Always

Us?

   It's been a week and someone put clover  in the fields, killing most of our cattle. Me and rip had been normal nothing new and nothing different. We had to burn the field. Rip took care of the brothers. I was up on the roof drinking whiskey.
  "Shit." I hear someone behind me say. I turn back and it's rip trying to get up." I knew I would find you up here."
   "You were looking for me?" I ask.
   " Yeah, a lot has happened figured you would be up here kinda thinking about it all."
    "You know me so well." I say laughing as he comes and  sits next to me.
    "How are you doing?" He asks
    "I am fine." I say back.
     "It's cold Oakley." He says taking off his jacket and putting it around me.
     "Thank you." I say sighing.
      "What's wrong?" He says rubbing my arm.
     "I am just kind of confused."
    "About what darlin."
     " about this, about us."
      Rip took a big breath. "I know, well I guess I don't know really."
    "Like is there an us?"
    "Would you like there to be?" He asked me.
    "Yeah, I think I would, but do you want a us?" I say back
    "Yes darlin I would." He says putting a finger under my chin and turning my head to look at him.  He closed the space in between us and I pulled his hat up just enough so we kissed. I pull back and smile.
    "Rip, can we just lay and watch the stars?" He nodded and layed back against the roof, I layed back next to him cuddling up in his arms.
   "This make you happy?" He asked.
    "More then anything, I think every night about if Lee would be proud of me and the choices I make for the ranch."
    "Darlin, Lee was proud of you then and he would be amazed by you now." I look up at rip and smile. If this was every night I would die happy.
    "I love you, rip."
    " I love you to Oakley."

___________________________________________

After a while I went inside and rip went to the foremans house.
   "He said it didn't he?" Beth said scarying me again.
    "God damn Beth, said what?"
    "Said I love you."
    I took a breath. " Yeah, yeah he did."
     "And you said it back?"
   "Yeah,I did." I say smiling.
    "I am so fucken proud of you come here, drink. " She said smiling back.
     I took a seat next to her and she poured me a drink. We just sat there and drank. Intill our dad came down the stairs.
    "Well the Hell are you two doing up so late." He asked.
    "Celebrating." Beth says and I kick her leg under the table.
    "Celebrating, what?"
    "Nothing." I say back. He walks over to the table and pours himself a drink.
    "Oh no please I would love to know." He says. I look at Beth and slightly shake my head.
    "Oakleys got a boyfriend." Beth says
    "BETH." I yell.
     "Opps sorry." She laughed
     "Oakley, what?" He asks "who?"
      "No one, no one at all." I say back panicked.
      "Alright, you know your going to have to tell me one day, as long as it's no wranglers we should be fine."
     "It's not a um wrangler,its more of a foreman." I say scrunched my face.
    "Oakley." He says. "My foreman?" I shake my head. "Shit pour me another." He says to Beth.
    "You know you don't seem mad." I say carefully.
     He takes a big breath. "No no I am not, it actually makes what I am about to do easier."