It was pouring rain when Gin drove down the mountain on her way to work. Water flowed across the dirt road, filling the washed-away ravines that cut into the earth, gushing into the pastures that ran along Paradise Valley. Her father and Rip left with the new ranger up the mountain not too long ago. During that point, the skies only cried out in anger. Beth and her assistant were resting up from a hangover. At least Jason was, Gin heard him in the bathroom, heaving his stomach into the toilet in the wee hours of the morning. Beth is one person even Gin refuses to keep up with drinking, granted Beth was supposedly staying sober. She pitied the assistant. Especially for being a Utah boy in a state that does not water down their booze. Water slammed against her windshield, like a herd of cattle hooves pounding against the earth. It streaked across the glass making it difficult to see in front of her. Grumbling to herself, she set her wipers to the highest setting. Once the windshield was cleared, she was able to narrowly miss the Heifer, standing in the middle of the road with her calf. Thankful for her quick thinking, she pulled over and took her cell phone out of her purse. She dialed Rip's number hoping the static from the storm didn't distort the reception.
A breath of relief came from Gin as the first ring emitted.
"Yeah?"
Rip's gravelly voice echoed through the device's speaker.
"Hey Sugar, I-"
He cut her off immediately.
"Gin now is not a good time for your fucking games right now."
Rolling her eyes through the phone,
"I called to tell you that someone cut the fence and a Heifer and calf are outside of the property."
"Jesus fuck, Genevieve."
He groaned expressing his full irritation.
"What is it?"
She could hear her father ask in the background, nothing could get past him.
"Fence is cut."
Rip told her father, then a shuffling sound echoed from the speaker.
"Call Lloyd and have him get a few of the wranglers to repair it."
John Dutton demanded, after taking the cellular device from Rip.
"Are you able to herd Mama back onto the pasture?"
"Dad, I'm in a Mustang, not on one. But I will try."
"Good. Just wait for Lloyd."
He said then the phone went silent. Sighing with annoyance, she proceeded to pull up Lloyd's number.
"Howdy princess, what can I do for you?"
He greeted her.
"Hey Lloyd, someone cut the fence about eight miles down the road, I called Rip and Dad told me to get ahold of you to wrangle up some of the guys to repair it, while I try to get momma back in through the fence."
"It's going to take a minute to get down there."
He quipped.
"I'm aware."
She sighed.
"Ok kid, I'll see ya then. Be careful."
"Will do."
Gin hung up, then called her boss to inform her, she was going to be late. Great impression on the first day. Groaning with exasperation. She thrusts the car door open and took off her seat belt. Swinging her feet over the frame, her boots came down with a splash in a mud puddle that accumulated beneath her car. Slowly approaching the Heifer and her baby, Gin made clicking and low whooping sounds with her mouth, slapping her thigh carefully trying to coax the bovine in through the cut barbed wire. Water dripped down her nose, hair sopping wet. She was grateful that she decided to get ready at the club, rather than at home. After several minutes of working the pair back onto the property Gin got into her car and cranked the heater the best the vintage would allow.
It took another fifteen minutes for Lloyd to pull up with Ryan, Jimmy, and Colby in one of the trucks. The wire wench and a spare bale of barbed wire wound up in the truck bed, getting rained on. The men exited the truck and trudged their way to her car, as she noticed, Gin rolled her window down and smiled.
"Thank you for rushing."
"No worries."
"I gotta go, you guys be safe, and I'll talk to you later."
The Dutton woman smiled up at her old friend.
"Drive safe Ginni."
Lloyd slapped the roof of her car before going back to the Dodge.
The storm was starting to subside the closer Gin got into town. In Bozeman, there was barely any overcast that shadowed the small town. While finishing that last gulp of coffee in her to-go mug, Gin rolled into the Foxhole's parking lot and set the parking brake. Just like the day before she grabbed her bag and then walked in. Rosita was the first to notice her coming through the door. She smiled and waved before returning her focus to her till she was counting. Ginni reciprocated the wave and then headed into the locker room. Several dancers gawked at and scrutinized Gin as she milled her way past the naked women. She sat her bag on the chair of an empty vanity. The room buzzed with chatter and gossip. A gaggle of geese, honking away through Bozeman news.
"So, what's your story?"
A drawled, feminine, baritone voice asked Gin. At first, all Gin saw were red Polished toes contrasting against Silver glittered heels and perfectly tan toes. She turned her head up to meet eyes with the intruder. She had long black hair, a heart-shaped face, and deep-set eyes with dark chocolate irises.
"Name's Avery."
"Gin, or Olivia on stage."
They both shook hands curtly.
"Nice to meet you. You knew around here?"
Avery began to strip from her previous stage outfit. Gin pulled out her makeup bag and carefully set out each item in chronological order. Insuring a speedy process. Avery's vanity is right next to Genevieve's. She smiled hoping to make an acquaintance.
"You can say that. I left years ago."
Gin shrugged starting with her moisturizer, giving it a few seconds to absorb into her skin. Then she proceeded to apply primer.
"No? Damn. I wish I could get outta here."
She changed into a strappy yellow and green garter set.
"Why haven't you?"
The Dutton stopped her routine to look at the Native woman.
"Family ordeals. Plus, it's home, ya know?"
Gin knew all too well what she meant. It's exactly how she felt about the Yellowstone. Somedays, she felt as if she never should have gone back. Salt Lake was good for her. Making really good money, had her own house, and really amazing friends.
"Makes total sense."
Later that day Rosie asked Gin if she would be willing to work another four hours. It was about six o'clock when this was requested. Of course, Gin agreed and took the additional hours not having any reason to deny more money. The day was already going quite well, she felt she had already made well over two-hundred dollars and was enjoying her time there. Granted, none of the dancers talked to Ginni, besides Avery. Not that she minds. She preferred it that way, didn't want to get involved in unnecessary drama.
Gin had been there for several hours, and her feet were starting to ache, she had one more dance to perform before she was able to leave. Avery offered to buy a cup of coffee or cocoa at the late-night coffee shop/smoke shop after their shift.
There was one other girl before Gin; each set is roughly twenty minutes. Gin counted the seconds down for her to go back on and make her last bag for the night. She had not danced this hard in several months, her muscles were screaming bloody murder. Dancing was never her original choice for a career. But she was falling behind severely on her student loans and using the rest of the cash she made serving on food and extended stay motels. Until one of her close friends from Area said that the club, she was serving at was hiring for dancers, and they would pay for the licensing in Utah. You could say it was cliché in a sense, a small-town girl moving to a big city to make something of themselves. The only difference was, Salt Lake wasn't really a big city, and her daddy was one of the richest men in Montana, with a legacy ranch to match. Thankfully it was far in between for someone to recognize her from the ranch. She kept to herself when she was younger, but there were a few Utah ranchers Ginni had the pleasure of pointing them in her father's direction for the cattle trade. She balanced both serving at Denny's and stripping for the first three years while she was with her ex, Nicholas. He helped her build the Mustang and at first, he was okay with her being a dancer. But, after two and a half years had passed, he began to show his true colors. Becoming more and more mentally and physically abusive. The final straw was when she had just gotten off work in the wee hours and he was belligerently drunk. Nicholas accused her of cheating on him with a customer because she got home at three thirty am. She left work at three since she preferred to shower and get ready for bed while there, picked up food from Burger King, then drove home. He drew up the conclusion that because Pinky's closed at two, like every bar in Utah, she had to be home at two on the dot. He beat her so fiercely, that Intermountain Health had to call the In Case of Emergency contact listed on her phone. Rip.
Both Rip and Lloyd drove eight hours that night to hunt Nicholas down. It didn't take long for the wranglers to find him. Once, they have spoken with Gin at the hospital, gaining any detail they can from the disoriented girl, it allowed them to seamlessly get rid of the vagrant. They found him at his auto shop, which was no surprise. Nicholas spent most, if not all his free time there when he wasn't drinking or beating Genevieve.
For him, it was the train station.
"I'll meet you out there?"
Avery asked while slinking her own dance bag over her shoulder.
"Yeah,"
Gin shook her head, mentally preparing herself for her final stage set for the night.
Avery left the locker room while Ginni clutched her cash bag and made her way to the main stage entrance. To her dismay, she failed to realize that the Foreman of her father's ranch was leaning on the bar talking with her newfound friend. Gin could feel her nerves beginning to peak while a slow pop song she had never heard of before played over the giant speakers. Her moves were fluid and sultry, but she kept her eyes on the Yellowstone foreman. The last thing she needed was for Rip to see her topless on stage. Granted, it was bound to happen no matter what day it is. It was the only club for another hundred miles and the boys frequented the joint a lot.
Midway through the song, Gin allowed her guard down long enough to climb the pole and formed her muscles into a layback. As she tilted back and locked her legs in place, Gin could feel eyes burning into her soul. Arching her spine, she scanned the room, locking eyes with Rip; whose expression raged with fury and possibly, lust?
Fuck.
Gin couldn't help but feel the fear swelling up into the pit of her stomach. Was he going to tell her dad? Rip can be very unpredictable when it came to Gin and her sister. Well, he can be unpredictable at any moment really. Gin took her time and finished her set earning at least fifty dollars this last round. Relieved that the set was over, Gin gathered the bills at her feet and slithered off the stage and into the locker room. Sighing heavily, she took off her boots, wiggling her toes to relieve some of the aches that thrashed her joints.
Fully dressed, with her keys in one hand and her bag in the other, Gin walked out of the locker room to see where Avery was waiting. Neither Avery nor Rip were still in the bar.
"Jesus."
Gin rolled her eyes, hoping Avery did not leave and Rip did. She knew she was going to have to face him sooner than later. But the stress of not knowing exactly how Rip was going to react, tore at her stomach. He didn't look too thrilled, that's for damn sure.
"Bye, Rosie!"
Gin waved and hollered at her boss before exiting the dark building. Rip was sitting with Avery on the back of the Yellowstone pickup truck, both deep in conversation. The crunching of gravel underneath her work boots grabbed the attention of the two who tilted their heads up.
"Took ya long enough."
Avery smirked while hopping off the tailgate and planting her boots into the dirt.
"Tip out, you know."
She wasn't going to admit out loud that she was terrified of Rip at the moment, for once she felt like a cowardly pup; not sure if they were getting a pet or a beating.
"You riding with us or following?"
Rip's deep voice sliced through the air as his patience was already nonexistent.
"Well, if I ride with you how am I going to get my car back? Eh... smarty pants?"
Gin grinned poking fun at Rip. Hoping it will lower any blows from his unpredictable rage.
"Jesus Christ Gin, I'll tell you what, leave your car here and ride with us, get her settled, then I will drive you down to get the car. "
He suggested, his annoyance clearly revealing itself on his bearded face.
"Wouldn't that be a waste of gas?"
She continued to poke the bear.
"Damn it Gin, just this once, please do as I ask?"
Rip groaned, pinching the bridge of his notes with his strong fingertips.
Ginni's stomach tied in knots, her mouth dry, she forgot how sexy Rip looked in annoyance when he snapped at her, ooh... it could cause an earthquake within her. She told Ryan she wasn't ready to settle, therefore she was in every right to look and lust after others. But of course, he was off limits due to his rekindling with Beth.
"Fine."
Genevieve hatched a small plan.
The other two gave Gin a questioning glance as she hopped into the backseat of the cab. Positioned herself on the center seat and fastened her seatbelt. Rip shook his head, while he and Avery followed the same pursuit. Ginni didn't question Rip's motif any further. She sat silently in the back for most of the ride to the ranch.
Rip pushed the heavy door open with a bang, heads of the wranglers all turned to see what the commotion was. The men of the bunkhouse were all circled around the dining room table playing an intense game of Texas Hold 'em.
Avery and Gin followed Rip into the kitchen.
"Hey boys, this here is Avery."
His gaze dragged across the faces of each wrangler.
"She's the new groomer, you treat her like a cowboy. You understand what I mean."
All the men stared at her, like Avery was Cleopatra and they were her devoted subjects. Rip didn't say another word before turning on his heels and heading out the door.
"Gin C'mon."
He barked just before the door slammed shut. She was hot on his heels as he headed toward the truck.
"Will you please take me up to the house first, so I can change out of these sweats and drop my bag off?"
Genevieve asked jutting out her bottom lip.
"Fine"
Rip rolled his eyes and got into the truck to head up to the lodge.
It didn't take long for Gin to change into a pair of jeans and a Def Leppard t-shirt. She placed her banded hat on her head and skipped down the stairs and out of the lodge, just as the evening civil twilight begins to peak.
"Hey. I'm ready."
Rip didn't say anything. His focus was glowering towards the Shute and barn.
"Hey you good?"
Gin was concerned when he didn't reply.
"Yeah."
The foreman scoffed, before getting into the driver's seat. Anger seethed from his brown eyes, while he silently waited. Gin turned to focus her gaze on where Rip had his attention moments before. Up against the barn were two figures enveloped in the throes of passion. Adjusting her eyes, Gin could make out Beth's wispy golden hair and Walker's warn white cowboy hat.
Oh...
That there is definitely a way to push Rip over the edge.
Gin inhaled sharply, resulting in a snort and a shit-eating grin painted across her alabaster skin. Shaking her head, she jumped into the passenger seat of the truck. The tension was so thick you would have to slice it thin with a butter knife. The hurt and disappointment was written all over his face no matter how hard Rip tried to conceal it. The love for her sister was breaking his heart.
She may have flirted with Rip here and there, but in the end, Beth always had his heart. So tightly wrapped around his finger, it was cutting at the joint. She knew it too. Beth had him so pussy whipped that even if they weren't exclusive; it still pulled heartstrings.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Gin raised an eyebrow, she turned her hips to face him, the seat belt constricting against her skin.
"No."
He said in a deadpan tone.
"C'mon. I know what's bothering ya, so tell me about it."
Gin pried, with a glint in her blue eyes, dancing mischievously.
"Gin. If you know, then why the fuck are you askin'?"
Rip's voice lowered to a menacing growl.
He focused on the road but you can see his knuckles turning white against the steering wheel.
Gin popped her lips.
"Because you're my bestie and I care about your feel bads."
She shrugged nonchalantly studying her cuticles and puckering her lips.
"Since when have you cared about my feelins'?"
The cowboy scoffed. He kept his eyes on the road while he continued the trek.
Did she care about his feelings? Honestly.
Gin admitted to herself that she was just as self-absorbed as the rest of her family. But was she the most compassionate out of the bunch? Compared to Beth and Jamie she was an empath with a huge heart. But standing against Lee or Kayce...She felt selfish, heartless, and tempestuous. A termagant of a woman in most people's eyes.
Gin snorted.
"Longer than you know."
She shook her head in disbelief while rolling her eyes.
Deep down, she truly cared for the man and his well-being. He's been there for her as long as he's been on the ranch, working for her father. Rip was hired on as a stable boy just after her mom died. He had no family, no guardian. His father brutally massacred his brother and mother, in turn, he bludgeoned the old man with a cast iron pan and then ran.
That is when her father him bloody and starving on a farm down the road.
"It's not somethin' to worry about, Genevieve."
He back peddled, enforcing his internal wall.
"Well, it's nothing, then why is it making you act like you drank turpentine and pissed on a sage fire?"
Ginni wasn't going to let this go.
He stayed silent, exhaling sharply through his nose.
"Okay..."
Gin bit her bottom lip, sucking the silver ring between her teeth.
"Then tell me why you decided to waste a quarter of gas?"
She folded her arms across her chest while cocking an eyebrow.
"For fuck's sake, Gin."
He sighed, shaking his head.
"Because it'd b easier to explain to your father that you're helping me with the ranch, rather than explaining to him you're a fucking stripper and I found you on stage dancing with your ass and tits out."
Ouch.
Gin knew what was coming sooner than later.
"Fair point."
She shrugged, knowing he was absolutely right.
"Now let me ask you this, are you jealous that I'm showing my tits?"
She smirked.
"Jesus."
He sighed, shaking his head while concealing the small smirk.
"OK? Now tell me about what you saw down by the barn? Before we left."
She needed to cut to the chase. She knew it was going to eat him up inside until Beth came sauntering back for more.
"Ginni, I really don't want to discuss your sister right now."
Rip pulled into a small mom-and-pop burger drive-thru, just off Main Street and 7th.
"Now, are you hungry?"
He changed the subject.
She chuckled at his response,
"Yeah, let's go."
They both ordered a double cheese with fries and a large drink. Gin won the game of who could slam their payment method on the counter first, reigning victory of paying for their meal. Rip of course, did not argue with the Dutton woman.
"Why are you so loyal to my father?"
Ginni grinned as she bit down on her straw.
"I don't know... there are allot of reasons. I should be in prison; he gave me a home. "
He shrugged while finishing off the last of his crispy fries.
"Is that why you do all his dirty work?"
"No. That's for the brand."
He stated with a point-blank expression.
"Fair."
Ginni shook the ice in her cup, then sat it on the table, while staring at the foreman with her wide blue eyes.
"You know, my dad refuses to brand me. Even though I deserve to be."
She shook her head then proceeded to look out the window and aimlessly stuff a fry between her teeth.
"What do you mean by that?"
Rip cocked his left eyebrow.
"Leaving the ranch to be a drug dealer would do it."
Gin snorted with a laugh.
"He refused to brand you over that?"
Rip choked on his beverage while suppressing a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, "If you weren't my daughter or a female, I'd have your skin blistering and stinking of burnt flesh.'"
She deepened her voice to mock her father. That day was etched into Genevieve's brain, the day she left for Salt Lake. Barely eighteen and ready to face the world outside of Bozeman and outside of Montana.
"And you tattooed the brand, because?"
Oh yeah, she forgot about that for a second.
"I was young, drunk, and spiteful."
Ginni laughed, before standing up. Instantly tunnel vision evaded her sight as a dizzy spell began to develop. She could feel her heart rate rise and blood pressure drop. In a matter of seconds, her limbs tingled as her vision darkened.
"Shit."
She heard Rip push his chair back and felt his strong arms catching her form, preventing her head from meeting the tiled floor.
"I got ya."
He carefully eased her down onto the floor into a sitting position.
"Is everything OK over here? You Ok ma'am?"
A concerned employee approached the two.
"She's fine, now get the fuck outta here."
The foreman chided, swatting his arm toward the employee.
Several seconds had passed before Gin came to it; her vision was still blurry, and her head felt as if it weighed a ton.
"You good?"
Rip continued to hold her steady as she regained consciousness. A bit shaky, Genevieve used Rip's form to pull herself back onto the chair.
"Yeah. I should be fine."
She groaned while trying to reach for a salt packet. Reluctantly, Rip grabbed a packet and gently placed it in her palm. Frantically, she tore the paper pouch open dumped the contents into the center of her hand, and lapped it up with her tongue. Her face contorted with bitter disgust while the sodium crystals were absorbed into her bloodstream.
"You take your meds?"
Rip sat beside her, scooting the chair closer and caressing the back of her hand.
"I ran out this afternoon. I haven't been able to get a new authorization since I came up here. I might have to drive down to Salt Lake to get a new one."
Gin groaned, wiping her face with her other palm.
"Well, you're definitely not drivin' tonight."
Rip tucked a piece of her hair that fell in her face, behind her ear.
"I'm sure Rosie would let you park there as long as you need."
"You're right. It shouldn't be too much of an issue."
Gin could feel her flare-up beginning to peak. Meaning the rest of the evening and possibly the next day. The medication she was prescribed kept her blood pressure at a stable level. Pot kept the rest of her symptoms and mentality in check.
"C'mon. Let's get you home, hun."
Rip stood up and held out his hand for Ginni to stabilize herself while pulling herself to her feet. She nearly stumbled forward, but Rip pulled her closer into his strong arms. Their chests pressed firmly against one another. Genevieve could feel his breath hot on her cheek.
"I gotcha."
Once on her feet, Gin smiled sweetly at her friend and foreman.
"What would I do without ya."
She giggled while grabbing her purse and made her way to the door of the burger shop. Smirking, Rip followed her to the truck thinking of a clever rebuttal to match. He finally caught up to her, draped an arm around her shoulders putting his mouth close to her ear and dipping his voice to a low gravelly whisper.
"You'd be married to some blonde saddle bronc rider, with a million of crotch goblins running around."
He then planted a swift kiss on her temple, then pushed himself away to unlock the truck and open the passenger door for the Dutton woman.
Thank you so much everyone!