The Other Sister

9

Lucy walked downstairs and saw her father and sister sitting with someone she had never seen before. Beth turned and looked at her sister. "Lucy come meet the new candidate for attorney general, Cassidy Reid!" Beth grinned. Lucy was in shock. "What? What about Jamie?" Lucy asked in confusion. Beth scoffed. "Please what about him? He's in it for himself, not helping the ranch. Cassidy will win with daddy backing her and that will show Jamie he is nothing without us." Lucy sighed and shook her head. "This is wrong," she said and walked out. She hated that they got involved with politics. Lucy understood why they did, but that didn't mean she liked it. Lucy walked down and noticed a new wrangler while the men were sitting and eating. She walked past Walker and noticed the new man walking towards her. "Who are you?" Lucy asked. "I go by Cowboy. Just passing through. Who are you little lady?" Lucy smiled at the nickname. "Lucy. It's nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your time here." Cowboy tipped his hat at her then headed towards Walker. As Lucy approached the table she could feel the tension. The guys looked up at her. "So I take we aren't a fan of the help?" She teased and they all groaned. Lucy let out a laugh and walked over to where Rip was. "How long is he here?" She asked curiously and Rip just shrugged. "I don't know. That's a question for your brother." Lucy cocked her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "Your dad sent him to Kacey not to me when he showed up looking for the boss about some work." Lucy felt the anger bubbling and Rip noticed. He grabbed her arm gently. "Honey, don't go and get yourself mixed up in this. I can handle myself." Lucy looked into his eyes. "Baby, I know you can handle yourself but my brother doesn't get to just come back here after being gone for years and suddenly think he has a right to this place." Lucy crossed her arms and Rip sighed. "He does have a right to this place, Lucy. He's got a birth right and he's the one your father is going to have take over this place." Lucy grew angry at hearing that. "Over my dead body." Lucy turned and walked away. "Hey, Luce," Kayce told her. "Don't talk to me," she growled out as she walked past him. Lucy knew her father was a stubborn man and once he had something on his mind there was no changing it. She feared the shift that he was going to put the ranch through.
***
Since Lucy was avoiding her dad she decided to hang in the bunkhouse. Lucy and Avery ended up taking a liking towards one another and Lucy liked the idea of there being another girl on the ranch besides her sister. Lucy was regretting not just staying up at the lodge as she now found herself along with the other wranglers sitting in the pen waiting for Lloyd to release the bull. "This is fucking insane!" She called out and took the bottle of whiskey from Colby. She was terrified, but a part of her was filled with excitement. Lucy was stubborn and there was no way she was going to lose. "Here he comes!" Lloyd calls out and next thing you know everyone took off. Lucy gripped the sides of her chair anxiously waiting as the bull charged towards her and Avery. Lucy's chair went flying. She landed on her back with a hard thud, the wind knocked out of her. "Luce, get the hell out of there!" Ryan yelled out. She groaned and got up as fast as she could, Ryan helping her over the fence. "Fuck," she breathed out and hunched forward. Rip stormed outside. "What the fuck are you idiots doing?!" He yelled out then stopped when he saw Lucy. "We played cowboy poker," Jimmy said. "Get inside!" Rip growled out. Ryan reluctantly walked away from Lucy. "Who won?" Rip quietly asked Lloyd. The older man let out a chuckle. "Who do you think?" He asked and nodded his head toward Lucy. Rip nodded and walked over to her. "You alright, honey?" He asked worried and rested his hands on her arms. She nodded as she finally caught her breath. "Got the wind knocked out of me," she chuckled and winced at the pain in her side. "No more doing stupid shit like that. I don't want anything happening to you." He looked at her with those serious eyes and she felt her heart melt. "You don't have to worry. I'll never do that again." Rip chuckled and kissed her head. "Come on," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to his cabin. Lucy sat on the couch and Rip crouched down in front of her. He pulled her shirt up and could already see the bruise forming outside her ribs. "You're gonna be sore for a few days," he said and pulled her shirt back down. He went to the freezer and grabbed a frozen bag of peas. "Thanks," she muttered and held the bag to her side. "You don't got to thank me, honey. I'll always take care of you." Lucy smiled at him and Rip leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I like you coming and saving me," Lucy teased. With her free hand she rubbed at his thick beard. "I'm always going to save you, darlin. I love you." Lucy leaned forward slowly and pressed her lips against his. "I love you. More than anything," she whispered. Rip was knelt down between her legs as she sat on the couch. Rip rested his hands on her thighs. As her lips were pressed against his, he felt time stop. Rip was so in love with her. "It's getting late, honey. What do you say we turn in?" Lucy nodded "I'd like that." He helped her stand and they walked hand and hand into his bedroom. Rip helped her change into pajamas and got her settled in bed. She winced as she rolled to face him. "I will never do something stupid again in my life," she vowed. Rip chuckled and carefully pulled her into his arms. "Good. I don't like seeing you hurt and I already know your daddy ain't gonna be happy when he sees you wincing everytime you move." Lucy let out a laugh.
***
Lucy was woke up by Rip. She stretched out, instantly curling back into herself, forgetting about her bruised side. "Easy, honey. I just came to tell you I got to go take care of something but I'll be back home in a few hours. You go on back to sleep." He kissed her forehead then placed a sweet kiss to her lips. "Be careful. Love you," she mumbled as she felt sleep closing back in on her. "I love you," Rip said back.
***
"Mornin," Lucy grinned as she poured Rip a cup of coffee. "What are you doing up so early?" He asked and took the mug from her. He leaned in and pecked her lips. "I know you had a late night last night so I wanted to make you breakfast. Plus the vet is coming today and I get to be there!" Lucy was excited to see the vet and be around the cows. She was eager to learn, just anxiously waiting on hearing something back from the vet program. "Well thank you, Luce. You didn't have to do that." He grabbed his plate full of eggs, bacon, and a few biscuits. Lucy made herself a plate and sat with him. They made small talk as they ate until it was time to start heading down to the barn. They walked side by side, Rip matching Lucy's slower pace due to her bruising. They separated once they reached their destination. Rip kissed her forehead and walked off to get his horse. Ryan walked up to her. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "I have a huge bruise on my side. Lucky I didn't break any ribs." Ryan laughed. "You're an idiot for staying in that chair," he told her. Lucy shrugged. "Couldn't have the bosses daughter looking like a chicken, now could I?" She teased. Ryan nodded. "I suppose. Here's your winnings." Ryan pulled out her cut of the share and handed it to her. "Thanks," she smiled wide and took it, putting the money in her pocket. Ryan got back to work when he saw John approaching over Lucy's shoulder. Lucy turned and smiled at seeing her dad. "Morning," she told him. He nodded. "Morning, sweetheart," he gruffed. Rip walked over once he saw John. They discussed the game plan pertaining to the cattle and the vet and what the rest of the day would look like. Lucy went to walk away and let out a wince as her body moved. John tores his eyes away from whatever he was looking at to look at his daughter. "Are you okay?" He asked worried. Lucy smiled and nodded. "Fine," she told him. He didn't believe her and he didn't press on the matter, but he did make sure to shoot a warning look at Rip because if she was in pain because of him, they were going to have a problem. Rip just shook his head, letting his boss know he had nothing to do with it. Rip then walked back off leaving the father daughter duo alone again. "Daddy, what's Kayce doing here?" She asked. John sighed. "Why don't you ask him? Something happened between him and Monica I guess. You know he don't tell me nothing." Lucy looked at her father. "Alright. Well, what do you plan on using Kayce for?" That's when John caught on to what she was trying to get at. He sighed. "We ain't having this conversation right now, Lucy. My plans for this ranch are my business and what I do is in the best interest of the ranch. You understand?" Lucy swallowed hard at hearing what he was hinting at. "No, daddy, I don't understand," she said and walked away. She watched the wranglers herd the cattle into the pen.
***
Lucy loved watching the vet tend to the cows and knew she would be happy doing that for the rest of her life. She wanted to work on the ranch, but still hold an important value. Not to mention she would get to see Rip more throughout the day. The vet had finished up and everyone was taking a break. "Dad!" She turned as Kayce yelled. Lucy felt her stomach drop at the sight before her. John was collapsed in the grass spitting up blood. Her adrenaline kicked in, making her numb to the pain in her side as she ran to her father. "Get him in the trailer," she ordered to Kayce and Rip who quickly picked John up. The vet cleared off the table and they laid him down. "We need an Xray," Lucy told the vet. Kayce looked at Lucy worried. "What's wrong?" He asked his sister. "It's cancer," John said. Kayce was in shock. "What?" Lucy ignored her brother and looked at the results on the screen. "No. You have a ruptured ulcer. You're going to bleed out if we don't do something about it now." She looked at the vet. "Do you have anything to numb him?" The vet shook her head. "My dosages are too strong, it will kill him and we don't have the time to do the math to get it to what he needs." Lucy sighed and looked at her father. "This is gonna hurt like hell but, daddy, you have got to stay still," she ordered. "Just do it," he groaned. Rip got down and held him down. Lucy looked at Rip then her brother. "You help me," she told him and Kayce quickly nodded. The vet gave Kayce iodine to pour over the area and got the supplies Lucy needed to clot the bleed. "Ready?" She asked Rip as she held the scapel in her hands. Rip nodded then she looked at the vet and Kayce who both nodded as well. Lucy took a deep breath to still the trembling in her hand. She sliced through the layers of her father's skin, blood gushing out. Kayce and the vet were quick to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. Her father was unconscious from the pain. Lloyd had already called for the helicopter. Rip and Kayce carried her father to the helicopter. Lucy stepped out of the trailer and looked down at her father's blood on her hands. Her stomach churned and she leaned forward and puked. "Hey!" Ryan called out worried and rushed over to her. Rip watched the helicopter take off but turned at hearing Ryan running over to Lucy. He saw Lucy throwing up and worry consumed him. Rip ran back over. "Lucy," he said gently and rubbed her back. She threw up everything she ate. Lucy felt the throb in her side. She looked at Rip and his heart broke as he took her in. Her eyes were glazed over, her face pale. "Let's go get you cleaned up, alright?" He laid his hand on one of her cheeks. She nodded absentmindedly.
***
Lucy didn't think the water was ever going to be hot enough or the soap would ever make the stains of her father's blood on her hands be cleared from her mind. She scrubbed and scrubbed away at her skin until Rip had enough. He rinsed her off and turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. "Baby," he said gently and cupped her face. Lucy felt the tug at her heart strings and she couldn't keep the tears at bay anymore. Rip quickly pulled her into his embrace. "He's going to be okay," he mumbled wanting to convince not just her, but himself too. And John was okay, much to Lucy's relief. However, when one battles is won, another one is always lurking in the shadows.