Lipstick and Branding

Chapter One: Daddy

"Hi, Daddy."  That was the first thing Genevieve had said to her father in over six years. As soon as she was eighteen, she left the family's ranch and has not been back since.

John Dutton turned with great force; almost causing him whiplash; tears staining his aged face. "Ginni..."

       John didn't call his youngest. He should have, but she had been too busy with work and school. Beth had more availability, and their father didn't approve of Ginni's studies. They had gotten into a heated argument the night before she left for school.

'I will never have a drug dealer as a daughter.'  Would echo in her head for months after she left. But she knew studying the medical benefits of marijuana was something that she held close to her heart. Montana didn't have any programs that specialized in the study of behavioral neuroscience and social psychology that pertained directly to the effect of cannabinoids.

"How are you, Daddy?" Ginni didn't know what to say to him. Her sister called her from the ranch to inform her their oldest brother died. Beth left a week before, leaving her youngest sister in the bustling city of Salt Lake. Blue eyes reflected her mother's, as she watched her father slowly walk around the stallion and pull her small frame into a hug.

"I need you here, more than ever." Her father whispered in her hair. " I cannot do this, any of this, without you."

"I'm here." With that her father did the one thing she would never think to see, John Dutton breaking down into a heart-crushing sob. Not in her twenty-six years, she has seen him even shed a tear. This caused Ginni's heart to grow heavy, opening the floodgates that held back all the emotions she had felt since she received that phone call. She had not spoken to Lee since her birthday. He called her to wish her another trip around the sun and that Mom would be so proud of the woman she had become, no matter how much Dad disapproved of her career path in medicine. He called to keep everything updated on the ranch, and how dad's health was doing. She still cared and she missed everyone terribly.

Now, Lee is gone.

       Genevieve awoke early the next morning. The sun hadn't peaked above the mountains, breaking the darkness enough to show a beautiful cerulean painted above her. She slid on a pair of dusty black Levi's with a black and purple flannel shirt over a royal purple bra. Ginni slid on a pair of black Tecovas before heading out of the room her father allowed her to stay in and making her way down to the kitchen. It looked like Gator hadn't made his way up from the bunkhouse to start making coffee and breakfast, so Ginni made the initiative to make the brew. Extra strong, just the way the Duttons like it. To be honest, this was weak compared to the coffee she would get at home, Death Wish Coffee was usually in her cupboard. But she did not anticipate staying for long.

     After the java was brewed and in a mug, Ginni decided to walk down to the bunkhouse and get the wranglers up. They haven't met her yet, so they don't know who she is, aside from Gator, Rip, and Lloyd. So it would be a great joy to show them what a real Ya'lternative female is. It was still rather quiet on the ranch, just the distant sound of the cattle and horses in the barn. This was perfect.

Rip was coming close behind her before she could get down the hill.

"Hey! Who the fuck are you?" His voice was low enough not to alert anyone, but still threatening.

With a devious smirk, Ginni turned on her heels, careful enough not to spill the precious liquid in the cup.

"Well, I do declare... if it isn't Rip Wheeler, I was hoping you could point the way to the naked cowboy show. I was told this was the place to find some fine young stallions. But I don't see any sexy cowboys." It took every inch of Ginni not to laugh. She adored Rip, he was older than her, but he treated her like one of the boys, if not better. Shit, there are days he treats her better than Beth and they've been fucking since they were teenagers.