"Do you realize how many strings I had to pull to make sure you three idiots didn't get into trouble?" Jamie screamed at the girls through the bars of the holding cell they had been forced into. His head leaned against the cool metal rungs. "Thin ice, you are on such thin fucking ice right now, do you understand that?"
Spencer smiled up at her older brother, the grin growing in size but darker. Her lips were still caked with blood, and she was sure her teeth were still coated as well. "Consider it payback, dear brother, for every ounce of bullshit you put me and Beth through growing up."
Jamie's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, and he opened his mouth to ask Spencer what she meant, but she continued on. "A fucking hysterectomy, Jamie? Are you a fucking idiot or just plain stupid?"
The eldest Dutton shrunk back from the bars as a cop walked up with the keys. Sawyer and Teeter filed out first, leaving Spencer alone with Jamie. A terrible position for him to be in.
"You aren't dead right now because you are worth more to me alive than in a ditch. But if you move one fucking hair out of line, I'll take you to the train station myself."
Jamie's normally pale skin grew paler, his eyes growing wide as he nodded once at his sister.
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~72 hours earlier~
"What's a girl gotta do to get a hand around here?"
Spencer and the rest of the wranglers stared off in the distance at the sudden break in quiet that had come over the ranch. Squinting against the sun, Spencer's eyes grew wide as she realized who the voice belonged to. She took off, her hat flying to the ground and letting her red hair tumble over her shoulders.
"Sawyer." Spencer breathed, the word whispered from the lack of breath she left herself with. It had been months since the girls had seen one another, but now Sawyer was back from tour and the real summer shenanigans could begin. The girls fell to the ground as they hugged with such an intensity, laughter flying from them as they fell.
"She's my girlfriend, you know!" Ryan hollered as the rest of the ranch circled around.
"Piss off Ry, we all know she had the hots for me first!" Spencer yelled back over her shoulder. Ryan looked to his girlfriend, but Sawyer only shrugged, not necessarily denying Spencer's statement.
"What can I say, I love me a strong woman," Sawyer smirked as she and Spencer stood. She put an end to Ryan's misery, however, when she planted a kiss on his lips, taking his hat as well. "But I love you more, bub. I promise."
Ryan smirked, flipping Spencer off as his grin grew. Spencer merely chuckled as Rip closed his arms around her. "I'm really going to be competing for your attention now, aren't I, Darling?"
"I could think of a few ways you could keep me entertained." Rip's chuckled rumbled through Spencer's back as he pulled her closer. It was the first time in a very long time Spencer actually felt relaxed and at peace. Like the puzzle pieces that her life had been at the start of the summer were finally becoming the whole picture. And it scared her that it could all come crashing down. And the somber look Kayce was giving her was looking to be the likely cause.
"Don't tell me or ask me anything," she cut her twin off before he could speak. "If it's not something you can handle, ask Dad because I'm tired of putting out fires. Regardless of who set them. Come to me with a plan and I'll help you, but that's all I have to give you right now, Big Brother."
Kayce huffed once, but he couldn't blame her. So he nodded, heading for the main house in continued silence. The sound of the door closing made Spencer's shoulders fall in relief as she sagged against the sturdiness of Rip behind her.
"So what did I miss?" Sawyer asked the group, earning looks and awkward coughs from everyone.
Ryan looked expectantly at Spencer, who only chuckled. "Half of our problems were from you, fuckhead, so you can explain your way out of that one."
One of Sawyer's eyebrows cocked up in question at Ryan, his expression blanching as an uncomfortable grin sank onto his face. Sawyer gripped his arm, pulling him away like a child scorned to the hoots and hollers of the wranglers.
Teeter made her way over to Spencer and Rip, watching Sawyer tap her foot as Ryan began to explain. "You weren't kidding about her."
"We don't kid about the women on this ranch," Rip laughed at Teeter's remark. He nestled closer to Spencer's ear, whispering lightly to her with Teeter's attention back on Sawyer and Ryan. "Think it's time we Irish goodbye this hot mess?"
His words brought a million and one different ideas to the forefront of Spencer's mind, each one more scandalous than the previous. "You're not even Irish!"
"I'll be whatever you want me to be Spencer."
She felt her cheeks warm at Rip's words, dumbly letting him pull her away from the crowd watching the action. Her afternoon schedule suddenly became very booked.
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Spencer's time in bed was- begrudgingly- cut short by her phone blaring loudly with a call from Beth.
"Are you kidding me Beth-"
"Meet me in town, at Chauncey's, now."
"The shitty wine bar they put in?"
"That's the place, I'll be heading there in fifteen minutes. Don't be late."
She didn't give Spencer a chance to retort, hanging up immediately. Spencer scoffed, flipping her hair out of her face as she bitched in a low voice about Beth.
"You're seriously going?" Rip asked as he watched her pull her jeans back on.
Spencer paused, unsure of what to say. "I know Honey, but she's been acting weird for weeks. I have no idea what's going on with her anymore."
"What happened to not putting out other people's fires?"
Spencer scoffed. "That woman is a fucking wildfire, there's no putting her out. I love youuuu."
"I love you too," Rip chuckled as Spencer bounded down the stairs and out the door.
The sound of her truck turning on stirred the rest of the ranch, sending Sawyer over her way.
"Please tell me we're getting drinks, the boys are being obnoxious."
Spencer shrugged, waving Sawyer in and tearing down the driveway. She waved as Thomas and Mo drove up in their SUV, but didn't think much of it as Sawyer turned down the music.
"How was your tour?"
Sawyer groaned. "Honestly, I'm so glad to be home. The stage manager was even worse than Dustin and I didn't think that was possible. And the girl they replaced you with was..."
"Horrible?" Spencer filled in, laughing as Sawyer's head bobbed violently up and down in agreement.
"I can't believe she thinks she can sing! At least we didn't do any of our songs, I'd have to burn the sheet music if we had."
"Well I'm just glad you're back Sarge," Spencer smiled.
The girls settled into a comfortable silence, letting the drive pass them by. Sawyer was beyond grateful to see the rolling hills and mountains that lined the road, shooting off into the distance. Sure she loved the city as much as the next girl, but it wasn't the same as being home.
"Have you talked to him?" Sawyer asked, her entire demeanor shifting as her voice dropped in volume.
"Talked to who?"
"Jackson."
Spencer hummed. She hadn't, although that had been entirely her doing. Jackson had helped her in the end, sure, but everything that led up to that had felt like too much to make up for. His betrayal of her, helping kidnap Sawyer, being involved with Dustin at all, it still felt too fresh to Spencer.
"No, although he's certainly tried to reach out."
Sawyer nodded along, "He came to one of my shows, ya know? He apologized and everything, but- I don't know, Spence."
"He's your brother, always has been and always will be," Spencer gave her friend a soft and sad smile. "Trust me, they are known to royally fuck up everything all the time. But you're always going to love him, even if he breaks your heart."
Sawyer's hair bobbed up and down for a moment, hiding her face from Spencer. So Spencer waited, giving her friend the time she needed as they pulled into town. She spotted Roarke's sleazy coupe as she parked, grumbling as she pulled Sawyer from the car.
"No time to catch you up on everything, but the asshat inside, we don't like him. He wants land from the ranch and Beth's been working her ass off to fight him. It's been working but I'm sure he's pissed."
"You had me at asshat," Sawyer's grim smile turned wicked as she followed Spencer into Chauncey's.
Beth's smirk grew as she locked eyes with her sister, and was even more thrilled to see the tiny powerhouse of a blonde at her side.
"I'd hate to tell everyone here I watched you put a roofie in my sister's drink, Roarke. I wonder how the investors would react to that. I heard you weren't packing as much this morning because of it. Stage fright?"
Roarke turned, his menacing smile plastered to his face. Spencer was sure he had Botox done to make it look like that. "If it isn't my favorite female Dutton. Oh look, you brought a friend, so lovely to meet you Miss-"
"Taylor. Sawyer Taylor."
The only hint of concern Roarke showed at Sawyer's name was the faintest raise in his eyebrows.
"You powerful ladies like to stick together around here, don't you?"
"Harder to get picked off by your hook when we do," Beth chuckled as she downed her glass of wine.
"You two are playing a very dangerous game." Roarke added, looking between the two redheads. "This little dance you think you're concocting, it's all for nothing. Market Equities can still buy Schwartz and Meyer outright ten times over. Then what's stopping me from coming after your land? Nothing. All I'm asking is you two sit down, and figure out a number that's more than fair. I'm trying to be the good guy here!"
"The last person who said that to me ended up in jail," Spencer laughed as she stepped closer to Roarke. "And maybe I should give up, let you have the land, make my sister and I billionaires. But we don't give a shit about your money, Roarke. We never have, and we never will."
"Besides," Beth chimed in ,"God knows where that shits been anyway."
Roarke's frustration was growing evident on his face. Sawyer smirked and chuckled softly at Spencer's side.
"You're wrong if you two think you'll win this fight." Roarke adds, as if it's the only thing he knows how to say.
Beth shrugs, signaling to the bartender with her empty glass. "That's where you're mistaken. You think you're a grizzly, but you're not. You're a trailer park, and I'm the fucking tornado."
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~48 hours earlier~
"So what's the plan exactly?" Sawyer asked as she saddled into her horse. Her and Spencer had been abruptly pulled from their sleep early that morning to help with whatever plan Rip and Kayce had concocted while they were away the day before.
"Honestly, we just kinda came up with like, fuck it," Rip laughed as he pulled Rebel from the trailer.
Spencer looked at her fiance warily, "Fuck it?"
Kayce grinned widely and nodded, "Fuck it."
Sawyer's face dropped at the sight of the twins and Rip looking far too excited, but stayed on her horse with some encouragement from Ryan. Colby and Cole were set up just down the field with a few other ranchers Kayce had wrangled up to help load the horses off to auction before the bank took them.
"Word of advice Sawyer," Kayce called from the front of the pack of saddled horses, "Ride like hell! Let's go!"
With a round of hollers the group was off, pushing the grazing horses into a stampede heading for the makeshift corral Kayce had set up. If Spencer wasn't too concerned with staying on Rebel and keeping the horses in check, she'd almost admit she was damn proud of her brother for bringing everyone together to do right by a family in town. Lord knows they would need all the favors they could get in the coming months.
Rip was pulling up the rear with Sawyer as the twins raced across the field, ever set on being the fastest one on their horses. Some things never changed.
"How is she?" Sawyer asked Rip as the last of the horses were being loaded onto the awaiting trailers.
He sighed, watching his bewitching redhead of a fiancee spin Rebel around. "Better. I don't think she's gotten over everything, but she's certainly out of the darkest parts of it now."
"And Charlie?"
Rip's concern lessened as he thought about the brunette tween. "Already giving the bunkhouse a run for their money. She'll be a mini Spencer in no time."
Sawyer smiled and nodded, but the look in her eyes told Rip there was something he hadn't said that she heard anyway. He turned an evil eye on the blonde for a minute, who only shrugged as she trotted Willow, her horse, back toward the trailer heading to Yellowstone.
"These women are gonna be the death of me," Rip whispered to himself, chuckling as he shook his head.
Spencer loaded up with Kayce, as he had asked her to help him get a fair price on the horses at the auction in Billings. She had agreed, getting some alone time with her brother for the first time in a long while wouldn't be a bad thing.
The siblings sat in silence for the first half of the drive, watching the rolling hills ebb and flow into rock formations and slowly into the outskirts of town.
Kayce broke the silence first. "Can I ask about what happened the other day or are you going to bite my face off?"
Spencer snickered as she pulled her feet from the dash. "I won't bite your face off Big Brother. And you can, but I'm not going to tell you."
"Well that's not fair! I think I liked it better when you and Monica weren't all friends and shit, I could at least get information from the two of you."
"We've always been friends, you jackass," Spencer jabbed her brother's arm playfully. "You're just an idiot who fell for our shit."
Kayce opened his mouth to argue, but the words fell short, leaving him gaping at his sister. She chuckled, ruffling his hair before getting out of the truck.
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~36 Hours Earlier~
Sawyer's text had gotten progressively more illegible the closer Kayce and Spencer got to the ranch. She was sure it was a result of Jimmy being released from the hospital as well as Sawyer being home, plus the day off she gave the bunkhouse for their help.
"They're gonna start expecting days off if you keep this us Tiny," Kayce warned as he pulled the truck into a spot. They had been able to hear the bunkhouse over the radio as they pulled in.
Spencer only shrugged, her grin growing wide and devious. "There's an air horn with their names on it for tomorrow afternoon. Charlie and I have been planning this for weeks."
Kayce's eyes grew wide with fright and amusement. "Damage has been done to the child, hasn't it?"
"Piss off Kayce we did this all the time when we were younger. It's called passing the torch. You'd know that if you ever opened a book." Spencer paused, tilting her head at her brother. "Or read anything for that matter."
She sauntered away from the truck, Kayce yelling after her about how he did read. But she didn't care, her heart was set on stopping by and seeing the bunkhouse before landing her ass in bed. Her time of relaxation hadn't gone to plan so she was going to salvage as much as she could. But when she opened the door to see and extra blonde and brunette in the ranks, she did a double take.
"Laramie?" She asked as the door shut behind her.
The blonde in question turned, her eyes going wide with shock to see Spencer. "Spencer Dutton you crazy fucking bitch!"
The laughter went quiet, the men growing uneasy, even Sawyer was becoming concerned. But the two met in the middle, hugging like long lost sisters. Noise had yet to return, but the room visibly relaxed at the sight. Except Sawyer, whose feathers grew ruffled at the sight of the two.
Ryan looked up to see his distraught girlfriend, and fought to reign in his smile at the frustrated look settling on her face. He patted her leg, gaining her attention before he told her, "Laramie and Spencer used to barrel race together, Sweetheart. I don't think they've really seen much of each other since Spencer stopped though. I wouldn't be worried."
"I'm not worried," Sawyer grumbled, her eyes darting back to the pair chatting it up with Mia now.
"Riiiiight, and I'm not a hand of the Yellowstone Ranch."
Spencer felt the attention of eyes on her, her eyes flitting to Sawyer looking upset and Ryan looking smug. Excusing herself from the other girls, she sent a questioning look to Sawyer as she walked over. But the blonde's expression was glassed over from the amount of drinks she had already consumed.
"Sawyer's got a little green monster sitting on her shoulder," Ryan teased as Spencer walked over. Spencer giggled once, holding in her smile as Sawyer's frown deepened.
Her arms wrapped around the blonde, pulling the two together. Spencer's lips smacked against Sawyer's hairline with a resounding pop. "You're my best friend, Sarge, and no one's going to take that from you. I promise."
"Not even Rip?"
Spencer couldn't help but chuckle. "Not even Rip."
Sawyer nodded, the frown dissipating as quickly as it had come on. Spencer turned to Ryan, eyebrows high on her face with shock while Ryan hid his laughter behind a sip of beer.
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~24 Hours Earlier~
Spencer walked up to the main house, having decided she would take Charlotte off Cole's hands for the day. And with the summer coming to an end, it would only be a matter of time before Tate and Charlotte were back in school. She stopped short of the kitchen, hearing Beth and Jamie bickering once again.
She had never been the biggest fan of Jamie growing up, the two always rubbing each other the wrong way. Jamie saw everything in black and white, while Spencer lived in more shades of gray than Dorian Gray could handle. And sure they had their arguments, but it was never anything close to the blowups that he had with Beth. Those were the most lethal reactions you could find on the ranch.
"You don't get it Jamie," Beth chuckled but even Spencer could tell her sister held no humor now. "The more you become what he wants you to become, the more he'll hate you for it. And he does hate you. We all do."
"I know what this is really about Beth. All that fucked up trauma in your head, and you're pinning it on me. Do you want me to apologize, again? Do you want me to tell you I should've said no? I'm sorry I helped you, I really wish I didn't."
Beth's voice was like ice when she spoke. "I didn't ask for a fucking hysterectomy, Jamie."
Spencer's breath caught in her throat. She backed up to the door, fumbling for the handle to open and slam it loud enough for the two of them to hear. Her footsteps echoed on the floor, and she had the attention of both her siblings when she entered the kitchen.
"This feels a little soap opera right now," Spencer joked, although her delivery felt off. "We talking about taking out the neighbor who's having an affair or something in here?"
Beth was the first to crack, her glare warming into a smirk before turning a threatening glare on Jamie. As she departed, Jamie looked Spencer over from his spot across the kitchen. He felt like she was lying, but it was always hard to tell with Spencer. She had learned early on, likely from their father or Rip, that the best lie always had an ounce of truth to it. He just couldn't decide what her truth was now.
"What are you doing here so early?" He asked instead, hoping to catch her slipping. Like Spencer was ever caught slipping.
She smiled brightly at her older brother, "I thought I'd take Charlie off Cole's hands. She goes back to school soon and I'd hate to miss any time with her. We all know how precious childhood is, don't we Jamie?"
Jamie choked on his coffee and Spencer rushed to help him out, true concern written all over her face until his breathing evened out.
"Everything alright Jay?"
He smiled weakly, "Just dandy, Tiny."
Spencer nodded, heading back to her mission of finding Charlie. But she still felt the urge to pummel Jamie into a pulp sitting at the base of her neck. Her fingers twitched, forming a fist- not to punch him, sadly- to knock on Charlotte's door. The brunette tween grumbled as she opened the door, but her mood quickly changed at the sight of the redhead.
"Spencer!"
"Get ready, I told your brother I'd take you school shopping."
Charlotte's head tilted to the side in question. "But we have like three weeks until we get the supplies list?"
Spencer wiggled her eyebrows in response. "It's never too early to work on your wardrobe Charlie, don't you forget that."
The tween's eyes went wide with excitement. She mumbled something before shutting the door, making Spencer laugh outside.
"I can pay for whatever you two get today," Cole offered from across the hall. "Maybe not right away but I can cover it."
Spencer turned her pointer finger at him. "You will do no such thing! Honestly this is more for me than Charlie anyway, I never got to experience being the big sister or anything like that. So I will spoil accordingly and you will just have to build her a bigger closer."
Cole smiled, if only to hide the emotions fighting to leave his eyes. "Whatever you say Boss."
"Good, send her down when she's ready, alright?"
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~12 Hours Earlier~
It was later that evening that Spencer came up with an idea. A terrible, horrible, could cause a lot of trouble, idea. And maybe, just maybe, if she had better friends or a better upbringing, she wouldn't have gone through with it.
But racking up charge after charge on Jamie's credit card that she had taken from his wallet earlier that day sounded like a great idea. It could've also been the whiskey talking at that point too.
And honestly those guys were just begging for a fight, Sawyer and Teeter could vouch for her. Plus they were putting their hands all over that poor girl, someone had to step up.
And since Spencer was too drunk to even remember her own name... Well it's a damn shame Jamie woke up at three in the morning to three Jane Doe's attached to his credit card in a holding cell.
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author's note. a massive chapter- at least for my standards- to make up for taking a week plus to post. writer's block and social calendar had me on the ropes for a minute there.