"Dad can you watch Katie. Rip is in the shower." Beth said to John.
"Where you going?"
"Just outside." She said waving a cigarette at him.
John looked over his book at Katie on the floor before turning back to the page.
Beth went outside into the crisp fresh air and sat down in the round pen, exhausted. Lying back, she listened to the silence around her the only light from the ranch and bunkhouse.
She puffed out the smoke into the night sky thinking about how she was going to manage without Rip.
"Where's your Mama, Katie?" Rip asked.
"I dunno. MAMA!" She yell, looking around.
"Woah. Inside voice Granddaughter. She's outside having a cigarette." John said from his chair.
Rip nodded heading for the door. "You stay here kid. It's cold out."
Katie frowned but followed his instruction as she closed the door.
Rip put his hat on and walked out to the pen.
"What are you doing?"
"Needed a second." Beth told him not moving from where she was lying down.
"Hmmm." He said sitting down next to her, letting her have the moment.
"Yeah. Thinking about how I'm going to manage Katie and work whilst you're gone. Dad's about to go off again."
"I am sorry Beth."
"Not as sorry as me."
"I told you. That's something you'll never have to say to me." He said standing up. He flicked on the lights and their favourite song and first dance song. "Dance with me, Beth." He held out his hand to her pulling her up and in to his chest.
"Beth. I'm going to do whatever I can to make this easier for you. I don't know how yet but whatever it takes I'll do it." He whispered in to her hair. The music stopped and Beth looked up at him.
"Let's go to our place tonight." She said sniffing before walking off on him.
She grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the house, hearing John putting Katie in her bed. She peeked down the hallway realising they were fine as John read a book.
She climbed on to the roof, Rip following behind.
"Still Irish, I see."
"Irish enough." Rip said having a sip of whiskey.
"Dad's putting her down." Beth said.
"So I was thinking, you wanted to make Christmas special for her, that we could do the tree before I go? Maybe get one tomorrow? I'll get Lloyd to help bring one in with Jimmy."
Beth deadpanned him. "Honey, we'll pick a tree as a family. Then Jimmy and Lloyd can drag it back."
"Right. Got it."
Husband and wife sat on the roof like they were teenagers again passing the bottle between them looking at the stars.
"Beth. You out here?" They heard John say from down below.
Beth groaned. "Up here."
John took a few paces back seeing both Rip and Beth sitting on the roof. Both noticed Katie in her pyjamas and winter dressing gown in his arms.
"She woke up asking for either of you."
"I got it." Rip whispered touching her shoulder before climbing down.
"Bring her up here."
John passed Katie to Rip.
"Why are you awake?"
"Dunno. Couldn't sleep." Katie told him.
"Get her a blanket Rip."
Rip went inside grabbing the blanket off their bed. He threw it up to Beth before climbing up with Katie, this time more difficulty.
"Grab her Beth." He said nearly at the top, trying to lift Katie a bit higher.
"Got her." Beth wrapped Katie in the blanket as Rip lifted himself over the gutter. They sat Katie between the both of them looking up at the stars.
"I like this place the best." Katie said.
"Yeah cowgirl. It's your bed time." Rip told her.
"But I'm not tired."
"I'll cop that." Beth said raising the whiskey.
"Guess what we're doing tomorrow cowgirl?" Katie looked up at Rip waiting for his answer. "We're going to get a Christmas tree."
"Where from?"
"Way out there." Rip said pointing to the mountains.
"How many do we get?" Katie asked innocently.
"How many do you want?" Beth asked.
"All of them." She whispered back.
"No baby. It's only one per family." Beth told her.
"Says who!"
"Santa." Beth left no room for arguments.
"But where does the tree go?"
Beth realised that Katie truly had no understand of Christmas.
"It'll go in the living room. We can put special decorations out and a stocking on the fireplace and then we will wait for Santa to come and bring presents." Beth explained.
"Dad." Rip looked down at her. "I don't want a strange man in our house."
Rip knew laughing in this moment was not the right thing and he didn't dare look at Beth. Instead, he nodded very seriously at Katie. "I'll have a word with him first then."
"I want to meet him first." Katie said.
"Ahh I don't know if we can do that." Rip told her.
"We can take you to meet him in Billing's closer to Christmas." Beth said.
Katie looked between them both considering it. "I guess so." She said skeptical on the whole thing.
Beth took the last mouthful of whiskey before standing. "I think it's time for bed, kid."
"Five minutes more!"
"Two." Beth told her not sitting back down.
Rip let out a breath of air in to the cool nights air before standing as well. "You go down first Beth and I'll pass Katie to you."
He threw the blanket down to the ground before scooping Katie in one arm and climbing halfway down before passing her off the Beth.
"Bed time Katie." Rip said taking her hand inside to her bedroom, before doing the bedtime routine with her.
"All right. Get some sleep." He said turning the light off."
"She's down now." Rip said getting in to bed.
"Thanks. Can you take her tomorrow?" Beth asked. "I've got something to do."
"I can but what is the something you have to do?"
"I haven't ruined anyone's day in a while."
"Darlin' you sure can be one mean woman."
"Yeah. I know." She said with a chuckle.