"Monica, hey." Rip said jogging over to her. Monica turned surprised to see Rip approaching her.
"Ah, hi Rip. Everything ok?"
"Yeah. I was just wondering if you knew of any good parks that we could take Katie too or something fun to do together?" Rip asked hesitantly.
Monica smirked. "Sounds like someone messed up."
"Look don't worry about it." Rip told her.
"Rip, it's fine. At least you're trying to fix it. You know, sometimes showing up is the best thing." Monica told him.
Rip looked away and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Yeah I know."
"There is a park in town next to the new supermarket that has a water section next to it where kids can run through water sprinklers. Take lunch too." Monica told him.
Rip nodded. "Thanks Monica."
Rip got out of the truck that night and saw Katie playing on the slide. She looked over at him but didn't approach. Rip called out to her before going inside.
"Evening Beth." Rip greeted her. "What you lookin' at?"
Beth was sat at the table with photos spread around her and photo albums stacked.
"Evening. Just going through old photos. Found these at the lodge."
Rip stood behind where Beth sat, looking over her shoulder at photos of the Dutton's as children.
"Look at this one." Rio pointed out a photo of Beth around Katie's age now in the yellow dress that Katie now had. Beth's hair was tied back the same way she often tied Katie's, two braids.
"I hated having my hair done that way. I use to kick and scream." Beth laughed. Rip chuckled.
"Sounds like someone I know who does that now. Speaking of, I'll go get her." Rip left Beth flicking through the photos to get Katie from outside where it was now getting dark. She was coming up the porch stairs rubbing her eyes when he opened the door.
"Hey cowgirl, looking tired. Busy day playing?" Rip asked. Katie nodded before heading towards Beth at the table.
Katie looked over the top of the table at the pictures laid out. "What are those?"
"They're photographs of Mama and some of you too there." Rip told her before going in to the kitchen to make some dinner.
"Would you like to see?" Beth asked. Katie nodded before climbing on the Beth's lap. She pointed out different photos of horses and John on the ranch before showing Katie photos of her own mother with her brothers as children.
"Can I have a brother Mama?" Katie asked leaning back in to Beth.
Rip looked up across the island bench where he was cutting vegetables. Beth smiled softly and shook her head.
"Sorry baby. We can't do that."
"Why? Not even a sister?" Katie asked looking back at Beth. Beth didn't want to tell her the real reason.
"We've got the most wonderful girl that makes our family complete. Some families don't have children, some are complete with one and some are complete with many children." Beth told her. Katie nodded before picking up a picture of the three of them smiling by the stables.
"I don't have to share my mama and daddy then." Katie told them.
Rip smiled. "No you don't, cowgirl." He told her over the counter.
"This is a new album for us." Beth said lifting a new photo album across the table. "We'll put our family pictures in here."
Katie leaned across the table on Beth lap picking up photos of herself and giving them to Beth.
"Hold on. Oldest to newest Katie. The front is a section for a photo of us three. So you can pick one out of all of us together." Beth told her.
Katie scanned the pictures on the table before picking one of the three of them from her birthday party.
"There's a park in town that I was thinking we could go to on the weekend. It's meant to be nice weather?" Rip suggested from where he was finishing getting dinner ready.
"How long is that?" Katie asked.
"Two sleeps cowgirl."
Beth put the picture in the front of the album before packing up, getting ready for dinner. Rip put dinner on the table.
"Wash your hands baby." Beth told her helping lift her up at the sink. Rip sat down in his usual spot and waited for the two of them before serving dinner up. Beth and Rip discussed their respective days before cleaning up after dinner. Katie amused herself on the floor with a colouring book.
Beth sat in the couch watching her, scrolling on her phone while Rip showered.
"Finished." Katie announced holding up the colouring book showing a butterfly with coloured scribbles everywhere, most going over the outline.
Beth looked up at the book, "looks great!"
"Fridge?" Katie asked.
"Please." Beth said reminding her.
"Please can we put it there?" Katie asked.
"That's better." Beth got out of the chair and helped Katie tear the page out letting her stick it on the fridge. The fridge was slowly filling up with different pictures of Katie. Beth was going to have to slowly cull some of them without her realising.
"Time for bed Katie." Rip called from the top of the stairs standing with his hair still wet. Katie looked between the two of them thinking about whether to negotiate staying up later. Beth shook her head and pointed to the stairs. Katie slowly trudged up them to her bedroom.
Rip tucked her in to her bed and took the book they had been reading from her nightstand. He knelt next to the bed so she could see the pictures and started reading. Beth sat on the end of Katie's bed listening to Rip read to her. She kissed Katie's head as her eyes started to close before going to her own bedroom.
Beth got into bed and read her book before Rip came in to the room. He got in to bed next to her and took the book out of her hands, kissing her lips before she could argue with him. Beth kissed him back before they both got more comfortable under the covers.
"So when are we getting this wedding done Beth?" Rio asked pulling her close.
"I was thinking just the ranch family and having it here. I can ask Gator to do food and then my Dad to mind Katie for a few nights." Beth told him.
"Don't you want the dress and all that?" Rip asked.
"Katie and I already have ours." Beth told him.
"She didn't tell me that." Rip said.
"Yeah I may have bribed her for that." Beth said quietly. Rip chuckled.