Page 1 of The Bodyguard
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SABRINA
The King’s Land—The Summer of Dylan
“Dylan. I want next. I want next!” I was hopping up and down with my hand in the air so he would see me.
He couldn’t not see me. We were all out by the open horse pen. Bea and I were sitting together on the fence, while Dylan walked Ronnie around on the horse. Hank had taught him to ride.
Hank didn’t think girls needed to ride horses so he didn’t bother to teach us. But I wanted to ride. At least, I wanted Dylan to show me. He’d been here for weeks this summer, he was fourteen and he was the most fun.
“You’re making such a big deal about him. He’s just here for the summer,” Bea snapped.
I looked over at my half sister. She was nine, only a year older than me, but she didn’t like me too much. I knew it was because Hank married my mom right after her mom died. So she hated my mother, and she barely tolerated me. And that was sad because we could have been great sisters.
“He’s our big brother,” I pointed out. Which was the best thing in the world of things to have. Dylan let me follow him wherever he went. And he played with me sometimes, only not dolls. Today he was teaching us to ride a horse. It was totally scary, but I wanted to do it if he wanted to teach us.
“You don’t even know him,” Bea huffed.
“I do too!” I protested. Well, I knew he was Dylan and he was my big brother and he was nicer to me than Bea was. Hank had never married his mother at all, but he wasn’t mean to Ronnie or Bea.
Bea shook her head in that way that she did that said she was so much smarter than me just because she was a year older.
“He’s just a kid staying with us for the summer. You shouldn’t get too close.”
“But I like him. He’s funny and he…pays attention to us.”
Bea frowned. “Right. You shouldn’t get too close to him. He’s only going to disappoint you.”
I watched as he helped Ronnie down from the horse and they high-fived. I didn’t care what Bea said. I hopped off the fence and ran in his direction. I got to his side and tilted my head and looked back up at him with my goofy smile. At least, that’s what Ronnie called it.
“My turn.”
He shook his head and laughed. And then he had to pick me up to help me onto the horse, which was awesome. He grunted a little, but I didn’t mind.
“Okay Brin,” he said. “Hold the reins, but don’t pull on them. We’re just going to walk you once around the pen, okay? You need to just sit tight. Okay?”
“Okay, Dylan. Anything you say.”
“Be careful with her, Dylan,” Ronnie said, taking a few steps back and watching him closely.
“Don’t worry. I won’t get her hurt,” he said.
Of course he wouldn’t. He was my big brother. Big brothers never let you down.
SABRINA
The King’s Land—Three Years Later
Hank’s Summer Barbecue Blowout
“He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not.”
Shoot. I needed to try again. I searched around for another daisy on the grassy spot where I was perched. I was sitting underneath the bleachers Hank had set up for the picnic. It was cool in the shade and the best part was that no one could see me eat.
I was on my second hotdog and I planned to have a third. Beyond the bleachers they were all playing tag football. Naturally Garrett was the quarterback. Of course he was the quarterback, because he was the best ever.
In everything.
