Rory

Rory was miserable. Her family had thought it would be a wonderful idea to travel halfway across the US in a rented RV with their whole family for the holidays. Thanksgiving with Great Aunt Ruby and that whole side of the family that her dad hadn't seen in 10 years. Family Rory had never even met.

Now here they were, not just lost, but broken down on a gravel road in the middle of wooded nowhere, no cell reception, no nothing. Her dad was out with the hood up as if he knew anything at all about cars or mechanics or RV's.

A full hour passed and Rory could not concentrate on the book she had been reading. Her step-mother had finally joined her father outside with the owner's manual. Neither of them knew anything about mechanics. Her step-mother was an art teacher at the local community college and her father was a middle school english teacher.

She got up, looked back at her little brother who was staring like a zombie at the video game he was playing. She slipped out the door to her parents 'debating'. They never argued, they debated vigorously. She turned and looked out at the woods near the road. She wasn't an outdoorsy person, but it was a little inviting, exploring the woods.

"Lydia, I am going to take a little walk, stretch my legs," she called to her step mother, hopping over the ditch. She had no sooner landed on the other side when a large truck rounded the corner just down the gravel road. She watched it pull up to them and roll to a stop.

The window came down and a smiling, pleasant looking woman leaned out of the passenger window. "Hey! You folks broke down?"

"Yes ma'am," Rory's father said, stepping around. "And lost too. The GPS doesn't seem to be very current on these roads. Would you happen to know where Ruby Miller lives?"

"No, never heard the name. She new around here?"

"No, don't think so. She's lived here more than eighty years."

"Where does she live?"

"Falcon?"

"Oh! Oh, you are really lost, aren't you? You are a good forty five miles from Falcon!"

The driver side door opened and a tall man stepped out. He was tall, skinny and wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat like someone right off the television. Rory stared at him wide eyed. "You broke down or just out of gas?" he asked, coming around to look at the open hood. "I'm Joe," he nodded, offering her father his hand.

"Robert," her dad replied with a nod, shaking the taller man's hand. "We have gas, I'm not sure what happened."

"Whelp, you won't get any local help here today, it's Sunday. Where're y'all out of?"

"Chicago. We were going to do a whole holiday tour with our family, let our kids meet everyone. Is there a place near here that is open on Sunday?"

"Not anywhere close. I could call my brother in law when I get home. See what he's up to today. Why don't you folks lock up and hop in with us, come have Sunday dinner with me and my family?"

"Oh, we.." Lydia began.

"We won't take no for an answer!" the woman smiled, opening her door and opening the back door to the back seat. "We insist! Come have Sunday dinner with us! I'm Susan by the way. Is that your daughter?"

"Yes," Lydia offered hesitantly. "And my son and our dog are in the RV."

"Well get'm and lock up! We'll get you fed and you can make calls!" Joe told her, moving the bar on the hood so he could close it.

Robert and Lydia looked at each other and Rory watched them debate it. They shrugged and Rory sighed. They were really about to go with a complete stranger and eat strange food. Didn't they know what happened to city people in the country, in the woods?!?

She was still scowling, shoved between Lydia and her little brother Ashton in the back seat, when they pulled up to the sprawling farmhouse. The house was a huge log cabin mansion looking thing and the barn was colossal. There were three more trucks parked in the driveway, one new and two old, like vintage old.

Rory was looking around as they piled out, part of her relaxing involuntarily. It was peaceful here. "You can let your dog out, he can play with our dogs. Come on in, all of you." Joe said, leading them around the back of the house, up the stairs to a large deck and through the back door. Rory followed Lydia, feeling awkward as he led them through the huge kitchen, into a living room that looked like it belonged in a Bass Pro Shop catalog. "Have a seat while Susie gets food goin'. Phone's right there. I'm gonna wash up and tell the boys we have company, make yourselves at home!"

Her father and Lydia sat nervously, but Rory stood, hanging in the back of the room. Her brother had no issue throwing himself in a chair and opening a game on his phone. A moment later, a young boy came up the hall, grinning. He was around Ash's age, though it was hard to tell. He was tall and skinny like his father, a good head taller than her short brother. "Hey!" the boy called brightly. "I'm Joseph! Dad tries to call me junior, but I hate it, so I am telling you first, I'm Joseph!"

"Got it," her father smiled. He was in his wheelhouse with this kid. "I'm Robert, that's my boy Ashton, just Ash. Ash, say hello to Joseph and shake his hand. Stand up please."

Her brother did it grudgingly and they boys sized each other up. Finally, Joseph spoke up, "Wanna play xbox?"

"Yes!" Ash agreed and followed the boy down the hall.

Another boy appeared, watching the other two boys disappearing. He turned, a bright spot of color on his cheeks and looked at her parents. He was tall and skinny like his father too. He wore jeans that made his legs look a mile long and a button down plaid shirt with pearl snap buttons tucked into them. A belt buckle that seemed inordinately large and boots that looked almost cartoonish, they were so big. His dark red hair was cut close to his head and his huge brown eyes looked shy and startled.

"Uh, hey. I'm Levi. Uhh... y'all need some tea?"

"Thank you Levi, that would be wonderful. I am Lydia and this is my husband Robert. You saw our boy Ash and this is our daughter Aurora," Lydia replied, gesturing to Rory.

"Rory!" she quickly corrected as the boy's eyes went to her.

The boy's eyes went to her and he stilled.

His cheeks went even more pink as he looked at her and Rory wondered how awful she must look. One of her dad's old hoodies, yoga pants, hair she hadn't even brushed thrown up in a bun, her feet shoved in her old slippers that had a sole on them, no make-up at all. Not that she wanted to look good for this... hick. She just didn't want to look bad for anyone.

"Hey," he spoke softly, finally. "Uhh.. three teas then? Be right back." He disappeared quickly into the kitchen.

"Well he's cute!" Lydia whispered, turning to look at Rory.

Rory rolled her eyes. "He's a freak. He's like seven feet tall and did you see his feet? Do they even sell that size shoe in stores?"

"Well you know what they say about big feet!" Lydia giggled.

"Lydia! Gross! Stop!" Lydia was constantly saying inappropriate and shocking things to her, trying to be 'hip' and become friends with her. Rory didn't get it. She was nice to the woman, polite most of the time, but the woman kept trying for more.

The boy came back and handed them all glasses of tea, Rory last. She looked up at the tall boy awkwardly as she thanked him. She wasn't ridiculously short, but short enough that her tall friends teased her about it. Enough that she didn't like being around tall people.

The boy hovered nervously like he was unsure what to do next. "Levi?" Lydia asked pleasantly. "Aurora has never seen a real farm before, do you think it would be too much trouble to show her around?"

The boy blushed again and Rory felt her face burning with embarrassment. "Lydia!" she hissed. Not wanting the boy to think she was being rude, she reigned in. "My name is Rory. I am not some Disney princess cliche. Please stop calling me that!"

"It IS your name though?"

"Not the name I answer to. Please..."

"Rory," her father said gently. "Lyd, she does hate the name. Rory is fine."

"But it is so unfeminine!" Lydia 'debated'.

Rory rolled her eyes and looked at the wide eyed boy. He licked his lips nervously, then motioned her towards the kitchen. She followed as he led her out the back, Susan smiling brightly at both of them as they passed.

"Sorry," Rory offered once they were down the steps.

"No big. Uhh... how old are you?"

"Eighteen. Senior."

"Me too. Uhh... this is the farm, I guess. Uhh... what did you want to see?"

"Oh, nothing really. She was just being... you know, a stepmom. Hey goober," she laughed, going to her knees as her dog jumped on her. Two more dogs joined him, licking and wagging and she laughed. "Oh, you are a pretty old girl aren't you! You are a stinky stinky boy! Haha! No more stinky kisses! Oh!"

The larger golden retriever had bowled her over in her excitement and the Australian shepherd took advantage of her prone position and licked her cheeks. Her own bulldog was wagging so hard his whole body was moving as he licked the air near her excitedly.

"They like you," Levi murmured, cocking his head slightly. "They usually aren't people dogs, especially not strangers. Posy especially. She hardly gets up for anyone anymore."

"Well she's just a sweet old girl with stinky stinky kisses!" Rory giggled. The old retriever flopped down on Rory with a whuff, laying her head on Rory's shoulder and wagging.

"I think you have been claimed," Levi smiled, those bright spots of color coming back to his cheeks.

"I can imagine worse fates!" she laughed as the shepherd kept trying to lick her face as she dodged him, still giggling.

Levi knelt and scratched the shepherd's hindquarters, making the dog turn to him, wagging. He petted him and scratched his ears and looked down at the girl laying on the ground. A city girl, laying in the dirt like she didn't care. Covered, happily, in dog slobber. He didn't understand her. She was pretty, in that city girl, 'I don't care what you think' but still completely sexy kind of way they had. With her skin tight black pants and oversized hoodie that still managed to hang just right on her curves. Even her shoes looked like they were only for comfort, but managed to be sexy, looking like oversized large socks on her tiny feet. Her hair was piled up in that universal city girl messy bun that was supposed to look like she had spent five seconds on it, when she had obviously probably spent an hour getting it to sit just right to look so perfect and cute. Her huge eyes didn't seem so much brown as black and he couldn't exactly see the makeup she was wearing, but he knew she was. Her eyelashes were too full, too long, her skin too perfectly tan and unblemished. He realized he was staring again and looked away.

Rory sat up gently, extricating herself from the old dog when the boy blushed again suddenly and looked at the old red truck in the driveway. "One of those yours?" she asked.

"The 64 Ford," he answered.

"Is that the red one or the green and white one?"

He looked at her incredulously, as if he thought she might be joking. "The red one," he offered faintly.

"Oh. Sorry, not a car person. No one in my family is, obviously, or we wouldn't be broken down out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're broke down? Where?" he asked, suddenly interested.

"Back up that road, near a curve. It's an RV, one my dad rented to visit family."

"Oh," he slumped, the interest draining out of him. "Never worked on an RV. Where are you from?"

"Chicago."

"Oh, wow. Long ways from home."

"Yeah. Very long way in an RV with Lydia and her son."

"Step brother?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"Umm, I guess four months now?"

"What about your real mom?"

"Don't know, actually. She took off when I was ten? Went on a business meeting, met a guy from Boston, went home with him and never came back."

"Wow. That's really messed up. I mean, you know, you hear about guys doing that, but never moms."

After he said it, he realized it sounded insensitive and rude, but she just shrugged.

"She was never really meant to be a mom. I was an accident that he wanted and she didn't. She tried, she failed, she moved on. Lydia tries... I just wish she would stop trying to be my friend too. Sorry. I don't mean to just spill my drama all over you."

"No, it's cool. It's fine, I don't mind. So, uhh, you have a guy back in Chicago?"

"No. I dated a few guys for a minute, but I refuse to settle."

"Settle down?"

"No, settle for less than what I want. I mean, not that I am like, too exacting or anything, or my standards are ridiculous... I just want someone I have things in common with. Someone who likes at least a few of the things I like. Someone who won't cancel last minute because they got into a 'gaming sesh' and don't want to lose their winning streak. Someone who understands that studying for a test is more important than going to a party and drinking with friends."

"That makes sense, I guess. Me either. I mean. You know. Girlfriend. I had a girlfriend for a few years, but she graduated last year and went to college. We were supposed to do the long distance thing, but you know. She met a guy."

"Sucks. Sorry."

"It's whatever. She wasn't the right one or it would have worked out. Uhh... ever ridden a horse?"

"No! You have real live horses? And I could ride one? Could I see it?!?"

He grinned and stood, holding his hand down to help her up. "Dunno about riding right now, but maybe after dinner. This is the horse barn over here, come around this side. Jove is in the corral. He's a big gentle giant. Here," he lifted her to stand on the middle log on the fence and stood behind her, one hand holding the top log on the other side of her so she wouldn't fall.

The huge gray horse came trotting over immediately. He nuzzled into the tall boy's shoulder and Levi spoke gently to him as he stroked the horse's jaw and neck.

"He's beautiful," Rory breathed, touching the horse on his neck. The horse turned to her and sniffed her face, huffing and blowing, then shot out a giant, rough tongue and licked her jaw and ear. Rory laughed and the horse dropped an ear back and stamped his hoof, but didn't back off. Rory stroked his neck and jaw like she had seen the boy do and looked up at the beautiful animal in awe.

Levi watched her looking up at Jove, completely enraptured. She obviously not only liked animals, but had an affinity for them as well. He had picked Jove for a reason. Jove was his horse and wouldn't let anyone else near him. Now here he was, nuzzling this little city girl the same as he would him. He wasn't jealous, exactly, more curious. The animals liked her, that meant she was a good person, right? Not some shallow city girl who only cared about how cute she looked? She let go of the fence suddenly and hugged Jove, relying on nothing but his arm to keep her up on the fence. An act of unwarranted trust that made him wary all over again. Then he realized what she was doing. Hugging Jove, and Jove was nuzzled into her, letting her. Jove hated being held tight! But he wasn't resisting or even acting like it was bothering him. He was just snuggled in, letting her hold him and scratch behind his ear. He swallowed hard, unsure what to make of this girl.

He stepped back and put his hands on her waist to help her down. She didn't resist or say anything as she stepped back, still looking at the horse. "He is stunning," she sighed breathlessly. "Can I really ride him after dinner?"

"Uhh.. if you are all still here, I can get Laney out for you to ride."

"Not him?"

"Jove... uh.. Well. If you don't mind riding with me, we can both ride him. He has never let anyone on him but me. But he might be ok if you were with me."

"Ok," she smiled, still dreamy.

"We should see about dinner, I guess. Wash up."

"Sure," she answered, following him back inside.

His family was entirely too cheerful. Joe was going on about Susan's brother Rickie who was a great mechanic with anything and could have them fixed up as soon as he was back from his wife's family Sunday dinner. Lydia and Susan were hitting it off, talking about recipes and Lydia was insisting she make dessert. The two younger boys, who it turned out were two years apart, were shoveling food into their mouths so they could get back to gaming.

Rory sat, picking at her food, watching all of them. When she looked up and around at everyone, she would catch Levi looking at her, his cheeks pink. He was cute, in a hick, boy next door kind of way. She had never had a thing for redheads, but it was cute on him with his quiet, thoughtful brown eyes. She was excited about getting to ride a horse for the first time, but he seemed nervous as he ate quickly, finishing even before the boys.

"May I be excused?" he asked quickly, breathlessly.

"Sure Levi," his dad nodded with a smile. Levi shot out the back door and his dad looked around apologetically. "He's a bit shy, less a people person, more of an animal person."

"We know the type," Lydia agreed with a smile that said no offense was taken.

Rory sat up. "I'm not really hungry dad, can I go too?"

"That's fine Rory," he nodded with a soft smile for her.

She also hurried out the back door, wondering where Levi had gone. He was probably getting the horse ready. She headed to the barn he had taken her to and slipped into the door that was open a few inches. It was dark and it took her eyes a few seconds to adjust and she looked around the large, quiet space.

She heard him first, his heavy, ragged breathing, and when she looked, she could see him in the closest corner, facing away. He had one hand high, holding a beam, his chin almost on his chest with his eyes closed. His other hand was down, stroking himself quickly. At first, Rory was horrified, then she immediately understood. He was about to ride around with a girl practically on his lap, bouncing around. Of course he didn't want anything embarrassing to happen. She watched him a moment, wondering if she should slip out, but part of her was more curious, and a bit bold. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again, right? She moved closer, quietly, and looked down at his long cock. It was just like him, long and slender. She had never seen a cock in person before, though some boys had tried, and she had been sent plenty of pics. She moved closer and reached out, touching him.

He cried out, hunching down and turning away. "What are you doing here?!?" he asked frantically, almost angry.

"I thought we were going to ride... don't stop. I... I've never seen... you know. Watched. Umm, can I help you?"

"What?" he asked, struggling to get his pants up around his still erect cock.

Rory moved closer and stopped his hands, looking up at him. She bit her lip, unsure of herself. She had never done what she was about to do, but she had seen it on TV. She tugged his pants lower and he put up a token resistance, his face flaming red. She pulled him back to a hay bale where she could go to her knees and still be tall enough, then kissed his cock. He let out a shuddering breath.

"You don't... ohhh..."

She slid her lips down around him and his hands went from trying to pull her away to guiding her. She had no idea what she was doing, and she pulled back to look up at him and ask, but that moment, he came. He moaned as he shot all over her chin and cheek and she gasped as another shot went across her lips. She looked up at him in amazement. For some reason, he looked humiliated. He backed away and turned away, pulling his pants up and buttoning them. Had she done something wrong? He grabbed a red cloth out of a box of them and went to hand it to her, but froze, holding it tight as he looked down at her. She could see in his eyes that he liked what he saw, even if he was humiliated.

She took the cloth and stood, wiping her face off. He stood hunched, his hands in his pockets. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked softly, moving close to him.