The Other Sister

12

Lucy woke up to her phone ringing. "Hello?" She answered, her voice groggy. "I need you. Be outside in ten," Rip's voice said through the line and hung up before she could answer. Lucy groaned and got up, getting herself ready. She sat on the front porch waiting for Rip. He rode up in a utv. "Come on, darlin!" He called. Lucy begrudgingly stood up and walked over to him. She climbed into the passenger seat and Rip took off. "You better have a good reason for this," she said. "I do, I promise." Lucy relaxed on the ride but froze at the sight before her. "Holy shit," she breathed out. Hundreds of cows laid dead in the fields before her. She quickly got out. "What happened?!" She asked Rip as he followed her. "Someone put clover in our field," he told her. Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Have you called Dad?" She asked, not wanting to be here to see his reaction. Kayce was standing a few feet away and told her that he called Jamie, who was with dad. Lucy nodded and scanned her eyes over the mounds of cows. Her heart constricted at the suffering they went through. "Are any still alive?" She asked. Rip shook his head. "We've saved a couple but that's about it." Lucy didn't understand why someone would do this. She did, but she didn't understand why letting these innocent animals suffer and die was a win in someone's book. Lucy walked with Rip through the field, double checking that there were none still alive. After seeing dead cow after dead cow and the stench of death starting to permeate the air as the warm morning sun beat down, Lucy felt her stomach churn. She stilled, begging her body to allow the wave of nausea to go away, but it was no use. She groaned and leaned forward into a nearby bush, the banana she had eaten before Rip picked her up, was now coming back out. "Shit, Lucy! Are you alright?" Rip rushed over to her. She took deep breaths, regaining control before she nodded. "I'm okay." Rip looked at her then turned his head as his name was called. "Come on, honey. Your dad's here." Lucy grabbed onto Rip's hand as he guided her back up to the top of the hill. "I've got the sheriff on the way. I don't want anyone in this field. I don't even want a bird landing on it! This is a damn crime scene!" Her father was on one and she knew he would be. They couldn't afford to lose this much cattle. "Take me back to the house," Lucy begged Rip.
***
Since resigning from the hospital and her vet program not starting up yet, John was making her sit through their meeting with Cassidy Reid, explaining to Lucy that it was good for her to learn about the political side to running a ranch. She had just rolled her eyes, but she found herself sitting on the couch listening to random talk she had no idea about. "Well, you should also want to avoid a hearing on the livestock commission raid on reservation land," Cassidy suggests to them. Lucy had been wondering how long it would be until Beth started acting like an ass. "I was wondering...could Jamie be culpable if he "knew" that a crime was going to be committed beforehand..?" Beth asked Cassidy who started at her slightly taken back. 'About 2 minutes,' Lucy thought. Beth was shut down by her father and he proceeded to invite Cassidy to stay for dinner. Lucy groaned internally and shot Beth a look, wanting out of it. Beth just smirked and shook her head no. Lucy pouted as she followed her father into the dining room. Lucy got annoyed when Beth jacked up their seating chart and now she had to sit next to this lady she barely knew. Lucy got even more annoyed when Beth kept stabbing Jamie with her knife. Lucy slouched down in her seat and kicked Beth under the table. Beth glared at her sister who glared right back. She stabbed Jamie harder, not once taking her eyes off her little sister. Jamie had gotten up and stormed out. Lucy rolled her eyes at how her sister always had to act tougher than everyone else.
***
"You smell like smoke," Lucy remarked as Rip climbed in her window. "That's because I just had to burn the field so the clover don't come back next season." Lucy smirked slightly. "And my father was with you? And he didn't notice you sneaking into his house?" She teased. Rip just shrugged. "Not to my knowledge." Lucy just chuckled. "Go shower. You are not getting into my clean bed smelling like that!" Rip cracked a smile. "Will you come shower with me?" He asked. "I thought you'd never ask," she replied with a grin.