ROLL TIDE, BABY.

"So," Tyler said as they walked around the town, passing out the last of the food before leaving. The sun was going down, and the curfew would be in effect soon. "You ever gonna let me clean that cut of yours?"

He'd already bothered her about her head wound four times throughout the afternoon, insisting she go to the paramedics. But she just brushed him off.

"I've had worse," she assured him. "Just a scratch.

Tyler scoffed and eyed what was definitely not just a scratch. He couldn't imagine how much it hurt. "What's worse than that?"

She raised an eyebrow before stopping to face him. Then she hooked her thumb around the thick bra strap covering her shoulder up. She revealed an angry, jagged scar that marred her skin. A permanent reminder of that day as if she needed one.

"Jesus," he said, peering at it. "What? Did a car fall on you in the garage or something?"

"Or something," she said, putting her strap back in place. Then she smiled at a little girl, handing her a wrapped sandwhich.

"Must you always be so mysterious?"

"Tell you what. Give me a ride back to my motel, and I'll tell you something about me. I don't particularly want to hitch a ride with Javi after what you told me about Riggs."

At her request, Tyler told her all about the developer who was buying land at low cost when buyers were at their worst, barely surviving after tornados.

"I'd have given you a ride anyway," he assured her. "Come on. It's getting late. We'll even pick up some dinner for Kate on the way."

"She likes pizza."

✵︎

Dakota hadn't even waited to reach the motel before digging into her half of the large pepperoni pizza. She'd offered Tyler a slice and laughed as he dropped sauce all over his shirt while driving.

"So, can I get some backstory now?" he asked, focusing on the road. "I mean, what's a mechanic from California doing here of all places?"

She paused and bit the inside of her cheek. "I was sort of like... a child physics prodigy."

Tyler looked at her for a second in disbelief. Seeing how uncomfortable she was mentioning it, he decided to lighten the mood. "Oh, kinda like Young Sheldon."

Dakota scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Shut the fuck up. That show is flawless."

"Oh, trust, I'm not dogging on it," he assured her. "So, how much of a genius are we talking?"

"I graduated at fifteen. Met Kate a year later at college. She was like a best friend and a sister all rolled into one. Helped me all through college right up until I dropped out."

"Why'd you drop?"

She smiled tensely and rubbed her shoulder. "Not really ready for that part of the tragic backstory, if that's okay."

"Sorry for prying," he said, shaking his head.

"It's okay, cause I'm about to pry," she said with a smile. "About this freaking truck! These mods are insane. I mean, you can shoot fireworks from it. And how do you not blow away when you drive into a tornado?"

Tyler threw his head back and laughed, and Dakota loved the sound. "I'll let you under the hood tomorrow. Teach you all about it."

"I'm holding you to that, Cowboy," she smiled.

Soon, they reached the motel, and Dakota was the one to knock on the door since she didn't have a key. A moment later, Kate opened it and raised her eyebrow.

"Brought your partner back," Tyler told her. "Thought you might be hungry."

Kate silently reached for the pizza and Dakota's wrist, pulling her into the room and shutting the door in his face. Dakota snickered as Kate sat on the bed, opening the box and looking at the pizza.

"He ain't that bad, Kate," she said softly. "Give him a chance."

With a sigh, Kate got off the bed and moved to open the door where Tyler was still waiting. "You find the dog?"

"Course, I found the dog," he said, smirking. "How you doing after all that? Dakota seems to be unfazed, which is insane."

Kate just shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's those people, they..." She couldn't even finish it.

"Yeah, well, you've seen the worst of this place," he said, still thinking she was from New York and Dakota from California. "Probably nice for you to see something good."

Tyler then looked at Dakota softly. "Want to take you somewhere. Think it might help. Come on."

They ended up at the rodeo right across the street from the motel. And Dakota couldn't keep the smile off her face as she took a seat between Tyler and Kate, watching as the rodeo clown got the crowd riled up.

"You've ever seen anything like this, City Girl? California?" Tyler asked them, looking at them for their reactions as they clapped for the show.

Kate shook her head. "You keep calling me that. You know, I grew up on a farm? Yeah. Sapulpa. Couple hours from here. This ain't my first rodeo."

Tyler raised an impressed eyebrow. "Look at that. Learned something about you. And got something out of Dakota earlier. This is my lucky day."

"Well, I only did it to get a free ride," Dakota said, smirking at him. He smiled, knowing that was a lie. She wouldn't have shared if she didn't want to.

"So, tell me this. What was your first tornado?" he asked them both.

"Tell me yours," Kate shot back.

"I was eight," he told them, thinking back on it. "Driving with my aunt. Sirens were going. All the sudden, this vortex just lowers down right in the center of the road. I was just mesmerized. Then I looked at my aunt — she's got this look on her face. I realized in that moment I was supposed to be scared."

"Were you scared?" Dakota asked softly. She'd always wondered what it was like to be scared of the storms that everyone but her father seemed to fear.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was."

"Wow, the Tornado Wrangler scared of tornados," Kate said, shaking her head mockingly.

Tyler just chuckled. "Okay, Sapulpa."

Then one of the bull riders caught Tyler's eye and did that ridiculous tornado motion. Both Kate and Dakota watched in disbelief.

"You know him?" Kate asked, unable to believe it, especially since he wasn't from Oklahoma.

"I used to compete. Got my head stomped on by one too many bulls. Thought cars might be better for my brain," he explained.

"You're scared of tornados but not riding bulls?" Dakota asked, wanting to know more about how he thought.

"Tornados, bulls. Same thing," he shrugged. "Here's the reason you do it. You don't face your fears. You ride 'em."

"You sound like Dakota," Kate said, shaking her head as she watched the bull riders. "She ain't afraid of nothing."

"Come on, that ain't true," he said, rolling his eyes. "You were in the bed of the truck during that storm today. I'd have been terrified for my life too."

Dakota caught his eye, and he could see she was being genuine. "I wasn't scared. I've seen worse."

More cheers echoed around them, and Dakota looked back, clapping for the riders. "Hey, the pizza whatn't enough. I'm gonna get some food. Want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," Kate said as Dakota got up. And Kate noticed how Tyler watched her go off, the interest in his eyes clear. "Maybe you could go help her carry it, Cowboy."

Tyler smiled bashfully and hopped up, jogging after Kate. "I could eat. You got most of the pizza anyway."

"And yet I still have room for funnel cake," she grinned, getting in line.

"So," he said, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Can't imagine you have lots of tornados in California. What was your first one? The one the other day?"

She shook her head. "Not from California, Tyler. I'm from Alabama, born and raised — even Miss Jr. Rodeo Queen."

"Roll Tide, baby," he grinned.

She snorted and nodded her head. "Roll Tide."

"So you're used to them, then."

Dakota nodded. "I don't remember my first tornado — happened all the time, you know? But I remember when I was four. It was an EF 3, I think. Me and Mama went down to the basement, and I realized Daddy wasn't with us. So, I wrestled out of Mama's arms and ran back upstairs to get him. Only to see him standing on the back porch, a beer in hand, watching it pass by. He wasn't scared, so I knew I didn't have to be either. Just stood there and held his hand, watching it take one of our horses away. Watched all the storms from then on out with him."

"You're a front porcher," he chuckled. "Maybe you are fearless."

"I said I wasn't scared for my life," she said softly as they moved up. "I'm never scared for me. But Kate? Javi? Hell, even y'all when that turbine broke the other day. I'm scared for others. Don't have room to worry about myself when people I care about are in danger."

Tyler soaked her words in, them troubling him a bit. He didn't like that she seemingly had no regard for her own life. So, he decided then and there that he'd be the one to worry about her from then on out.

The conversation couldn't continue as they got their funnel cakes. And Tyler laughed as she didn't wait for it to cool down, instead opting to bring the plate to her face, taking a bite out of it.

"Come here," Tyler said, leading her to a picnic table.

"I was just gonna eat in the stands."

In response, he held up the napkins and the bottle of water that he bought. "I'm cleaning that damn cut if it kills me. You covered in grime and blood is freaking people out."

She rolled his eyes but let him lead her to an empty table. Both straddled the seat, their knees bumping. Tyler poured some water on a napkin as Dakota kept eating. Then she stopped as he gripped her chin, keeping her in place. He was surprisingly gentle as he cleaned the cut, her only wincing once from how tender the wound was.

The whole time, she stared into his impossibly blue eyes, feeling her heart speed up from how close he was. Fuck, she was falling, and this wasn't helping.

And it only got worse when he finished and met her gaze. His gaze was so gentle, and both found themselves leaning in. But then the radio announcer cut in.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the barrel racing."

Dakota froze, her eyes on his lips. "Barrel racing's my favorite part."

"Then I guess we'd better get you back before Kate gets worried," he murmured, feeling a little disheartened. "C'mon, Young Sheldon."

Her jaw dropped and she smacked his chest as he laughed loudly. "You are not calling me that!"

"Too late, baby," he said, giving her a hand up. "You're saddled with it for life."

As they walked, she didn't drop his hand. "I hate you, Cowboy."

He raised a challenging eyebrow before lifting their hands up. "That right?"

She bit her tongue and rolled her eyes before dragging him to the stand, still by his hand. They got back just before the first rider went out, joining Kate in the stands, who took the funnel cake from Dakota despite saying she didn't want anything.

As they sat down, Tyler slung his arm around Dakota's shoulder, their fingers still intertwined so that her arm was over her chest. Kate raised an eyebrow at the smooth move but didn't say anything, watching as her friend smiled and leaned into Tyler's chest.

Music played loudly over the speaker as the rodeo went on. But then the wind picked up, sending leaves from the nearby trees their way. Kate picked one up just as lightning struck.

"Are you tracking cells out this way?" she asked as Dakota looked around worriedly.

"Air feels heavy. This isn't good," Kate said just before all their phones beeped with an alert. Dakota didn't have to glance at her phone to know what it said.

A storm was coming.