As Rip predicted Lucy did not wake up on time, instead sleeping through her phone alarm that woke Beth and Rip.
"What the fuck is that?" Beth asked groggily.
"Lucy's alarm."
"Is she seriously sleeping through that damn thing." Beth said annoyed.
"Ignore it. It's her job." He said rolling over towards Beth.
The alarm continue to blare, pissing Beth off more and more while Rip returned to snoring, before it finally stopped. She looked at Rip's alarm clock and saw it was 4:50am, Lucy now easily twenty minutes late.
"Oh shit!." Lucy said realising the time, nearly falling on to the cold floorboards. She didn't have time to change instead just grabbing her coat, boots and hat from the door and slamming it shut on her way out.
She pedalled as fast as she could down to the bunkhouse. She saw the barn doors already opened.
'Who the heck is that?' She thought. It was unlikely any of the wranglers would be out yet, considering they didn't start until 5:30. She knew it wasn't Rip because the truck was still at the cabin when she left.
Lucy dropped her bike outside the door before rushing in, she got the feed ready for Betty, now no longer just having a bottle and put it in her stable. "I'll come back and see you soon girl." She said before unlocking the doors and taking the horses out one by one.
"I'll give you a hand." John said walking out carrying a saddle.
Lucy was surprised to see him. "Oh. You don't have to."
"Well, you're not going to get it done in ten minutes and in ten minutes all the Wranglers are going to be here ready for their day, your Dad included." John told her.
"Yeah, I slept in." She said.
"I can tell." He said nodding at her attire. She hurried inside grabbing another saddle.
"Does everyone have a favourite saddle?" Lucy asked John.
"Yeah." He told her looking at the one in her arms. "Put that one on that horse there." He pointed to the third horse from the end.
"That's Lloyd's."
Lucy put the saddle down next to the horse before getting the next. John was already saddling his third horse by the time she brought the second one out.
"What about this one?" She asked.
"That's Rip's."
She nodded, putting it next to her Dad's horse. She went back to Lloyd's horse saddling it before John came to check as she moved to Rip's. John had nearly saddled the rest of the horses before she finished Rip's. As she was fastening the final section, Rip pulled up at the bunkhouse. She wasn't sure if John was going to tell him that he had saddled the majority of the horses.
"You done?" Rip asked going over to Lucy.
"Yeah." She said rubbing her eyes. Rip started to check each of the saddles as the other Wranglers came out of the bunkhouse ready to start the day.
"Lucy!" Rip called, getting her attention from where she had left to pat Betty in the stables.
She stuck her head out before he waved her over.
"You were late this morning."
"I know. Sorry Dad." She said not making eye contact.
"You're lucky John helped you get it done." He said, Lucy's head snapped up to look at him.
"I didn't ask him. He offered."
Rip raised a hand. "Regardless. You were lucky this time Lucy. Go home, you can probably get an hours sleep before you need to get ready for school."
Lucy nodded turning on her heel to get her bike.
"I can tell when you've saddled something and when Mr Dutton has Lucy. You go now, Beth was annoyed at being woken by your alarm."
She said nothing before riding off, feeling guilty more than anything. The lights were still off in the cabin when she got back. She took her shoes and hat at the door before going upstairs. She stuck her head in Beth's room to see if she was still asleep, she found Beth awake but still in bed.
"Come in." Beth said patting the bed. Lucy didn't need to be told twice, making a beeline for the bed. She found their's much more comfortable than her own. She flopped down on it before pulling the blanket over her that was on the end of the bed.
"Dad was annoyed."
"Mmmhm." Beth murmured. "Shut your eyes. We can talk about it in an hour."
The both woke some time later as Beth hit the alarm clock on Rip's side of the bed, having to lean over Lucy.
Lucy shoved her head under the pillow, not wanting to get up.
"Oh hell no. You're getting up. You didn't get up for your alarm instead Rip and I had to listen to it." Beth said grumpily.
Lucy peeked out from under the pillow. "He's already growled at me." She mumbled. "For being late and then for John helping me."
Beth brow furrowed at the mention of John.
"I know." Lucy said seeing her reaction. "He said it was because I couldn't do it all myself." She dragged herself out of bed to her own room to get ready while Beth did the same.
Beth dropped Lucy off in the same spot as usual, except this morning Sam was waiting there. She grabbed her half finished canvas from the backseat before opening the door.
"Rip doesn't mind you know."
"Mind what?" Lucy said sticking her head back in the car.
"That you were late and didn't do it yourself."
Lucy half heartedly laughed. "I don't think so Mama." She said closing the door and walking off.
"Let's see your painting." Sam said holding his hand out.
Lucy passed it to him before asking how his suspension was.
"Oh you know, mom was ecstatic to stay home. Copped a grilling but they were ok with the thing. Not gonna lie your Dad thanking them sure did help me. Good painting by the way, although is this a new style? Half assed?" He commented on the unfinished work.
"Yeah it's called 'foster mum tried to have me arrested'." She said dryly.
"You've got one weird life." He shook his head, entering the hallway of the school.
Lucy scoffed, agreeing.
"Well well! If it isn't the rebellious Lucy Wheeler!" Ella said with a grin giving Lucy a hug.
"Ha Ha. Very funny. What did I miss?"
"Let's see. Everyone was talking about your Dad's take down of Nick's Dad. Impressive by the way. Then yesterday, nothing really happened except Justin from basketball is having a party and said you should come. It's tomorrow night. You can stay at mine."
"Isn't he the guy you like?"
Ella nodded grinning wider. "So you have to come."
Lucy clapped her hands together. "Ok but I have to convince my parents and after the last party I went to, I don't know how that'll go."
Ella grimaced, as the bell rang for the first class of the day. "Come on. Bring, whatever that is you've half done." She said to Lucy looping her arm through Lucy's before going to art together.
They pair sat next to each other catching up on what they had missed out on, as the teacher walked in.
Ella shared her pastels with Lucy for the first half of the class as Lucy's were down to the ends. The second half of the class focused on a technique that neither girls had tried before, Lino printing.
The teacher explained the history and technique before handing out two pieces of lino to each student. One a small piece the second larger.
"You can spend the rest of the class practicing a design and skill on the small piece. The large piece is for your homework, over the next two weeks, I would like to all to design a piece of work of your choosing. Anything you want." She finished saying with a flourish of her hands.
Ella raised an eyebrow. "Who knew she'd ever let us have our own freedom."
Lucy snorted getting the teachers attention.
"Lucy Wheeler. Did you finish your painting?"
"Uh. Half?" She said sheepishly. The teacher approached looking at it.
"Detention." She said grabbing the canvas.
"What? What for?"
"After school."
"Oh come on! It's a Friday." Lucy said. The rest of the class silent.
"You keep talking, the time goes up." The teacher said.
Lucy let out a deep breath, rolling her eyes when the teacher's back was turned. "Welcome back hey." She said nudging Ella who laughed softly.
The rest of the class dragged on until the bell rang. Lucy stopped by the teachers desk trying to negotiate getting out of a detention unsuccessfully. She sent Beth a text on her way to the next class. She sat down at her desk in the room before she felt her phone buzzing with Beth's name on the screen. She raised her hand asking the teacher to go to the bathroom before being excused.
"Detention?" Beth said when she saw Lucy's name pop up on the screen.
"Uh yeah. But it wasn't my fault."
"It never is, is it." Beth said. Lucy knew she was definitely in trouble now, it was the first time she had been spoken to like that by Beth.
"No. She asked if I finished my painting and I said half and then I got told detention. I asked why and she said it was now after school."
"After school? What the fuck Lucy?"
"God. Why are you so cranky!" Lucy said annoyed.
"I'm not the one who got the detention. The day after suspension. What time does it finish?" Beth asked.
"Jeez. Don't worry about it. I'll find my own way home." Lucy said hanging up, returning to class.
"God damn that kid." Beth said sitting down in her office chair. She hit Rip's name in her iPhone, ringing him.
"Beth?" He said answering the phone. "I'm working." Kayce overheard riding next to him.
"Lucy's got detention tonight. After school."
"What for?"
"I don't know. Something about not finishing her school art thing. I grilled her a bit and asked what time it finished and then she got angry and told me she'd find her own way home."
"Let her then."
"Let her? What the fuck Rip!"
"What? If she's going to have attitude when she's done the wrong thing, then let her. She'll learn."
Lucy walked back to the art room after school with her back pack, meeting the art teacher.
"You can clean those paint brushes and pots and then continue with your work." She said pointing to the pile by the sink before returning to her own desk.
Lucy dropped her bag and turned the tap on, the school only allowed for cold water, too concerned that the students would burn themselves. Her hands were nearly numb as she put the last of the trays in the drying rack before taking a seat. She looked at the clock and saw she had been in detention for half an hour already. She opened her books, starting her work in silence.
"Take it home Lucy and finish it. I want it on my desk the same day as the lino print." The art teacher announce 15 minutes later. "Go home."
Lucy nodded, packing up her books and collecting her canvas on the way out. She checked her phone walking out on to the school grounds, seeing no message from Beth or Rip. She walked towards where Beth normally picked her up, not seeing the car. She decided to call Beth's phone.
"It's Lucy." Beth said to Rip looking at her phone.
"Don't answer it. If she wants to behave like that, she can learn a lesson the hard way." He told her before clicking the button to mute the call.
Beth was feeling guilty on the inside watching it ring out before seeing a text come through. It read 'Hi Mom, were you picking me up or caught up at work?'
Lucy rang Rip next, naturally it went to voicemail. 'I better start walking then.' She thought dreading how long it was going to take.
Beth sat watching the clock tick by at home, while Rip made something she was certain she wasn't going to eat.
"Beth. Stop stressing. Do you really think I would let her walk all the way here? Kayce said he would take a horse out and meet her halfway." Rip said.
"You're gonna let her ride an animal half the way home. That's it." She said standing up grabbing her keys.
"Now honey. You can't run to her every time things get a little hard. She has to learn." He said gently.
Lucy zipped her jumper up around her neck as the cold air hit her face. She had been walking for 40 minutes already before she saw what looked like a cowboy and another horse up ahead. Not a single car had passed her so far.
Kayce had agreed with Rip after the phone call that afternoon from Beth that he would meet Lucy out on the road back to the Yellowstone with a horse so she could ride at least half way. When he got closer he wolf whistled to get her attention.
"Come on then." He said passing her the reins to Rip's horse.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Heard you've got a knack of finding trouble lately. Thought you might prefer to ride back." Kayce said.
Lucy nodded before getting on the horse. "Yeah pretty sure I'm going to cop it when I get home. Pissed them off before 5am today."
"That's a good effort." Kayce said with a smirk before pulling something out of his jacket and passing them to her.
"What are these?"
"Peanut m and m's. Beth's favourite. Bought a few packets in my time. Rip though, you're just going to have to wait that one out."
"Thanks." Lucy said tucking them in to the side of her schoolbag. They continue to trot until the cabin was in view.
"You walk the rest of the way. I'll put them away. I've already fed the calf for you too."
"Thanks Kayce." She said hopping off.
Lucy opened the door to the cabin to find Beth and Rip on the sofa. "Dinner is in the fridge. Heat it up." Rip told her.
She looked over at them both, feeling uncomfortable. She didn't say anything before grabbing her dinner and eating it quietly. She went straight upstairs afterwards.
They both left her alone for a while before Beth had, had enough and went upstairs. She walked past Lucy's bedroom where the door was open and saw her on her bed. Lucy heard Beth's footsteps at her door before continuing on.
Lucy didn't normally care if she pissed anyone off. She certainly never cared when she pissed Janice off but with Beth and Rip it was different. She grabbed the m and m's Kayce gave her and knocked on the door to Beth and Rip's room. Beth told her to come in as she pulled a sweater over her head.
"I uh.. got these for you." She said sliding them along the dresser as a peace offering.
Beth nodded. "Kayce gave them to you didn't he?"
Lucy nodded, biting her lip. "I thought you'd be there tonight for me."
"I was going to be but you said you'd find your own way home and hung up on me." Beth reminded her.
"You were telling me off and it wasn't my fault!"
"How is it not your fault? You didn't finish the work Lucy and that was your job. No one else was responsible for that."
Lucy opened her mouth to reply before shutting it, trying to come up with a response. "Everyone's just messing with me all right!" She said close to cracking. "Basketball, my ankle, Nick, suspension and Janice and then you weren't there for me. I just needed you. I needed my Mom to be there!"
Lucy's face was flushed as she blinked back tears. Beth looked at Lucy and then Rip who was now standing behind her in the door frame.
"You were rude on the phone to Beth, Lu. I don't want to be getting phone calls at work that you're being rude." He said.
She looked at him before she couldn't hold back the tears anymore and a single one fell. "I wasn't trying to be. You were just so mad at me." Lucy said gesturing to Beth.
"Let's all just go downstairs." Beth said leading the way. Lucy stopped in the bathroom to wash her face while Rip and Beth sat in the lounge.
"I think we need to set some firm ground rules." Rip said without leaving much room for negotiation from Beth.
Lucy came down the stairs and sat at the opposite end of the sofa to Beth.
"We're going to lay down some better rules Lucy." Rip started. "If we ask you to do something, we want it done. There are chores on a ranch and some are your responsibility. You can't expect others to do it for you. If you don't get your school work done, you can forget about basketball."
Lucy went to object but Rip held up his hand. "I haven't finished. We don't ask a lot of you Lucy, in fact we're pretty lenient but if you misbehave at school and don't finish your work then you're not getting the luxury of playing basketball."
"Lucy, we've got an expectation that you show up and try. If you don't know, ask."
She nodded as he finished. "There's just so much going on!"
"All right, stop those tears." Beth said.
"They keep coming!" Lucy told her. "You know being a teenage sucks." She said pointing at her now red eyes.
"Yeah. I was one once." Beth said.
"And I was really hoping I could go to a party this weekend! I'm guessing not now." She said grabbing a tissue from the kitchen.
Beth and Rip shared a look.
"Who's party?" Rip asked.
"Justin. He's on the team. Ella's got a massive crush on him so I was going to go for morale support. I can stay at her place in town."
"You've got a perfectly good bed here." Rip answered her.
"Soo what, can I go?" She asked from where she sat on top of the kitchen bench.
"At the moment no. You need to finish whatever work you didn't do for school and then you can go and help Rip and if and I mean if he says you can go then you can." Beth told her. "You'll be sleeping under this roof though."
Lucy nodded before taking a deep shaky breath.
Beth watched her as she was trying to pull herself together, remembering exactly how that felt after fighting with her own Dad as a teenager. She got up from her spot on the sofa to go over to Lucy.
"I'm fine."
"Course you are, but come here." Beth said not really giving her the option before pulling her in to a hug. Lucy stiffened initially before she realised that Beth wasn't going to let her go and she relaxed.