Page 53 of The Rogue

“Kid, that was genius.”

He tilts back his hat. “I got you covered.”

We disappear over the hill and it’s nothing but clean, crisp grass.

I stop for a breath. “What now?”

He glances back. “The creek.”

I follow his little feet as they zigzag between trees, ducking under low hanging branches.

My heart races, but in a good way. A thrilling way as we venture freely toward someplace less… predictable. Much like my life.

“You sure this is a shortcut?” I call, my boots kicking up dirt.

“Pretty sure!” Jackson calls back over his shoulder, still running ahead. “Dad never takes this way to the creek. He’ll never find us once Roger calls him.”

I laugh—and that is not a good sign. I shouldn’t find this funny. But I do. Especially after his overprotective dad basically had someone ‘watch the nanny’ when Jackson and I were perfectly capable of…

“Hey, Jackson, maybe we shouldn’t stray too far. I can’t see over the hills anymore.”

“No, no. I think it’s this way.”

“Okay, but then we should turn around. Find Roger before he finds your dad.”

“Here’s the creek,” Jackson cries. “Dad’s only brought me here on Willow, but look, we found it.” He sits on a rock in the shade of the trees.

He looks quite proud of himself.

“Willow?”

“One of our horses. My favorite. Dad’s too, I think.”

“Pretty name.” I lower myself onto a rock next to him as we watch the water. “I’ve never been on a horse. Wild animals are not my thing.”

“Horses aren’t wild. Well, not our horses. They live and work on the ranch. They’redomesticated.”

I ruffle his hair. I’ve pictured myself on a horse before. I’ve also pictured said horse tossing off the bad seed that landed on him. I’d quicker plant myself on a rollercoaster. They have seatbelts and can’t smell fear.

A ripple in the water freezes my thoughts. It's followed by another and severalmore.

“Uh-oh.” Cold shivers run down my arms and I pull to my feet, blinking up at the sky.

Jackson sits up. “We…should probably…”

“Run!” I yell, grabbing his hand and sprinting back toward the grove of trees.

Before long, the rain comes down fast, soaking us in seconds.

I look for the clear path we had taken earlier –but it seems to have disappeared. We both spin in circles as panic creeps in my voice. “Where’s the trail?”

“Umm…” He points forward. “That way.” Then moves his arm. “Or…was it that way?” His eyes are wide. “Are we lost?”

I take a deep breath, kneeling in front of him and securing his hat. “Of course not. We’re close. Let’s go with your first guess, huh? I think you might be right.”

I push to my feet and tug him along toward the trees. “That will give us some coverage.”

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and I tuck Jackson beside me. We’re breathing hard and soaked through. When the rain slows to a drizzle, I turn to him. “Wait here. I’m going to see if I can find our path.”

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