John sat alone on the thick leather couch with a glass in his hand, staring aimlessly into the fireplace.
The orange light gleamed in his old, tired eyes as he recalled the night before.
Kayce, Elisabeth and a multitude of officers had been sent up to take on the Militia and Lloyd and Rip had been sent out on their own.
Elisabeth and Kayce ended up with the worst of them, their night ending in a shootout after the cops had trapped a vehicle and blocked off any way of escape.
The Dutton and the wrangler stood side by side, rifles readied against their chests.
Both men in the vehicle ended up dead on the pavement after one had foolishly reached for a hidden gun in the car door.
The officers were quick enough to all pull their triggers and bullets flew into both of the Militia men, both falling dead into a bloodied mess on the road.
When the sun rose above the horizon, Kayce and his father set off on their horses to ride.
Meanwhile, in the bunkhouse, Lloyd and Rip were discussing Jimmy's departure from the ranch.
"He wears the brand. This is his home." Lloyd protested with a furrowed brow.
Rip shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. "Not anymore. Not for a while, anyway."
Lloyd's face dropped to a glare as he watched Laramie strut by Walker, a flirty smile painted across her face.
Walker paid no attention to her, as his eyes were fixated on Elisabeth as she washed her face next to him.
"I sure don't know how much more my pride can take." The old man mumbled.
Despite Laramie and Lloyd's fling, she had decided that she preferred Walker more. She split from Lloyd and ever since, she had been trying to flirt with Walker or be near him every chance she got.
In Laramie's ignorance, she assumed Elisabeth didn't notice, but she did. Elisabeth had seen every pitiful attempt made towards Walker, and to everyone's surprise, she did nothing.
She was secure within herself and confident enough in her relationship that she trusted Walker not to feed into it, and she was right.
"I'm gonna take Ripley out and lunge him for a bit." Elisabeth spoke to Rip in passing as Walker followed her out of the bunkhouse.
The duo took the black gelding from his stall and Walker sat up on the fence while Elisabeth worked her horse, watching her intently.
"Ain't that a freeze brand on his neck up there by his mane?" Walker asked, cocking his head.
"Yeah." Elisabeth responded as she slowed Ripley to a walk. "Every brand on a mustang shows where they were caught and the date they were caught."
"Huh... neat. I feel like you've done this before." He chuckled a bit as Elisabeth unhooked the lead line from Ripley's halter and let him wander the round pen freely.
"I have. First one I had was this gelding I named Coors." She lifted herself onto the fence beside him as she spoke. "Had him till he was five and sold him for forty-five hundred bucks."
Walker flinched. "Jesus. Must've been a nice horse then."
Elisabeth nodded. "His confirmation was... stunning. He had a beautiful pattern too. Big ol' black tobiano with blue eyes. God, if I coulda kept him, I would've."
Walker smiled lovingly. Her passion for everything she did had always amazed him and was something he adored about her.
As he studied her face, the bloodshot in her eyes and dark circles became more apparent to him. She was tired and he knew it.
After putting Ripley up, the two joined the other wranglers and worked the day away until the sun began to dip below the mountains.
Elisabeth had chosen to watch over the ranch that night, taking Jake's spot from the previous night again.
Wranglers, one at a time, had been posted up as guards at the ranch during the night just as a precaution.
With a soft sigh, Walker strolled to Elisabeth's side, the brittle ground crunching against the soles of his boots.
He leaned against the fence where she sat, feeling just the slightest pang of hurt when she didn't even turn her head to acknowledge his presence.
"What are you hunting?" He asked, looking up at her.
Her eyes remained fixated on the landscape as she shifted the rifle further into her lap.
"Whatever's hunting us."
"Baby..." Walker started, shifting himself up onto the fence in front of her. "Look at me."
She held eye contact for a few seconds before looking just behind him to watch the land again.
"Elisabeth." He spoke firmly. "Look at me."
She obeyed, and Walker could see how tired she truly was just by staring into her soulful blue eyes.
"Let someone else watch tonight... you need to sleep." His voice was like silk as it rang in her ears, but she shook her head.
"No..." Her voice was hoarse. "I have to do it."
"No, you don't." Walker gently took the rifle from her hands and put the safety on before carefully placing it on the ground.
"You can't keep living off of caffeine, nicotine and bacon. I know you're strong, and I know you're tough, but I'm worried about you. We all are. Whenever you come in from watching all night, you sit on the porch, smoke a cigarette, have a drink, and then you slump down in bed and don't move for four hours."
Elisabeth took in an unsteady breath. She knew he was right, and the worry on his handsome face was unmistakable.
"This place owns me, Walker..." Her eyes glossed over and her lower lip began to quiver. "You were right."
"Shh... c'mon now." He cooed, pulling her into his chest.
"Everything I do... is to protect this place. A place that I don't have any say in... I just protect it for a family that is too prideful to trust each other... and I'm so fucking tired. It's like I'm married to it." She gasped as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I know, baby... I know. It's alright... but hey, listen to me."
He placed his hands on either side of her face as she gazed at him with teary eyes.
"I'm gonna get you out of here, Elisabeth. And I'm gonna marry you one day. We'll make it out of Montana, start a life of our own... build that big ol' barndominium in Colorado or Utah or wherever the hell. We'll have our cows and our horses and our dogs... and those two beautiful babies that you've always wanted. I'm gonna make it happen for you, even if I work myself to death. You're my everything and seeing you happy brings me more joy than you'll ever know. I love you, Elisabeth Marie. And you can hold me to that."
By the end of his whole spiel, Walker was becoming teary eyed as well.
Elisabeth placed her hands over his and gently kissed one of his palms before holding it to her cheek again. "Thank you... for everything."
"Baby, you don't-"
"Yes, I do. I love you, Walker George. Had it not been for you, I probably would've wrapped a truck around a tree on some nameless backroad. You're the reason I held on. And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ever realized how fucking horrible this place is for me."
She leaned forward and rested her head against his chest, and for the first time, she neglected her duty for the Yellowstone and allowed herself to be vulnerable in the arms of her cowboy.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Cause when the raindrops fallin' on that old tin roof
I pour myself a glass of liquor and I get the blues
Call me what you want but don't call past two
Unless you got some liquor to contribute
YOU ARE READING
Yellowstone
FanfictionBeing practically raised by the Duttons seems like a dream for some. But Elisabeth had it rough. Her dad was a runaway and her mom was never around. When she turned 12, she found work all the way up in Montana at the Yellowstone Ranch. Not only did...
