Rip groaned as he got off the couch in the morning. 'I'm too old for that shit', he thought.
He grabbed his clothes from upstairs, leaving the two girls to sleep for a few more hours. He planned to come back at 7:30 to make sure Lucy was getting ready for school.
The walk to the bunkhouse and stables wasn't too far and he was glad it wasn't too cold either. Jimmy was busy saddling the horses for the for everyone, Rip didn't trust his skills still and would always double check his own saddle again.
"We're heading out along the fence line to check on that and cattle." Rip started, giving out the days orders. "Lloyd. A word." He said before everyone set out for the day.
"Everything all right?" Lloyd asked.
"I need to sort something for Lucy at school this morning so I'll be gone for a few hours."
Lloyd nodded not asking any questions.
The cowboys rode out checking on the cattle. Rip spotted a calf struggling. Ryan roped the calf, lifting it on to Rip's horse.
"You lot keep going. I'm taking this one back and then have some stuff to do." He told them checking his watch.
Rip put the calf in a stall before giving it some milk. He unsaddled his horse and out her away too. "Good girl. I'll take you out for a ride later with my girl, hey." He told her patting her belly.
Lucy was eating her breakfast while Beth did god knows what. "Are you ready Lucy?" Beth yelled down the hallway.
"Nearly." She said putting her plate in the sink.
"Rip's taking you and I'm going to pick you up."
Lucy rolled her eyes, "I know."
Beth stuck her head out of the bathroom. "All right. Rip will be here any -." She said as he walked in the door still wearing his chaps.
"Sorry I'm running late. Calf was in trouble so I just had to feed it."
"Will it be ok?" Lucy said grabbing her bag.
"Hope so. Don't forget your lunch." Rip said pointing to the packed lunch on the bench. Lucy shoved it in her bag, zipping it up.
"I'm ready."
"Great let's go." Rip said opening the door. They both yelled their goodbyes to Beth before getting in the Yellowstone truck.
"What's on after school today, Lu?"
"Beth is picking me up and taking me to quit my job but I feel like she's got something planned. Do you think we can ride after?"
"Yeah kid, we can do that."
"Will you look after the calf?" Lucy asked concerned.
Rip looked at her, noticing her worry. "Well, I'll feed it at lunchtime and maybe we can feed it together tonight after dinner?"
"Really?" She asked surprised.
"Sure. Everyone's got to eat." Rip said as he pulled up to the school. He parked the car, turning was Lucy. "All right, which one is this Nick?" He said looking at the sea of teenagers.
Lucy looked out the window at the groups of kids before spotting Sam and Nick talking. "That one there." She said pointing him out against the glass.
"Grab your bag." Rip said opening the door, getting out. He was dressed in his normal black shirt and jeans. His chaps from the morning still on and his Yellowstone jacket. Lucy had to admit if she didn't know him she would be intimidated to see him walking towards you in that with his hat and sunglasses on.
Kids moved out of the way seeing someone from the Yellowstone walking with Lucy.
"Hey! You Nick?" Rip said getting most people's attention.
"Yeah. Who the fuck are you?" Nick said smugly.
"Who the fuck am I? I'm the Dad of the girl you tried to drug."
Other students were trying to look away but were wanting to see what happened. Sam looked at Lucy, wide eyed.
"I.. I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do Nick. You listen to me. If you come anywhere near my daughter again, you'll wish you never met me." Rip warned him as he backed him up against the brick wall.
"I didn't know she was your daughter. I didn't know she was from the Yellowstone." Nick said trying to backtrack.
"You take that as your one warning, Nick." Rip told him. Turning around he saw all the other kids looking at him and Lucy blushing. "I'll see you later sweetheart." He said to her before leaving.
Sam pulled Nick away while other kids came up to Lucy.
"Holy shit. I didn't realise you were from the Yellowstone." One kid said. Another grinned and told her "Your Dad is so badass for putting Nick in his place. He totally deserved it."
"Hey Lucy! Wait up!" The girls that invited her to the party said. "We didn't realise that was your Dad. We saw you yesterday with Beth Dutton too. Is she your Mom?"
"Ah yeah." Lucy said putting her bag in her locker.
"And you live at the Yellowstone?"
"Uh-huh." She said closing the locker door. She got the impressed that others thought she was cool just because of her parents now. She was glad to have a few friends that she knew weren't going to look at her differently. "I should be getting to class. See you around." She said leaving them in the locker bay.
Lucy's first class of the day was Maths with a test first thing. The papers were on the desks as they all entered. She turned the paper over and began once the teacher started the timer. She did her best to remember what Beth had explained to her the previous night as she worked through the equations. The teacher collected the papers just before the bell rang, telling them to collect their papers from her office at the end of the day.
The next class for the day was Science. The one class she shared with Nick. She got to class, sitting in her usual seat. She chatted to a few people she was friendly with but the class went quiet when Nick entered now sporting a black eye.
"You're a bitch Lucy Wright."
"It's Lucy Wheeler you dumb ass." She retorted.
"You better watch out."
"What is that a threat?" Lucy asked.
"Give it a rest Adams. You're a jerk and got called out for it." Another boy taunted from the back of the class. Lucy smiled at him thankful before turning around.
The class cleaned up each of the stations where they had conducted the experiments before lunch time.
"Hey! Hey Lucy!"
She turned to see Sam running after her, dodging between other students.
"I didn't know about Nick. I didn't know he did that." He said. Lucy noticed his split lip and bloody knuckles.
"Did you-." She asked.
"Someone had to." He said with a wry smile. "You Dad couldn't be the one to."
"Thanks." Lucy told him as they went outside in to the sunshine. She sat down to eat the same lunch as the day before. Trudging back to class when the bell rung.
Beth picked up a new pair of runners for Lucy and some more clothes before waiting with what felt like every other parents at the high school for her. She sent her a text to tell her where she was parked.
Lucy grabbed her bag from her locker before stopping by the maths teachers office for her paper.
"Here you are Lucy. You did well on this one." She told her.
Lucy smiled at the grade. "Yeah my Mom helped me." She told her realising it was the first time she had called Beth her mom. It felt nice. She shoved the paper in to her bag before hurrying to get to the car.
"Ready to go?" Beth asked.
"Yeah." Lucy said with a nod.
Beth drove to what was about to become Lucy's former workplace. She grabbed her handbag and locked the car when Lucy got out. Beth kept one hand on Lucy's shoulder as they entered. Stephen the manager was quick to approach.
"Lucy. You're suppose to be ready to work." He said looking at his watch. "Sorry Miss Dutton, has she been a problem again?"
"It's Dutton-Wheeler. And no. In fact I'm here to tell you that my daughter will no longer be working for you."
Stephen looked between the two stunned. "She's got to give two weeks leave."
"I don't think she does Buddy. You should be more concerned that you employed a 15 year old girl to serve people here." Beth said not batting an eyelid.
Daniel, Lucy work colleague looked on stunned. Lucy mouthed a 'sorry' to him before they left.
"I think Sleazy Steve might need a drink to get him out of the shock." Lucy said making Beth laugh.
"Will Rip be home? He said we could go riding and then feed the calf tonight."
"I think he will be by the time we get home." Beth told her.
Rip brought two horses up to the cabin ready for when Lucy got home. He was saddling the second when Beth pulled up and parked the car.
"Oh look!" Lucy said getting out the car.
"Go and put jeans, boots and your hat on and we'll go." Rip told her watching her rush off.
"How did you go this morning?" Beth asked Rip, having not seen him all day.
"Yeah fine. Just gave him a warning to not mess with my daughter. He's a total smart ass but I think he got the point."
Lucy came outside, hopping as she put her second boot on. As she got closer to the horses she stopped looking back to Rip. "They're pretty big."
"They are." He agreed with her. "But they won't hurt you." He said reassuringly. "Now, no riding without me until you're confident ok."
Lucy nodded sensing his stern tone. He easily helped her up on to the old mare before getting on his own horse. Beth watched the smile on both of their faces.
"We're going to go for a ride but we'll be back for dinner." Rip said before setting off with Lucy. He explained how to trot and that they would work up to a gallop another day. He lead Lucy out to the river with a view of the mountains as the sun was setting.
"It's beautiful." Lucy said.
"It is. There are also wolves and bears out here so I want to to always be careful." Rip said. "Turn the horse around so I can take a photo to send to Beth."
Lucy careful turned the horse around so the river and mountains were now behind her. She grinned as Rip took the photo before hugging the horses neck, Rip just happened to click the camera again capturing the moment. "We'll go along here before going back, Lu." Rip told her pointing to the river.
"Rip, I'll race you back!" Lucy said already trotting.
He smiled letting her have the head start. He would never mind letting her beat him. His competitive spirit put to the side when it came to Lucy. Beth could hear laughter from the cabin, to find Lucy and Rip tying the horses up.
"How was it?" She asked.
"So good, right Rip?" Lucy said coming up on to the porch.
"Sure was." He said opening his phone for Beth to look at the pictures. She swiped through them before sending them to herself. "Hat on the hook." He told Lucy as she took it off.
Beth put a tray of nachos on the table for dinner. Lucy, clearly hungry was straight in to them. Rip not far behind.
"Sam beat Nick up today after Rip told him off." Lucy said.
"Everything was all right at school?" Rip asked.
"Yeah people think I'm 'extra cool' now because I'm your kid and from the Yellowstone." She said shrugging her shoulders. "Can we go to the calf now?" She asked finishing her dinner.
"Unpack your bag first." Beth told her, excusing her from the table. Lucy went upstairs to her room and noticed a shoe box on her bed. She opened it and saw a new pair of her current runners. Next to the box were some new t shirts and jumpers too.
Lucy unpacked her bag, finding her Maths paper with the clear 86% circled on it in red pen. She grabbed the paper and went back downstairs.
"Thanks for the runners and new clothes."
"You're welcome. What's that?" Beth asked about the paper she was holding.
"I had a maths test today and I did good. The teacher said so too and I told her my Mom helped me." Lucy said quickly.
Beth's heart rate quickened hearing Lucy refer to her as her Mom. "Let me see."
Lucy stood next to Beth as she went through the equations, the ones she got wrong just from some mistakes in the working out. "I didn't know you had a test today. This is a great mark baby." Beth said. She didn't give the paper back instead putting it on the fridge.
"It's not artwork." Lucy said embarrassed.
"We know. But it's a great result." Rip told her. "We better go feed this calf." He said.
"You coming Beth?" Lucy asked as she put her hat on her head.
"Yeah." She said following the pair out the front door.
"We've got to take these horses back, Beth you can ride with me." Rip said. He helped Lucy on to her horse before helping Beth on to his so she could sit in front of him. They rode down the path together before arriving at the stables. Lucy first to jump off her horse while Rip helped Beth.
Rip took the horses to put them back in their stalls after taking their saddles off. Beth opened the stall door where Rip had put the calf earlier that day. Lucy was quick to get down on the ground to pat the calf.
"It's so soft." Lucy whispered, looking at Beth. She got on the ground on the other side to Pat the calf.
Rip got the milk ready before passing it to Lucy, showing her how to feed the calf.
The cow sucked at the milk bottle, resting it's head in Lucy's lap. "I think she like me!"
"She thinks you're her Mama." Rip said.
"What will happen when she's bigger? Will she go with the herd?"
"No. We'll find a job for her around here. Maybe to practice roping." Rip told her sitting next to Beth. The two adults watched Lucy happily feed and cuddle the calf.
Once the bottle was long forgotten and the sun fully set the family of three walked back to the cabin together ready to turn in for another night.