"Rip get her backpack!" Beth called down the hallway as she finished Katie's hair.

"We've got plenty of time sweetheart." He said putting everything in it from the breakfast bar.

"Let's go." Beth said holding Katie's hand.

Rip had the morning off. He put the backpack in the car before getting in to the drivers seat.

"You'll come get me?" Katie asked from the backseat.

Beth turned from the front seat. "Yeah just like we said last night."

Katie turned her attention back to the window as they pulled up to the daycare near Beth's work.

Rip unbuckled Katie's car seat but she didn't get out when he moved to let her out.

"Come on." He said.

"Daddy." She said waving her hand for him to come closer.

"What is it?" He said leaning towards her. Beth waited by back of the truck with Katie's new daycare bag in one hand.

"I don't really want to go but Mama will be sad."

Rip glanced back at Beth who furrowed her eyebrows. He put his head back in the truck. "She won't be but sometimes we have to try new things even when they're scary. We can go in together and I'll stay until you're ready."

Katie nodded before getting out of the truck.

"What was that about?"

"We gotta stay until she's ready." Rip told Beth.

"What?"

"I promised her." He said with a shrug.

Beth shook her head, "you really are a teddy bear."

Katie held each of their hands as they entered the daycare. They were greeted by the overly cheery Millie who Beth and Katie had met once before.

"Hi Katie." Millie said getting down to her level. Katie turned in the Rip's leg shyly. "Just through here and we can put your bag away. Don't worry Mom and Dad can stay as long as you need."

They entered a larger area where one wall was lined with hooks and children's names on colourful paper. Beth pointed out Katie's name putting her coat and bag on it.

Beth watched Katie's uncertain face as they walked towards where the other children were already settled in. She wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing.

Rip held Katie's hand and went towards some toys and pulled them out. Katie looked around at what other children were doing before back at Rip. Beth hung back and watched, most of the children looked like they were probably from the city, unlike Katie who was well and truly from a ranching family and you could tell.

They waited until Katie eventually got bored of what Rip was playing with and went to find something else to do.

"We should go now." Rip said getting up. "Before she realises."

"I can't go without saying goodbye." She said. He nodded watching as Beth went over and knelt down besides Katie giving her a kiss on her temple.

"Come on." She said walking ahead of him to the truck.

Rip got in the drivers seat and saw Beth quickly wipe a tear away. He turned the truck on, reversing, not saying anything until they were on the open road back to the ranch.

"She will be ok."

"I know but what if she's not ready."

"She will learn to be Beth."

"What did she say to you before we went in?" Beth asked.

Rip gripped the steering wheel tighter. "She told me she didn't really want to go but didn't want to upset you."

"Turn the truck around."

Rip looked at her.

"Now, Rip."

He pulled over to the side of the road, leaving it running before turning to look at her. "I can't Beth. She will be ok, I wouldn't leave her if I thought she wouldn't be. I wouldn't do that to you, her or myself." He ran his fingers through her hair before pulling back on to the road.

Beth got out of the truck when they arrived back at the ranch slamming the door shut. John looked over from where he was on his horse hearing the door slam before seeing Rip get out of the drivers seat.

"Everything ok?" He asked as Rip came to work.

"First day of daycare."

John nodded. "Beth took it harder?"

"Yessir." Rip said with a nod watching the rest of the cowboys.

Beth didn't know what to do, she had a number of hours before she would need to pick Katie up. She sat in the office and did some work for the ranch before going outside.

"Hey, where's Katie?" Kayce said looking behind her.

"At daycare."

"Oh, first day?" Kayce asked, seeing Beth nod. "How did you take it?"

"She didn't cry but I feel awful. A part of me is missing."

"Beth of course your kid didn't cry." He said with a laugh. "She's as tough as her parents. You'll take it harder than her, Monica certainly did. It was almost worse when Tate started school." He reminisced.

"That is absolutely zero consolation." She told him walking off.

She watched her husband manoeuvre his horse around the pen with her father and the other cowboys before he eventually noticed her. He trotted over on his horse.

"How are you Beth?"

"Ready to go get our baby."

Rip smiled, "She's probably having fun. They haven't called you."

Beth shook her head. "I'm used to her being here."

"You've softened." He said making them both laugh.

"I'm going to get her anyway."

Rip shook his head. "Honey it is not time."

"It is for me. Plus it will be by the time I get there." She told him walking off.

He watched her with a small smile. That kid was their missing piece and he loved watching Beth enjoy it.

She sat in her car until it was the official pick up time. She watched lots of parents gather around the door but decided to wait until some of them had left before going inside. Children were coming out holding their parents hands talking about their days as Beth entered. She couldn't see Katie in the room before she heard 'mama' and felt someone behind her legs.

"You came."

"I did kiddo" Beth said swinging her in to her own arms. Katie wrapped her arms around Beth's neck before tucking her face in to the side of Beth's neck.

"Did you have a good day?"

"I wanna go home now." Katie told her. Beth rubbed her back and grabbed Katie's backpack and coat.

"Excuse me!" Millie called as they were leaving. Beth turned to see her walking quickly towards them. "Just a quick word."

Beth waited where she was.

"I know it was her first day but is everything at home ok?" Millie asked. She knew who she was talking to and knew it probably wasn't going to be well received.

Katie looked at Beth. "Why did something happen?" Beth asked defensively.

"Well she just didn't interact much with the other kids. Inside or outside when playing or at snack time."

"Like you said, it's her first day. Nothing is going on at home but thanks for your concern." Beth said bluntly before leaving. Beth put her in the merc before leaning down to ask how her day was.

"So many rules. I wanna stay at home."

Beth sighed. She had hoped Katie would like it but knew it may not have been the case. They drove home in quiet before Beth let Katie out of the car who made a beeline for Rip.

"Hi cowgirl." He said squatting down to catch her.

"Dadda. I don't want to go back ever again." Was the first thing she told him.

"The first time is always scary but we keep trying and it gets less scary." Rip told her.

"No. I don't want to."

"We will talk about it Katie." Rip told her putting her on the ground.

She scowled at him before skipping off.

"She go down ok?" Beth asked that night.

"Yeah. No issues." He told her.

Beth put her book down and turned to look at Rip. "That woman at the childcare asked me when I picked her up if everything was ok at home."

Rip looked across at Beth. "Why?"

"She said Katie wasn't playing with the other children."

Rip frowned. "So what?" He scoffed.

"I know. I told her to basically mind her business."

Rip waited knowing Beth had more to say.

"She hated it there. Before we even left she said there were too many rules. Either we don't have enough rules or she does just hate the place."

"What rules do you think we need for her? She's not naughty Beth. Cheeky, sure but she's not bad."

Beth nodded.

"Give it some time. She might just need to settle in."

Beth got up from the sofa. "If she doesn't I'm pulling her out. Since you're not going south she doesn't need to go." She finished patting his chest from behind.

He tilted his head back and laughed. He knew Beth would do whatever she thought was best for Katie but it was too soon to pull the pin in his eyes.

Beth felt a warm hand on her cheek in the middle of the night. She felt like she had just gotten to sleep and now something or someone was rubbing her cheek.

She opened her eyes to see Katie standing in front of her with a flushed face and glassy eyes.

"Shit." Beth said getting a fright. "What are you doing?"

"Bad dream. Bad bad dream."

"Nothing is going to happen, back to bed." Beth told her too tired to deal with it.

Katie frowned and returned to her own bed. She crawled under the covers and looked around the room. Beth closed her eyes again, rolling over towards Rip who didn't stir.

Katie tossed and turned in her bed before waking up for a second time that night. She pulled her doona off her own bed and dragged it to Rip and Beth's room curling up on the rug at the end of their bed on the ground.

Rips alarm sounded making Beth groan as he silently turned it off before getting out of bed. He headed for the bathroom before tripping.

"God dammit." He said loudly. He turned to find Katie curled in her doona looking up at him startled.

"What is it?" Beth asked sitting up.

"What are you doing in here?" Rip asked Katie.

"Bad dreams."

Beth inhaled loudly realising Katie was what or who Rip tripped over.

"I got it." Beth said to Rip so he could get ready for work. She told Katie to get in to their bed.

"What happened?"

"He came back through my window and tried to get me. He said you couldn't keep me and I wasn't yours."

"Who is he?" Beth asked.

"Shane."

"Shane is dead baby."

"But my window is open."

That statement stopped Beth. "Stay here." She said leaving Katie in the middle of the bed. She walked down the hallway to Katie's bedroom where the door was ajar. The room was ice cold and the curtain was blowing. Katie was right, the window was open. There was no way that either of them had opened her window or would have left it opened when she was put to bed. She checked around the room not noticing anything else before closing the window.

Rip was putting on his jacket and gloves in their bedroom when she entered. "Her window was open."

"What? How? It wasn't last night."

"She said she had a bad dream about Shane and he came through the window."

"He's dead Beth, I was there."

"I know so why was her window open then." She more stated than questioned. Both adults were baffled.

Beth sat on the edge of the bed as Katie crawled across the bed in to her lap.

"I'll put the fire on downstairs before I go." Rip said leading the way.

Beth turned the TV on and wrapped a blanket around Katie, sitting on the couch.

"Enjoying the show Beth?" John quipped when he saw the pair on the couch.

"Something is going on."

"What is Beth?"

Beth shifted Katie off her to talk to her Dad out of each shot.

"She had a nightmare last night and I sent her back to bed but she must have came in again at some point. She said that Shane was in her dream and tried to get her..." She explained pouring a coffee. She was interrupted by Katie around her legs.

"Go back and watch the TV Katie."

She grumbled at Beth's response, staying where she was.

"Anyway -" Beth continued her conversation, "...her window was open when I went and checked. Neither of us opened it and Rip said it was closed when he put her to bed."

"She wouldn't be able to open it?" John asked.

"She can't reach it."

"Who do you think it is?" John asked. "I know you think it's someone."

"No. I don't know." Beth said reaching her hand out to smooth Katie's hair down.