Saturday
"So we got an hour set aside for you two, and then we'll just turn it over to our DJ," Kristy, the bar manager, told the girls as they walked around the dance hall Saturday morning. Spencer sent a flabbergasted look to Sawyer, who did her best to keep her friend contained.
Sawyer turned to Kristy, smacking Spencer on the hip as she did. "Your boss told us two hours. I mean we are the reason you're even getting this many people tonight. I'd hate to have to back out and bring our friends elsewhere."
"No one wants to listen to you hussies whining into a microphone for that long." Kristy scoffed at Sawyer before turning to leave. Sawyer huffed, raising a hand to tell Spencer she was allowed to talk.
"Kristy," Spencer stated firmly, waiting for the bottle blonde to turn back to her. "Now I know you think you're hot shit 'cause you married rich and work for funsies."
Spencer strolled toward Kristy as she talked, her wide hand movements and reputation for losing it was clearly making the girl nervous. "But let me remind you that one, the boob job you bought with the money your husband gave you 'cause he cheated is lopsided. And two, I could buy you, your husband, your husband's ranch, and this fucking bar without even batting a damn eye."
Kristy gulped as she backed into the bar, looking around for help. But as soon as Spencer had opened her mouth the rest of the staff walked away, knowing better than to mess with the Dutton redhead.
"Now you want us to play for an hour, fine by me." Spencer laughed as she reached behind Kristy, pulling a bottle of Bulleit from the bar. "But, you know my sister Beth right? I know she won't be too happy, and I'm already not happy. And well shit, I'd hate to have to ask her to help me redecorate this place tonight. Is that what you want Kristy? You want us to spruce the place up for ya?"
Kristy shook her head as her lip quivered, making Spencer laugh as she pulled the stopper from the bottle and took a swig. "Great, we'll see you tonight, two hours of singing as my pretty friend mentioned. It's been a hoot Krusty."
"I-it's Kristy."
"I said what I said."
Spencer turned to Sawyer and shot her a grin, which made the blonde shake her head. Sawyer was very much becoming the sugar to Spencer's spice, playing the good cop before sending in the fucking tornado that was Spencer Dutton. But she laughed as she locked arms with the redhead, hollering back to Kristy a goodbye as Spencer took the bottle with them.
"You're a crazy fucking bitch!" Sawyer laughed loudly as the pair walked out of the bar.
Spencer stopped walking, fully turning toward her friend. "You absolutely loved that don't even fucking lie. And you're my sister now. Whatever you want, well that's what you got me for."
Spencer looked down to the sidewalk as she finished, feeling beyond corny and pathetic as she spoke. Of course she meant it, Sawyer had constantly been at her side since they met one another. Currently she was the most constant thing in Spencer's life. But what Spencer didn't know was that Sawyer felt the same about their friendship.
"I love you too Spence," Sawyer smiled as she pulled the redhead into a hug. "Now save some of that bourbon for me, we're gonna need it while we get ready."
The girls had agreed to get ready at Greenquest, mostly because Spencer wanted nothing to do with her family at the moment. Her father was trying to force Monica and Kayce to move back to the ranch after Kayce got arrested; Beth was trying to sleep with Dan, and Rip brought back a God awful new hand from state prison. Plus John was trying to work an angle on Monica to get her off the reservation that Spencer didn't agree with, even if it was better for their family. It seemed that anything and everything that could be going against Spencer's family was, and she didn't know how to help. She was good for two things on the ranch, wrangling cattle and making problems disappear. So all the commotion that was occurring was out of her league, leaving her to focus on a task that Beth had taken upon herself to fix.
Greenquest Estate Ranch was one of the newest big time ranches in the state of Montana. Where Yellowstone had its roots firmly settled in their seventh generation, Greenquest and the Taylor's were only on their third. But that didn't stop the ranch from continuing to sprawl on the other side of Bozeman. And the Taylor's were good people. Grant Taylor was born and raised in town, and his wife Ella was from Billings. But the largest difference between the Dutton's and the Taylor's was their children. The Taylor family wasn't tied to their ranch in the way the Dutton's were, which had never really made sense to Spencer. Her whole family had been born on the ranch, and were buried on the ranch, and the cycle continued. But Sawyer and Jackson had been encouraged to leave Montana, see the world outside of Bozeman. In some ways Spencer wished she had the same push from her father, but in many ways she was glad she was able to stay on the ranch.
"Afternoon Mrs. Taylor," Spencer greeted as she walked through the kitchen door with Sawyer. She hugged the woman before waving to Grant who had walked in as well.
"I know you did not just Mrs me," Ella feigned shock. "Just call me Ella, Lord knows my mother-in-law is rollin' in her grave hearing you call me Mrs."
"Yes ma'am."
Ella shot Spencer a look before a smile broke over her face. Mrs. Taylor hadn't been raised in the world of Bozeman and its formalities. In many ways she reminded Spencer of her own mother in that way.
"Spencer, Sarge," Jackson greeted as he entered the kitchen. Sawyer rolled her eyes at the nickname that her brother had come up with in their childhood.
Spencer chuckled at the girl, "Hey it's better than Tiny."
"Fair point," Sawyer agreed, "Okay we're going to get ready, no one bug us thank you!"
The girls ran up the stairs like highschoolers excited for their first big dance. But it was an exciting moment for both of them. Neither had planned on getting any recognition for their musical abilities, leaning into bigger passions early on in life. Yet here they were, getting ready for a concert- albeit it a small one- because people wanted to hear them.
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Spencer and Sawyer arrived at the bar an hour before they were supposed to start performing, the goal to set up and do a small sound check before they got started. It seemed Kristy had gone home not feeling well after they left, which made Spencer and Sawyer share a look and chuckle.
"That poor girl is terrified!" Sawyer whispered.
Spencer merely shrugged. "It was all true honey, ain't my fault she got scared."
"Who'd you scare this time Darlin'?" Rip asked as he and Ryan walked up to the girls. John had been kind enough to let Rip leave the ranch early, and Ryan all but begged Rip to let him come with him. From the wide-eyed look the boy had when he saw Sawyer, Rip figured out why real quick.
"The poor bar manager. Spence scared the shit outta the girl this morning," Sawyer laughed. "Hi Ryan."
"H-Hi," he stuttered, causing Spencer to bust into laughter.
"Ryan close your mouth you look like a fucking imbecile," she continued to laugh as she patted her friend on the back before turning to Rip. "I thought you were gonna be late?"
"Guess there are a few perks to your father findin' out," Rip smiled, pulling Spencer into him. Spencer tipped Rip's hat back, pulling him closer with her other hand as she stood on her toes to kiss him. Rip's hands circled around her waist, bringing her even closer.
"I need at least four shots to get that image out of my brain," Ryan complained, reaching out a hand to Sawyer who took it gladly and the pair were off to the bar.
"I thought they were never gonna leave," Rip whispered into Spencer's ear which caused the girl to giggle.
She stood up straight, pushing out of Rip's arms quickly, however, when she saw her father walking in with Kayce and Monica. And Kayce looked pissed. Spencer sent a look to Rip as if to say sorry, and he nodded in understanding. Rather than deal with the wrath of Spencer's twin, Rip headed for the bar with the promise of bringing something back for the girl.
"Looks pretty busy in here Tiny," John stated as he walked up, enjoying the discomfort on his daughter's face for a moment. "I'm proud of you kiddo."
Spencer lit up at that, a feeling of relief washing over her that she didn't know she needed. "Thanks Daddy. I didn't think you two were gonna be able to make it Mon!"
"I didn't think we would either, but your father insisted." Monica smiled, although Spencer could tell it was forced. "But we're excited to be here to support you, right Kayce?"
Kayce only nodded as he heard his name, his attention locked on Rip who was at the bar. The man in question started his walk back, holding his breath as he walked up, nodding a hello to everyone as he handed Spencer her drink.
"Sir," Rip looked to John.
"Cut the bullshit Rip, you're dating my daughter,"John laughed as he smacked Rip lightly on the shoulder. Rip nodded and laughed, relaxing slightly.
"Dating?" Kayce asked in shock.
Spencer looked to Rip who nodded, which made her smile. She nodded to her brother, who continued to look agitated.
"Spence, it's time!" Sawyer called as she walked back over, having watched enough of the awkward conversation from the bar. Relief spread over Spencer, whispering a thank you to her friend as her family found a spot just off the dance floor.
"Good evening folks!" James, the bar owner, called into the microphone, getting the attention of everyone there. "I wanna thank y'all for coming out tonight and joining us. We are very excited to have two of Bozeman's talented individuals up here for you tonight! So without further ado, I give you Spencer Hope and Sawyer Grace!"
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The night went off without a hitch, much to the relief of both Sawyer and Spencer. Between their own songs and the covers they did almost everyone in the bar had been dancing at one point or another. Spencer had seen Dan Jenkins walk in at some point, her sister immediately tracking him down. But the man still seemed to have fun and enjoy.
"We wanted to thank y'all for joining us tonight!" Sawyer said as she handed her guitar off to the stage manager. "I hope you had as much fun as we did!"
"Now let's keep the party going!" Spencer continued before her and Sawyer bowed to the applause from the bar.
As they walked down the stairs the girls were met with applause and handshakes from those who had been dancing. Eventually they made it to their friends and family, all of whom were impressed with the performance.
"I'm leaving before I see something I don't want to," John laughed to his daughter as he looked between her and Rip. "Don't get my wranglers back too late Rip."
"Yes sir."
As soon as John was through the front door Spencer grabbed Rip and Sawyer took Ryan, pulling the boys onto the dance floor. Now that they were done singing for the night, all the girls wanted was to drink and dance the night away.
At the first of many breaks, Jackson took it upon himself to introduce his friends to Spencer, Rip, and Ryan, who seemed more than content with having Sawyer on his arm all night.
"This is Jack, Erin, Dustin, and my best friend Cole," Jackson ran down the line as he pointed to each. Jack looked like your basic transplant, hair in that awkward stage of grow out and crystal blue eyes that had been wide since the moment he walked in. Erin had this quiet but fierce nature to her, likely from spending all her time around a pack of boys. And it was easy to tell Cole was the wild child, his charming smile landing on every lady in sight. But it was Dustin that Spencer couldn't get a good read on. He seemed to exude this aura of thinking he was better than everyone, but he kept it contained. And there was something that didn't sit right with Spencer, just lingering under the facade that Dustin seemed to have.
"You girls were amazing tonight," Erin congratulated, causing Sawyer and Spencer to smile brightly at her.
Sawyer perked up at the song that began to play over the stereo system. "Spence, we have to dance. This is my favorite song!"
Spencer deadpanned at the blonde, "You've said that about six different songs tonight. I'll dance, but this is getting ridiculous!"
The rest of the group laughed, most of them following the girls to the dance floor while Ryan and Rip hung back with the rest of the wranglers.
It was a while later, when Sawyer started smacking Spencer's arm, gaining the redhead's attention when it started to become painful.
"What the fu-"
"Girls." Was all Sawyer said, pointing off toward the bar. Spencer followed her eye line, unhappy with what she saw.
Some girls had walked up to Rip and Ryan, both of which looked mighty uncomfortable but too polite to say anything as they waited for their drinks. Spencer and Sawyer watched, stares boring holes into the back of the girls heads. For some reason Rip pointed toward Spencer, causing the brunette standing in front of him to face Spencer. The brunette seemed less than impressed based on the look she sent Spencer before turning back to Rip.
"I'm gonna kill her," Spencer stated, the calm in her voice startling Sawyer who ran after the girl.
"I got her friend," Sawyer smirked as she watched the blonde talking to Ryan put her hand on his chest.
"Can we help you ladies?" Spencer asked as they walked up, gaining the girls' attention. "I didn't know they let hookers in here."
"And whose this?" The brunette asked Rip, like he hadn't just pointed Spencer out.
"Aw, sweetie, if you don't get your hands off my man I'm gonna cut them off you." Spencer's tone was sickly sweet, a sugar coated smile to match. The brunette faltered for a moment, turning toward her friend who was clearly behind this.
"Don't even fucking try," Sawyer laughed as she got in the blonde's face who was trying to speak.
"Well aren't you two just a ray of sunshine," the brunette joked. "You didn't tell me your friends were so funny!"
She put her hand back on Rip's arm, and Spencer saw red. She grabbed the girl's arm, twisting it hard as she shoved the girl to the ground. The brunette fell with a force, crying out as she hit the ground.
"She did say to take your hands off," Rip offered the brunette as she laid on the ground in shock. "I swear they walked up to us Darlin'."
Ryan nodded aggressively, making the girls laugh. Sawyer had seen the whole thing, but they also knew the boys well enough to know they wouldn't be that stupid.
The blonde decided it would be a good time to stick up for her friend. She let out a yell, gaining Sawyer's attention as the blonde ran at her. Sawyer stepped to the side, pulling the girl's hair, causing her momentum to take her to the ground as well. A few of the bouncer's had been walking past, a not so perfect time for Sawyer to be putting the girl in her place.
"You're done," the first security guard stated as he stared hard at Sawyer.
She turned to Spencer, smiling sweetly, making the red head roll her eyes. "Look, she ran at my friend here, a case of self-defense would hold up well in court."
"Oh no, you're both done," the shorted bouncer laughed, "The boss doesn't care that you performed. He hoped you would go calmly."
Spencer tutted, "See, Frank, if we go, the whole bar's gonna leave. I'd suggest maybe picking the hookers up off the ground and maybe getting a free escort for your hard work."
"Your name doesn't carry weight here Ms Dutton. Please do not make me call the cops."
Spencer felt Rip tense up behind her, the bouncer putting his hand to the taser on his belt. "I would recommend taking your hand off your belt. I'd hate to cause a scene."
Rip had signaled to Lloyd and the rest of the wranglers who had stayed behind. They had circled up behind the bouncers, leaving them no way to flee the situation that had started uninjured. Even Jackson and his friends had perked up as the confrontation began, ready to jump in if needed. Frank, the shorter one, and his partner looked between themselves, raising their hands slowly which caused the sea of cowboys to part down the middle.
"I was getting bored anyway," Sawyer pouted to Ryan. "Let's bring this party home?"
The rest of the group seemed to agree, although the only thing Spencer wanted to do was go to bed. After Ryan swore up and down the Bible that he would be at work in the morning, Rip blessed his leaving with Sawyer, making Spencer chuckle at the interaction.
As the couple walked out to Rip's truck, Spencer leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Bring me home and lay me down cowboy."
Rip felt his body go numb for a moment, the drop in Spencer's voice as she spoke stirring something inside. He nodded quickly, unwilling to trust his words as he hurried Spencer into the truck and shut the door behind her. Spencer smiled lightly, amused at how her words were affected her man of few emotions.
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author's note. Hi! So no idea if anyone cares, but these are the songs I was listening to (in no particular order) for inspiration for this chapter! Also not sure how I feel about this one so let me know if you like it or not. And last little note, just a picture below of who I'm picturing when I take about Jackson and his friends for future reference :)
Another Man's Jeans (Ashe)
Drunk (Elle King & Miranda Lambert)
I Only Date Cowboys (Kylie Morgan)
Cowboy Casanova (Carrie Underwood)
Geraldine (Miranda Lambert)
Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Little Big Town)
Here For The Party (Gretchen Wilson)
America's Sweetheart (Elle King)
Church (T-Pain)... it's a line dancing song, if you're interested!
Fake ID (Big & Rich)