Sixteen-year-old Spencer is used to being invisible - the outcast girl with stitched-up arms, a skull-crowned black hat, and scars no one wants to talk about. After being left behind on her grandfather's neighboring ranch and blamed for the violent death of her parents, Spencer has learned to keep her head down, trust no one, and survive alone.
But everything begins to shift when the Dutton crew arrives for branding season. Rip, Lloyd, Walker, and the rest of the Yellowstone ranch hands slowly unravel the walls she's built, one hard-earned moment at a time. As the truth of her past begins to surface - including a devastating betrayal by her brother - Spencer must face the pain she's buried, the fear she's lived with, and the question she's never dared to ask: What if she's worth saving after all?
⚠️ Trigger Warning:
This story contains themes of childhood trauma, sexual assault, self-harm, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and emotional abuse. Reader discretion is strongly advised. The story is written with sensitivity and care, and focuses on healing, chosen family, and survival.
Eighteen-year-old Natalie has lived through more loss and violence than most men on the Yellowstone ranch could imagine. Orphaned at five, scarred and branded with the names of the foster sisters she couldn't save, Natalie has carved out a place for herself as foreman of her grandfather's ranch. With her loyal service dog Blade at her side, she's as tough in the branding pen as she is in the rodeo arena.
When the Dutton crew comes to help with branding season, they find more than long days and hard work-they find Natalie. A girl who carries her past on her skin, who leads with grit, intelligence, and scars that tell a story none of them expected.
But Natalie's ghosts aren't done with her. As Sheriff Haskell-who once saved her life-pulls her into a case tied to her past, Natalie must decide if she'll let the pain consume her, or fight for the life, family, and future she deserves.
A gritty, emotional Yellowstone fanfiction about survival, scars, and the strength it takes to carry the weight of memory.