cowboy

34

Lacey started saddling up Bernie when she heard a quiet curse come from behind her. Lacey turns to see Carter standing there mentally beating himself up.

"Hi Carter." Lacey says gently, the past few days he's been on the ranch she's tried to show him kindness knowing none of the workers or her fiancé does.

"Hi Miss Lacey." Carter says still frowning as he was starting to get to work. Lacey sighs and walks over to him leaning against the pillar watching him shovel up horse shit into the wheel barrel.

"You know, Rip used to be late all the time to the barn when he first started. And he lived in it." Lacey days. Carter turns to her with a shocked look on his face and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"You'll get used to it, but I'm really proud how hard you've worked." Lacey says before going back to Bernie and rising him out of the barn to meet Kayce who was waiting for her.

"You sure you want to come with?" Kayce asks Lacey.

"Yeah, you're right. We don't know how much longer we have to do this." Lacey says sadly. Kayce nods his head and when their dad came out on his horse they gave him a smile.

"I feel like you two are questioning my riding skills." John says looking at his youngest children.

"Daddy there's a lot of things I question in life, but your riding skills ain't one of them." Lacey says smiling at her dad. John smiles at his daughters words and the three start riding to the woods.

*

When it was lunch time Lacey had been with Ryan and Colby watching Travis and his horses, she listened as they bickered back and forth like an old married couple. Colby tried to insult Ryan but it didn't make any sense which made her burst out laughing. Ryan followed Lacey in the laughter and Colby flipped them off mumbling under his breath.

"Lace we should get you on one of those bad boys." Ryan says wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you crazy? I would die." Lacey says to Ryan. Ryan shrugs his shoulders and Lacey shrugs his arm off glaring at him.

"Travis, please let me ride one horse, please." Ryan pleads as Travis comes over.

"Sure for three hundred thousand dollars." Travis says making Lacey laugh lightly under her breath.

"The only person I'd let ride is Lacey, she's not an idiot like you all are." Travis says. Lacey smiles proudly at Ryan and he shoves her away from him.

"Is the cripple ready?" Travis asks.

"What did you call him?" Mia asks protectively. Lacey didn't want to get in the middle of this, but she could tell Mia was pissed off.

"Jerry?" Travis asks looking at Lacey.

"Jimmy." Lacey corrects. Travis nods his head mumbling Jimmys name again before he started talking about where he was driving everyone once they leave the Yellowstone. Lacey turns to look for Rip and she frowned when she saw Beth yelling something to Rip before walking away and Carter following her.

"You need to go check on that?" Ryan asks noticing the same thing. Lacey shakes her head knowing that her fiancé can handle Beth himself, wouldn't be the first time that it's happened.

"Want to go eat?" Colby asks Lacey.

"Fuck yeah, Im starving." Lacey says following behind Colby as he and Lacey make their way to the bunk house for lunch left overs. There was still food out on the picnic table and Lacey started plating her food Colby following beside her.

"Gator sure out did himself today." Colby says sitting down, Lacey sitting across from him.

"Yeah well that's what happens when Travis is in town." Lacey says happily eating her burger. She hasn't eaten all day and she was starving, Colby laughed at how fast she was eating.

"Slow down Lace, there's more food." Colby says. Lacey nods her head slowing down eating, Colby eating his burger as well.

Rip walks over and kisses the top of Lacey's head before sitting beside her, he grabs a piece of her bread eating it. Lacey didn't care she just continued talking wedding ideas with Colby, who seemed just as interested in it as Lacey was.

"You know I was thinking, that we could build another barn. And have your wedding there, I've seen a lot of people doin it." Colby says and Lacey listens intently to what he was saying. Rip didn't care where they got married, they wouldn't even be legally married because he technically didn't exist. But as long as he had Lacey that's all that mattered to him.

*

When night time came, Lacey and Rip were in the foreman cabin. Rip was drinking whiskey on the couch while Lacey was sewing one of his shirts he had ripped earlier that week.

"Darlin?"

Lacey hummed focusing on his shirt to make sure she got the hole fixed up. Rip sighs and sets his whiskey down before pulling her to his lap. Lacey drops his shirt and smiles at him as he rests his hands gently on her hips.

"You sure you're okay marrying me?" Rip asks.

"What are you askin me? Of course I am okay marrying you." Lacey says quickly, she was now starting to get scared that he was having second thoughts.

"I... I can't go to the court house, we can't be legally married." Rip explains. Lacey sighs and she rests her hands on his chest her thumbs rubbing circles there.

"Cowboy I don't care about a stupid piece of paper, what I care about is you and me growing old together and raising our family." Lacey says looking into Rips blue eyes.

"My only request is that you out live me, because I don't think I can live in a world without you in it." Lacey whispers. Rip smiles at her words and rests a hand on her cheek, the amount of love he had for her terrified him, but he knew he couldn't promise her that.

"I can't promise you that. I am ten years older." Rip jokes making Lacey laugh at him. Their age gap didn't bother Lacey, she always was attracted to older men, but she did love making the jokes about him being an old man every once in a while.

"That is true, guess we gotta start our family sooner than later." Lacey says and she meant it more as a joke but when Rip smiled fondly at her the smile on her face softened.

"Lacey May I told you that when you're ready, so will I." Rip says. Lacey nods her head and leans in to kiss Rip slowly. Rip pulled Lacey closer and she moaned into his mouth, but the two broke apart when her phone started to ring. Rip grabs it from her back pocket grumbling while she answers it.

"Monica are you okay?"

"C-can i stay with you tonight. Please?"

Lacey sighs and gets off Rips lap making him frown. Lacey points to closet where the extra sheets and blankets were and Rip nods his head getting up.

"Of course, is Tate coming too?" Lacey asks slipping on a pair of sandals so she could meet Monica up at the house.

"No, just me." Monica says sniffling through the phone.

"Okay, I'll come meet you up there so you don't have to walk alone." Lacey says hanging up the phone. She turns to Rip who was setting the couch up and he gives her a small smile.

"I'll take the couch tonight, you and Monica can have the bed." He says.
Lacey walks over to him kissing his cheek gently before thanking him and leaving the cabin to get to the house.