Rough Riders: Gone Country Part 27

"Why are you being so secretive?"

"Why are you being so nosy? I've never grilled you about the guys you've dated. So what gives you the right to do that to me?"

"Because this isn't like you, Mom. Because I'm worried about you."

The frayed end of her patience began to unravel. "You know what? You should've been worried about me years ago. When as a young woman I never went on a date, never had a boyfriend-not one man pa.s.sed through my door or your life during your growing-up years. I was one hundred percent devoted to being your mother. I did a d.a.m.n good job raising you. But that part of my life-seeing myself as a mother first-is over. It has been for a while and I've needed to move on from that. Now I have."

Rory didn't look up from her coffee when she asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means my relations.h.i.+p with Gavin is not up for discussion with my daughter."

"Yeah, I get that having me at sixteen f.u.c.ked up you having a normal life."

Rielle slammed her coffee cup on the counter. "For Christsake, Aurora, you think that's a fair thing to say to me?"

Her pale skin colored. "Probably not. But that's the way you make me feel sometimes."

"When?" Rielle demanded. "When have I ever ever acted like you were anything but the absolute joy and light of my life? Never. And don't let your jealousy that you might have to share my affections with someone else now distort the past." acted like you were anything but the absolute joy and light of my life? Never. And don't let your jealousy that you might have to share my affections with someone else now distort the past."

"So you're saying tough s.h.i.+t, suck it up?"

"Pretty much. You are a twenty-four-year-old woman, Rory. Your reaction to your mother having a boyfriend is ridiculous."

Rory was completely taken aback.

"My relations.h.i.+p with Gavin won't ever affect my relations.h.i.+p with you. Unless you you let it. Your choice." Rielle slid from the barstool and walked out. let it. Your choice." Rielle slid from the barstool and walked out.

An hour later, she'd reached the bottom of her pile of logs to split. Even though it was still snowing, she'd gotten so hot she'd ditched her jacket and only wore a thermal s.h.i.+rt.

If anyone asked, she'd blame her wet face on sweat. So what if a few frustrated tears leaked past her defenses while she was working out her aggravation.

"Ree?"

She let the blade fall before she looked at Gavin. "Yeah?"

"Is it safe to approach?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you're in a bad mood and wielding an ax?"

She offered a sad smile. "Point taken."

Gavin moved in closer. "You and Rory had words."

"Did the little snot say something nasty to you?"

"No. But she shoveled the walkway. And swept a path to the garage and the barn." He gestured to the pile of chopped wood. "Like mother, like daughter. Literally working off a mad."

"More productive than drinking," she said lightly.

Gavin framed her face in his hands. "Do you want to talk?"

"That's the thing, Gavin. I don't want to talk about my kid or yours."

"Just what I was hoping to hear." He tugged her hat off and pushed his fingers through her damp hair.

"I probably smell like sweat."

"I don't care." His thumbs stroked her cheekbones. "I watched you out here. So strong and determined. You're beautiful and it's bizarre that seeing you whack the s.h.i.+t out of stuff turns me on."

Rielle laughed.

Gavin fastened his mouth to hers; the kiss was sweet and steady-like a first kiss. Maybe it was the first time he'd kissed her with such exquisite tenderness. He'd shown her pa.s.sion. Playfulness. l.u.s.t. He'd flirted and teased. But this soft and slow meeting of tongues showed her another side to him and another side to herself. She accepted that he could comfort her, he could offer his support and it didn't make her weak or needy for wanting it.

Rory watched her mom from the upstairs window. Kissing Gavin. But it was more than that. Just by their body language she saw that her mom trusted him.

Before her mother had stormed off this morning, Rory had tried to get her to recognize that she was making the same mistake she had at age sixteen, falling for the first guy who paid attention to her.

Her mother's inexperience with men scared her. This wasn't a casual situation with Gavin. They lived in the same house. Of course the temptation would be there, but Gavin Daniels didn't seem like her mom's type.

Had she ever thought about the type of man her mother would be attracted to?

No. She'd spent her life seeing her mother as...s.e.xless. Selfless. More an earth G.o.ddess than a s.e.x G.o.ddess.

But the way Gavin had kissed her mom-her mom!-yesterday afternoon had caused her jaw to drop. Not only the pa.s.sion between them, but the familiarity. Rory realized she didn't know that part of her mother at all.

And when she'd demanded an explanation, she hadn't gotten one. Which again, wasn't how her mom usually acted. She couldn't believe her mother hadn't told her about one of the biggest changes in her life...well, ever.

Rory knew she was being a brat. Maybe it wasn't Gavin specifically that she had a problem with. Maybe she was bugged by the idea of her mom being with any any guy-and that was stupid and childish and she didn't know what the f.u.c.k was wrong with her. She was just so...mad. guy-and that was stupid and childish and she didn't know what the f.u.c.k was wrong with her. She was just so...mad.

"I'm pretty sure the fiery looks of hatred you're sending my dad won't start his hair on fire from up here," Sierra said from behind her.

"You're a f.u.c.king laugh riot a minute."

"You're still p.i.s.sed off about this?"

"Yep." Especially after Sierra told her she'd accidentally seen them making out weeks ago.

"Come on. Can't you at least admit they look happy?"

Rory didn't answer.

"Or don't you want your mom to be happy?"

"Of course I do."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"Why? Because I'm not teary-eyed that she's making out with your dad in the clearing while snow falls around them?"

Sierra snorted. "No. Because you picked a fight with her first thing this morning."

Rory turned around, startled that Sierra nearly looked her in the eye-few women were her height. "No, I tried to have a discussion with her. But she won't talk to me about this, when we talk about everything else."

"You talk about everything everything with her?" Sierra asked skeptically. with her?" Sierra asked skeptically.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because I call bulls.h.i.+t on that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "In fact, I know it's bulls.h.i.+t."

"How?" Rory folded her arms over her chest, her posture equally argumentative.

"I was there last night, remember? Listening to your drunken rant."

Ah f.u.c.k. G.o.dd.a.m.n Jaegermeister.

Sierra wore a smug look. "Rielle doesn't know what happened between you and Dalton, does she?"

Rory felt her cheeks heat up. "That's different."

"How? Did you tell your mom how many guys you've slept with in college? Or their names? Or whether you went into the date expecting it'd be the start of a relations.h.i.+p and not just a one-night stand?"

She opened her mouth. Closed it. How the h.e.l.l was Sierra so freakin' observant? She was a spoiled sixteen-year-old kid.

"You can talk to your mom about a lot of things, Rory. But you draw a line with her."

"So?"

"So why are you so p.i.s.sed off that she's doing the same thing with you? Do you really want explicit details about what s.e.x is like between her and my dad?"

"Eww. No!"

"Then what is your f.u.c.king problem?"

"My f.u.c.king problem is him," she lied, embarra.s.sed to tell her the real issue. "He's going to hurt her."

Sierra rolled her eyes. "a.s.sume much? And don't give me that c.r.a.p about him being a-" she made quotes in the air around the word, "-McKay."

"He is what he is."

"You'd think you were a West with the big chip you've got on your shoulder about the McKays."

Rory's eyes turned shrewd. "Maybe there's validity in the Wests' point of view. Seems the McKays screw everyone over."

"The point is, you a.s.sume that my dad will screw your mom over. But you know what? I've never thought for a single second that your mom might be a gold digger."

"Why would you even say that?"

"Because my dad has money. Your mom doesn't. Maybe she she seduced him." seduced him."

This girl was on some serious crack. "That's bulls.h.i.+t. My mom is not not like that." like that."

"Yeah? And my dad is not some a.s.shole heartbreaker."

They stared at each other.

"So much for our agreement last night to stay out of it," Rory said.

"I tried to, but you won't let it go."

"Fine. I'm done. So is that why you're following me around this morning? To be all smug and s.h.i.+t?"

"Following you around?" Sierra snorted. "As if. I tracked you down to make sure you were still gonna bring up that thing before you left."

Rory played dumb. "What thing?"

"That thing we discussed last night where you tell my dad that he's r.e.t.a.r.ding my social development in Sundance by not letting me drive? Remember?"

"Vaguely."

Sierra looked annoyed. "Don't be a d.i.c.k, Rory."

"All right. But remember you told me I could say it however I wanted-"

"I never said that!"

"Yes, you did."

"Was that before or after you told Dalton-"

"What's going on?" Gavin asked sharply.

When had he snuck in?

Of course Gavin gave Rory Rory the evil eye, not his precious Sierra. the evil eye, not his precious Sierra.

"What's going on? We're about to demonstrate our favorite cage fighting techniques. Sierra was bragging about a couple of illegal moves and I called her on it."

"My money is on Sierra." He flashed his teeth. "I wanted to talk to you about-"