Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders #15)(28)

Until that day.


A shout of, “Hey!” had jolted him out of the peaceful place.


Dalton had turned around so fast he’d tumbled off the rock. He’d been on his hands and knees, when a pair of red cowboy boots had stopped right in front of him. He looked up into the scowling face of a pigtailed blonde.


“What are you doing on my rock?” she demanded.


Before he could answer, she hit him with another accusation.


“You’re not supposed to be on our land.”


He’d picked himself up off the dirt and loomed over her. “Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, short stuff? Tattle?”


“Maybe.”


“Hey, I know you. You’re in first grade.”


“I’m going into second grade,” she corrected him.


He eyed her suspiciously. “If this is your land, how come you don’t ride the bus with me’n my brothers?”


“Because my mom works in town and she picks me up after school.”


“What about your dad?”


“I don’t got a dad.”


“Why? Did he die or something?”


“No. It’s just me’n my mom.” She scowled. “How’d you sneak in here?”


“Didn’t sneak. I walked.” He pointed. “From that way.”


Her mouth formed an “O”.


“What?”


“You’re one of them.”


Even at age nine Dalton hadn’t needed an explanation on what she’d meant. But he’d immediately shot back, “And you’re one of them hippies.”


“Am not!”


“Are too!”


“Am not!” Then the blonde sprite had charged him, knocking him on his butt in the dirt. He’d cried out, not only because a girl had tackled him—a girl!—but by pouncing on him, he’d hit the ground hard.


“You take that back,” she’d shouted in his face.


She’d sat on him and kept his arms pinned down. Man, she was really strong. “Lemme go.”


“Not until you take it back.”


“All right, all right, you’re not a hippie.”


Not three seconds later she’d grinned at him and let him go before she stood.


Indignant, Dalton heaved himself to his feet. “I wasn’t really tryin’, you know. I could’ve gotten away from you at any time.”


“Then why didn’t you, huh?”


“Because I ain’t supposed to hit girls.”


“Oh.”


“What’s your name anyway?”


“Aurora Rose Wetzler. But everyone calls me Rory.”


“Aurora Rose? Ain’t that the name of one of them Disney princesses?”


She lifted her chin. “No. The princess in Sleeping Beauty was named Briar Rose when she was in hiding with the fairies. I’m Aurora Rose. Not the same at all.”



“Huh. I’m Dalton—”


“McKay,” she finished with him. “You’re in third grade.”


“Goin’ into fourth grade,” he corrected.


Rory walked around him and scrambled on top of the rock. “This is my rock.”


“Says who?”


“Says me.”


“Bet I can knock you off and make it my rock.”


“But you ain’t supposed to hit girls, remember?”


That’d put him in a dilemma. He’d scrambled onto the rock beside her. “Not the same thing. It’s like a contest. Or a game. Like playing king of the mountain.”


“That’s a stupid game.”


“We could play something else.” Might be fun to play with a girl for a change. He used to play with his cousin Keely but she bossed him around as much as his brothers did. Not that his brothers wanted to play anymore. And since he was older than Rory, he’d get to be in charge. “We could play pirates! The rock could be our ship.” Dalton struck a pose. “I could be the pirate king. You could be the princess I rescued from another ship.”


“No way,” Rory said. “I don’t wanna be some dumb princess. I wanna be the pirate king.”


“You’re a girl, you can’t be a king,” he scoffed.


“Then I’ll be the queen of the jungle.” She’d pushed him off the rock.


Rather than getting mad, he laughed at her audacity.


Surprised by his laughter, she laughed. And they’d become fast friends. Secret friends, running through the woods, splashing in the creek, making forts. The friendship parameters had changed during their teen years, but they’d been a constant in each other’s lives.


Dalton needed to remind her there was more than just bad history between them.


So on a whim Sunday morning he’d texted Rory, telling her he’d swing by her place at noon. But Rory’s dog, Jingle, was a lot happier to see him than Rory was—and Jingle growled at him.