"Ok Katie. Shower or bath?" Beth gave her the option.
Katie thought about it, she hated both but she hadn't had either in weeks. "Bath."
Beth nodded taking her to the ensuite, running the bath. She filled in with bubbles and put some toys in the tub before grabbing a towel for when they were done.
Beth tried to not make a sound when she helped Katie out of her clothes noticing more bruises on her skin. Some yellow and others newer and still a deep purple colour. It looked like there were cigarette butt burns on her legs as well.
"Just wait." Beth told Katie grabbing her phone to take photos to prove to Donnie and CPS that she was never to be put in anyone else's custody.
"Cold." Katie said trying to stand on one foot before Beth helped her in to the bath. Katie sat still and didn't complain as Beth helped to wash the dirt and grime away.
Wrapped in a towel, Beth left Katie on her and Rip's bed while she grabbed a fresh set of clothes for Katie. Beth was speechless when she combed and dried Katie's hair without a single complaint. She grabbed her oversized coat and carried Katie out to the porch to sit on their porch swing.
Beth sat facing the mountains, Katie facing her, her cheek resting on her chest. Beth wrapped her coat around Katie to help keep her warm as she wrapped her arms around her small frame. Beth relaxed more in her spot when she felt Katie's frame relax and breathing even out, she was asleep.
John and Rip pulled up next to each other at the lodge.
"We need to meet." John said before walking inside.
"Out here then." Beth told him, just within his ear shot.
"I'll go see what it's about." Rip told her, following John inside.
Katie moved around in Beth's arms before she stood holding her. Beth paced up and down the gravel driveway trying to keep her asleep.
It was no use.
"Horses?" Katie questioned acknowledging a couple of the horses grazing nearby.
"Yeah, horses." Beth said barely above a whisper putting Katie down. Beth stayed crouched down watching as Katie tried to reach through the fence to pat the horses.
John and Rip stood on the porch watching.
"You can't go south Rip."
Rip wasn't sure what to say.
"Your family need you and if my daughter has taught me anything it's that she will never forgive me for making you put the ranch before them."
"Sir. This is something Beth should be involved with."
"My decision is final on this. I know she will follow you wherever you go but you'll stay here."
Both men watched Katie wrap her arms around Beth's neck nearly knocking her over. She wrapped her arms around Katie's small frame before standing with her on her hip.
"We better see what they're talking about." Beth whispered to Katie.
John watched as Beth held Katie in one arm with ease as she approached them. He knew she was the fiercest of all his children and even though Katie had softened her, she was a force still. Katie was a gentle soul, she had seen the worst things a child could and seen both Rip and Beth show their worst sides yet she was the opposite. John wondered what went on behind their closed doors and if Katie was the way she was because Beth and Rip parented her with their gentler sides, sides he knew they both had but hid from all but each other.
"Either of you care to share what that was about?" She asked waving a finger between the two of them.
"I'm not sending Rip down South." John said firmly before leaving them on the porch.
Beth stood there with Katie on her hip, processing what he had just said. Something she had told him months before.
"Go to Daddy." Beth said to Katie passing her to Rip.
"Hi baby." Rip gently said taking her from Beth.
Beth caught up to John in the lounge room. "What is going on?"
"What do you mean Beth? Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Of course it is." She hissed. "But we prepared our daughter and ourselves to be going South. We changed our lives to fit yours."
"He can't go Beth."
"What's the real reason?"
John looked at Beth before looking away. "I'm not here enough Beth to run the place. Sure, Kayce may think he wants it but it's Rip who will run it. It's yours and Rip's, so he can't go."
Rip walked to the stables carrying Katie, "you want to ride your bike?" He asked pointing it out.
Katie shrugged her shoulders. Rip waited for a second before Katie shook her head.
"Ok. What do you want to do?" He asked her putting her down on the ground, kneeling in front of her.
"Are they gonna take me again?" She asked looking directly in to his brown eyes.
"No." He told her.
"But you're going and then Mama and I..." She trailed off.
"No one is coming. Listen to me, no one." He sat on the ground, Katie making herself comfortable in his lap.
Back at the lodge, Beth looked stunned at John. "Daddy if there is something you need to tell me."
"No Beth. Call me old but I realised that you and Rip are doing this with Katie the way I should have with you kids, put her first. The ranch isn't suffering because you spend time with her like I thought it would if I was with you kids."
"Don't get sentimental." Beth said. "Thank you."
She left to find Rip and Katie, expecting them on the porch. Instead she saw them in the distance on the ground by the stables. She wrapped her coat around her tighter, walking down to meet them, as she got closer she could overhear their conversation.
"Daddy. If I can't have a puppy dog -"
"You can't." Rip interrupted. Beth nearly laughed hearing that.
"Can I have a swing?"
"You have a porch swing."
"One like the park. And with the hoops you swing on." She said demonstrating with her arms.
"Sweetheart, you can't do the monkey bars yet."
"But Daddy."
"I'll think about it." Rip told her. "Come on, your Mama isn't going to want to sit out here."
"No she's not." Beth said as Rip got off the ground. He stood Katie up and started to walk with Beth.
She started to whine, before Rip could tell her not to Beth had picked her up.
"Beth, she can walk. It's not far."
Beth returned a look to say otherwise, running her hands through Katie's hair as they walked. Word had gotten out that Beth and Rip had Katie and Kayce and his family were at the lodge waiting when they got back.
It was nearing dinner time and the house smelt like dinner was ready to be served. Katie's stomach grumbled making Beth smirk.
"We will say hello and then I'll get you dinner baby." Beth told her. When Katie realised there were other people at the lodge she tucked her face in to Beth's neck, closing her eyes.
Rip spoke to everyone while Tate got up to see Katie.
"Hi Katie." He said pulling on her leg. Beth felt her stiffen and noticed she pulled her legs up higher around Beth.
She knew Rip had noticed it too but she downplayed it to Tate telling her that Katie was tired. He accepted the answer and went to play with one of Katie's remote control cars.
"I'm starving." Kayce announced before getting up to serve himself some of the soup Gator had left ready in the kitchen, the dining table already set. He carried through a bowl for Tate and Monica, telling her that it was too hot for Tate just yet.
"Baby, you go with Daddy and get some dinner." She said quietly before passing her to Rip. "I'm just going to take my coat off and check her room."
Rip nodded taking her in to the kitchen before putting her down. "Where would Gator have put yours?" He said to himself looking for the bowl Katie always used with the cows on it. He knew Gator would have served Katie's first and set it aside to cool.
"There's my cows." Katie said pointing to the opposite bench. He smiled and check if it was cool enough for her to carry.
"Here darlin', you can carry this and I'll get Mama's and mine." He placed it in her little hands before getting the other two.
"Just carefully." He said as they started to walk.
"Kayce. Just watch her." Monica said noticing Katie with the bowl.
"I'm watching." He said, not realising Tate was about the drive the toy car directly in front of Katie's path. The car came flying down the hallway and turned catching Katie's foot making her trip. The soup when up in the air and landed with a crash, followed by Katie.
"Oh shit." Kayce said.
Rip watched it in slow motion and couldn't do a thing because of the two bowls of hot soup he had.
"I got it Rip." Kayce said, giving him time to put the bowls down as Monica reprimanded Tate.
Kayce got down on Katie's level to move the broken bowl away and make sure she was ok but to his surprise she screamed and covered her head.
"I'm sorry! No! Don't hit me." She tried to move back but slipped.
Kayce stepped back surprised and unsure what to do.
"I got it." Rip said taking over. "Hey baby. It's ok." He said about to reach out for her which made her scream more.
"Beth!" He called.
"I heard. I'm here." She said kneeling down. "Give us a minute Kayce." He nodded and left.
"Rip can you get me a face washer and a new t shirt of hers." Beth asked, no response was required, he was on it.
"Katie is Mama. Look at me." Beth said but Katie held herself in a ball. "I'm just going to move your arms." She said gently before reaching out to her. Katie jumped but then relaxed.
"Good girl. It's ok see. No one is angry, I just want to clean you up because that must have been hot."
Katie frowned at Beth. Rip passed her the face washer.
"Come here. I'm not going to hurt you."
"But that's what he always said." She whispered making Beth's blood run cold and Rip felt like he was going to vomit at the thought.
"What did he do?" She probed knowing she probably wouldn't get an answer. She was right.
Rip felt helpless. Whatever that bastard did had made her afraid of the men that were already in her life. He knew Beth was Katie's safety net, the first one she always wanted but it made him mad that he couldn't have stopped this.
"I think we are just going to deal with this for tonight guys." Rip told Kayce, Monica and Tate who nodded finishing their own dinner.
He followed Beth down the hall to their own room and in to the ensuite with Katie. He could hear Beth telling Katie that her hair was going to need to be washed.
"I know we just did it but there is yucky stuff in it baby."
Katie pouted and shook her head. "Too cold."
Rip understood. "I'll put the fire on in here." He said. They had never put the fire on in the master bedroom, both worried that Katie could burn herself.
"Daddy will warm it up and we can shower and then put a movie on."
Rip knew Beth was pulling out all stops to persuade Katie. She didn't look convinced but nodded.
Rip set the fire while Beth sorted Katie out. He passed through a warm set of winter pyjamas for Katie after her shower. The room had warmed up by the time they had finished and Rip smirked noticing that Beth also had showered given her wet hair.
Beth sat on the bed, Rip stretched out beside her and Katie tucked in to her side.
"No Charlie anymore Daddy." Katie said looking up at Rip.
It took Rip a second to realise she was talking about the toy horse Beth had bought her. He knew that the stuff Beth had packed for Katie was well and truly gone.
"Tomorrow we can go to the toy store after work."
"Ok." Katie agreed turning to watch the kids movie Beth had put on.