She pauses, looking up at her boyfriend, confused. He told a joke, she laughed. That's what you do when things are funny... you laugh. "What?" "That, baby." The man gently grabs her wrist, his thumb tracing her veins and pulse.
"You're allowed to smile, you know." "Well, duh-" "Then why cover it, mama?" He smiles softly, patient. She thinks, not knowing how to answer the question. "... what if my teeth are all gross from eating?" "They're not."
She gives him an unimpressed look. He loved her so much that he thinks that her "morning state is adorable". It wasn't. She had dried sleep in her lashes, drool if she really needed the sleep, mouth and lips dry. None of that was cute.
He grins and giggles. "I mean it this time! You're fine!" "Well, my teeth aren't the whitest-" "They're still bright, mama. Especially when you're laughin'." She was stumped, smacking her lips with a pout.
"... why do you really do that?" He asks lowly, scooting closer to cup at the back of her neck. She sighs deeply. "It's gonna sound bad." "Okay." "Like... really bad."
"That's okay." He nods, rubbing her back. "... because I laugh loudly. And I grew up with my mom saying that the only people who are loud are big girls or girls who aren't..." She trails off.
"Ladylike, I guess. I can't remember the exact words, but it still hit hard." She rubs her eyes, slowly feeling herself getting defensive at his silence. "... she tried her best."
"I know, honey." "Especially after my brother-" "Babe. Me and your mom are still good," He snorts, still quietly taking in her words. He kisses her head. "That doesn't mean it didn't impact you. Or that it didn't hurt you badly."
She didn't know what to say about that, not wanting to... feel that, at the moment. Understanding that, he hums gently and kisses her cheek. "Smile when you feel like it. Laugh when you feel like it. Scream when you feel like it."
He never broke eye contact, not letting her. "Shoot, throw a tantrum when you feel like it. What's the point of loving you if I only love the good parts?" She didn't know what to say about that either.
He cracks a grin, pressing one last kiss before helping her stand. "I killed that." She bursts out laughing at his proud expression, unable to help it. He just watches fondly, his grin still there.
"Come on, let's go pray that sad off." He pats her back, trying the help her catch her breath when she tries to calm down. When she is calm, she shakes her head. "You, are goofy." "Good." He winks.
The boy looks down from his horse, hat shading his face from the sun. His lips twitch upwards. "Nope, never learned to." "Oh, boo," Carter chuckles at the tease, slowing the horse's trot down to a walk. "Sorry to disappoint,"
His girl sits on the railing, straddling so she wouldn't fall, legs swinging softly. "I'm just kidding, honey." "I know, you got that silly grin on your face." He retorts, stopping in front of her to adjust her sunhat.
"I gotta get it out someway." "There's no need to be nervous, they'll love you." She just hums, fidgeting slightly. "Hey," Carter playfully taps the rim of her hat. "You'll be fine. And if they don't like you, who cares? I'll be with you anyway,"
"Don't say that, Carter. They're your parents," She scolds softly, feeling a bit better. "I mean it, though. F*ck them if they don't like you," He leans down to kiss at her, tilting his head so their hats won't clash.
Her nose scrunches at the feeling, but pecks his lips back when he does so. He pulls away, cupping her chin. "You ready?" "To ride, or...?" She takes his outstretched hand, thanking him softly as he helps her onto his horse. "Both."
She takes a deep breath, holding onto him tightly. "I guess," "Okay, hold on." It doesn't take long for them to get to the house. "... actually, I change my mind." Carter laughs at her panicked tone, sliding off the horse.
"Come on, just 5 minutes!" "5 turns into 20 with you, baby." Carter just grins cheekily, helping her down. "Ugh!" She nervously fiddles with her hat. Carter grabs her hand, practically dragging her to the porch. "You ready?"
"No." Carter snorts again, but opens the front door. "I'm home!" His girlfriend nervously stays by the door, taking off her hat out of respect for the house. She soon hears footsteps, making her squeal internally. She'd be fine, right?
"Hey, baby," She pauses, as does the new woman who comes into view. "Who's this?" Carter introduces her with a happy grin, making her wave. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Wheeler," The woman eyes her before smiling. "Beth."
The girl nods at the correction. "Um, is it okay if I stay over for dinner? Carter said it was fine, but, he says a lot is fine without asking-" Beth's lips twitch upwards as Carter tries to shush her with a pout. Beth nods. "Sure, honey."
The girl nods slowly, slightly relieved. "... uh, do you do shoes off or... on?" "Do whatever you want. Off, preferably," She takes her shoes off soon after, hanging up her hat. Beth pats Carter's back, leaning in.
"I like her. Better than the last one-" "Mom." He sighs in embarrassment. "Come in, honey," She waves the girl in, guiding her to the living room. There, on the couch, Rip sat with a beer.
He looks up, confused. "Hi," The girl waves first, getting a nod back. "Who's this?" "This, is Carter's new girlfriend." Beth introduces, grinning big. Rip raises a brow, sitting up. "Girlfriend?" "Yes, sir." Carter nods.
"Met her my last year in school." He was glad to go back to school when Beth had said. Otherwise, he wouldn't have met her. "And how old are you?" "20." The girl nods. "I met him when I was volunteering for tutoring."
Rip hums. "... well, let's hope she isn't like the last one-" "Come on, really?" Carter complains, his parents laughing. Even his girlfriend's lips twitch a bit. "Nice to meet you, chick." Rip nods, before turning back to his peace and beer.
Beth smiles, turning to the girl. "How about me and you talk in the kitchen while these two catch up?" Carter steps in, suspicious. "Uh, why is she going to talk to you alone?"
Beth shrugs cheekily. "Girl talk." "I can-" "I'm okay, Carter." His girlfriend smiles. "Plus, if I'm not, you can name a horse after me or something-" "Not funny."
"It is, though," His girlfriend retorts, grinning before following Beth out of the living room. Carter slowly sits next to Rip, eyes darting towards the kitchen. "... should I be worried?" Rip thinks, taking another sip of beer.
"... maybe." Carter goes to stand. "Sit down, son. It's fine." "Sure doesn't feel like it." The boy mumbles, but sits. Minutes later, laughter was heard. "See? Fine."
Once dinner was done, Carter helps the girl into her seat before sitting next to her. "You okay?" "Mhm." She smiles softly with a nod. Carter squints. "... are you sure?" "Carter, honey, I'm fine. Nothing broken, bruised, or battered."
Beth holds in a laugh at that, making Rip squint. "What?" "Nothing, baby." Rip eyes the two women. "You two sharin' secrets or somethin'?" "Or somethin'." Beth retorts, both women eyeing each other with grins.
Rip shakes his head, turning to Carter. "Don't go starting anything, son, you hear me?" Carter throws his hands up. "I didn't do anything!" "You brought her, your mess." Everyone continues with dinner. He nudges her. "You okay?"
She smiles, nudging him back. "I'm good, honey. Promise." "... okay." He utters back, placing a hand on the back of her chair. Beth smiles at the sight, covering it with her glass of wine.
"At least he brought this one for dinner." Rip utters to his wife playfully, getting nudged. By the end of the night, it wasn't just Carter walking her out to the truck.
"You stay safe, you hear me?" "Yes, ma'am." The girl nods, Beth then turning to Carter. "Take care of her." "Yes, ma'am." He muses, helping her into the passenger's seat before closing the door.
"Thank you, Carter." Beth starts. "For sharing this with us." He shrugs, smiling awkwardly. "Why wouldn't I?" He gets into the truck, starts it, and drives off towards her house. The truck was silent, the girl closing her eyes.
He places a hand on her leg, thumb doing nothings against her skin. "You tired?" "Mhm... I had fun, though. Your mom's funny." He pats her leg gently. "Yeah?" "Mhm." She opens her eyes, peeking up at him. "You're good... better than I ever had." He smiles.
"Yeah?" The man grunts, not looking back as he hammers a horseshoe back onto a horse's hoove. At her silence, he looks up with a squint. "What?" The young woman takes a deep breath.
"... after I'm done with school, I want to move out." He didn't say anything at first, staring at her. "... any reason?" "There is." She says, adjusting her stance, trying to feel brave. To look brave, like she knew what she was doing.
"You wanna tell me?" He retorts, letting the horse trot off contently. She doesn't look at him. "Kid, I don't have time for your p*ssyfootin' around. Talk." She still doesn't look at him, but speaks up.
"Because I don't belong here." She crosses her arms. "Says who?" He immediately asks, thinking she overheard something, or that someone said something stupid. He'd straighten it out- "Does anybody need to say it?"
She retorts. "I'm not stupid. I know you and Ms. Beth don't want to be stuck with me forever." "You're not stuck anywhere," Rip scoffs, a confused grin on his face. "Last time I check, Beth let you and Carter stay. You chose to stay-"
"Not anymore, I want to be gone." She interrupts, eyes blazing but voice shaking. "I didn't sign up for this. I want to be gone as soon as possible." He didn't know what to say, or how to say it. So, he just nodded. "... we'll see."
He watches her walk away, helpless to say anything. Which was his first mistake. His second was watching the girl walk away, knowing that something was wrong.
She walks into the house hours later, seeing everyone getting ready for dinner. Beth smiles softly at the sight of her, standing to meet her halfway. "Hey, honey. Where've you been off to?"
The girl gives a brief smile as her cheeks were cupped. It drops at one corner. "Just out with the bulls." Beth hums, eyeing her carefully. "Any reason?" "Mhm." Neither of them said anything else, Beth smoothing down her hair.
"... go wash up." And she does, but she eats in silence. Carter rests his foot on one of hers, but keeps quiet. Her foot nudges his, peeking up at him. He peeks back, his lips twitching upwards.
She fights the smile creeping up, looking back down at her plate. Carter then leans forward. "You pissed Rip off, I think." That's when the bright and sweet smile escaped along with a small giggle. "I didn't do anything-"
"Yes, you did! I know you did!" The two "whisper", nudging one another. "Hey." The two stop, freezing almost, looking over to an amused Beth. "What are you two sniggling about?"
Both of them mumble "nothing", turning back to their plates. Rip stares at them, silent but knowing somewhat. "... so," He started. "How's school?" Her smile slowly drops at the topic, Carter not noticing as he speaks.
"It's pretty bland, to be honest. But it's okay... I think I like gym the most." Rip stares directly at her, not even giving the boy a glance as he continued to speak. "Yeah?" "Yup." Carter nods. Beth notices the obvious stare, brows furrowing.
"Any idea what you wanna do after?" "Mm... probably work with you, if that's okay? I... like the ranch." Carter utters, cringing in anticipation at his answer. He didn't answer, leaning forward in his seat. Still staring.
"What about you, chick?" He questions, uncaring if he was being too direct. She shrugs. "Oh, come on, now. You gotta give me something better than that."
"Baby," Beth steps in, sensing the tension. "Let her eat." She gives him a look when their gazes meet. Rip huffs, but turns back to his dinner. The girl's lips twitch to the side, stomach churning... she wasn't hungry anymore.
But that was fine. Beth pretended not to notice and Carter was more than happy to eat her portion as well. As she goes to get up to clean up her mess, Beth stops her.
The girl looks up at her, lips twitching again. Beth smiles, tilting her head. "Come take a walk with me, honey. We need to have a girl talk," "... yes, ma'am." She mumbles, following with her head down.
The two walk in silence for a while, Beth casually stuffing her hands in her pockets. "... you wanna tell me what happened today?" Silence, Beth nodding slowly. "The silence treatment, got it."
The girl stops walking, Beth doing the same after she realized. She eyes the girl, letting her concern show. "What's wrong, babygirl?" The girl widgets and Beth lets her, patient.
"... Carter told me what you said the other day... when he called you ma." Beth nods. "That right?" The girl nods, taking a deep breath. "Yeah... so, I told Rip that I wanted to leave. After school and stuff." Beth frowns.
"... okay. That explains why Rip was pissed." She tried to joke, the girl not twitching. The woman sighs, stepping towards her. "Honey, what's going on in that pretty head of yours? Hm?"
The girl flinches back before she could cup her face like normal. Beth frowns, hurt more than anything. "Why do you want to leave-?" "Because why stay in a place where I have a mom and dad who don't want to claim me?"
Beth blinks, taking a few steps back. As of she'd been hit. "You two make it clear everyday that me and Carter can never be yours!" She snaps, it pouring out before she could filter anything.
"And it's unfair! Because you're the one that- that freakin' cares! You two are the only ones that cared, and protected me, and actually held me or my hand when I needed it and I- I-" The girl sobs, shaking her head so she could continue.
"I'm not like Carter. I'm not brave. I can't pretend that all of this isn't something I want- I can't live here knowing that you don't want me to be yours." She sobs at the last bit, hands shaking as she heaves with each inhale.
"I have enough of that from everyone else who told me they cared for me and that I would be safe. Why keep me safe if you're gonna throw me away-!" She's jerked into the woman's arms, too weak and full of grief to pull away.
She lets the girl sob, she lets her break down. She lets herself to feel the one thing she tried so hard to fight and avoid. "I'm sorry, babygirl," She cups the back of her head, rocking her.
Her lips brush her head, her own eyes watering at the sounds of her mourning. "I'm so sorry," "You two are so mean to me," She hiccups, her hands clinging to her own hands and wrists.
"Why aren't I enough to be yours?" Beth closes her eyes, holding her even tighter, if possible. "You are, baby. You and Carter both." She goes to pull away to look at her, getting a flinch and tighter grip.
She shushed the girl, pulling away and cupping her face. "Baby, I never want to erase any of our pain... yours, Carter's, mine, Rip's... and I'm sorry for doing what I thought was right."
She wipes her tears, not liking the sight on her. "But now... now, things are gonna change, okay?" She wanted her to listen, eyes pleading. "You're mine. Both of you are. If you want to call us mom and dad, that's fine. Just..."
Beth takes a deep breath. "Try to give me time, honey. I'm... I'm not good at any of this. None of it. But I will be. For you two, okay?" The girl sniffles, sweet eyes on her. "You're pretty good, Ms. Beth."
Beth smiles, trying not to cry some more. "... tha- thank you, honey." Her voice cracks, she didn't care. She pulls her close, against her chest, rocking her gently. The girl takes it, tired. Beth's mind wanders to the "what-ifs".
What if she could have this in the way she wanted? What if the girl just left without her ever figuring out what she did to damage her? She squeezes her at the thought, kissing her head. "I love you."
"... I love you, too, babygirl. Now, let's go home."
Tate ignores his sister, arms crossed tightly as he stared into nothing. "... is your hand broken?" "I don't know, I can still move it. Dad said you can't move broken stuff." "Oh, okay."
Silence, her swinging her legs as a bleeding hand pokes at her busted lip. Her knees, hands, forehead, and nose were scrapped pretty badly. Tate was much worse off, bruises littering his face and hands, matching her in a split lip.
"... I'm sorry I made you fight." She mumbles. Tate looks at her, frowning. "You didn't make me do anything. You're my sister," Silence, until the front door of the school busted open.
Kayce, behind him standing their grandfather. Their father eyes them, jaw clenching as he walks over and crouches. "Hey," He cups both of their faces. "What happened?"
"They kept pushing and messing with her." Tate mumbles in her silence. Kayce turned to her, his calloused hands gently grabbing her wrists as he took her in. "Why didn't you say anything, baby? Tell somebody?"
"All the teacher does is move our seats." She finally mumbles with a weak shrug. "Nothing changes anyway." Kayce huffs, looking off to the side to calm himself down.
"Oh, hi," He turns to see a woman with a nametag. "Are you two here for the disciplinary meeting?" Kayce doesn't answer, turning back to the kids. "I'll be right back, okay? Hang tight,"
He kisses both of their cheeks before standing and following the woman inside the office, closing the door behind him. John stands there, arms crossed. "... Tate." The boy looks up.
"Did you win?" Tate slowly nods, unsure if he was allowed to smile like John was. "Yes, sir." "Good." John grunts when he sits on the low bench, turning to the girl. "You okay?"
His tone did that unnatural but natural thing where it softens awkwardly, his body knowing he was talking to a sensitive child. The back of his hands also make an effort to wipe the semi-dried tears on her cheeks.
She just shrugs, slightly embarrassed about the whole thing. "My hands and face hurt." "Yeah... I bet." John hums, the hallway filling with silence. The door burst open after about 10 minutes, the kids jumping.
Kayce huffs to himself, turning to the kids. "Tate, help your sister with her bag." Tate grabs both of their bookbags while Kayce scoops her up, not wanting her to walk with her bad knees. "Come on, mama," He utters gently, patting her back.
They were soon in the truck, it being extremely quiet. "... daddy?" "Yeah, honey?" "Are we in trouble?" Kayce's lip twitches at her sniffle as he focuses on the road. "Why would you be?" "... Ms. Monica doesn't like it when we fight,"
Kayce thinks about what to say without sounding dismissive. "Yeah, well... the situation called for it." That's the best he could come up with. "Yeah, but she'll still try to ground us or something." Tate immediately complains.
"Nope. I got one better," Kayce grins. "You two are gonna take your baths, we're gonna get you fixed up, and then, uh... you'll wash the dishes or something before we go out for ice cream. How about that?" She nodded slowly, still sniffling.
Tate tilts his head and scrunched up his nose. "That's our punishment-?" "Shh, bubby!" His sister shushes him sharply, shaking her head, not wanting their dad to come up with something more strenuous.
Kayce chuckles to himself at this, John shaking his head. John looks back. "You know, I can always make you two feed the horses if you want a punishment-"
"No!" "No, thank you, grandpa." Both kids immediately refute, shaking their heads. John smirks, turning back to the front. "... I'm proud of you, bud." Kayce utters to his son. "You took care of your sister, that's all that matters." Tate looks confused and slightly offended.
Beth doesn't respond, taking a drag of her cigarette before sighing. "God made 'em that way, sweets." "Can't we put pants on 'em?" "Not unless you want them to be immobile." Silence for a while. A short while.
"How did grandpa find my donkey?" Beth sighs. "I don't know. You ever ask him?" "He said it was a secret." "Figures." She watches the girl climb the said donkey, the animal unbothered by the girl's presence.
"Did you ever have a pet, Auntie Beth?" "Nope. Not unless my brothers count," The girl cackles, making the woman crack a smile. Although the girl was... vibrant, she loved the small moments like this. It wasn't too much to handle.
"Why do donkeys hate dogs?" "They remind them of coyotes, and wolves, and other mutts." Another short silence, the girl riding seamlessly on the donkey. "... should I name my donkey?"
"Do you want to?" Beth retorts. The girl thinks, before nodding. Beth nodded back. "Then go for it." It was silent, for more than a while, the girl thinking. "... it's a boy donkey." "It is."
More silence. "... mm... Bray!" Beth shrugs. "Good choice." Beth snubs her cigarette after one last drag, adjusting her hat. "Bray Dutton!" Beth's lips twitch upwards.
"Better choice. Come on, let's go inside. You stink." "I do not!" The girl gasps dramatically, cackling when Bray... well, brays. Beth helps her slide off the donkey, holding her hand as they walk towards the house.
"Auntie Beth?" "Hm?" "Thanks for staying with me while I play." Beth smiles softly, squeezing her smaller hand. "Don't thank me for that." "Why not?" "Cause." "That's not an answer!" Beth chuckles at her confused expression.
Bray makes a loud noise, making Beth turn around and glare. "Shut up." They make it into the house, the girl's father and John talking amongst themselves.
"Did you really have to get her a donkey?" "Yup." John says shortly, sipping on some coffee. "It's not like you're around to play with her all day." Beth retorts as the girl runs into her father's stomach, hugging him tightly.
The man grunts, but hugs the girl close. "Ass." Beth adds on, making John sigh. "Beth, not in front of her." "I work, Beth. If I could be here with her, I would be." The man grumbles, scooping the girl up so she's on his hip.
"Dad," "Yes, sweets?" "I named him Bray Dutton. Because he's a boy, and boys are loud." The man sighs, patting her back. "They sure are, honey." "How about you go show me how he's doing?" John offers the girl, letting her run back outside.
Silence between the two siblings. "... she misses you, you know." Beth speaks up, crossing her arms. Her brother rubs his eyes. "I know." "A lot." "I know, Beth."
She stares up at him before rolling her eyes. She stomps on his foot, making him curse and glare down at her. "You b-" "You better start making time for that little girl, or I'll haunt you."
Beth glares, pointing at him, before walking off to draw the girl a bath for when she comes back. "You already do!" He calls after her, wincing at his now swollen-feeling foot with a quiet curse. "Good!" "You c*nt-!"
She didn't know how late it was. Or how dangerous it was to be out so late without anyone knowing. But she didn't care. All she wanted was her Daddy. He was gone too soon.
He didn't take her up the mountain like he promised. Or, was it up a hill? Regardless, he had to be there to see it with her. And so, she and her dogs dug up his grave for his ashes.
It didn't take long. Two small hands and four paws could get a lot done. She grabs the urn gently, smiling softly. "Hi, Daddy. Sorry to wake you." She whispers as she crawls out of the ruined but fresh grave.
"I'll put you back, I promise. But we gotta watch the sun first." And then she walked. Far. And long. But she didn't mind. She just told her dad about her day, like usual. But this time, he couldn't respond... she didn't mind it.
It was long before she even made it up the hill. It was long before anyone realized that the girl and the dogs went missing. It didn't take long for everyone to start searching, however. Especially for Kayce and John.
She didn't know how long it was until she got to the hill top, sitting under a tree. She places the urn down gently, wiping off any access dirt. "... you don't talk to me anymore, daddy." Her lips twitch, tears pooling in her eyes.
"I miss you... a lot. Nothing feels right, anymore. Not fishing, or riding the horses, or anything." Silence. The hat she wore on her head, his, was placed on the urn. As if that would make him come back. It didn't. She had to live with that.
She sat there, laying lower than the urn. As if she could still lay in his lap. Like she used to. She watches the sun come up, sniffling softly. "... this is pretty, dad." She rasps quietly, not bothering to wipe her tears.
She watches the sun come up, waking up when its rays poke at her eyelids. She grunts when she wakes, but stands. She hugs the urn close, jumping when she hears something near her foot. A bird. A small one, staring.
She stares back, slowly waving at it. It hops closer, sits on her foot for a while, before flying off. She just sniffles and slowly makes her way back her to house... which was farther than she realized. Oh well, it was okay.
She adjusted her dad's hat, which was too big, fingers digging into the urn. "... you don't feel right, dad." She mumbles. Hearing her name, and the dogs barking, she looks up with a squint.
"What the h*ll are you doing?" "Hi, grandpa." She mumbles, tired from the sun and her constant walking. John slips off of his horse, looking down at her. He notices the urn, sighing.
"What's wrong with you, huh?" She just shrugs, not looking at him. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone is? What could've happened to you out here? By yourself?" He ranting goes on for a while, before he calms down.
He crouches, tilting the hat back. "... why do any of this? Huh? What was your goal?" "... he promised to take me to the top today." She weakly mumbled. John looks away, sighing.
"... he promised. But, he couldn't. So I took him instead." John couldn't say anything, helping her onto his horse in front of him. She immediately falls asleep.
He holds the girl as close as he could, his hand resting on her abdomen. He ignores the ache in his heart, shaking his head. "This girl of yours is gonna kill me, Lee." John grumbles fondly.
The ride back to the house was a longer one than usual, the man not wanting to wake the poor girl. She had enough going on, the least she could do was rest properly. The first time in days, as a matter of fact.
Rip met him at the house, frowning. "She okay?" John didn't answer immediately, handing him the young girl before getting off of the horse. "In what way, Rip?" He didn't answer, adjusting the girl in his arms.
"She the one to mess with the grave?" "Yup." He holds up the urn, not looking the younger man in the eye. The dogs run off at John's command as the two men walk inside. "I'll go call everyone." Rip excuses himself quickly.
John tucks the girl in from where she slept on the couch, gently setting down his eldest son's hat on the table. He stares at both of them, unable to do much of anything else.
He couldn't cry, no tears were left over. But he wanted to, for his granddaughter. She was alone, despite everyone in the house. Her only parent was gone. Her only friend and protector was gone. No one could compare to him.
The voice was tiny, distant. Couldn't hear it if you were talking, like he was. But, he pauses anyway. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was the fact that he'd learn how to always hear the precious girl. She was too curious, sometimes.
"You good?" Kayce eyes him, getting a shrug. "Yeah... thought I heard somethin'." The conversation continues. Then, it happens again. "Dad! Dad... Daddy!"
This time, he abandoned the conversation between his brothers and father, turning and looking for the source of the voice. He immediately spots the voice, snorting fondly.
The others notice, squinting in the same direction to see what was so funny. Then, they all snort. His little girl, from miles away, running at full speed. One hand holding her bunched up skirts. In the other, something long.
Whatever it was, she was apparently excited about it. Because she kept running... hard. And fast. "She's gonna hurt herself runnin' like that." Kayce muses. Ironically she falls... then, she scrambles back up and keeps on running.
Everyone laughs or winces, Lee sighing with his hands on his hips. "That girl." "Dad! Dad! Look!" Still so far away, it was amusing that she was still trying to talk to him. John sighs, just as amused. "Well... at least she isn't like the rest of ya."
His brother's make wounded sounds, dramatically hurt and offended. Lee shakes his head, standing up and starting to walk in the girl's direction.
Behind the girl, Monica rides behind her on a horse, making sure she was safe enough to do what she wanted. She looked fairly amused, Tate behind her. Lee meets them halfway, catching the girl before she could fall again.
"There you are!" The girl squeals as she's tossed in the air and twirled around. "Daddy, look! You're not looking!" She manages to get the words out through her giggles.
He finally sets her down and crouches, taking her in. "Woah! Hey!" He laughs at what was in her hand: a huge fish. That still managed to wiggle around, miraculously. "Look!" "I see!" He kisses her head proudly, getting a sweet grin.
Monica catches up, smiling. "She was about to call it quits before she caught that." The woman smiles, sliding off her horse, helping her son do the same.
"Especially when Tate kept catching them." "Dad, can Mr. Gator cook this?" His girl asks, unsure but still excited. Lee smiles, cupping the girl's neck and adjusting the hat on her head.
"Well, we ain't gonna let that go to waste, now are we?" The girl giggles and squeals, running off to everyone else. Tate follows, wanting to show his dad the fish that he caught, too. "Grandpa! Look what I got!"
"Dad, look at how much I got!" "Woah, look at you two!" Both kids were granted the attention and praise they wanted, Lee simply watching with a warm heart and big grin.
"She's gonna go far with this kind of stuff," Momica smiles softly, watching the same as he was. "Farming, ranching... she cares." Lee hums shortly at that, watching as John let's the girl climb on his old(er) back.
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