Rip - Trust (Completed)

Friends

He needn't have worried about Taylor and Rip though, the boys hit it off with each other almost immediately and in fact were a good influence on each other.

Lee and Leanne dropped their son up to the ranch on the weekend having left their younger two children with Leanne's parents.

Rip stood on the porch when they arrived, and watched Taylor jump out of their truck and into his grandfather's arms. It brought back the all familiar feeling of ants inside his belly, so he was going to turn around and head back into the house.

He hadn't noticed Robert standing right behind him though, who gently placed his hands on his shoulders, turning him back around and making him face them. Like on that first day in the home he took him by the elbow and gently guided him down to the truck to say hello to everyone.

The boys eyed each other up suspiciously at first but it did not take them long to find out that they had more in common than what separated them. They both were equally mad about horses, and loved baseball, something that no one else had yet found out about Rip. Like his father, Taylor also played the guitar a little and taught Rip, who always admired people who could play music, some chords. 

By the time Leanne and Lee left the ranch a few hours later, to go on their little break, the first in 14 years, they were reassured by the fact that their oldest son for once did not have his face stuck in a screen.

It was a relief to everyone to see Rip for once content and playful until one afternoon he reminded everyone of his volatile temperament.

Rip and Taylor were outside the barn and as boys do for no apparent reason took it in turns to throw their balls against the wall off the building, when Frank, who had been working inside it came storming out yelling at them, "Goddammit, Quit the racket. You are driving me insane with that noise."

"What an arsehole!" Taylor exclaimed, "he reminds me of the caretaker in our school. Pretends to be all friendly with you one minute, but then snitches on you to the principal for the prize of a new broom handle at every opportunity, the grumpy old git," Taylor said.

"That's Frank alright and Mr Dutton is the principal!" Rip said and both boys broke their hearts laughing.

"Rip. Why are you calling Papa, Mr Dutton?" Taylor asked him out of the blue in a casual tone of voice. He had meant to ask Rip this question from the beginning, when he was introduced to him as his second cousin but a cousin nevertheless, and his father explained to him how they all were related.

"I dunno," Rib answered without looking at his new friend, not wanting to talk about it.

"Mom reckons it's because your old man hurt you so bad you don't want a new one," Taylor said.

Rip felt himself getting very uncomfortable with his friend's curiosity and presumptions but knew he did not mean any offence, so did not argue with him, but just went, "Mmmmh," biting his lips in the hope this would discourage Taylor from going on.

"I think that's kind stupid, because Papa is like a dad to you, and if your dad hurt you that much, you should just stop thinking of him as a dad," Taylor reasoned.

"Huh", Rip went, still not wanting to engage in the subject and thinking If only it was that easy!

They had of course disregarded Frank's earlier outburst and kept throwing their balls against the wall the whole time while they were talking. So Frank came back out, walked over to where they were standing and this time without a word picked up the ball that Rip had just thrown and threw it into the paddock with the bull next to the barn before walking back to whatever he was doing.

"What a gigantic arsehole," Taylor said again and laughed. But Rip, slightly activated from their earlier conversation, and still holding a fierce grudge against the old man for holding him down when Mr Dutton whipped him told Taylor, "give us your ball." He then proceeded to throw Taylor's ball with as much force as he possibly could and succeeded to hit the old man right between his shoulder blades.

"Rip!" they heard Mr Dutton roar from across the yard as they saw Frank turn and stomp angrily towards them.

"Oh Shit! You are in for it now!" Taylor said, and watched in amazement how his new friend rose up and instead of at least running away, marched straight towards the old foreman on his grandfather's ranch, squaring up to him, despite the fact that he was much smaller than him, and his great uncle was coming charging at him from the other side as well.

"Taylor, get into the house, and stay there. And you come with me!" Mr Dutton barked at Rip grabbing the boy roughly by the arm.

"He had it coming, he threw our ball in there!" Rip roared glaring at Frank while being pulled away.

"Walk... This way," his uncle shouted at him, and pushed him in front of him toward the path that led down to the cottage.

Rip tried to get away a few times, but his uncle caught him each time by the arm and made him walk in front of him. Until eventually Rip gave in and just walked in front of his uncle until they got to the river.

"Sit down, Rip. I have a good mind to throw you in there to cool you down," he shouted crossly at his nephew, pointing at the river.

"He threw our ball into the paddock", Rip shouted back in frustration.

"I am not telling you again, sit and cool down," his uncle yelled at him.

The boy did sit down and muttered to himself, "maybe you should fucking cool down yourself!"

Mr Dutton took a deep breath and pressed his lips together, bringing his hands up to his waist, he realised how close he was to unbuckling his belt. It made him swallow. His nephew had a point, so he sat down beside him and after a while said, "you and I are going to spend the rest of the day together."

At this stage, Rip had calmed down sufficiently to realise the consequences of his outburst and was very unhappy with the prospect of having to spend a full day with his uncle instead of his cousin.

"Please, Mr Dutton, I am sorry. I apologise to Frank, but please don't make me stay with you all day," he begged, "please, Mr Dutton, please! Not while Taylor is here."

His uncle, who was pleased to see him get on with his grandson and who remembered Samuel's advice not to take things away from Rip that are actually good for him told him to relax and that they could hang out with Taylor later together but that for now they were going to take a break. He told him that he was not prepared to lift the sanction, however.

Rip was visibly upset and pleaded with his uncle, "Please Mr Dutton, that is so embarrassing, don't make me stay with you while Taylor is here. Please Mr Dutton!"

When he heard the boy pleading with him like this, his heart went out to him, and he reconsidered, "Right Rip, I make you a deal. You go for a swim with me in there, and I will think about it. It always helps me to cool down. If I find you are calm enough afterwards, I let you get off this time, but only because Taylor is here, is that understood?" he asked. 

"Yes sir!" the boy agreed and was very grateful for having been given a second chance.