Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain | Ryan || Yellowstone

Chapter 2

I walked up to the lodge, staring at my boots. The rest of the wranglers had begun their day, but I needed to talk to someone first.

I made my way up the steps to the cabin and was about to knock on the large door, but stopped. I turned to the left and saw John Dutton in one of his rocking chairs, sipping his morning coffee. 

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye as he took a drink.

"Sir," I said as I moved to sit in the chair next to him.

I overlooked the ranch with him, the view here even more beautiful than from the bunkhouse.

"How was Texas, Cassandra?" John asked me.

I nodded and took my hat off, then placed it in my lap. "Nothing like here, sir."

He nodded and asked, "Did it help- being away?" 

"Yes, sir, it did. Thank you for giving me that."

"Did you pick up all these formalities in that ranch in Texas, Cassandra? I never knew you to call me sir." He stood and I stood with him and put my hat back on. John faced me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're welcome. Whatever I can do to keep you here I will."

"Thank you, John," I said.

He nodded and went inside his house.

"You know, he's never said anything like that to me."

I turned and saw Beth Dutton sitting on the short stone wall on the porch of the cabin, looking over the fields. 

She turned to me and smiled harshly. "I should call you a bitch for that."

I walked over to her, my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. "Lord knows that's not the worst thing you've called me."

Beth swung her legs over the wall and stood before me. Beth narrowed her eyes at me, and I did the same back.

It continued until we couldn't hold the smiles threatening to show any longer.

"You bitch," She said and pulled me into a tight hug. I laughed as I hugged her back.

"Right back at you, Beth," I said and pulled away to face her.

"No, I'm not the one who left for five years." She said and sat on the stone wall again.

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that again. I think that'll be as far as my luck with your father goes."

"It's a miracle he let you go."

"He would've hunted me down if I hadn't come back," I said as I leaned my legs on the wall.

Beth looked up at me. "You got some sun."

I looked down at my forearms, only slightly darker than when I had left. "But even with the strong Texas sun, I can't manage to get a damn tan. You would think being a cowboy I'd be as tan as a chick going to Florida for spring break, but all I do is burn."

Beth laughed and took a swig from the bottle in her hand. 

I raised a brow. "Back to the early-morning drinking?" 

"Come on, Cass," She took another swig and clutched her chest from the afterburn. "I never quit."

I went back down the steps and faced her. "Well, if you're still drinking when I'm done I'll come up and join you."

She raised the bottle in farewell.

_____

The wranglers were working with some unbroken horses when I got down to the pens.