"Mama, mama, are you awake?" Katie was whispering to Beth on her side on the bed poking her arm.
Beth woke with a fright. "What's going on?" She asked groggily.
"I lost the presents!" Katie told her. Beth shut her eyes for a second. Rip was still snoring next to her.
She sat up and put her feet on the ground. She grabbed Katie's hand and took her downstairs.
"We hid the presents. They're not lost. Daddy is still sleeping and we should be too." Beth put her on the couch before staring a fire. There was still time before sunrise.
"No presents yet?" Katie asked yawning.
"No Katie." Beth told her sitting on the couch next to her wrapping a blanket around them both.
"Close your eyes." Beth told her hoping they both could sleep a bit longer.
The fire died out a few hours later as Rip came down stairs. He found both of the girls on the couch. Beth looked uncomfortable with her head resting on the back of the couch, Katie sleeping on Beth's lap. Beth opened her eyes hearing Rip's footsteps.
"Morning." She whispered trying to not wake Katie.
"Morning." Rip said giving her a kiss.
"What time is it?"
Rip looked at the clock, "Just after 9."
Beth was surprised they had gone back to sleep for that long. She managed to get Katie off her lap and put her back down on the couch before making breakfast in the kitchen with Rip.
"Happy Father's Day baby." Beth said giving him a kiss at the table.
"Thanks Beth." Rip said with a smile.
The pair enjoyed breakfast together while Katie slept.
"Good morning Katie." Beth said when she sat up on the couch, her hair disheveled and sticking up in all directions. She slid off the couch going to Rip.
"It's Father's Day!" Katie said excitedly. "Presents!"
"Better go get them." Beth said helping Katie find where they had hidden them.
Katie carried her card with the wrapped book under her arm over to Rip. "These are for you."
Rip lifted her up on to his knee and looked at the card.
"It's Mama, Daddy and me!" Katie told him.
"You may just yet grow up to be an artist." Rip said sarcastically looking at the stick people.
"No I'm a rancher."
Beth and Rip laughed before he opened the wrapping paper. "I know cowgirl."
Rip looked at each of the photos reading what Beth had written next to them. He lingered over the photos of Beth and him when they were in their 20's. He squeezed her hand at the table.
"I didn't know you still had this."
Beth nodded smiling.
"Thank you both." Rip said giving each a kiss on the cheek.
"What do we do now?" Katie asked squirming in Rip's lap.
"You need your hair brushed and then changed before you can go play for a bit before we go up to Grandpa's." Beth told her. She raised an eyebrow when Katie pulled a face at the mention of having her hair brushed.
Rip cleaned up downstairs whilst Beth wrangled Katie's hair and put her in some play clothes before sending her outside.
Katie was running around outside by herself when a truck pulled in to their driveway. Two men got out that she had never seen before.
"Hey kid." One said to her. He looked like the type of person her Dad and Uncle Kayce said weren't real ranchers.
Katie stopped and took a few steps backwards towards the house.
"Hey, you don't have to leave." The man said walking towards her.
"I don't know you." Katie told him. Rip could hear a man's voice he didn't recognise outside before he heard Katie's. He looked out and saw two men in a truck approaching her. He grabbed his gun and flung the front door open, Katie heading straight for him, getting behind his legs.
"Who are you?" Rip asked, holding his gun.
"Malcolm Beck. Here to see Beth."
Rip heard her footsteps behind him. "It's all right." She said.
Rip moved to the side, sitting on the porch swing with the gun in his lap, Katie standing next to him. Beth walked down the steps standing on the last one.
"Brave of you to come to my home." She said.
"Best way to find you." Malcolm said, his brother Teal approaching.
"You know they did invent phones." Beth retorted.
"We are here to tell you to quit playing dirty, Beth," he continues. "Because when someone plays dirty back, there's no one to cry to. There's no charges to file. There's nowhere to scream about the injustice you've endured, because if you do, all your filthy laundry just spills right out into the open for everyone to see."
Beth lent against the handrail. "Buddy, you don't scare me. Don't come to my home again."
Malcolm looked her up and down, "we'll see how tough you really are when I give it to you."
"Challenge accepted."
Teal and Malcolm nodded at Rip before turning to leave. Beth didn't move until they were out of sight.
"What's going on Beth?" Rip asked.
"Just another person after our home." She said walking inside.
"Everyone always wants our home. It's not fair." Katie said sliding off the chair arms crossed.
"No it's not." Rip said under his breath.
They decided to drive up to the lodge to give John his Father's Day present, inside they found Jamie in the study with John.
Katie had run ahead but stopped when she realised who was there.
"Hello Katie." Jamie said. Katie turned back looking for Beth and Rip but stayed where she was.
Jamie was quick to notice who she was looking for.
"Jamie was just leaving anyway." John said standing up from his chair. Katie didn't move a muscle.
Beth's heels could be heard coming down the hallway, she put the bottle of whisky down on the desk, giving John a kiss on the cheek and wishing him Happy Father's Day.
She looked over at Jamie. "What can we help you with Jamie?"
"Come off it Beth. I'm sick of your little twisted games. Stop acting like the perfect little puppet." Jamie said.
"Nothing I couldn't handle honey." John interrupted before things kicked off between the two of them.
Jamie shook his head and turned to leave not before one last look at Katie.
She let out a breath when she realised he had turned the corner out of sight. Beth noticed but didn't say anything instead keeping an eye on her.
John walked out of the study with Beth and Katie following heading out to the porch where Rip was sitting.
"Why does everyone want our home Grandpa?" Katie asked trailing behind.
Beth sat next to Rip on the porch. John turned and looked at Katie.
"People always want what they can't have Katie." John answered before looking at Beth.
"The Becks stopped by."
John furrowed his brow. "So now we've got the Becks to deal with and running for Governor."
"You got yourself in to that one Dad." Beth told him. John said nothing.
"Daddy, can we go to the bunkhouse?" Katie asked Rip.
He looked at his watch and stood up. "Come on then." Katie gleefully held his hand waiting to go down the porch steps.
"Do you want to come darlin'?" Rip asked Beth.
She shook her head pulling her knees up to her chest on the porch swing. "You two go."
Katie waved at Beth before tugging on Rip's arm. Rip walked whilst Katie skipped beside him. She was first through the door before turning her nose up at the smell and looking at Rip.
"What the.." Rip said looking at the beer cans and liquor bottles lying around. Some wranglers half asleep on the couches. Lloyd walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him.
"Hi Rip. Happy Father's Day." Lloyd said, hitting the couch to rouse the others as he went by.
"Thanks. What are you lot doin? Still nursing hangovers like you've never had a drink? Pull it together." Rip told everyone.
"Are we gonna have to go now?" Katie asked.
"No, we may as well watch the rodeo for a bit." Rip pointed out the rodeo on the tv and sat on the cleanest bit of couch he could find. Katie sitting on the arm next to him.
Walker came and moved his guitar before sitting in the armchair whilst the others finished cleaning.
"Do you get presents for Father's Day Walker?" Katie asked.
Walker shook his head. "No kid, you've got to have kids to get those."
Katie nodded before asking "You don't have kids?"
Rip sat quietly waiting for his response. None of the wranglers had their own families, they were each others family. It was only recently that Rip even had his own, he never planned on it.
"No, not me." Walker told her.
"Are you gonna have kids? I can play with them." Katie asked.
Walker looked over at Rip, who said nothing. "I don't think any of the wranglers will. We're lucky enough to spend time with you, kid and have each other."
Katie frowned but didn't say anything further. Lloyd sat next to Rip.
"How was your first Father's Day?"
"Yeah so far so good." Rip offered. Lloyd nodded sitting back.
Katie was wondering around the bunkhouse touching whatever she thought was interesting.
"We should get going." Rip said standing up. Katie turned around hearing Rip and followed him to the door. "See you all tomorrow." Rip waved before walking to the lodge.
Beth waved from the field when she was sitting hearing Katie yelling and laughing. She wanted for them to sit down before having lunch.
"Mama, no wranglers have kids. Why?" Beth had no idea how to answer how her father and Rip found the wranglers.
"Sometimes it just doesn't happen. We nearly didn't have you."
"Yeah because my other ones died." Katie murmured. It wasn't often that she spoke about her parents. Beth rubbed her back as Katie sniffled.
Rip stayed quiet, unsure what to say. He looked at Beth rather helpless. She sighed, not sure what to do either. Neither were sure how good the relationship between Katie's parents was as they were never told and Katie never mentioned them.
"Do you want to talk about them Katie?" Beth asked tentatively, a softer side only reserved for Katie.
She thought about it before shaking her head and leaning back in to Beth's lap. Beth brushed the hair out of Katie's face before kissing her head. The three looked out across the mountains, being together was enough.