Jaci and Ricky: The Untold Story

Chapter One: Ricky

Whatever these three runaway girls had done to get themselves here, it wasn't his problem.

But that didn't mean they weren't interesting. The flirty redhead by herself could provide hours of entertainment. Then there was the blond, who looked like she hadn't smiled in weeks. Normally his brother was about the only serious person he could handle. But something about her made Ricky curious. He wanted to get inside her head and find out what was wrong. Maybe even make her smile.

It was the brunette, though, that captivated him. In this backwoods town without a lot of ethnic mixing, someone with exotic brown eyes, hair so dark it was almost black, and a darker skin tone stood out like dog pee in white snow.

So, he decided to go along with his twin brother on this crazy charade of being the generous neighbor. Not like they had money to spare, and if these girls discovered the family secret, there'd be hell to pay.

The girls had fallen behind them on the sidewalk, whispering together as they followed Neal and Ricky to the deli. Ricky stepped closer to his brother and lowered his voice. "Where'd you pick these kids up, anyway?"

"By the high school. I tripped over Amanda."

Ricky glanced back at them. "Which one's Amanda?"

Neal snorted. "The one who doesn't take her eyes off you."

Ahh. The redhead. Ricky gave her another look, taking his time to appreciate her figure. Yeah. Entertainment. "All right. Fine. We can feed them lunch. But you're paying for it."

"That's a given, since I'm the one with the credit card."

"It was supposed to be a joke," Ricky muttered, scowling. "Lighten up."

Neal didn't even bother responding, and Ricky felt his generosity diminishing. He checked his watch, wishing for the millionth time they had money for cell phones. Almost four in the afternoon.

They arrived at the deli a few minutes later. Ricky stopped and held the door open, waiting for the girls. Anything had to be better than the present company.

"You can order whatever you want as long as the sum comes to less than four dollars," Ricky said.

The brunette looked at him, alarm flashing across her features. Her eyes darted to her friends. "For all three of us?"

Okay, so they didn't know how to take a joke either.

Neal rolled his eyes. "Just get what you want, and don't worry about the price. He thinks he's being funny."

Her almond-shaped brown eyes flicked between the two of them. "How do we tell you apart?"

"Like I said." Ricky smiled. "I'm cuter. And I get the girls." He meant to keep his gaze on her, but Amanda tilted her head, attracting his attention. She lowered her gaze and peered up at him through her lashes, giving a smile. Taking a shower had done wonders. She was really pretty. "And, uh," he said, surprised to notice he was tongue-tied, "I have golden flecks in my eyes." Man, he'd ruined that delivery.

Amanda squinted and stepped up to him, looking into his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and remained still, holding her gaze.

She shook her head. "Not seeing it." She cocked her head to the side."What about me? Do I have golden flecks in my eyes?"

Ha. He put his hands on her shoulders and narrowed his eyes as he peered into hers. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. "You're eyes are a lovely shade of green, but very . . . simple. The gold is reserved for the elite."