Lucy went back to school on the Monday, not telling anyone what she did after the basketball game on the weekend.
"Home game again this weekend, Lucy!" Ella said slinging her arm around Lucy's shoulders.
"I know right! Two in a row! Hey I didn't know your Dad knew Beth and her brother."
"Me either. Dad was telling me he was friends with your Uncle growing up and spent heaps of time on your families ranch."
"Yeah. Rip said my uncle died like five years ago cow-boying." Lucy said as they entered the classroom taking their seats.
Beth sat at her desk, flicking through emails her assistant had forwarded on before her phone rang. It was John.
"Hi Dad."
"Beth. What are you doing?"
"Working." She told him before there was a silence. "What is it Dad?"
"I wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner with me at the lodge. With Rip and Lucy." John asked.
"What? Why?"
"I want to get to know her. After all she's your daughter."
"She was my daughter the day you made me give her up. I'll talk to my husband and daughter and if they say no that's the answer, Dad." Beth told him leaving no further room for discussion.
Beth was confused. Why did her Dad want to get to suddenly know Lucy. That was a future Beth problem.
She picked Lucy up in the normal spot. Lucy threw her bag from the front seat to the back when she got in the car nearly hitting Beth in the head.
"Sorry." She said with a mouthful of apple.
"Anything you want to tell me?" Beth asked. Her normal question at pick up time giving Lucy the option to tell her what she wanted.
"Nah. We have a home game on the weekend again." Lucy told her.
"We'll be there." Beth told her.
"You don't have to be. I can always get a ride with Ella."
"No. At least one of us will be there."
"Cool."
Rip sat on the porch waiting for Beth and Lucy with a beer. Beth tilted her head to Rip to say come inside. Lucy dumped her bag in the Beth's old bedroom at the lodge where they were still staying. Beth and Rip followed behind before shutting the door.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked
"Dad phoned me today about having dinner together. Said he wants to get to know Luce." Beth said.
"Why?"
"He didn't say anything further." Beth said.
"Do you want to have dinner with him?" Rip asked.
"I said I would talk to you and Luce."
Rip nodded. "Luce?."
Beth looked at Lucy who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Luce. My Dad wants to have dinner with us all. He wants to get to know you. What do you think?" She asked.
Lucy shrugged. "Yeah I guess."
"That's not an answer." Rip said.
"Why does he suddenly care?" She retorted.
"I don't know." Beth answered.
"We can have dinner here and leave when we want or we can have dinner at our place. I should be fine to move back tomorrow." Rip said.
"I don't want to have it here." Lucy said.
"Right. Sorted. I'll pick you up after training tomorrow and Beth if you sort John out for dinner, we will get it over with."
Beth went to find John tell him to come for dinner at their house tomorrow whilst Rip started their own dinner for the night.
Lucy pushed most of her dinner around the plate that night before asking to be excused.
"I'm going to feed Betty."
Rip looked outside, it would be dark by the time she would be getting back. "One of us will walk with you." He told her, giving her the option.
"I want you to take me." She said looking at him.
Rip stood for the table still holding where he had been shot. "Let's go." He grabbed his hat, Lucy without hers as it was still sitting on the hook at home.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Rip asked.
"I don't know." Lucy said walking ahead.
"Try me anyway." Rip said, unsure how to get her to open up to him. He wasn't a big feelings guy but it was obvious Lucy had been struggling since Saturday.
"I don't want to upset Beth but I am not sure about having dinner with John. And that's her Dad and she loves him and what if she stops wanting me because of that. I sound crazy!" She blurted out. "Forget I said anything. You can't tell her."
"Let's feed the cow and then we'll talk." Rip said getting a bottle for Lucy as she went in the stall. He passed the bottle to her before sliding down against the stall.
Betty the calf happily sucked away, resting her head in Lucy's lap.
"Firstly Lu. Beth isn't going to stop wanting you if you don't have dinner with John. She's been wanting you your whole life. They have their own history and while she's fiercely loyal to him, it's always going to be you that matters the most to her. More than him, more than me." He told her as she looked at him listening.
"Mr Dutton is his own man and even though I know him well I don't always know what he is thinking." Rip continued. "It's normal for you to be worried about having dinner but I will promise you this. The second you want him to leave, I'll make sure that happens."
At this point Lucy was keeping her head down looking at Betty.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you Lucy." Rip said getting her full attention.
She chuckled as her eyes filled with tears. "I really didn't realise it was like this having a family."
"Like what?"
"Well I never use to cry this much. And... uh.. I'm not use to people defending and protecting me. I think I just don't want to stuff it all up and disappoint you and Beth." She finished lightly.
"All Beth and I know is protecting the ones we care about kid. She's gonna to be one protective Mama over you." He told her smiling lightly.
Betty the calf had long finished the bottle and Lucy was just patting her fur while chatting to Rip.
Footsteps were heard coming in to the barn before Beth appeared with a big jacket wrapped around her. "Thought you two were taking a while." Beth said.
"Told you." Rip said.
Lucy giggled. "What?" Beth asked. "Spit it out."
"He said you were going to be a protective Mama."
"Damn right." Beth said entering the stall to sit next to Rip. "So tell me why you've been crying then."
"I haven't."
"You have. I can tell." Beth said. Lucy looked at Rip who shrugged.
"We were just talking about stuff." Lucy said not willing to elaborate.
"What stuff Lucy?" Beth pressed her.
Lucy looked away. "About your Dad and you."
Beth nodded. "Thought you might have been. Let me guess, you're worried about meeting him and don't want to upset anyone."
"What. How did you know?"
"Because baby, you are the better parts of Rip and I. The parts that once felt those feelings too. If you don't want to do dinner we won't. That all there is to it."
"But you won't make me leave?"
"No. You're my daughter, you're all the good parts of my soul."
"I told you, Lu." Rip said. Lucy nodded shivering. "Time for you to go inside."
Lucy walked back between Beth and Rip. "Do you have homework due tomorrow?" Beth asked once inside.
Lucy shook her head. "I have another test for maths on Thursday."
"Again. Go get your books."
"I don't want to do any tonight."
"No it's your bedtime but I want to look over it and we can go through it tomorrow." Beth told her. Lucy brought out her textbook and workbook passing them to Beth before going to bed in their currently shared bedroom.
She wasn't sure if the maths being taught was something she would be able to help with. She opened the book glad to see the chapter the test was on about loans and interest. Something she knew plenty about. She read the questions before going through the working out Lucy had done while Rip watched an old rodeo.
