There will be flashbacks to when Riley and Lucas first met and there time together. The flashbacks will be in italics.
Lucas watched as the brunette beauty drove off and out of sight. He couldn't help smiling rubbing at his neck thinking about how brown her eyes were. Just like her she did seem oddly familiar to him like he had met her before but couldn't remember where.
She actually reminded him of his little brown eye Dorothy. Riley Matthews. He still had the picture of them when they were laughing as his pappy Joe helped them make their twister machine that caused a huge hole in her aunt's barn.
They also had photographic evidence of that from her aunt who was taking pictures and snapped theirs after they came flying out the barn.
"Ow!" Lucas cries out as he holds his head glaring at his brother. "What the hell Tristan?! I'm telling ma." Lucas tell him as his brother shakes his head smiling at him. "Okay Luke you tell her I hit you and I tell her you were pretending to play sheriff again to pick up women." Lucas smiles as he leans against his brother's truck.
"Tris don't be mad I get more girls pretending to be you then you get being yourself." Lucas looked confused with what he said thinking about it and nodded his head happy with his response. "Whatever dude get in." His brother tells him as he gets in the truck.
"Oh hey remember Riley Matthews?" Tristan asked as Lucas felt his face warm at the mention of her name. His brother was the only one that knew of his crush he develop on her when they were little. And any chance he got he would tease him mercilessly for it.
Lucas sees him watching him so he clears his throat putting on his belt. "Kind of. Why?" He asked trying to play nonchalant but could tell his brother could see right through him.
"Well I seen her recently." He says as Lucas sits up looking at him. "What? Where? When? Why are you just telling me?" Tristan looks at him with an amused smile on his face as Lucas clears his throat again. "I mean wow when did you see her? Not like I care." He says as Tristan shrugs his shoulders smiling.
"Come on dude tell me." He pleads after five minutes of silence from his brother. "What happen I thought you didn't care?" He asked pinching Lucas cheek. "Well you brought her up so I'm curious." He says shrugging his shoulders as Tristan shakes his head smiling.
They drove around as Lucas stared at his brother who kept his eyes on the road with a smile on his face. "Will you just tell me already?" Lucas tells him after twenty minutes of silence that he couldn't take anymore. Tristan shook his head as he laughed parking the car at the gas station.
"Okay I'll tell you." He finally says as Lucas turns towards him waiting. Tristan opens his mouth about to say something when he closes it making Lucas groan. "Pay for my gas and I'll tell ya." Tristan tells him as Lucas glares at him as he gets out. He heads inside to pay as he looks around in the candy section.
He smiles when he sees a pack of red gummy bears and couldn't help thinking of Riley.
"Dorothy why do you do that?" Lucas asked as he sat across from her on her aunt's porch. "Do what scarecrow?" She asked tilting her head making him smile. "You bite their heads off first why not just pop them in your mouth?" He asked taking one and popping it in his own mouth to show her.
"Cause they feel less pain this way." She tells him biting into one smiling at him. "Plus that's where their brain is and well there delicious." Lucas looked at her weirdly as she giggled. "Oh." He says taking one and biting it's head. "Hey Dorothy?" He says smiling mischievously at her.
"I want your gummy brains!" He said moving towards her as she got up giggling and running from him.
"Luke hurry up!" Tristan shouts honking the honk and pulling Lucas from his thoughts. He shakes his head smiling buying a bag of the red gummy bears heading back to the truck. Lucas smiles staring at the bag as Tristan grabs for it before Lucas snatched it back. "Dude." He says as Lucas mimics him.
Lucas looked at his brother who he sees had a small smile on his face that Lucas knew all to well. One that told him he was planning his revenge. He watched him as he drove them towards their house before driving passed heading for the house next door.
"What are you doing?" Lucas asked as Tristan got out. "Well I thought you wanted to see your girlfriend." He says leaning against the truck as Lucas gets out. It takes him a moment to realize that he meant Riley. He widens his eyes fixing his hair in the mirror before turning towards his brother.
"Thanks for the heads up jerk." He says grabbing the bag of gummy bears just as the front door opens. "Hey sheriff." Morgan says smiling as she sees Lucas smiling wider. "Well well well if it isn't scarecrow." She says making Lucas chuckle as he walks towards her and hugs her. "How ya been Glenda?" He ask as she laughs.
"Don't pretend your here for me scarecrow. I know why you're here." Lucas felt his cheeks heat up as she gestures for them to come inside. Lucas looked around smiling at how everything looked exactly the same as it did when he spent the first three weeks of summer there from ages six to ten.
"So where is she?" Lucas chuckled looking around. "Well there she is." Morgan says as Lucas turns around with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You?" He says pointing at the brown eye girl who hit him with her car and was his Dorothy and Riley.
"You! You hit me with your car!" Lucas tells her as Riley scoffs folding her arms across her chest. "You're so dramatic I didn't hit you I hit the car you were in." She tells him as he mimics her making her stick her tongue out at him.
Lucas turns as he sees Morgan and his brother laughing and whispering about them. "Ow!" Tristan yells out as Lucas punches him. "You knew who she was this whole time?" Tristan chuckles shaking his head as he rubs his arm. "Not at first but I see this little surprise as payback.
Lucas glares at him as they hear a car door close. "Where is she?!" Morgan and Tristan shake their heads as they head out leaving Riley and Lucas alone.
Lucas looks at Riley once more as she walks towards him. "Are those for me?" She whispers as he looks at her weirdly. "Are what for you?" He asked noticing how she tilts her head like she did when they were little trying to sweet talk him into giving her something.
"The gummy bears." She gestures to his hand as he holds them up with a smile. "Oh these?" He ask as she nods. "Actually I bought them for myself I just love the red ones." He smiles as she narrows her eyes at him. "Oh really you like the red ones?"
"Yup since I was six." He says biting his cheek when he sees the small smile in her face. "But since I already had some earlier I guess I'll share." He hands them to her as she smiles at him.
They head for the door as Lucas stops and whispers in her ear. "Besides I know how much you love gummy bear brains Dorothy." He smiles as he sees the blush appear on her cheeks as she passes him.
Riley shook her head not believing that her scarecrow was the same guy that pretended to be the sheriff. She rolled her eyes at the fact that her aunt and Lucas brother both knew who they were after hearing the story.
She was so embarrassed about it all hoping to never see that imposter again and now he's in front of her.
"Is that little Riley Matthews?" She looked up seeing a woman with blond hair and a baby blue dress walking towards her. No matter how long she was gone for she would always know who this woman was. "Mrs. Friar how are you?" Riley asked hugging her as she laughed.
"I'm good. How have you been? Please call me Emily none of this Mrs. Friar stuff makes me feel old. My look how tall and beautiful you look. Doesn't she look beautiful Luke?" Riley turned her head not realizing that Lucas was standing next to his mom. She was so distracted by her and forgot how she could ramble just like her.
"Yeah well she finally did grow into her head." He says as his mom hits him in the arm making Riley laugh. "Don't listen to him dear. When you left after three weeks he would cry for days. It took two pies and a picture of you to calm him down."
"Ma don't tell her that!" Lucas groans as his mom waves him off. "So how long you in town for dear?" Before Riley could answer she was rambling again. "Oh you must come for dinner I'm sure pappy Joe and senior would love to see you again." Riley smiled knowing she did have a soft spot for the eldest Friar men.
She was about to respond when Lucas answers for her. "Ma I'm sure she wants to settle in first." Emily looked at her about to agree when Riley shakes her head. "I would love to."
"So you knew the fake sheriff was really scarecrow?" Riley asked smoothing out her dress as they were both getting ready for dinner. "Oh come on if I told you that he was the same person I would have missed out on the look on both your faces when the truth was revealed." Riley shook her head knowing her aunt was just as bad as her dad.
"Still a little warning next time." Riley tells her as Morgan grabs her phone that was ringing. Riley walked back in her room scratching Toto's head before grabbing her camera and the gummy bears Lucas gave her. She smiled as she placed them on her dresser saving them for later.
She couldn't help laughing as he tried to deny her the gummy bears. They both knew he was going to give them up to her anyways.
She had just grabbed another roll of film when Morgan walked back into her room. "Bad news I have to head into town to sort out some paperwork. Which means..." riley nodded grabbing a light jacket. "I'm on my own for dinner with the Friars."
Morgan smiles as they link arms walking outside to Morgan's truck. "Want me to give you a ride or you want to take the bike?" Riley widened her eyes looking over at the bicycle leaning against the side of the house. "No I think I'll walk enjoy this Texas air." Riley says slinging her camera around her neck.
"Riley have you still not learn to ride a bike yet?" Morgan asked as Riley playfully rolls her eyes walking away from her truck. "I know how I just don't like to." She says as Morgan shakes her head laughing and waves as she drives away. Riley looked back at the bike before shuddering and walking towards the Friar ranch.
It wasn't that she didn't want to learn but her dad was the one who tried teaching her and ended up scaring her for life. Honestly who tells a six year old that if they aren't careful and wearing protective gear from head to toe they could lose a foot.
It also didn't help that Riley fell off skinning her knee and as soon as her dad saw the blood fainted making Riley think she killed him.
She shudders again grabbing her phone out her pocket ready to call her parents but instead text them. She knew full well that if she called they would want to know where she was and would end in disaster.
Especially since her mom would no doubt send Trevor down to try to work on their relationship.
Sighing in relief at the text her dad sends back instead of calling Riley walks along the dirt road towards the Friar home. She aims her camera up at the sky watching as the setting sun cause the sky to turn pink with a splash of orange. Looking like a cup of sherbet ice cream and making her want some.
She smiled taking more photos until stopping. She had reached the gate by the driveway when she looked around suddenly feeling like someone was watching her. It wasn't a bad feeling it was one she hadn't felt in awhile.
She opened the gate walking through as she slowly made her way up the driveway. She looked around still feeling like someone was watching her when she smiled turning her head towards the left.
"Aunt Morgan do we have to go? What if a tornado comes we won't have protection here." A six year old Riley tells her aunt looking around as they get out her car walking towards their neighbor house.
"Don't worry Riley the Friars have protection from the tornados too. Your safe." She says squeezing her hand. "Come on you'll be fine. They even have a little boy your age to play with." Riley looked at her aunt once more before nodding.
They continued on and Riley looked left seeing something moving towards them. She widened her eyes when whatever it was jumped out shouting boo. She screamed and kicked what she realized was a little boy in the shin.
Riley smiled at the memory of her first encounter with Lucas. They both had to apologize to each other since Lucas fell and scraped his arm and he had to apologize to her since he scared her and she started to cry. It was worth it just like right now when she sees him bent down in the grass like last time.
She put her camera in her bag and slung it off the fence as she slowly crept up on him. Lucky for her he turned away from the road and didn't see her come from behind. She slowly took her shoes off letting the warm grass tickle her toes before running at him.
He turned just as she jumped on him causing both of them to fall. "Ow." He groans as Riley giggles on top of him. "How'd you know I was going to scare you?" He asked looking up at her. "I felt your eyes on me scarecrow just be lucky I didn't kick you this time." She bit her lip as she looked at him feeling her cheeks heat up when he looks at her lips.
She couldn't help doing the same as he brushed the hair from her face. They stare at each other before someone clears their throat. "Well I see some things never change huh?" Riley got up pulling Lucas with her as she hugged pappy Joe.
"Well darling you sure look like a sight for sore eyes. Where have you been hidin?" He asked as Riley giggled. "I know I'm sorry but I'm here now and you still look young as the day I met you." Pappy Joe waved her off as she linked her arm through his.
"Luke hurry up and grab her bag I'm starving!" Pappy Joe shouts as Riley turns towards Lucas who grabs it for her. She walked with Pappy Joe to the door putting on her shoes as Lucas hands her her bag.
When their hands touched she felt an unexplained tingle run up her arm. She looks at him and sees he has the same look on his face as she does. He smiles softly at her before walking in as Riley let's out a breath.
"I'm not in Kansas anymore."