Page 8 of Where She Belongs

Rylee put her head back and laughed. “That makes sense. I spent my childhood here. I’m no stranger to dirt under my nails. And I love this place exactly as it stands. I’d hate to watch it change.”

“You know what you should do?” Lydia’s voice turned conspiratorial. “There’s this developer trying to buy some land and turn it into an attraction or some nonsense. There’s a meeting in town to notify the folks about what’s going on, or maybe put it to a vote. I’m not quite sure. My brothers were just talking about it. Anyway, if you don’t want to see that sort of thing happen, you should definitely attend the meeting. I bet they’d appreciate hearing from someone who’s spent time in the city and chose to come back to the country.”

Rylee laughed. “You just told me not to tell anyone I’m from New York.”

Lydia placed a hand on her arm. “But you’re not from New York. You’re from here. You just spent time in the city. There’s a difference.”

They both laughed this time.

“Just spin it in the right way. You look like you can figure it out.”

“Thanks,” Rylee said dryly. “I think. Will you be going to the meeting?”

Lydia grinned. “Nah. But I bet my brothers will be. They’re into that kind of stuff. And they’re loud enough for the whole family.”

“I can imagine.”

“Do you have any brothers?” Lydia glanced over Rylee’s shoulder as if she might catch sight of one.

“Unfortunately, not. I’m an only child.”

Lydia frowned. “Shame. Would’ve been nice to have fresh dating material around…” She blushed bright red. “You know what I mean. There’s a shortage of decent men out here.”

Rylee laughed. “Actually, I do. Alas, I’m not here to do that kind of hunting. This summer I’m just trying to figure things out. Decide where I want my life to go. That kind of stuff.”

“That sounds like fun. Look, if you’re ever bored and want to do something around town, come find me. I can take you around to all the cool places. No boys allowed.”

Rylee laughed again. Lydia was quite a character. She reminded Rylee of her aunt in some ways. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” The truth of the matter was that Rylee never really connected with girls before. At least when she’d been younger. She liked to be outdoors more than inside. She preferred hanging with the farm animals to people. And she loved keeping up with the boys next door instead of the girls at school. Then when she’d moved in with her aunt, things changed drastically. She still didn’t like spending time with the girls who seemed to make everything a competition, but the boys were just as hard to get along with. She felt like she didn’t belong in the life she’d had since her dad passed away.

Lydia was worth a shot. If it came to nothing, Rylee would keep to herself, which she had a good deal of practice at.

Rylee had promised two things. She’d go to the meeting, being a resident and entitled to say so. And she’d return the Tupperware, which she suspected had been the point of the Tupperware.

CHAPTER FOUR

Tate glanced at Jason seated next to him. They were all corralled into a small room at city hall and it was crowded. There wasn’t much in the way of elbow room. Clearly, the residents of Rocky Ridge were outraged about the possible changes being planned.

Tate sat back in his seat, reveling in the satisfaction it brought him to see the town pull together like this. There weren’t many left like Rocky Ridge that found value in keeping things simple. It wasn’t easy living the country lifestyle, but it was totally worth it.

Jason sat with his arms crossed, reading the room the way he read weather. Then motion at the back of the room caught Tate’s attention and every other thought left his body.

The woman who just waltzed into the town meeting could only be described as a vixen. And at the same time, she was utterly ethereal. She wore fitted jeans and a blouse that was clearly high-end. Her blonde hair swung just below her jaw and the heels she wore clicked against the linoleum floor with each step she took. There was something about the way she held herself that made it perfectly clear she didn’t belong. She wasn’t from around here.

And yet at the same time she demanded respect. The loud roar of voices seemed to quiet almost immediately, turning into a low hum. Whispers around him asked who she was and what she was doing here.

Could this be the developer?

A sinking sensation started in his gut, twisting it until he had to shift in his seat to ease the discomfort. He didn’t want to view this woman as the villain of his story. He wanted to get to know her better, find out what made her tick. For the first time in his life, he was willing to throw out all his preconceived notions about city folk just so he could try to convert this woman to country living.

She took a seat in the front row and offered smiles to those around her. He was too far away to hear her voice or find out her name. And it wasn’t like he could ask about her without drawing suspicion his way.

“She’s not worth it,” Jason mumbled.

Tate cut him a look. “What are you talking about?”

One side of his mouth quirked upward. “You and I both know exactly what I’m talking about—or rather, who. If she’s the person coming to change our town, you know what the people here will do. They’ll ostracize her and anyone who decides to side with her. It’s not a good idea.”

Out of anyone, Tate would have been the one to warn someone against making a bad decision in regard to this very situation. The fact that it was Jason gave Tate pause.