"Mama, can I go to the bunkhouse?" Katie asked.

"It's nearly dinner time. Why do you want to go there anyway?" Beth asked looking over at Katie.

"I wanna play my guitar with Walker." Katie said pointing to the toy guitar the wranglers had gotten for her birthday. Beth had hidden it away because she didn't want to listen to more noise. Katie had managed to find it a few days ago and Beth had managed to stop Katie from playing it thus far.

"Ask your Dad." Beth said, exhausted after the day.

Katie's bare feet padded down the hallway as she called out to Rip before going back to Beth. "I can't find him."

"Check the porch kid." Beth said. "Shoes on first." She added.

Rip turned hearing the door handle move a few times before opening fully. "What are you up to cowgirl?"

"Dad, can I go to the bunkhouse?"

"Why?"

"I wanna play the guitar. Mama said to ask you."

Rip wasn't sure if it was a trap when he looked at his watch. "All right. Well I guess we can go for a bit."

"No, just me. I can go myself."

Rip raised an eyebrow wondering when he suddenly had a four year old going on fourteen. "Forget it then." He told her.

"Fine. You can come." She said before going inside.

Rip waited by the door while Katie grabbed her guitar. "We'll be back for dinner Beth." He said before closing the door.

He opened the door to the bunkhouse to find the boys washing dishes and setting up for a game of poker, a few women in addition to Teeter around.

"Rip." Lloyd greeted.

"Want me to deal you in?" Ethan asked.

"No. I'll watch. Walker, a word?" Rip said. "So you and the boys bought my kid that guitar and she's now found it so if you could teach her here..."

"Yeah I got it." Walker said going to the couch, kicking Jake out.

"Go with Walker cowgirl."

Katie sat across from Walker as he grabbed his own guitar and she put the child's toy guitar on her lap. He spoke to her gently about how to strum the strings and where to put her fingers to make a chord.

Ryan's new lady watched from the poker table. "She's got it." She commented getting Ryan and the rest of the boys attention.

"Got what?" Colby asked.

Abby nodded at the pair strumming the guitar. "She's got it. I'm telling you, she can hear the notes."

Rip watched her from the table as she strummed the strings.

"That's good Katie, now can you do this." Walker said changing to another chord to see if she could copy the finger pattern. Katie stuck her tongue out to concentrate.

Abby grabbed her own guitar and sat in the armchair near them, Katie too focused on what she was doing to notice.

"Hey kid. Can you do this?" Abby asked plucking the strings in a melodic tune slowly twice.

"Come on Abby. That's not easy for her." Walker said with a chuckle.

Katie furrowed her brow. She moved her fingers along the fret board slowly as she plucked the strings.

"I'll be damned." Walker whispered impressed.

"Did I do it right?" Katie asked.

"You got it kid." Abby said.

"You play like Walker?" Katie asked. Abby nodded at her. "Are you a cowgirl?"

"No Darlin'. I'm a musician."

"Oh. I'm gonna be a cowgirl when I'm bigger." She told Abby. "But maybe I will do guitar too."

"You can be what you want Katie but first we need to go have dinner." Rip said waiting for her.

"Thanks for playing with me." She said sweetly to Walker and Abby.

"I like that kid." Abby said as Rip closed the door behind them.

Lloyd chuckled. "Everyone likes that damn kid and she knows it."

"I like the guitar Daddy." She said passing it to him to carry.

"That's good. Walker and Abby can teach you then."

Gator had dinner on the table waiting for them when they walked inside.

"Thought you'd gotten lost." Beth said rolling her eyes as she served herself.

"Turns out she's not bad at the damn thing. Abby and Walker were impressed." Rip said sitting across from her.

Beth had a slightly surprised look on her face. "Well they can teach her then."

"I already told her that."

"What's this?" Katie asked as Beth put the food on her plate.

"It's dove." Rip told her as Beth cut it up.

Katie was quiet at the dinner table, her big day starting to catch up to her.

"I was thinking, if you want Beth. We could watch a movie all together tonight?" Rip started.

"I think she's going to fall asleep Rip." Beth said.

"I can watch a movie. Please." Katie piqued up pushing her food around her plate.

"Eat that first." Rip told her, finishing his own dinner.

"Daddy, when do you leave us?"

Rip looked at Beth, she could tell the question had hurt him.

"Sweetheart, I'm going in a few days." Rip started. He looked at Beth for help.

Beth put her knife and fork down, sighing.

"But I don't want you to go."

"He's not going forever Katie and we are going to visit him." Beth told her.

"Why do you have to go?"

Beth looked back to Rip, agreeing with Katie.

"It's my job darlin'." He told her.

"It sucks." Katie told them before sliding off her seat.

"Come back here." Rip said calmly. He went to get up from his chair to follow before Beth touched his forearm.

"I've got it." She said.

"No. I'll talk to her." John said from the lounge room.

Neither Beth or Rip realising he was there. John followed Katie down the hall to her bedroom. He found her lying on her back looking up on the roof on her bed. He lay down beside her groaning.

"What's going on granddaughter?" He asked as he heard a sniffle come out of her.

"My Daddy is the one who always has to work and go away from us. That's not fair."

"Hmmm. I'm sure it doesn't feel fair Katie but adults have to work to keep this place going. You want the ranch don't you."

"You left us and now you're sending my Dad away too." Katie said upset before getting off her bed.

"God dammit." John muttered before leaving.

Katie went back to her parents at the dinner table and sat down in her seat.

"All better now?" Beth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry." Katie said knowing she shouldn't have just left the room.

"You're going to have a bath and then pyjamas and a movie." Rip told her as Beth cleared the table. Katie sat up to say something.

"Cowgirl. I do not have the energy to argue about a bath with you."

Katie slumped back in her chair with a furrowed brow.

Beth came back in to the lounge and could read Katie like a book. She could tell she was feeling all the emotions and didn't know what to do. She wasn't good at dealing with her own emotions but didn't want that to turn into anger for Katie.

"Come over here kid." She called out before getting down on the floor. She could hear Katie stomp over before getting down next to her.

"Do you want to talk about how you feel inside?" Beth asked, turning to look at her.

"I don't know!"

"Ok. Do you maybe feel scared that Dad's going away?"

Katie nodded.

"So do I, kid. But you and I will still have each other here and we can visit Dad."

"But he won't be here to play and go riding. And my Dad always has to go away."

"We're going to have fun just you and I though darlin'." Beth reassured her.

"I guess." Katie said with a sigh.

"Right, I'll get a movie ready, bath time for you Katie." Rip said drying his hands.

"No rodeo." Katie said seriously before following Beth.

Rip set the movie up on the TV in their bedroom before Katie came in, in her pyjamas with her soft horse toy. He turned it on as they got comfortable

"There is one thing we will have to do before you go. All together." Beth whispered to Rip.

"What's that Darlin'?"

"Watch the stars in our place."

"And how are we going to get back up there?"

"The old Irish way."

"Shhh!" Katie piqued up.

Rip and Beth looked at one another over the top of Katie's head, Beth rolling her eyes.

"Don't say it." She whispered to Rip.

"I wouldn't dare." He said before turning back to the children's movie.