perry agreed, then perhaps it was love, and the only way to discover that was if they agreed upon it together.

Tuesday morning. The coffee, the shower and the breakfast all behind him, MT rode with his father to the Trogdon estate. His bike and the cooler were in the bed of the pickup truck and the week promised to be bright and sunny. Only now the gate of the driveway was closed and they had to stop.

There was a large muscular looking security guard in a dark blue uniform with the name 'Brinks' above one shirt pocket and a badge over the other. Mr. Trogdon had wasted no time in engaging the security company to guard his property. MT hadn't considered there might be some night watchman roaming the property while they camped out. Crap, now that was all they needed.

The guard admitted them through the gate when Carl said Trogdon was expecting them. MT looked back through the rear window of the truck at the man standing beside his Jeep and wondered if security like this could be effective. The estate was probably several miles of fence line that anyone could climb over and one man couldn't patrol all that.

Carl pulled the truck around behind the house and MT could see that the porch steps had been replaced and the posts all repainted. But the big surprise was the appearance of a four wheeler sitting under the trees that looked very much like an overgrown golf cart. Perry was already loading his equipment and a cooler into the cart.

"Where did this come from?" MT asked when he got out of the truck.

"Pops bought this a couple of years ago for the groundskeepers to use," Perry explained. "It's ours for the week to carry things."

"Great ... have you picked out a campsite yet?"

"You bet, and I was just down there this morning."

Trogdon came down the steps and shook Carl's hand. Perry and MT unloaded the truck and put the supplies in the cart.

"Did you see the security guy?" Perry asked.

"Yeah, how's that gonna work?" MT replied.

"The pasture gates have been padlocked so the driveway is the only way in. I'm sure if Bates wants to come back he could figure out a way, but the guard is what Pops calls a deterrent. We have three shifts, all of whom have to drive down from Chattanooga. The night time guard patrols the property. His name is Dave."

"Are they armed?" MT asked.

"Sure are," Perry replied. "Dave introduced himself last night and he had an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. They're all ex-military guys, very tough."

"I doubt if Bates will be coming back," MT said with a laugh. "He's probably still picking birdshot out of his butt."

Trogdon and MT's father walked over cutting off any further speculation. "So you boys look ready to go," Carl said. "What are you going to do down there all day?"

"We need to set up the tent and then maybe go for a swim," MT said. "It's berry season, so I'll show Perry where the blackberries are growing. Then maybe we can hike up in the hills and look at all the tourists."

"Don't go too far. I don't want you boys wandering around after dark," Trogdon said.

"Oh, we'll be roasting marshmallows over a campfire by dark," Perry said.

"Good. Well, you boys have fun," Trogdon said. "Got your radio?"

"Right here," Perry said, patting a slim black box that was hanging from his belt. "I guess we're all set. If you need anything just call."

Trogdon laughed. "I was about to say that to you."

"Aw, we'll be fine," Perry said.

They climbed into the cart with Perry behind the wheel and he turned the key to start the engine. MT waved to his father as they headed across the yard to the pasture gate.

"When did you learn to drive this thing?" MT asked. "And what's with the radio?"

"Brinks gave us several radios to keep in touch with the guards. Bernice has one on the counter in the kitchen so I can call her if needed. As for the cart, this is easy to drive. It's just a glorified golf cart."

They reached the pasture gate and MT hopped out to open it and then closed it once the cart was through. Perry drove them down towards the orchard and then stopped when he saw the horses. He killed the engine and they sat.

"What are we doing?" MT asked.

"Just watch," Perry said.

The horses had raised their heads to look and then one by one they started up the slope towards the cart. MT knew nothing about horses, but these three looked pretty damn big to him. They sat quietly as the horses approached and the biggest of the bunch walked right up to the cart and stared at them.

Perry slowly reached under the seat and pulled out a shallow wooden box filled with small red apples. That must have been the signal because all the horses crowded in now and Perry fed each of them one of the fruits.

"This is Swanky, my mom's horse," Perry explained. The horse nuzzled Perry's hand looking for another apple and allowed itself to be petted.

"Golf carts and horses," MT said. "You know a lot of things I don't."

"Yeah, we have stables at the school. But Mom says I can ride Swanky whenever I want, so I guess we'll just have to teach you how to ride."

"They look so big," MT said, wondering how he would ever get up on the back of a horse.

"But they're gentle because Pops takes good care of them. I don't think they get ridden enough, although Missy does take them out occasionally."

"Missy Ball? She rides?"

"Sure does. Mom taught her to ride when she was still a little girl. Someone has to exercise the horses and Franklin is getting a little too old for that chore," Perry said. "Go on, you can feed her an apple. Just hold it in the palm of your hand and keep your fingers away from her mouth."

MT picked up an apple and Swanky immediately became interested. Her nose sniffed at his hand as he held out the fruit and then gently she closed her large teeth around it and the apple was gone. MT dared to rub her nose and the skin felt soft and moist. Swanky seemed to like that and turned her head as she chewed.

"She wants you to scratch her ears," Perry said.

MT slid his hand up the horse's face and scratched her behind the ears like she was a dog. The horse had large brown eyes and looked him over, but MT could swear she was smiling.

"The black one is Nero, that's Richard's horse, and the tan one is called Nancy. I think that was the name of Neil's girlfriend in high school. I sure hope the girl didn't look like a horse."

Perry laughed at his joke and the horses snorted at the sound, backing away from the cart.

"Okay, time to go camping," Perry said.

He started the engine and the horses turned away, galloping for the fence on the far side of the pasture.

"I guess they don't like the noise," MT said as Perry stepped on the accelerator pedal and the engine made even more noise.

They had to traverse the pasture, go through another gate and then Perry headed them towards a small grove of trees by the outer fence. Most of the growth in this small grouping consisted of young pecan trees which were only about thirty feet tall. There was little brush growing under them, so MT guessed that the grove was bush-hogged occasionally so the nuts could be harvested.

Perry pulled the cart in under the trees and stopped. A clear site for the tent was already established, and a ring of stones sat in the middle for their campfire.

"Pops figured this a safe place because there is no dry brush around to catch fire and the horses are fenced out of here. That creek we swam in is across the fence and down the path, so that's convenient."

"This looks great," MT said.

"Can't get more private," Perry said, and then he leaned over and gave MT a kiss.


On to Chapter Six

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