Friday
Spencer woke up from the groans of Rip behind her and the buzzing of her phone in front of her. Bleary eyed, she looked at the alarm clock, her concern growing at how early it was, even if it was her father calling.
"Cattle's back," John said in lieu of a hello, "Gotta get them settled."
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," Spencer responded, a yawn following her words.
"Good. Bring Rip too, we're gonna need all hands on deck."
Had Spencer been a little more awake, the shock of her father's words would have been less surprising. However, her brain was unable to even compute how her father knew.
"I know everything that happens on this ranch Tiny, don't you forget that," John laughed at his daughter's lack of response.
"Yes sir."
The phone line cut at that point, John hanging up to guide the trailers into the ranch. Spencer blinked, internalizing what her father said as she swatted her hand around to find Rip. He groaned when her hand came in contact with his face.
"I know it's still too early to be getting up," he grumbled as he tried to pull Spencer back into his side.
"Rainwater had the cattle returned, we gotta go. Oh and Daddy knows." Spencer slid the last sentence in, hoping it would glaze over in Rip's mind as he woke up. It, however, did not. Rip's eyes shot open, turning to stare at the redhead as she crept around the room. She turned, giving him sarcastic jazz hands before tugging her jeans on.
The morning air held a deep chill as the couple walked down to the barn, guilty looks on both of their faces. John smirked as he held out a coffee mug to his daughter, who smiled but kept her eye line down.
"Morning Daddy," Spencer squeaked as she walked past to get Rebel ready for a day of moving cattle.
"Spence!" Rip called through the radio, waving her down to pull up the side after John called about stragglers in the woods. Spencer smiled, her heel pushing into Rebel's side, sending the horse off. She let out a yelp as she weaved Rebel along the side of the cattle, making everyone holler back in good spirits.
Rip chuckled as followed Jimmy into the woods, his heart feeling light at the sight of the wild redhead doing what she loved.
"She's crazy!" Jimmy yelled as he watched Spencer stand taller in her saddle.
"She's more cowboy than you'll ever be Jimmy," Rip's smile fell as he yelled over to the new hand. "Now get on the cattle!"
Leave it to fucking Jimmy to ruin Rip's mood. Rip cursed as Jimmy fell from his horse, rolling through the grass like an idiot. He called for Lloyd, no longer wanting to deal with the mess of a hand, riding back to fill in Lloyd's spot in the formation.
It was early afternoon when they arrived back at the barn, Spencer and John corralling cattle to specific pens based on the calls from Rip. The stallion from Kayce started to buck, still not meshing well with John despite the work he had put into breaking the stallion. Spencer watched warily as her father held on, she knew his incisions would not be happy about the aggressive movements.
Spencer had come to learn of her father's cancer months before, the only one of his children who seemed to know something was wrong with him. She would pester him daily until he finally caved, telling her what the doctor said. And sure she had promised not to tell, but she knew that Rip had found out when he asked. The two kept John's secret, but she made her father swear she would be the one to drive him when he got the cancerous section of his colon removed. That had been her one request, and she was shocked but happy he had agreed.
Spencer let out a breath she had been holding as the stallion finally settled. Rip had seen Spencer bristle at the stallion, and was beginning to make his way over to John, but Spencer shook him off.
"There's only a few left Daddy, I can handle it if you wanna head in." She offered, although the warning look she sent her father made it clear she would cause a scene if he didn't agree.
John chuckled as he nodded to his daughter. "Alright Tiny, I hear ya."
He turned the stallion to the barn, getting down and sending a wink to Spencer before leading the stallion back. She rolled her eyes at her father, still annoyed he was acting like a teenager despite the protests of his body. It was then that she noticed Emmett, one of the men buying cattle, walk off after John to the barn. He had been talking to Mickey, whose son had performed the surgery on John, so she knew it wasn't going to be a good conversation.
"That's your death with," she whispered to herself, shaking her head at the antics of men even older than her father.
It was then she heard footsteps running toward the pen, a very wide eyed Tate above them. Spencer whistled to Ryan, circling her hand to signal for him to finish up without her as she trotted Rebel toward the fence Tate was standing on.
"Whatcha doin' here Tater Tot?"
"Mom wanted Dad and I outta the house. Probably 'cause they're taking my cousins away 'cause Auntie died." Tate stated matter-of-factly as he pet Rebel. Spencer's eyes bulged at the information, shocked to hear of the passing of Tate's aunt on the reservation.
"Well shit, I'm sorry little man."
"S'okay, I get to hang out with Grandpa. And you owe me a dollar."
Spencer chuckled as she ruffled Tate's hair. "I'll save it for when you're older kiddo."
"Guess you're mine Grandson," John spoke as he walked over, plucking Tate up from the fence. "What are we doing?"
Spencer smiled as she watched her father interact with Tate, happy he was finally getting time with his grandson. She knew it had been wearing on him for years not being able to see Kayce or Tate.
"How ya doin' Big Brother?" she called to Kayce as she walked into the barn. Tate's wish to go to the river left Spencer on the ground for the rest of the day as she had offered Rebel to her father.
Kayce looked up from the ground, shaken from his thoughts by his sister. "Not the best Tiny."
Spencer nodded, understanding the guilt Kayce was most likely feeling. "You did the right thing, you know that right? In the long run you did what you had to do. The rest ain't nobodies' fault but Robert's."
"Sure as shit doesn't feel like it." Kayce responded, staring off to see Tate and John mounting Rebel. "You're letting him ride Rebel? You never let anyone ride him."
"Kayce, that was 'cause of racing. And I haven't been to a barrel race since college, I'm not worried." Spencer laughed, "Plus I can work on that gorgeous four-legged gift you gave Daddy."
Kayce laughed at his sister, amused by her ever present nature of being almost too reckless. Spencer had always been the wild child of the Dutton family, ready to take on the world with nothing but the hat on her head and the boots on her feet if that's what it took. That fire was ultimately what had even pushed Kayce to get into horse training, after watching Spencer calm a few bucking stallions on drunken dares.
Spencer walked over to the stallion, who seemed just fine down without all the saddle and tack gear on his back. She walked up slowly, palms toward the horse she reached his nose, gently placing one hand there while putting a second on his back. The stallion stiffened at that, calming as she ran her hand over his back. She kept her hand there, walking around to get to the tack, putting just the blanket on. And then she waited.
The stallion stiffened once again, jerking his head, but didn't do much more than that. Next she put the saddle on, just letting it sit. Spencer had watched over the past week or so as John worked with the horse, watching him strap the saddle on right away, pissing him off. And so she let it rest for a minute, watching him settle with the weight of the saddle.
After another minute she strapped it down, a notch loser then what her father had it at. She always remembered her mother telling her he strapped his horses too tight. The stallion didn't even resist as she did, letting her hold the reins and take him off the lead. Moving slowly, keeping eye contact with the horse, she pulled him out of the barn.
The others watched on as she put a hand over the stallion's heart, keeping eye contact.
"The hell is she doing?" Ryan asked, to no one in particular.
"She's letting him feel her," Rip stated, watching almost in awe. "Horse won't let you ride if he doesn't trust you."
Spencer took her hat off, leaning her forehead to the stallion's nose. When he didn't buck around she stood straight, walking around to mount him. She could feel all the eyes of the ranch on her, and she prayed she wasn't making a fool of herself.
"Don't let me down know Buck," she whispered to the stallion, throwing her weight over the saddle. She all but closed her eyes as she settled into the saddle, waiting for her weight to be flung around onto the ground. When she opened her eyes, however, she felt the steady beat of his heart on her calf.
"Alright Buck," she whispered as she patted his shoulder, "We'll take it slow, sound good?"
The stallion jerked his head around, as if to agree with her. Spencer smiled, flipping off her audience as she guided the horse to the rest of the wranglers.
"Well I'll be damned," Ryan laughed, "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Shit Ry, ain't nothing I won't try once," she laughed.
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"They're fightin' over there," Spencer said, not looking up from the stallion as she heard the groans and punches of the boys on the other side of the barn.
"I know Darlin', I just want one minute of peace," Rip laughed. It seemed every single one of the men had wanted their turn at irritating him today, and all he wanted was to stand around and watch his girl take care of horses.
"Fred is literally beating the piss out of Jimmy, if you don't go I will," Spencer quipped as she sent him a look.
Rip chuckled at the sight. "You are a devilish little creature, you know that?"
"That's what you like about me baby," she winked, nodding her head so he would finally check in on the hooligans.
Spencer watched as he meandered over, tutting as Fred threw Jimmy to the ground. Fred had stalked around Jimmy, not seeing Colby and Ryan back away as Rip walked up, picking the redheaded man up and throwing him to the ground with ease. Rip picked him up again, throwing Fred into the fence and barn wall as well. Spencer laughed to herself as Rip kept the man pinned to the ground, getting in his face about fighting. She heard Rip's voice getting louder and louder, so she finally joined.
"It was me!" Jimmy started to say, in between gasps for air. "I started it!
Spencer slammed her knee into Fred's back as he tried to get up, sending him face first into the dirt. "Little bitch."
"You know what this means?" Rip yelled, pointing to the bright red Y on Jimmy's chest, "It means don't fucking touch Fred! You don't fucking mess with him! Rest of you get out of here."
"I didn't start it," Fred says as he stands to his feet, "You heard him, he started it."
That caused Rip, Lloyd, and Spencer to turn back around. Lloyd moved first, snapping the whip in his hand into Fred's face. Rip went to start hitting him again, but Spencer stepped in. Her boot landed swiftly in Fred's stomach, causing him to double over. Before his head hits the ground though, she grabbed it, sending his temple into her knee. She held him up by his collar, like the dog he was behaving like, pulling her knife from the holster on her back.
"You touch one of my boys again, and I'll remind you who this fucking ranch belongs to, you understand me Fred?" Spencer seethed at the man, her voice dangerously low as she waited for a response. "I said do you fucking understand?"
The tip of her knife on his throat sent Fred scrambling to say yes. She threw him to the ground, laughing as he struggled to get to his feet. Spencer stood up, throwing her braid over her shoulder to see a look of fear in the faces of the branded men. Rip and Lloyd were used to the talk that Spencer threw, but sometimes the actions she backed it up with scared the ever-loving life out of them.
She didn't bother acknowledging the older men, turning her attention and her knife toward Jimmy. "You're part of the family now, don't you fucking forget it."
Jimmy gulped, nodding rapidly as he watched in awe while Spencer walked to the bunkhouse. The door slammed open as she walked in, the room falling silent as she took a chair from the table and sat. She quirked an eyebrow, waiting for someone to speak as Jimmy walked through the open door after her.
The bunkhouse seemed to still at that point, no one really sure what to do. That was the thing about Spencer, she rarely ever showed this side of her, always able to have Rip or Ryan, or hell even Lloyd close by. She didn't need to be scary or aggressive. But when she showed that off, everyone knew she meant business. They saw what she could do, with her hands, guns, even her words could send you walking.
Spencer was branded to the Dutton Ranch, by birth and by mark. And most of them had been around long enough to know what kind of trouble she could cause to earn something like that. So when she decided the law needed to be laid down, well, you'd have to be a damn fool to say otherwise.
"C'mon Jimmy, food's ready," she called, patting on the seat next to her, sending a look to Ryan. He got the memo, putting the bowl in his hand down at Jimmy's seat before going back for a new one for himself.
Jimmy sat slowly, uncomfortable with everyone watching him. Spencer stood back up once he sat.
"I'd get to bed early tonight boys," was all she said as she walked out the door.
Rip was standing just outside the bunkhouse, a smile growing on his face as he saw the terror on the wranglers' faces. He started walking with Spencer as she walked out, waiting until they were away from the bunkhouse before trying to speak. Spencer, however, had other plans.
"You best have your dancin' boots on tomorrow because Lord knows I need a break," Spencer stated, the look on her face completely serious forcing Rip to hold back laughter.
"Whatever you want Darlin'," he smiled as he pulled her into his arms. "It's your world, I'm just along for the ride."
author's note. I hope you're enjoying so far! Sorry for the filler, I'm having the worst writer's block trying to write the next chapter. Honestly if anyone has suggestions on what they want to see with the girls performing in town lmk!