Rip woke in the morning with a groan. His back was already sore and the sun hadn't even risen yet. He looked around and realised they had fallen asleep in front on the tv. Beth and Lucy were cuddled up still asleep.
He got up checking the time before making a coffee before work. Beth woke to one of her favourite smells. Coffee.
Lucy wriggled before settling in Beth's arms. Rip passed her the mug of coffee, giving her a kiss.
"I think you'll be there for a while." Rip commented before going to get ready.
Beth watched at Lucy's eyelids fluttered before resting again. "I think she's probably about to wake up."
"I can hear you." Lucy said groggily, not opening her eyes.. "What time is it?"
"4:30" Rip told her.
Lucy groaned rolling over, pulling the blanket over her head.
"Don't want to ride with me to the bunkhouse this morning?" Rip asked.
Lucy peeped out from the blanket. "When?"
"Leaving in ten minutes."
Lucy rolled off the pillows and blankets getting up to go to her room.
"Put layers on. It's cold out." Beth yelled out to her.
Lucy came downstairs wearing in jeans, boots and long sleeve and jumper.
Beth made a disapproving noise at what Lucy was wearing.
"What? It's the warmest I've got."
Rip grabbed his spare jacket, passing it to Lucy before giving her, her hat.
"The cold air will wake you up. Let's get going." Rip said interrupting her yawn. She nodded getting her bike off the porch and putting in on the gravel. Rip got his own before they started peddling to the bunkhouse.
Lucy sat on the fence watching the sun rise over the mountains while the wranglers got ready for their day behind her. Rip came out of the barn, milk bottle in hand.
"Lu. You gonna feed your calf?"
"Coming." She called out, jumping off the fence. She grabbed the bottle heading straight for the stall.
"How's it going Rip? With the kid?" Lloyd asked.
"She's a mini Beth and equally as fucking brilliant." Rip said, not holding back. Lloyd clapped him on the shoulder before continuing on his way.
Lucy finished feeding the calf before bumping in to Ryan and Colby.
"Are you two ever apart? Or just joint at the hip?"
"Shouldn't you be at school?" Ryan said.
"Dad gave me the day off." Lucy said shrugging.
"Hows the basketball going?" Colby said pretending to shoot a basketball.
"Yeah not bad. Home game on Saturday. Want to come?"
"Ah kid. We gotta work." Ryan told her. "No weekends on a ranch."
Lucy screwed up her face. "I'll ask my Dad." She told them both before leaving them there.
"That ain't gonna work." Colby said to Ryan.
"Dad." Lucy said not getting Rip's attention. "Dad!" She repeated louder. He turned around to see her wanting to talk to him. He moved away from the group to talk to her.
"What's wrong?"
"Can Ryan and Colby come to my game on Saturday?"
"No."
"You didn't even think about that."
"I did. For two seconds." He told her. "They have work."
"Yeah. No weekends on a ranch." She repeated what she had just been told. "Can't you properly think about it."
"We'll see. You go home now. I'm going to work."
Lucy grabbed her bike, riding back up the path to Beth while the cowboys all rode out. She stopped not far from home watching someone near her house digging with a shovel and making a dirt mound. The closer she got, she recognised who it was. John.
She had no idea why he was digging holes near her house and didn't fancy on asking him. She peddled harder when he looked over and waved at her. By the time she got in the front door she was puffing.
"What happened to you?" Beth asked.
"Saw John. He's digging holes that way." She said pointing.
Beth nodded, pouring her second cup of coffee, before grabbing a cigarette.
"Mom. They're so bad for you." She told Beth from the doorway as she had a drag of cigarette.
"Baby girl. You can't let people take all the fun things in life away." She said not looking at her.
"Cool. So I can have one too?"
"Absolutely fucking not. There will be hell to pay if I catch you ever. Got it."
"You know that makes no sense."
"Doesn't have to. That's why I'm your Mom." Beth said continuing to smoke.
"Whatever." Lucy said lightly, going inside.
Kayce spotted his Dad with a shovel doing something near Rip and Beth's house. "Rip. I'll catch up to you later." He called out before changing directions.
"Son." John greeted seeing Kayce come over on his horse.
"What's going on Dad? What are you digging for?"
"Making Lucy some bike jumps."
Kayce raised his eyebrows surprised. "So everything's fine between you, Beth and Rip then?"
"Nope." John said continuing to dig. Kayce waited. "Had dinner with them all last night. She's just like Beth."
"She is." Kayce chuckled. "She's really great Dad. She's the good parts of them both and Beth is happy. For once she is happy and content Dad. That should be enough for everyone."
John nodded. "I know and last night was a major fuck up. So I'm trying to fix it."
"I don't know what happened but gifting her things won't change it. They probably need time."
John stopped what he was doing and looked at Kayce. "I know but I need to try Kayce. I need to try and fix this."
Kayce nodded. "Ok."
Beth told Lucy to get her school books and come to the table. Beth sat and waited for her. She opened her books and sat next to Beth.
"I went through it all the other night and you're on the right track." Beth said.
"I kinda get this more than algebra." Lucy said spinning the pencil in her hand.
"This is what I do for work."
"Huh?"
"Banking."
"I thought you just pissed people off." Lucy said with a grin.
"Hey. Only your Dad. And it's others who piss me off, I just put an end to it." Beth said with a smirk.
Beth went through the questions with Lucy explaining the concepts differently to what the teacher did according to Lucy before doing her own work while Lucy answered the textbook questions.
"Can we go do something?"
"Like what?" Beth asked, seeing it was nearly lunch time.
"I dunno. What is there to do?"
Beth had no idea really what there was to do on the ranch that she might like. At 15 she did not like spending time here, or anywhere near the ranch full stop. "We could see if Rip is down at the pen?"
"Yeah!" She said closing her books, grabbing her hat. Beth closed her laptop before grabbing her boots and jacket.
"See I told you!" Lucy said pointing our John who had hitting mounds of dirt the a shovel to compress it.
Beth looked over realising what the mounds of dirt were but also that Lucy hadn't connected the dots... yet. She shook her head and continued walking, she didn't want John to think that by giving Lucy the things Rip and her had said no to would win her acceptance.
"What is everyone doing?" Luc said seeing the cowboys in the arena with other people and horses.
"No idea. You can go ahead if you want." Beth told her.
Lucy skipped before breaking in to a light jog.
"Dad!" Lucy yelled out.
Rip wasn't quite use to hearing being called 'Dad' yet and it still surprised him when Lucy called him that.
"Hey Lu. What are you up to?"
"Mom is coming too!" She told him pointing Beth out who was further up that path.
"Woah, woah. Who the hell is this Rip?" Travis asked coming over on a horse.
Lucy took half a step back and closer to Rip looking up at the horse. "Travis, this is my daughter Lucy."
"What the.. Who's the kids mother?"
"I am Travis. You enjoying my inheritance there?" Beth said.
"Hey! You know I'm standing here right." Lucy said to Travis annoyed.
"You're inheritance is just fine Beth." Travis said cockily.
Lucy climbed on the arena's fence to sit on the top rung. "Who is that guy?"
"He's a cowboy but does rodeo and trains horses. That's why he is here." Rip explained as a horse slid towards them.
"Damn horses." Beth said turning away to get the dust out of her eyes. Lucy coughed feeling the dust all in her lungs.
"Hey! Watch it!" Rip yelled out before checking on them both.
"I'm going inside." Beth said, leaving for the lodge.
"Can I do that?" Lucy asked wanting to slide.
"Ahh. Not by yourself." Rip said looking to make sure Beth had left and was out of ear shot.
"What about with you?" Lucy asked hoping that would get her over the line.
Rip didn't answer straight away.
"Please?" Lucy asked again.
"All right." He said hopping off the fence, he turned to hold his arms out for her but noticed a strange look cross her face. "Sorry." He said putting his hands down by his side. "You're probably too old for that."
"I.. uh.. nah." She said jumping straight out at Rip who put his hands out to catch her at the last second, before putting her feet down.
Rip helped her up on the horse before getting on behind her.
"Oh Beth is gonna kill you, Rip." Kayce said laughing.
"Nah. I asked!" Lucy said defending Rip.
"You're going to get yourself in to plenty of trouble, kid."
Lucy grinned and shrugged her shoulders.
"Now you hold on tight." Rip told her as he held the reins in front of her. He gently kicked the horse to go before yelling 'woah' to stop as the horse slid.
Lucy laughed exhilarated, making Rip laugh too.
John watched from the other side of the arena. Rip was right, Lucy looked comfortable on a horse. He slapped the fence before leaving for the lodge. Beth passed him on her way back down to the arena hearing Lucy laugh. She ignored John despite his attempt to talk to her.
"What are you two doing?" She called out.
"Here we go." Kayce said to everyone else.
"We're.. what do you call it again?" Lucy started.
"Sliding." Rip told her quietly.
"Sliding!" She yelled out.
"Are you trying to kill our kid." Beth asked seriously.
"Sweetheart, I was with her."
"Off." Beth said looking between the two.
"Not fair. I asked!" Lucy said despite getting off.
Kayce let out a low whistle, nervous for how this was going to pan out for Lucy's sake. The other cowboys and horse trainers looked between one another.
Rip tied the horse to the fence before going over to Lucy and Beth where Lucy was trying to convince Beth to let her slide with minimal success.
".. but I was fine. Dad was right there!"
"I don't care. I don't want you to do that. It's not safe."
"Argh! I'm not allowed to build bike jumps and now i'm not allowed to ride horses."
"That's not what I said and you know that." Beth said sternly as Lucy tried to walk off.
"What's going on?" Rip said interrupting.
"I got it." Beth said frustrated, walking after Lucy who headed to the stables.
Rip shook his head, leaving them to it.
"Hey! Don't walk off on me." Beth told her.
"I just need a second! There's so many do this and don't do this. I'm just trying to work out how to be good so I don't have to leave" Lucy said sitting on a turned over bucket.
"Is that what it is? That was a big reaction."
Lucy's blue eyes looked directly in to Beth's. "I'm not saying it's the wrong reaction, I just didn't expect that from you. And you never have to leave, I'm going to make sure of it."
"I thought you wouldn't mind. We live on a ranch! Why does it matter so much about the horse!"
"My mother died on a horse ride because of me. I have lost you once and I will not go through that again, so keeping you from danger when I can is why."
"I didn't know." Lucy said as her voice cracked. "There is a lot I don't know."
"You weren't to know. I don't mind you riding but I would rather you practice more first before sliding."
Lucy nodded. "Ok. Did I make a big scene?"
"Yeah." Beth told her. She scrunched her face up embarrassed.
