Spencer Hope Dutton. Tiny. The youngest of the Dutton household, if only by a few minutes. She swore those few minutes after Kayce popped out were the only moments of peace she had in life...
Now Spencer's family is being pushed to the brink and her...
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Spencer couldn't remember the last time she had felt this numb. When Lee died she had felt the ache push through every part of her. Every movement she took, the pain had wrapped around her. Now all she felt was stillness. And not in a calm way. No. No now all she felt was... nothing.
She had a feeling Rip's motives hadn't been his own, that they hadn't been orchestrated by his own accord, but this? Reliant or not she was her own person. She didn't need her father- or Rip for that matter- fighting her battles for her. And if her father had really cared about giving her the ranch, he would have known that.
"You ready?" Sawyer asked after she knocked to announce her presence. Spencer only nodded, not able to trust herself to speak while still under this roof. For all the good memories her home held, there were plenty of bad moments to outweigh them. And she never thought she would join her siblings in walking away.
Ryan sat on the fence by the truck. He knew there would be hell to pay in the morning for what he was about to do; but he knew both of the girls needed this. Sawyer had been a ghost of herself for months, and Spencer had fallen so quickly down that hole after her. He was scared of what would happen if they stayed at Yellowstone one more day. How much of them would really be left at the end of this fight.
He looked up as the girls approached, a sad smile on his face as they loaded their bags into the bed of the truck and sat in the back.
"Ready?" He asked as he turned the engine over. He glanced through the rearview mirror, taking in the solemn faces of the girls and knew his answer.
Sawyer knew they were walking into the belly of the beast when they pulled down the driveway. She also knew, however, that Dan Jenkins posed the smallest threat to both the girls and their families. And living alone, even for a short amount of time, would leave them too vulnerable. Especially if the Beck's were circling. She shook Spencer awake next to her, the redhead had finally fallen asleep for the first time in days it seemed. Spencer shook violently, gathering her bearings quickly and heading for the front door.
She stopped, turning back to Ryan with letters in her hand. "Wait a day before you give them these, please. I- thank you Ryan. You'd be my best friend if it weren't for Sawyer."
Ryan smiled brightly as he pulled Spencer into his arms. "I'll be second best to her anyday Sunshine. You let me know when you're ready to come home, alright?"
Spencer only nodded against his chest, squeezing him tight for a moment before walking away and not looking back. She knew Sawyer needed his time more than her. Once she was inside though, all she felt was the growing pit of despair as she watched Ryan and Sawyer. She knew Sawyer could have stayed at the ranch, she didn't need to be here. She could have stayed with Ryan, but instead chose to follow Spencer. And Spencer felt selfish for it, for pulling the two of them apart like this. She did her best to pull back her tears as Sawyer approached, but it was useless. All she had lost in two days, and all she had asked her best friends to let go of, was eating away at her soul.
Sawyer could see the guilt written across Spencer's face as she walked to her. "I want to be here just as much as he wants me to be here Spence. We love you, don't you forget that."
Spencer didn't respond, the tears only falling faster as Sawyer wrapped her up. Her sobs grew as the truck pulled away, leaving them in the middle of Paradise Valley.
Rip shuttered awake as he heard a truck pull down the drive. He stood quickly, pulling his boots on as he ran out the door. He didn't care that it was hours before he needed to be awake, didn't care that he disturbed half the bunkhouse. He needed to know she was okay.
"Where is she?" Rip did his best to hold back his emotions, to keep his voice level as he saw Ryan step out of the truck.
"She's safe," was all Ryan gave him, although his expression mirrored Rip's. He had helped them walk away, aided them in leaving. And he had left his heart with a supposed enemy.
Rip felt his knees buckle, but he didn't stop himself from falling to the ground. He could feel the gravel biting into his knees through his pants, could feel the pat of Ryan's hand on his back. But he felt his world shatter in his hands.
John had woken up to the sound of the front door closing, and he knew what had happened. Had watched his daughter leave under the cover of night. And he didn't stop her, even when he watched her turn to look at his bedroom one last time.
The reality of it didn't set in until he saw Rip fall to his knees. A man he had known to be stronger than himself, broken by his actions. The world seemed to have shifted as the girls left the ranch, John felt it just as well as the rest of them. His own supposed control had left him with none. His ripple was beginning to grow into a wave he could no longer control, at no one's fault but his own.
"I'm sorry son." That was all he could give Rip as he walked past him. He couldn't even stop to look at the hurt that was rolling down Rip's face, knowing it was his fault.
John wasn't sure what he would lose first.. The ranch or himself.
