A/N: I own nothing.

A/N: A/U.

"Good morning, Granddaddy," River said, walking into the vet clinic.

"Good morning, Darling," Dale Rivers said. He gave her a hug. "How's my girl this morning?"

"I'm good."

"Beau get that calf out?"

"Yeah. Colt did."

"A colt?" Dale questioned.

"Turn on your hearing aids, Granddaddy," River commanded loudly.

"I don't need them," Dale replied.

"Sure, Pop," she replied. She headed back to her office. She wasn't in the mood to argue. Colt's one night stand had to ask her for a ride back into town this morning since Colt had left early and hadn't bothered to tell her that. Still, she had gushed about Colt like he was the second coming. She was definitely star-struck.

Finally she got around to asking, "How long have you and Rooster been married?"

"Fifteen years," River answered.

"Wow. You must have been really young. I remember my sister Darlene used to have the biggest crush on him," Heather laughed. "Like one of my earliest memories is my next oldest sister teasing her about it. I think I was like three. Darlene is your age isn't she? Did you know her?"

"Actually, she's Jamie's age," River said, tightly. Darlene Roth had been a burr in their relationship in high school and had never really stopped. It had started with her offering to make out with him on the bus on the way back from an away football game when they were juniors and had increased to her offering to pay him for fixing the brakes on her truck with a certain sexual favor just three months ago.

"Oh. Anyway. She was so mad when he started dating you."

River nodded. "Well, a lot of people were surprised," she said flatly. "Oh, look. It's your house." She pulled into a small drive.

"Thanks for the ride," Heather said brightly. She hopped out of the car, then leaned back inside. "Okay, so I feel sort of pathetic asking this, but could you maybe give Colt my number? I mean, I know he probably 'forgot' it on purpose, but still." She handed River a slip of paper. "Thanks so much. For everything."

"Sure." River said.

As she sat her desk, halfheartedly tapping at the keys on her computer, she thought about what she'd told Heather. It was true. She wasn't the type of girl Rooster had usually gone for. She wasn't tall and blonde with impossibly long legs. She was a short brunette with muscular legs from hours spent on horseback. She wasn't a cheerleader. She had been in the band. Dance line. But still, in the band. She'd been a barrel racer from the time she could sit astride a horse. Granddaddy had seen to that, buying her a horse the day she was born. Her father had died when she was baby and her mother hadn't been what you would call a stable parent, so Dale and Charlene had practically raised her out there on the ranch next to Iron River. Even when her mama had been around, they'd lived with her grandparents. She had even been named after Dale, her mama taking the name River from her maiden name of Rivers. Granddaddy had hated when Rooster Bennett had started coming around but it was his own fault. After all, it was his horse that thrown her that day. If not for that accident, Rooster Bennett probably wouldn't have look at her twice.

1997

Rooster Bennett was cussing under his breath as he drove his four-wheeler towards the north forty fence. Dale Rivers had come by earlier that day and told Beau that he might want to check his fences because Dale's ranch foreman had seen some cattle with the Iron River brand mixed in with his the day before so Beau had told Rooster to do it. Of course, Colt couldn't do it. Colt had to spend hours throwing a football at the side of the house. It wasn't like Rooster didn't have other things to do. He had wanted to go over to his buddy Ray's house and work on his new Mustang. Well, new to Ray. It was long past new and was going to take a ton of work to even run. But no, Rooster had to fix the damn fence because the great Colt Bennett had to practice.

He pulled up parallel to fence line and started driving down it slowly, checking for damage. That's when he saw something laying in the tall grass. Getting closer, he realized it was someone, it was River Evans, Dale's granddaughter.

"Hey, River. Hey, River!" he called out, stopping to tighten a section of loose barbed wire. She didn't even acknowledge him. Whatever. She was weird anyway. He was just being polite, letting her know he was there. No telling what she was doing. Probably counting dandelion leaves or something equally as useless. Or just escaping Dale. He knew he would if he had live with that grumpy old bastard. He made quick work of that section of fence, hoping that if he got done in time, Beau would let him go over to Ray's anyway.

Before he left, he looked back at River and realized that she hadn't moved in the ten minutes that he'd been working and now that he really looked at her, she was laying in a strange position. Not to mention, it was kind of odd for her to be that far out, even if she was just avoiding her grandparents.

"Hey, River!" He practically yelled this time. "River! Are you okay?"

When she still didn't respond, he hopped the fence and walked over to her.

"Oh, shit!" he said, falling to his knees beside her. He didn't know if she'd fallen off her horse, had been kicked, or what but she was out cold with a large gash along her hair line bathing her face and hair in sticky, red blood. One leg and one arm was twisted at odd angles. This was bad. He tried to wake her again, getting only a low moan for his efforts. He tried to decide what to do. He could race back to Iron River or over to Dale's but he was afraid that if he left her, they wouldn't even get a moan from her by the time he got Beau back to her. He gently lifted her up in his arms. He had to cut the fence to be able to get over it with her. He managed to get them both on the four-wheeler and tore towards his house which was slightly closer than the Rivers' place.

Beau heard Rooster tearing through the field and walked out of the barn, intent on chewing him out for scaring the cattle, but the words died on his lips as Rooster slammed the ATV to a stop and jumped off still carrying River.

"Dad! Mom!" he yelled.

Beau met him in three steps. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I found her like this by the fence line," he said, honestly.

"Come on," Beau rushed him towards his truck while yelling for Maggie to call Dale and tell him to meet them at the hospital. Rooster was certain that his father had never driven that fast before and would never drive that fast again, but the normally thirty minute drive into town took less than ten before they were squealing the tires up to the hospital emergency department. For the first time since he had picked her up in the field, Jamie let go of River as he carefully laid her on the gurney. For the briefest moment, she opened her eyes and focused on him before her eyes rolled back and closed again. He stood there, unsure what to do as the medical staff whisked her away and Beau told them what they knew.

All of a sudden a thought occurred to him that made him panic. "Dad!" He said, suddenly, catching Beau's attention. "I cut the fence."

Beau looked at his son for a long moment before actually laughing in disbelief that Rooster was concerned about that now, and pulling him into one of the few hugs Rooster could remember Beau giving him. "Don't worry about that. You did good, son," Beau said, hugging him tightly. "You did real good."

Beau had to get back to the ranch, but Rooster sat with Dale and Charlene well into the night as they waited for River to wake up. They'd found out that she had cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist and leg, and most worryingly the large gash on her head and a severe concussion. It was around midnight when a nurse came to tell them River was awake. It was around one when Dale finally came back to the waiting room. He crossed the room and held his hand out to Rooster. He shook his hand hard.

"Damn, I'm glad I didn't wait to go tell your Daddy about the fences. And I'm glad he sent you to check them. Colt wouldn't have paid attention," Dale said. "Thank you."

Rooster shrugged. "Did she say what happened?"

"Well, she don't remember much," he replied. "A concussion will do that, but she said her horse spooked and rared up. She lost her balance and tried to kick free but her boot hung up in the stirrup and she went down. That's about all she can say. The doctor says she was probably dragged a few feet before getting kicked and her foot coming free. They said she was lucky to make it. She made it because you were paying attention. I can't say thank you enough."

"It's okay," Rooster shrugged again.

"You want to see her?" Dale asked. He knew some kids were squeamish about hospitals.

Rooster nodded.

"Come on, then. We'll peek in, then I'll take you home," Dale said.

River looked small and pale in the hospital bed, but she managed to smile a weak smile at him.

He walked over to the bed, but didn't really know what to say or do.

"Granddaddy told me what you did," River said. She slipped her uninjured hand in one of his. "Thank you."

"Didn't do nothing anyone else wouldn't do," Rooster said.

"But you did it, not anyone else," River smiled. She squeezed his hand weakly and he smiled at her.

"I'm just glad you're going to be okay," he said.

She nodded, then winced at the pain that caused.

"Well, I should let you rest," he said. Without even really thinking about, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. He patted her hand one more time before leaving. "Bye."

"Goodbye Jamie," she said.

No one ever called him Jamie anymore, but he realized he didn't mind it so much from River.

She ended up spending two weeks in the hospital. Jamie came by to see her everyday after school. They would sit and watch reruns while Charlene, who hadn't left her side, would go get some coffee and a decent meal.

She didn't come back to school that year, but when she went home from the hospital he brought her school books and assignments by the ranch. Twice he volunteered to take over some food Maggie had cooked for them but then she had to go to the hospital in Telluride for a surgery on her ankle and spring training started for him. He got busy and when she came back from Telluride, he wasn't stopping by anymore.

It was six weeks later at the town's Independence Day celebration that he saw her again. She was standing with some friends to watch the parade. She had a cast up to her knee and was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches. He wanted to go talk to her, but by the time he could cross the street, she was gone. He saw her again that evening at the bandstand, sitting in Byron William's lap, watching the community dance with some of their friends. He quickly decided he didn't like her sitting there. He walked over and spoke.

"Hey, River."

"Hey, Jamie," she smiled.

"What's up?" Byron said giving him a look that clearly said 'Go away.'

He noticed that Byron's arm around her waist tightened as well. Surely that little freshman bench warmer didn't think he could intimidate Rooster Bennett, did he?

"Not much, Dude," he said before turning his attention to River again. "How are you?"

"Better than last time I saw you," she laughed. "Get this thing off in a couple of weeks and I'll be right as rain." She pointed to her leg.

"That's good," he said. "Want to dance?"

"Sorry," she said, pointing to her leg again.

"So?" he shrugged. "It's a slow song. All you have to do is stand there and sway. Just hold on to me instead of the crutches." She looked unconvinced. He held out his hand. "Come on. I promise I won't let you fall."

"Okay." She took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Byron was glaring at him but he just smiled.

They stayed like that for three songs until the band played "Achy Breaky Heart" and it was either move of get run over by a group of line dancers.

"Are you going to the courthouse to watch the fireworks?" he asked, helping her to a nearby bench. It had become a town tradition for the high school kids to climb to deck on the courthouse dome to watch the firework display. It was technically illegal but it had been happening for so long that no one could remember who had started and for years now, a janitor would always somehow 'forget' to lock at least one door to courthouse. In exchange, it was a given that they wouldn't damage anything.

"Nah," she said. "That's a lot of stairs to climb with crutches. I'll probably just head home with Granddaddy and Memaw when the dance is over."

"Come with me," he replied. "I'll carry you up the stairs and then make sure you get home safely.

She hedged. Memaw had told her that she could stay out with her friends, but that was because she had thought that it would most likely be Byron or one her girl friends bringing River home. Still, she hadn't said it had to be one of them. "You can't carry me up all those stairs."

"Sure I can," he said, cockily. "I carried you across one hundred and fifty acres."

"Not to seem ungrateful, because I really am grateful, but I have to point out that you had a four-wheeler then," she laughed. "And flat land is still not 4 sets of stairs and a spiral ladder."

"Okay, okay," he conceded. "We'll stay on the ground and watch them."

They danced a few more slow songs, then went to Rooster's truck to drive to the lake where the firework display was going to be.

"So, are you dating Byron or what?" Rooster asked as they sat in the back, watching the sky light up red, white, and blue.

"Byron? No. He's just a friend from church. Do you really think that if I was on a date with him, I would have left with you?" She replied.

He shrugged and grinned. "I might be that irresistible."

"Not quite," she laughed.

"Want to go out with me?" He asked.

"Um.., okay," she replied. She technically wasn't allowed to date yet, but she wasn't going to tell him that right then.

"Cool." He slid closer to her and put him arm around her shoulders. While the rest of the town was oohing and ah-hing over the American flag made of fireworks, River was getting her first kiss.

Beau was still waiting up when Rooster and Colt made it home.

"Hey, Dad," Rooster said, sitting down on the porch to pull his boots off.

"Are we in trouble?" Colt asked. They were a little later than Beau had told them to be. Maybe a little more than a little if he was being honest.

"Go to bed, Colt," Beau said.

"Oh good," Colt said, looking at Rooster. "It's just you. See you in the morning."

"What's up, Daddy?" Rooster asked, trying to think of what he could have possibly done.

"You and River Evans," Beau said.

"What about it?" Rooster asked, becoming defensive.

"She's fourteen."

"I know," he replied.

"Yeah. I'm sure you do," Beau said, clearly uncomfortable. "Look, I ain't going to pretend that I don't know that you screw around with the girls you bring around. I'm telling you not to do that with River. She's fourteen."

"Dad." Rooster folded his arms over his chest. He did not want to discuss his sex life with his dad.

"No, you listen," Beau snapped. "I'm not playing. River's a good girl. You treat her with respect and keep it in your pants and if you can't do that, then you leave her the hell alone. That girl has been through more shit than you can imagine and she don't need you putting her through more."

"Relax, Dad," Rooster replied, annoyed. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"Well, you better not," Beau replied, finishing his whiskey. "After all, you've seen how fast her granddaddy can make a troublesome stallion into a docile gelding."

Rooster laughed despite his annoyance.

Please R and R.