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Kaycee had a hard time leaving Tate that night, so Monica let him crash on the couch. He got up early enough to make it back to the ranch for work, but saw he already had messages from John about coming to get him.
Around the time that Kaycee picked John up was about the time Ryan was trying to get out of bed so he could grab breakfast with the others before work that day, but Lexi convinced him to stay with her a little longer.
Who needed breakfast anyway?
He managed to finally get himself dressed, though she had stolen his t-shirt he had been wearing under his flannel, the bottom just skimming her thighs. He was buttoning it up on the way down the stairs as Lexi was following him, both of them laughing as she was still trying to convince him to stay.
"Two years Ryan," she reminded him of how long they were apart as she caught his hand in the kitchen, pulling him back to kiss her again.
"Baby, I gotta go," he laughed between kisses. They barely heard the door opening.
"Oh for God's sake Alexa," John complained, averting his eyes. Behind him, Kaycee snorted to keep from laughing.
"You left AMA," Lexi realized out loud as she stepped closer to the counter, hiding the fact she was just in her underwear.
"Sorry sir," Ryan said quickly.
"Mhmm," John nodded. Yes, he wanted Lexi and Ryan together; he just didn't need to see it. "You two," he said of Kaycee and Ryan. "Get to work."
"Ah, before I go," Kaycee was saying, still doing a poor job of concealing his laughter at his sister's expense. "I have strict orders to give this to you," he handed his sister discharge orders from her boss about her dad.
"Out," John reiterated and Kaycee nodded for Ryan to follow, clapping him on the shoulder to let him know it was alright; John would get over it.
"Physical therapy at the pool," she nodded as she read over the forms. "Your first appointment is Thursday," she informed him.
"In my kitchen Alexa?" he asked, ignoring the comment about his physical therapy.
"You were supposed to be in the hospital two more days," she reminded him.
"The kitchen?" he reiterated.
"If it makes you feel any better, I was trying to get him to go back up-"
"It doesn't," John stopped her.
"I'm sorry dad," she told him seriously.
"I wasn't born yesterday," he started off. "I know…" He shook his head. "I know how often he used to sneak in and out of here, all right?"
She nodded quietly.
"I know you're…an adult," he continued uncomfortably. "I'm just asking for an ounce of discretion."
"Yes sir," she agreed. "Sorry, again," she tacked on. "In the name of discretion, I'm gonna go get dressed," she said lightly.
"Please," he motioned for her to go, looking away again.
"Dad," she stopped and he wouldn't look over since she was away from the counter. "He's it for me, I just want you to know that."
"That's why I didn't chase him out of here with a shotgun sweetpea," he told her and she smiled before backing out of the kitchen entirely.
…
Over the course of the next week, Ryan and Lexi spent every free moment together, though they were more careful about who saw him coming and going from the house. That afternoon, she was getting back from work when she decided to head straight to the bunkhouse. Like most days recently, she had been thinking about Ryan almost all day. When she got there though most of the guys were gone, except for Walker who seemed to be grabbing his stuff to leave.
"Later Doc," he nodded at her as he was walking away.
"The hell happened to you?" she asked, noting it looked like he had been in a fight.
"Your big brother's got a jealous streak," he informed her; she knew he meant Rip and she had heard about his moment with Beth.
"And an angry one," she tacked on. "Where you going?"
"Some place else," he shrugged, though the others were coming back now from working on a fence in one of the farther off pastures. Whatever anger Rip had towards Walker hadn't dissipated, because he came right over like he was about to fight Walker. He nearly shoved Lexi out of the way, not in malice but more to keep her from getting hurt.
"The hell Wheeler?" she demanded, though Ryan was pulling her back towards the bunkhouse to keep her further from it. Thankfully, Kaycee was coming down from the house where he had been talking with John, breaking up the fight before it could start; he sent Rip to talk with John. Kaycee got Walker to the barn so they could talk about him staying. Lexi and Ryan slowly made their way up to her house.
"What the hell was that?" she was asking Ryan.
"I don't want you to be alone around Walker," he told her seriously.
"This about him going after Dutton sisters?" she teased him; Ryan never had a reason to be jealous, he should know that. "Because he strikes me as a guy that prefers blondes."
"More about him pulling a knife on Rip earlier," he informed her. She stopped him on the walk, staring at him like he couldn't be serious. "Yeah," he agreed with her facial expression.
"And here I thought the psych patient I admitted today would win me the most interesting day," she said lightly, taking his hand as they continued up to the main house. They stopped as Rip came out of the house, looking aggravated but not quite the charging bull he had been before.
"You good Wheeler?" she asked him.
"Fan-freaking-tastic," he grumbled as he went back down towards the bunkhouse.
"You want to go out for dinner tonight?" she asked Ryan and he held his hand out to take her keys to drive.
…
The next night, Lexi was working a little bit later than usual. Ryan was at the bunkhouse with the guys, all crowded around the tv watching a football game, some on the couch, some on chairs they had pulled over from the table. They were getting into what constituted a wildcat versus a bobcat when Lexi got to the house. She grinned as she saw Ryan, easily slipping into his lap to sit sideways and kiss him.
There were a few groans and "get a rooms."
"Never thought I'd miss you missin' her, but here we are," Colby commented from the couch.
"Downer," Ryan said back, one arm wrapped around Lexi's back while the other rested comfortably on her legs; she had her arms loosely around his neck.
"I'll fix you up Colby," Lexi was saying now, teasing him like that was his problem.
"Why don't you ever offer to fix me up?" Jimmy chimed in now.
"Because they're my friends Jimmy," she joked with him and there were a few laughs. They stopped when Rip came in with his bag, dropping it by an empty bunk before heading to the table. Lexi had been out at work all day so she had no idea what was going on but quickly put it together as the bed Kaycee slept in was empty of his stuff.
They were all quiet as they weren't sure what to say around Rip now.
"Does livin' in here mean I gotta watch the lovebirds make out all the time?" he asked lightly and there were a few laughs, save for a middle finger from Lexi.
"I'm gonna go check on Kaycee," she whispered in Ryan's ear, kissing his cheek before sliding back out of his lap and out the door. Before she went to the foreman cabin though, she went up to the house first to get something. When she got back down to Kaycee's new cabin, he was sitting outside on the porch.
"Got you something," she told him as she held it behind her back.
"What for?" he asked curiously.
"Housewarming," she shrugged, handing him the unwrapped frame that had been in her room. It was a picture of the five siblings at the Dutton twins' high school graduation.
"Nice," he smiled a little. "Thanks," he nodded, setting it to the side.
"You doing ok?" she asked him, knowing this was a big adjustment.
"Looks to me like he's doing just fine," Beth commented as she joined them now. "Kicking another man out of his own home."
"I can't live in and run the bunkhouse Beth," Kaycee informed her, repeating their father's same line, though they all knew it was true.
"Then come stay in the main house," she replied.
"I'm a grown adult, I'm not going to live at my dad's house," he told them, to which he caught Lexi raising her eyebrows. "No offense," he tacked on; she waved him off, understanding.
"Kaycee," Beth started, agitated.
"Beth, are you of all people going to act like you care about Rip's feelings?" Lexi cut her off. After all the craziness with Walker and Rip she really didn't want to hear Beth giving Kaycee hell over where their dad told him to live. Beth just glared at her sister before heading back to the house.
"I'd hang out down here a little longer," Kaycee recommended, having his sisters avoid each other.
…
The next day did nothing to settle the tensions of the ranch.
Kaycee officially took over as foreman, leaving Rip a little raw. Walker's attitude about the whole thing didn't help. Things came to a head as Rip went after Walker while they were out running the cattle and Kaycee had to intervene again.
When they got back to the ranch, Kayce and Rip got into a fight in the corral. Lexi got home from work and, hearing the commotion, made her way down the hill. She knew what this was, what it was all about. Kaycee winning against Rip was like him "winning" being in charge. Ryan noticed her with her father now, wincing as her brother took another punch to the face.
"You want us to get in there?" Ryan called to John but John shook his head, letting the fight continue.
"I'm going to have to start charging all of you for medical care," she informed her father; as she was saying that, Kaycee delivered one last punch to Rip who stayed down, signaling the fight was over.
Things were changing, there was no doubt about that.