Cowboy Take Me Away

Chapter 7

"What are you two doing out here this time of night?" Rip asked, almost glaring at us. Ryan, to his credit, did not drop my hand.

"I wanted to see Kayce's horse," I replied.

"And you?" Rip turned to Ryan.

"I was headed back to the bunkhouse when I saw her come in. I just wanted to make sure she didn't need help," Ryan said.

"Charlie, I'm not stupid," Rip said, letting out a wry chuckle. "I know you've been sneaking around. I remembered him from the bar right before he started here."

Ryan and I glanced at each other quickly before turning back to Rip. "Does everyone know?" I asked, tightening my grip on Ryan's hand.

"All the cowboys know, except maybe Jimmy. I know Lee knew. To my knowledge, your father doesn't know," Rip explained.

"Does he really have to?" I asked.

"Only if this becomes a problem." He gestured between the two of us.

"I'm not going to cause any problems," Ryan replied. "We're both adults."

"No one means to cause problems. Sometimes, shit happens. Just know, I might call on you for some extra help around the ranch," Rip smiled.

It didn't seem like Rip knew how much I was aware of his relationship with Beth, and I wasn't about to let him abuse Ryan. "Seems like a little bit of a double standard, Rip." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean, Charlie?" he asked.

"I think we should continue this conversation, just the two of us," I replied, not wanting to out his secret, even though he held mine in the palm of his hand.

"Alright, Ryan, head back to the bunkhouse," Rip nodded.

"It's okay," I replied when Ryan looked to me for confirmation.

"I'll see you in the morning," he nodded, squeezing my hand, before leaving us.

"What are you going on about?" Rip asked when we were alone.

"I've known about you and Beth for well over a decade, and I've kept my mouth shut. I would never do that to either of you. Is it too much to ask for the same amount of respect?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Rip closed his eyes and let out a long frustrated sigh before looking back down at me. "Does he make you happy?"

"Very. He's a good man, Rip. Give him a chance, and don't abuse him."

"I'll give him a chance for you, but if he hurts you, I will handle that problem my way," Rip warned. "And you have to keep it professional while others are around, or your father will figure it out."

"We're not stupid either," I smiled. "Lee admitted that he knew about us. He gave me shit for catching us in the barn about a week or so ago."

"You aren't subtle at all," Rip teased as we walked back to the house.

"Neither are you!"

He laughed, and gently pushed me toward the house. "Go to bed. We've got an early start in the morning."

"When don't we?" I asked, heading up the stairs. I pushed open the front door. The living room was empty, and I didn't meet anyone on my way to my room. I changed, and got settled into my bed. I sent Ryan a message that he didn't have anything to worry about.

...

The next morning, I started my day, checking on some of our cows that were pregnant, and could go into labor any day now. They all checked out and were doing fine. When I was done, I headed back to the barn so I could grab my horse.