#dutton!reader

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.1 - Ryan x Dutton!reader

Um so I watched all of Yellowstone last week and as a result, my multi-year writer's block was broken by a need to see more of Ryan because I am obsessed with Ian Bohen. Idk how many parts this will have or how often it will get updated as I'm in the last few months of uni but I hope y'all enjoy!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!Reader (Kayce's twin sister)

WC: 1053

Next part

Disclaimer: Beyond watching Yellowstone I have zero/little knowledge of Western riding and the ranching lifestyle but I do know horses so that has certainly influenced this! I'm also English so writing dialogue correctly for them is not my strong point! If you find any issues please let me know!

---

The sun was just beginning to dip below the mountains and the cold was starting to set in when she joined him on the fence.  Neither of them spoke for a while, just looking out at the vastness in front of them, all that was theirs but came with so many conditions.  

Eventually she broke the silence, “so you told him?  How’d he take that one?”

Wordlessly he opened his shirt where the ‘Y’ was just starting to scab over, still red and angry.

“Motherfucker,” she swore, “this ain’t fair Kayce.  He doesn’t just get to do this.”

He shook his head, “dad does whatever he wants and there ain’t no consequences for him.  That’s why I gotta do this.”

“Shit man.  What’s Monica gonna do?  Besides worrying about you getting your ass shot in the desert miles from civilisation?”

Kayce chuckled, “beats getting my ass shot in the middle of Montana miles from civilisation.  She’ll be okay, her family will help and she’ll be a teacher.  Just like she planned.  It’s you I’m worried about here with dad and no one else to speak sense to.  ‘Cept Lee”

“Well I’m leaving, dad be damned.  I’m not gonna be a pawn in his power trip.  Gonna go see this godforsaken country and win it all so that when I come back he can’t question whether it’s where I wanna be,” she declared.

Her brother rolled his eyes, “you ain’t talking about the same him now.”

“I don’t know what your talking about,” she denied, staring out at the darkened mountains.

Kayce shoved her shoulder, “you can’t bullshit to me y/n.  That’s the one problem with being twins, ain’t no way to lie to me.”

“I’m just a kid to him, he ain’t ever gonna see me any other way if I stay here,” she admitted, “hell if I stay here no one will ever see me as anything more than his kid.  ‘S why we both gotta do this Kayce.”

He nodded, “no way to stand in the sun in this state, always gonna be a shadow.”

“When I come back I’ll be able to stand in sunlight so bright I’ll have a fucking halo.”

-/-/-

2 years later…

 Montana has its charms all year round, but fall has a particular appeal.  The leaves had started to turn, there was a chill in the air that only seemed to get  stronger and there was still a frost on the grass that the sun hadn’t hit.  

With the sun keeping the cold from their bones, the Yellowstone ranch hands were occupying themselves keeping their roping skills fresh.  Rip observed from the sidelines as the new hand struggled to keep up with Ryan who turned to lecture the kid about keeping his eye on the steer.  

Lloyd rolled his eyes when he missed the horns again, “you gotta try harder than that if you wanna be a wrangler!”

“He keeps pulling the damn steer too early,” the hand argued back.

Ryan glared at him, “don’t fuckin’ blame me for your bad skills.”

Before they could descend into an all out brawl, the group were distracted by the sound and sight of truck coming down the road.  They watched it pull up in front of the barn, trailer in tow.  A rare silence occupied them as they watched a young woman step out, adjust her hat then stare out across the ranch in front of her.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Lloyd muttered, “she’s back.  You fuckin’ know about this?”

Rip said nothing, but his face gave the answer.  The other hands who recognised her muttered between themselves about what she was doing back after so long.

The new hand leaned over towards Ryan, “who the fuck is that and why does everybody care?”

“That is y/n Dutton,” he answered without taking his eyes off of her.

“I didn’t know John had another daughter,” he responded.

Ryan shook his head, “hell kid you gotta lot to learn about this place.”

“She’s fuckin’ hot mind,” the hand murmered.

The older hand spat out his words, “you keep words like that off your tongue if you want to keep it.”

Lee stepped out of the barn and stepped around the truck to greet her, “the prodigal daughter returns.”

“I don’t see Beth anywhere,” she laughed bitterly, “but it’s good to see you Lee.”

He hugged her, “I’m glad you’re back.  Been a long time coming.”

“I came back for me, not for him remember that,” she turned towards the corral, “think I’ve given them enough of a show to explain it so they can pick their jaws up off the floor?”

He gestured for her to follow him towards where the ranch hands were all still quietly watching.  She strode over to the group, smiling at Rip who nodded back at her.

“Where’s that mare of yours?” He asked.

Y/n shrugged, “a champion barrel horse would be wasted on this ranch.  Sold her for more money than I’m ever gonna earn in the rest of my lifetime.”

“You ain’t rodeoing anymore?” Lloyd questioned.

“I did what I set out to do when I went on the circuit.  Saw this godforsaken country and won it all.  It’d get boring to win it over again,” she moved her gaze towards where Ryan was watching her, “ain’t no one gonna question where I wanna be now.”

Rip nodded, “afraid we ain’t got a horse to spare for you y/n.”

“I got that covered Rip.  Got one coming up tomorrow from a ranch in Wyoming.  Some fuckin’ old school boys who don’t know how to be nice to a horse they didn’t ruin,” she explained, “man’s wife broke it and now she’s dead ain’t no one gonna ride him gentle.  Figured he might stand a chance with me.”

Lloyd chuckled, “always were a soft hand.  Figured that’s how you won it all.”

“Guess that question that remains is, do you have a place for me?  Not in the house but here,” she clarified.

Lee looked at Rip then back at his sister, “I reckon so.  You gonna stay in the bunkhouse?”

“Oh fuck no,” y/n laughed, “I didn’t drag that thing all the way from Texas to sleep with these fuckheads.  It’s looked after me in worse places.  Think it’ll do just fine here.”

[pileofboneswrites]

WILDFLOWERS.

MASTERLIST

you resisited his charm for a long time; acting like he didn't exist, or brusting off his flirting. then after getting cornered at a bar by some creep, ryan stepped in like a knight in shining armour. you couldn't keep your disinterested act up much longer before he was sweeping you off your feet. your relationship is a fairytale. it was the kind of love you thought only existed in movies.

[hiding-behindmy-glasses]

i’m putting it out into the universe that if anyone who writes for yellowstone wants to write a Ryan x Dutton!reader where she’s the youngest sibling so everyone on the ranch is like uber protective so they keep it secret (but perhaps aren’t all that subtle?). i need more about that man i have a problem

edit: if y'all do want this i'm writing something similar on my other account and you can find part 1 here!

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.2

A/n: I have the first 3 parts of this written and I haven't decided when I want them to get together/how long of a slow burn it's gonna be. These are all many years pre-season and I'm torn between them getting together then, shortly before the show or during the show. If you have any thoughts let me know!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

WC: 996

Previous part - Next part

---

Later that evening, y/n watched from her seat at the end of the bunkhouse table as the hands squabbled over whether Jake had managed to cheat his hand.  Her arms crossed, she couldn’t help the smile on her face as she watched the scene in front of her unfold.  

As they began the next round one of the hands caught her attention, “you playing Dutton?  Figures you the one with the most money to lose.”

“Call me Dutton again and I’ll take more than just your fuckin’ money,” she threatened, “but if you want to lose your wages to a woman then its your funeral.”

Lloyd called to her, “Beer y/n?”

“She’s fuckin’ 20!” Ryan argued.

He rolled his eyes, “20 and been rodeoing 2 years.  That counts for more than whatever some fool decided was legal.”

“Appreciate the defense but I don’t drink Lloyd.  Seen it ruin just as many people on that damn circuit as drugs, if not more.  Picked my vice and it ain’t that,” y/n explained, “now deal me in.”

As they began the round, Rip came through the door sending silence through the room.  Y/n looked up from her cards to the foreman and the grim look on his face.

“Was hoping to give you some more advance warning than this but word got to your father you’re here,” Rip warned, “reckon you got about 10 minutes.”

She sighed, “you gonna ruin my evening Rip least you can do is play my cards for me.  I’ll take this outside gentlemen.  Apologies for any disturbance to your game I may cause.”

With a tip of her hat, y/n left the table and headed out of the bunkhouse.  She could see her father coming down the track and settled on the steps of the trailer.  Whilst she waited, she pulled a cigarette from her jacket and lit it, exhaling the smoke into the crisp air.

“Having one of you smoke’s bad enough,” John commented.

Y/n rolled her eyes, “Yeah well you gotta have one vice on the circuit and this one kills me the least.  Plus you can still ride straight whilst addicted to it.”

He leant against the barn, observing his daughter who was in front of him for the first time in two years.  She let him sit in the silence as she finished her cigarette, watching as the smoke disappeared into the night air.

“Coulda told your father you were coming home,” he said eventually, breaking the thick silence.

She let out a bitter laugh, “I’m a wrangler.  Rip deals with them.  I’m not here for you, I’m here for me and I ain’t about to be no pawn in your fuckin’ game dad.  I’m a wrangler.  I’ll do what they do and I’ll do anything for this ranch but know it ain’t for you.  It’s for me, it’s for Kayce and it’s for my nephew.”

“At least come back to the house,” John relented.

Y/n shook her head, “It’ll be a long time before we’re there Dad.  Trailer is more than comfortable.”

Her dad nodded and turned on his heels, “just know that the door is always open for you.”

She watched him leave and leant against the trailer, watching the clouds roll over the sky.  The noise from the bunk house radiated out towards her.  The words reached her ears and she laughed at the empty threats that came with poker.  Out of instinct, she reached for another cigarette and placed it in her mouth.  With her lighter in hand she stared out at the vast expanse in front of her, hidden by the darkness the clouds brought.  It was just as vast as when she left, and had just as many conditions.

The door to the bunkhouse opened, spilling the swearing out into the night.  Ryan stepped out into the cold and trained his eyes on her.  The look in her eyes as she took in everything she’d returned to and he pushed the feeling it brought to him deep in to the pit of his stomach.

“Mind if I join you?”

She broke her gaze from the mountains, “lose all your money?”

“Something like that,” he laughed and sat next to her on the steps.  

A comfortable quiet settled over the pair with the noise from the bunkhouse curving around the bubble they were in.  The clouds continued to move over the sky, obscuring the stars from view.  Y/n weren’t much in the mood for starting conversations so she allowed the quiet to stay, letting her eyes close after a few minutes.  Ryan let her, keeping one eye on her and the other on the sky. 

“It’s good to see you back y/n,” he commented after a while.

She opened her eyes to look at him, “it’s good to be back Ryan.”

“You’re all grown up.”

Y/n let out a frustrated groan, “fuck I was grown when I left.  Y’all just never saw it.”

Ryan laughed and pushed the feeling he could feel creeping up back down where he wanted it to stay.

“New hand got an eye for you,” he said, as non-chalantly as he could manage.

She felt something inside her at that, “the one that can’t rope?  He’s cute.”

“Don’t start that shit,” Ryan growled.

Y/n threw her cigarette onto the ground, “you don’t get a say in what I do Ryan.”

“If he touches you I’ll take him to the train station myself,” he threatened.

She stood up, “I don’t need you defending me.  Rest of this damn ranch treats me like a fuckin’ kid so don’t you start.  Be a man or keep your god damn opinions about what I do with my life to yourself.”

 With that, y/n stalked back into the bunkhouse and slammed the door behind her.  Ryan watched her go before resting his head against the cold metal of the trailer.  It was gonna be fucking hard to keep that feeling where it was meant to be.

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.3

Hope y'all enjoy! As always if there's anything wrong/inaccurate let me know. I'm currently looking through the show and picking out the scenes from each episode I want to put her into if anyone has any they'd like to see please let me know!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

WC: 1894 (I wanted to split it but there was no good dividing point)

Previous part - Next part

---

A few months had passed and y/n had settled back into life on the ranch.  She had become accustomed to the 4am alarm in the form of Rip banging on the trailer, dragging herself into the bunk house and Lloyd handing her coffee before heading out to start work before the sun had begun to touch the mountain peaks.  Winter had arrived in Montana and the snow had descended from the mountains and into the valley.  In between the mountains, the winter sun did little to keep the frost away from the frozen ground and the hands could see their breath as they sat on their horses in the corral.

It was another day of roping practice and it was getting competitive, as it always did.  Y/n watched from her horse as a couple of hands took after the steer.  When they caught it, there were jeers from the onlookers at how long it had taken them.

“You call that roping boys?” She shouted, “you’d think they’d have learnt after a few months how to get one.”

One glared at her, “you think you can do better?  You’re a barrel racer woman not a fuckin’ roper.”

There was a low whistle from Lloyd, “boy you just made a big mistake.”

“Which reason is that I can’t rope?  ‘Cuz I’m a barrel racer or because I’m a woman?  Boy, I could rope circles around you with my eyes shut,” y/n responded.

He laughed, “I’d like to see you try.”

“Rip you want to help me prove this son of a bitch wrong?” She asked.

The foreman nodded, “boys you’re about to learn a true lesson in cowboying.”

They lined the horses up on either side of the chute, exchanging a look of determination.  With a deep breath, she nodded at Jake to open it up.  The gate flew open and the horses took off after the steer at speed.  With the ease of someone who’d roped cattle for over a decade, Rip had the horns and pulled the steer left.  Y/n swung the lasso over her head and threw it with careful timing to catch the back legs and bring the steer to an easy stop.  

“You forget that I been dealing with cattle since I could sit on a horse,” she shouted back to them.

Lloyd chuckled, “she’s more cowboy than any of you motherfuckers could ever hope to be.”

The old hand looked at Ryan next to him whose eyes were trained on the young woman as she furled her rope up neatly and patted her horse’s neck.  Lloyd observed the softness in his eyes and the way he subconsciously leaned forward in his saddle.  

He leaned over towards Ryan, “you ought to be careful with how you watch her son.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Lloyd,” Ryan straightened himself up.

Lloyd shook his head, “I’ve seen that look in enough cowboy’s eyes to know that it ends in heartbreak.”

“Trying my fuckin’ best to keep it out of ‘em,” he answered.

He watched y/n lope her horse around the corral, “you know if you break her heart there’ll be a line to break your face and I’m sure as hell in it.”

“She doesn’t make it easy Lloyd that’s for damn sure,” Ryan muttered, “god damn charm without even trying.”

Lloyd nodded, “neither of you are fuckin’ subtle.  Just don’t break her heart.”

Before he could respond, y/n brought her horse to a stop in front of them.  Her smile was infectious and Ryan couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Anytime one of you boys needs a little humbling with a rope you let me know,” Y/n declared, “I’ll take your money here or at the poker table anytime.”

Ryan whispered under his breath, “you are gonna be the fuckin’ end of me.”

-/-/-

A few days later the hands were all gathered around the table with the bunk house heater on full blast.  A cold snap had come into the valley and didn’t show any signs of leaving.  The usual beer that came with the nightly game of cards had been exchanged for hot drinks and nobody had been brave enough to take their jackets off when they came inside.  

An argument was just about to break out between the hands when the door to the bunkhouse swung open to reveal y/n, not that it was immediately obvious it was her underneath all the layers she was wearing.  They stopped talking as the door swung shut behind her and watched as she deposited herself with all the clothes she was wearing right in front of the heater.  That got them talking again.

“Woman that’s the only thing stopping this entire bunk from getting hypothermia,” Jake exclaimed.

She glared at him, “at least you got heat.  Fuckin’ trailer’s battery packed in and there’s no damn heat in there.  Colder than the artic.”

“Go back to the house where you belong then,” the new hand responded bitterly.

Y/n shook her head, “boy you’ve been here long enough to know those words shoulda never come out your mouth.  Now move over so I can steal this week’s wages from you.”

“Okay but seriously why don’t you move back there where it’s warm?” Jake pressed.

She sighed, “I’ll go back there when he takes back what he did to Kaye.  And he can’t ever take that back.”

-/-/-

Later, after taking money from the hands that they didn’t have to give, y/n replaced all the layers she’d shed in the warmth of the bunkhouse and retreated to the cold of her trailer.  Ryan had watched with concern as she stepped out into the freezing night but kept his thoughts to himself when he saw the look that Lloyd was giving him.  He resigned himself to finishing their game of cards before turning in for the night, aware of the time he needed to be up in the morning.  As the bunkhouse fell asleep, Ryan listened to the wind rattling over the roof unsettled by the thought of y/n in the trailer with no heat.

After a couple of hours of tossing restlessly in his bunk, Ryan relented to his concern and got up.  Quietly, he put his coat and hat on before leaving the bunk house.  His breath was visible in the cold air and he pulled his coat tighter around him against the chill of the wind.  A light still on in the barn caught his attention and he went to investigate why it was still on in the middle of the night.

In the barn, nearly all the horses were asleep and safely tucked away from the cold outside.  As he headed down the aisle, Ryan looked into the stalls to check on the horses and stopped halfway down where the light was still on.  The spotted horse looked up from his hay briefly when Ryan stopped before looking to the back of the stall, as if indicating the cowboy what was there.  At the back, partially obscured, was a barely distinguishable figure beneath a pile of blankets he recognised from before.

“Fuck you doing out here?” He asked, surprised to see her there.

Y/n opened her eyes to look at him, “could ask you the same thing, cowboy.”

“Jake snores too much,” he claimed.

She snorted, “you managed just fine for years.  Somehow I don’t think that’s it.”

Ryan looked at her through the bars of the stall door as she raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.  He sighed at the look on her face and the collection of blankets she was in.

“Was worried about you in the cold,” he relented.

Y/n smiled at him, “Comanche is doing a good job of keeping me warm aren’t you boy.”

“And that’s why I can see you shivering under all those layers from here,” Ryan pointed out.

She rolled her eyes, “honestly I’m fine Ry.  Go get some sleep.”

“God you’re killing me here,” he muttered under his breath, “you’re gonna catch your death out here y/n.”

“Honeslty stop worrying about me,” she sighed, “I’m a big girl I can look after myself.”

Ryan opened the stall door and looked at her, “we can stand here and debate that while you continue to get hypothermia or we can skip that and you can come sleep in the bunkhouse.”

“Is there a way this conversation ends with me winning?” Y/n questioned from her place on the floor.

He shook his head, “if you want to be one explaining to Rip, Lloyd, Lee and your father why you didn’t take the opportunity to sleep in a warm bunk house and instead froze out here and therefore need to be taken to hospital for frostbite, be my guest sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart, huh?” She smirked at him.

Ryan rolled his eyes, “of that whole thing that’s what you took away, y/n?  Get your ass out of that stall.”

“It’s almost tempting to keep this going to see how you’ll react but I am starting to lose feeling in my toes,” she relented, “but you’re gonna have to pull me off the floor.”

He chuckled but stepped into the stall nonetheless.  Y/n held her hand out to him expectantly and he took it, effortlessly pulling her from the floor into him  They stood there for a moment, chests pressed against each other and his hand still in her cold one.  Even with the numerous blankets around her shoulders, Ryan could still see her shivering.  Y/n could feel the warmth from his hand spreading up her arm and gasped at the feeling of it.  She didn’t dare break his gaze, staring deep into his blue eyes.

Comanche snorted, dragging them out of their bubble and back to the reality that was the cold Montana night.  Ryan dropped her hand and wordlessly exited the stall.  Y/n stood there, blinking dumbly before she collected her thoughts and followed him out of the barn.

“And just where exactly in the bunk house are you expecting me to sleep?” She asked as they stood outside the door.

He smiled at her, “honestly for someone so smart you are being incredibly thick right now.  Take my bunk and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

She followed him into the dark bunk house and allowed herself to be guided towards his bunk by a hand on her back.  Ryan watched as she shed the many blankets from around her and slid into the warmth of his bed.  Y/n gestured for him to take her blankets to the couch and he winked at her.

She allowed her eyes to follow his figure through the dark to the couch and watched as he took his boots off, placing his hat on top of them.  Once she was satisfied that he was settled, Y/n turned over to stare at the wall.  The smell of Ryan encompassed her from all sides and she couldn’t help the way every muscle in her body relaxed when she inhaled.  With warmth finally filling her bones, she allowed sleep to overcome her.

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.6

A/n: It's here y'all! After this part we'll be getting into the show and I can't wait to start incorporating my own character into the episodes!

I need your input! I'm currently going through the show episode by episode to pull out what I want to use for this fic and I've reached ep5 when Travis first turns up and I am seriously undecided about his relationship with the reader. It is more than likely that they would have interacted on the circuit but I'm split between him having a flirty relationship or a older-brother-protective vibe. Let me know your thoughts!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

WC: 1649

Previous part - Next part

---

That summer was one of the hottest y/n could ever recall having in Montana.  Unfortunately hot weather didn’t negate the fact that there was always work to do on the ranch.  Yesterday one of the freshly backed colts had thrown a fit in the corral resulting in kicking the fence hard enough to break it.  So the job for the day was to put a new log into the fence so they could use the corral again.

Y/n had abandoned jeans in favour of shorts out in the sun, a tank top and she had opted to swap her cowboy hat for the cap Kayce had given her for her birthday despite having claimed she’d never wear it around the wranglers.  Lloyd was holding the log up whilst she worked to secure it to the post.

Around the corral the other hands were doing their own work and a small group of them were hiding from the sun in the shade of the barn.  They were mostly busy watching y/n do her own work, more specifically how she looked in her shorts.

“God damn that girl has an ass,” one of them commented.

Another one agreed, “you just know that she’d give you a good time.”

Colby and Ryan were a little way off cleaning tack getting more annoyed at every comment the men were making.  Ryan was getting more frustrated by what they were saying and how oblivious she was to how they were treating her.  His friend was less concerned about that and more occupied trying to stop the hand from doing something he would regret.

Rip emerged from the barn to say something to them when Ryan snapped at them, “will you shut the fuck up?  It’s disgusting to hear you talk about her like that.  She’s your boss’ daughter for fuck sake have some damn respect.  Someone’ll rip your tongues out for saying that next time.” 

Y/n overheard his shouting from across the corral and couldn’t help but smile to herself at his defence of her.  Ever since Rip had threatened him (and the rest of the bunkhouse but they clearly hadn’t taken those threats to heart) after finding her asleep in Ryan’s bunk years ago, he’d been very careful with his interactions with the younger woman.  They’d remained close friends, and he’d been instrumental in her integration with the wranglers, but it had never gone further than that despite what both of them not-so-secretly wanted to happen.

Lloyd looked at the smile on her face and rolled his eyes, “y’all have been pining after each other for years.  When will it end?”

“If I had a say in it it would’ve been over before anyone noticed but if he has it his way it seems like never,” y/n sighed, “I think Rip’s threat from forever ago ruined it.”

He watched Ryan whose eyes were on her, “might go insane if I have to watch y’all making eyes at each other for much longer.  You and I can both handle Rip if needs be.”

She laughed at the idea of someone ‘handling’ Rip.  The only people she believed were able to handle the foreman were her father and Beth, no matter how poorly her sister treated the man.  In reality, Rip had a soft spot for the youngest Dutton and Lloyd was the only wrangler on the ranch that would stand a chance arguing against Rip.  He left her to go and deal with something else, leaving Colby to help with the other side of the fence.

“Swear he woulda murdered them if it had gone on much longer,” her friend joked, “practically fire in his eyes when he saw how they were looking at you.”

Y/n shook her head, “I’ve been trying to get him to make a move since I was 18, Colby.  I don’t think he’s gonna start now.”

“I love both of you but I will help Lloyd lock you in the tack room if this goes on any longer.  Feel sorry for the poor bastard watching this for years.  I’m done with it after a few months,” Colby laughed, “just make a move for everyone’s benefit.”

-/-/-

That evening the temperature had cooled down from the scorcher of the afternoon but it was still uncomfortable, hot enough that y/n was still wearing shorts.  Most of the hands were sitting around the table playing cards but she had chosen to sit the game out in favour of reading the book she’d been waiting weeks for.  Every once in a while some of the conversation would break through her reading bubble and y/n would laugh at the insults that got thrown around half-heartedly.

After a little while the focus of their conversation moved away from their game of poker to their romance lives, or more accurately their struggles with romance being wranglers.  They were complaining about how difficult it was with their work schedules to meet girls.  Y/n shook her head slightly at their trivial problems.

“Reckon we’d all be better off if Dutton over there gave a piece of ass up,” a hand commented nonchalantly.  

As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, Ryan was out of his chair as was Colby to stop his friend doing something.  Colby grabbed his shoulder and arm, keeping him firmly away from the other hand.

“Hit a nerve have I?  Thought she was supposed to be off limits to the bunkhouse?  Just you getting at or you sharing it with your friend?  Care to let us join in on-”

Before he was able to finish his sentence, Lloyd had punched him, “you don’t speak about her like that, ever.  Anyone thinks that’s okay and there’s more than just me to answer for.  Rip will know about this.”

The tension in the room was broken by the sound of the door slamming shut and they looked up to see that y/n was no longer sitting on the sofa.

Lloyd looked over at Ryan, “I think you best follow her.  Now or never, son.”

-/-/-

Ryan exited the bunkhouse and saw her sat on the corral fence in the fading light, cigarette smoke drifting into the sky.  He headed across the drive to join her and leant against the fence beside her, letting her finish the cigarette before starting the conversation.  When she was done, y/n threw the stub into the sand and watched silently as it smoked on the ground.  Her eyes remained fixed on the mountains as if she could pretend he wasn’t there if she didn’t look at him despite the fact his arm was practically touching her thigh.

“You gonna say anything?” She asked.

Ryan sighed, “was kinda waiting for you to start the conversation this time, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to say.  I really don’t need you jumping to protect me the moment one of them says something about me.  Can’t be a ranch hand and not expect someone to say something about it.  I’m a big girl.  Plus Rip has it handled, something you haven’t seemed to forget,” y/n added bitterly.

“You can’t seriously expect me to just sit there and let them say that shit about you y/n?  No one should say that,” he argued.

Y/n looked at him, “that’s exactly what I expect.  You got no right to be that overprotective with the people we fuckin’ work with when you’re just as bad as them sitting staring at me like that.”

“The fuck are you tryna say,” Ryan growled.

She sighed and turned around, getting off the fence to move away from him.  Y/n turned away to take another cigarette from her pocket to avoid answering his question.  He watched her for a moment as she took a long inhale before turning back to look at him.

“It’s all good and well you tryna fight anyone who has something to say about me but we both know you ain’t gonna do anything about it except just sit there and stare because you’re fuckin afraid!  I’m so over it Ryan either make the move I’ve been waiting for you to make for 10 years or stop acting like you get a say in my life,” she ranted at him.

Ryan took her in in front of him, cigarette between her lips and frustration in her eyes before making his decision.  Within one step he was in front of her, taking a moment to see if she would stop him before taking the cigarette out of her mouth and putting it out under his boot.  Y/n inhaled sharply when he placed his hands gently on her hips, using them to walk her backwards until her back hit the barn wall.  

Ryan kept one hand on her hip and moved the other to her cheek, “last chance to change your mind, sweetheart.”

“Been waiting for you since I was 18 don’t make me wait any longer,” she whispered into the space between them.

With no more hesitation he kissed her.  Y/n responded by fisting her hands in the front of his shirt.  After a moment, he pulled away and rested his forehead against her.  Y/n allowed her eyes to fall shut as she reveled in the moment she’d been imagining for so long.

Ryan kissed her again, “do I live up to expectations sweetheart?”

“Better than I could have hoped,” y/n smiled, “we’re gonna have to be careful though.  I reckon I can handle Rip if I need to but if dad finds out he won’t hesitate to fire you and I won’t let you leave here.”

He nodded, “I’ll follow your lead.  Colby won’t say anything and Lloyd’ll just be happy that he no longer has to deal with me staring at you longingly.”

“Gonna be fun sneaking round.  Never got to do it in high school,” she teased.

Ryan laughed, “you’ll be worth it sweetheart.”

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.13

A/N: Greetings all! Apologies this isn't a massive part after all your waiting but hopefully be back in the swing soon. Let me know if you have any thoughts on what the relationship reader has with the Duttons should be like as I want to explore that more.

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

Previous part - Next part

---

Y/n looked up from where she was buttoning her jacket against the incoming cold to see Jimmy riding towards them with a calf across his saddle.  She chuckled to herself at his ability to fall off his horse, lose his hat and find a missing calf all in the same day.  Encouraging Comanche towards Rip and Lloyd, she gestured to them across the field.

“Told you he’d work out just fine,” She directed towards the foreman, “you dared question my teaching prowess.”

Rip rolled his eyes at her, “I learnt long ago to not question what you put your mind y/n.  The question was whether he had the will to follow through with it.”

“Ah he’ll adapt just fine,” Lloyd brushed him off, “y’know she won’t let him quit.”

Fred shouted across the fence to Jimmy, “well look who decided to show up.  You have a nice ride?”

“Shut up and just open the gate,” y/n snapped at him, “nobody wants to deal with your bullshit.”

Ignoring the glare burning into her back, she swung Comanche around to keep the cow away from the gate whilst Jimmy rode in.

“Wonder which one’s its mama?” He asked.

The cow Comanche was keeping back lowed loudly.

Rip sighed, “gee I fuckin’ wonder.  Put it in the pen.”

“That’s as cowboy as it gets Jimmy,” Lloyd assured.

Y/n smiled at him as he rode past, pulling Comanche away from the cow to return to sorting the rest of the herd.  She glanced back to watch Jimmy put the calf down and barrel straight towards his mama.

“He’ll make it,” Lloyd assured her.

Y/n smiled, “with our expert guidance.”

-/-/-

After finishing organising the cattle and putting the horses away, the hands made their way back to the bunkhouse.  Ryan was at the front of them, arm slung casually over his girlfriend’s shoulders despite her protests of being caught by Rip (Colby having already been given the middle finger for his wolf whistling).

Her body was pushed forward by Fred kicking Jimmy’s feet from under him into them.  Ryan grabbed her waist and pulled her into him to stabilise her.

“You’re a fucking dipshit Fred,” he muttered as the three of them carried on walking.

Y/n stopped both of the boys who turned around to see Jimmy punched to the floor.  She ducked down to help him up, “alright you made your point.”

“No no no no,” Ryan groaned when Jimmy went back for Fred.

As they fought, y/n felt herself be pushed behind Ryan and Colby.  She took that as her sign to go find Rip to break them up.  Turning her back on the boys she ran for the bunkhouse where she found Rip and Lloyd sat at the table.  Both of them looked up with concern seeing her burst in at speed.

“Where’s the fire kid?” Lloyd asked.

“Fred started on Jimmy,” she explained, “and the dumb fuck wouldn’t stay down and they’re not stopping.  He’s gonna do some real damage to him, Rip.”

Rip groaned but gestured for Lloyd to follow them out to the barn.  

When they reached them, Jimmy was face down in the dirt.  Y/n watched Rip put Fred on the floor before turning her attention to where Lloyd was helping Jimmy up off the floor.  She made for them but he waved her off, wanting to save the new hand the scolding she would give him for continuing to fight.

“You wanna fight somebody, you come fight me.  I’ll fight you all goddamn day,” y/n couldn’t help groaning at Rip’s rule and how ridiculous it always sounded.

“I’m the one who started it.  It wasn’t him, it was me,” Jimmy tried to defend the other hand.

Ryan carefully pulled her out of Rip’s path and she allowed herself to go into her boyfriend’s arms despite the foreman in front of them.  Y/n worried her upper lip when Jimmy was hauled around, just healed brand on display.

“You see this, you know what it means?  Means don’t fucking touch Fred.  Don’t fucking touch,” Rip dismissed them, “now you guys can go get the supper that you didn’t earn.”

Alongside Ryan and Colby, y/n left the situation to be dealt with by the members of the ranch involved in the dirty work.  When they reached the bunkhouse, she opted to stay out for a moment, needing to decompress with a cigarette before dealing with the hands asking a million questions about the fight.

-/-/-

Later that evening, after choosing to eat in the kitchen with Gator instead of deal with her family, y/n slipped away to the bunkhouse.  The chef had given her a questioning look when she left through the kitchen instead of the front door but thought better of asking and gave her a batch of cookies for the hands.

After checking in on the horses, she swung into the bunkhouse where she immediately noticed the absence of Fred and Lloyd.  A cursory glance around the room showed Jimmy asleep in his bunk and Jake gave her a reassuring nod that he was okay.  Ryan and Colby were sat on the sofa playing some convoluted card game they’d made up over their year on the ranch that nobody else understood the rules of.

“Gator made y’all cookies,” she announced, placing the box on the table and watched as they all made a dive to get the best one, “anyone would think y’all were starved.”

Ryan reached around her to pick one up, arm securely around her waist.  Y/n closed her eyes, leaning back into his chest and allowed the conversation between them to wash over her.  

“Y’all notice Fred’s bunk is empty?” Jake asked.

Y/n opened her eyes to look at him, “Rip and dad were never gonna let him stay here after all that.  Branded man and all that.  Just hope the spot gets filled before we get busy.”

“You going back to the house tonight?” Ryan asked, chin tucked over her shoulder.

She smiled, “thought I’d stay here if that suits you.”

“More than fine with me sweetheart,” he kissed her cheek, “I’d have you in my bed every night.”

---

Tag list: @child-of-of-the-sunshine @kendallroydefender @qardasngan @thecobraghost @little-diable @hawkeyetrained

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.14

A/n: Apologies for how long this part has taken to get to you and that it is short but being an adult has got a bit in the way of writing! Unfortunately I've no guarantees of how often I will be updating the story but know that I haven't forgotten about it and thanks to all of you still around for it.

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

Previous part - On indefinite hiatus

---

The next morning, y/n was sat at the table in the bunkhouse, bowl of cereal in front of her as she watched Colby mix himself some smoothie concoction she didn’t understand.  The rest of the hands sat around the table with her making quiet conversation as they all began to liven up in preparation for the day.

“Surprised we didn’t hear anything from you lovebirds last night,” teased Jake who was met with a glare.

Y/n pointed her spoon threateningly at him, “just because I’ve spent the last 8 years in the company of you heathens doesn’t mean I don’t still have some class.”

“Is that so?” He questioned.

She nodded, “that and if I wanted to do that I have a much bigger bed in the house not surrounded by snoring ranch hands.”

“I can confirm it’s comfy as fuck and y’all should be jealous,” Ryan added smugly.

Y/n pulled a face at him, “please never suggest that these… boys… should ever be jealous of you being in bed with me.”

“I second that,” Lloyd voiced from his position next to the coffee machine, “I can only threaten one of you at a time.”

She rolled her eyes, “between you, Rip and my brothers it’s no wonder I waited so long for him to make a move.”

“Lloyd was the first one to threaten me,” Ryan admitted.

Y/n’s eyes widened, “old man I didn’t know you had it in you.  I’m impressed.”

Conversation faded out as the door to the bunkhouse opened and Rip came in to start their day.  His gaze fell on where Ryan’s arm rested on the back of y/n’s chair.  She stood up quickly, making an excuse about wanting to work one of the colts before Travis arrived later that morning.  Rip chose to comment on the fact that she’d already told him the young horses were having the day off.  

He caught her by the arm as she went to leave, “we’ll talk about this later.”

-/-/-

After finishing the morning work in the barn, y/n led Comanche out to where Jake was watching Jimmy tack his horse up.

“Thought you weren’t coming out to the herd today?” He asked upon seeing that the gelding was tacked up.

She nodded and passed the reins across, “Dad wants me to run an eye over Travis’ prospects and seeing how Dandy is off and I don’t think either of us are comfortable with the starters going out yet I figured you could run him for me today.  Besides he could do with being ridden by someone else once in a while.”

“I’ll look after him for ya,” Jake assured taking the reins, “pick us a good one.”

Y/n laughed, “if Jamie has anything to say about it we won’t be getting anything.” 

With the rest of the hands mounted up, y/n watched them ride out then turned to find a way to avoid Rip for as long as possible.  Her solution was the stall Dandy was chilling in for a few days whilst the stone bruise in her hoof healed.  Swinging by the tack room for her grooming bag, y/n spent the next hour giving the dappled mare a head-to-toe pamper.

After a while, she was pulled out of her routine by the sound of trucks coming down the drive followed by a truck horn.  Y/n groaned, knowing that Travis had just announced his arrival to the ranch meaning that Rip, Jamie and her dad would be expecting her outside shortly.  Patting the mare’s neck, she collected her stuff and exited the barn.

Standing in the driveway outside the barn, leaning against his truck watching his prospects being unloaded from the trailer, was Travis Wheately.  During her time on the circuit nearly a decade ago, y/n had become familiar with the horse trainer, although perhaps not as close as he had wanted them to be.

“Looking as gorgeous as ever y/n,” he greeted her.

She rolled her eyes, “it hasn’t worked for 10 years.  I don’t know why you still try.”

“It’s in my blood darlin’” Travis joked, “your dad around yet?”

Y/n shook her head, “he’ll be down shortly with Jamie who’ll no doubt spoil all my fun.”

“You know if you ever want to try your hand as a reiner, just say the word and I’ll make something happen.”

She smiled at him, “you know one of these days if the ranch ever doesn’t need me I might just take you up on that offer but I’m quite happy where I am right now.”

“Your talent is wasted being a ranch hand,” Travis responded, “least you can do is talk your dad into making good choices.”

Y/n laughed, “if it were up to me this wouldn’t even be a conversation.  We’d get a good one to prove but unfortunately Jamie has to be involved.  And apparently he thinks he knows best when it comes to this.  God knows the last time he worked a horse.”

“Maybe between you and Rip you’ll win out,” he offered.

---

@child-of-of-the-sunshine @kendallroydefender @qardasngan @thecobraghost @little-diable @hawkeyetrained @pkawaiidesu5394 @fanboysfangirl