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"We do not inherit this land from our ancestors;
we borrow it from our children."
-Haida Indian saying

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Arizona woke up early the next morning knowing it was Beth who cleaned up for her and changed her shorts, she was the one who looked after Arizona growing up which is where Arizona's tougher side came from. "Arizona," John's voice caught her attention. "Hey pops," Arizona answered as he walked into the room. "How are your studies?" John asks his youngest daughter as she climbed out of her bed.

"They're going good, with my awesome brain, I should be graduating in less than a year and the Ranch will have their own Dutton Vet," Arizona cheered with a wide smile, one that made John smile back. "I need you assisting Rip with the cowboys. Got cattle trapped out on the Reservation and I want you and your "awesome brain" checking on those cattle, make sure they're healthy," John says as he fiddled with his hat in his hands.

"Sure thing, pops. I'd been happy to help them," Arizona nodded to him as she pulled out some jeans and a flannel shirt from her drawers. "But before that, I'm gonna go see Kayce and wanted to know if-" John began but Arizona turned to him instantly, "-Yes! I wanna see Kayce, let me get ready!" Arizona lightly pushed her father out of the room making him chuckle, closing the door before she quickly got dressed, brushed her teeth and hair before throwing on her hat.

She made her way downstairs where her father was waiting, the two nodded at each other before making their way out to the car. Arizona looked over to see Ryan, Colby and Shane all standing together by the horses. While her eyes were focused on Shane, Ryan scowled looking between them causing Colby to roll his eyes. The two cowboys didn't like Shane much or the way he spoke about women, especially his words about Arizona. Though Shane knew better than to comment about Arizona in front of Rip, Lloyd or even Gator who cooked for everyone on the ranch.

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Arizona smiled as they pulled up the driveway, she got out of the car and made her way towards the pen where Kayce was trying to work a horse. "Got tiger stripes on his legs, you know what that means, don't you?" John spoke up as he stood next to his daughter. Kayce smiled over to his younger sister before looking to their father, "Spanish blood." Arizona admired the horse as she climbed up the pen before jumping over. Kayce walked up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace, the two younger Duttons were the closest despite their distance; Lee a close second.

"One of his ancestors probably bucked a conquistador and took to the hills. You manage to break his spirit, no horse will serve you better," John says with a small smile watching his younger two children hugging. Arizona pulled away from Kayce before holding out her hand, allowing the wild horse to step forward and place its head against it, which it did almost instantly due to her calm presence and willing nature to let the horse approach her on its own time. "He'll serve me just fine with spirit intact," Kayce replied to their father, keeping his eye on the horse and his sister as she gently ran her hand up and down its body.

"I used to think the same thing at your age. Hope you prove me wrong," John replied back to his son as Arizona lead the horse around the pen. "I didn't know they were your cattle," Kayce spoke up gaining Arizona's attention again. "Would it have made a difference?" John asks but before Kayce could respond he continued, "You don't want to be on the wrong side of this, son." Arizona slowly stepped away from the horse before moving to stand next to Kayce in front of their father.

"Yeah, well, the list of things I don't want is endless. You telling me what to do is one of them," Kayce says as Arizona sighed, she didn't want to witness another fight between the two. "I'm not telling you what to do. I just don't want you to get in trouble," John replied before motioning for Arizona to climb back over. "Well, if I'd have known there were sides, I wouldn't have been there at all," Kayce pointed out before the three fell into silence, Arizona now standing next to their father.

"Good lord, even here the world just keeps on coming," John spoke up as he looked out to the vast environment, Arizona admired the mounds of dirt and mixture of beige colouring through the view. "Rough week, huh?" Kayce asks his father before glancing at his sister. "Yeah. One only a grandson could fix. Thought I'd come see Tate play in the dirt, maybe even join him while you and Sunshine could catch up," John explained to his son while Arizona smiled brightly at the nickname.

"Always good to see you, Ari. But he's at Monica's parents," Kayce informed the oldest Dutton. "I guess the early grandpa gets the worm, huh?" Arizona teased her father who scoffed, a small smile on his face. "Can I give you some advice, Kayce? Someday your son's gonna test you. He's gonna force you to make a decision that not only determines his future but your place in it," John explains to his son, Arizona frowning as she sighed. "I want you to remember me standing here, son, before you make that decision because this... this is the consequence of choosing wrong," John finished off.

"Anything else?" Kayce asked blandly while Arizona tensed up as she looked between the father and son standing on opposite sides of the fence, the irony of the fact that the two men were standing opposite sides whether they wanted to or not. "I just want to know him, Kayce," John pleaded softly. "You know him," Kayce shrugged nonchalantly while Arizona let a frown form on her face, even she barely knew her nephew. "No, I don't. I don't. We've met, but I don't really know him. And he doesn't know me," John answered back.

"Is it too much to ask that you help make that happen?" John asked as Arizona rested her hand on his shoulder for comfort. Kayce let out a humourless chuckle as he looked up at his father, "You've always asked too much." Arizona looked down in disappointment at her brother. While she respected her brother's decision to support the woman he knocked up, to support his independence away from the ranch but the family was above all else ─ family that included Tate and Monica ─ and John just wanted to know his grandson, just like she wanted to know her nephew.

John shook his head before walking over to the truck while Arizona rushed up to the pen and reached over to hug her older brother. "I miss you, K. Send my love to Monica and Tate," Arizona spoke as Kayce kissed the side of her head before she let go and walked over to the truck. She leaned back in her seat and let out a shaky breath before turning to look at her father, a strong stubborn man who did what he could to protect the ranch and his family, something she hoped she could be one day.

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The moment Arizona got back to the Ranch, she went into the barn and grabbed Flash's saddle before heading towards his stable. She stopped and smiled as she watched Ryan brush down Flash's coat while feeding him. "You're a good horse, ain't ya Flash?" Ryan spoke softly as he finished brushing him. "You didn't have to do this," Arizona stepped around the corner with a small smile, Ryan shrugged with a small smile. "I don't mind, Zee. I was ordered to wait for you anyway," Ryan explained before placing the feed bucket down.

"Here, let me," Ryan offered, grabbing the saddle from Arizona's hands and putting it onto Flash. Arizona looked up at the cowboy with a smile, "I appreciate it, Ryan. Thank you." He tipped his hat to her before he finished up with the saddle and reins. Arizona walked by Ryan's side as he lead Flash out of the barn, the two walked in a comfortable silence as Shane watched from beside Colby, a glare on his face. But Ryan didn't care, just being around Arizona was more than enough for him.

Arizona climbed up onto her horse and joined the cowboys before getting to work, she made her way out to the paddocks before looking towards the endless land that the Dutton family owned. Arizona looked towards the house to see Jamie walk out then turning to see Beth leaning against the banister, she sighed knowing the two would be at each other. "I'll catch up," Arizona said to Ryan and Colby before riding over to the porch.

"Nice to see you're still smoking," Jamie said to Beth who laughed at him. "Well, women in this family don't live much past 40 anyway, so I might as well enjoy my time," Beth informed him before smiling at Arizona as she stopped in front of them. "What are you doing here?" Jamie asks her, he was being wary while Arizona watched in case she needed to get in between them. "Same thing I always do. Fixing something you couldn't," Beth answered before walking inside the house.

"Don't let her under your skin, Jamie. And don't piss her off," Arizona said with a smile before she kicked her foot, Flash racing off to catch up with the cowboys. Jamie sighed as he watched her nod to Lloyd, the two of them went off to get some work done. Arizona spent hours working on the ranch with the cowboys ─ checking on the cattle ─ until she waved them goodbye before heading back to the barn, her eyes widened when she spotted Kayce and Tate. She headed over to them with a wide grin that got wider when Tate looked up.

"Aunty 'zona!" Tate called as Arizona jumped down from Flash before wrapping the boy up in her arms, his head resting in the crook of her neck as Kayce smiled at her. "Oh, Tate! You've grown so much," Arizona swooned at the sight of her nephew, placing him down before kneeling down and resting her hands on his shoulders. "I'm so glad you are here," Arizona kissed the boys head before standing up and hugging Kayce. "Thank you, K. Dad needs this. We all do," Arizona whispered to her brother, Kayce kissed the side of his sisters head before letting her step back.

Kayce nodded before stepping towards their father, "Thought I'd bring the fix to you." John smiled at the sight of them. Arizona turned to see Shane standing by her, a smile on his face as she beamed at the sight of her brother on the ranch with the next generation of Dutton. Kayce noticed the close proximity between Shane and Arizona, he looked to Lloyd who had taken notice too, nodding to Kayce, he called Shane to help him out. "You know how to ride a horse?" John asks his grandson. "Course I do. I'm Indian," Tate answered back.

John picked Tate up, straining slightly, and held him in his arms, "Yeah, maybe so. But you're a cowboy today." Arizona smiled as she climbed up on Flash and moved to be next to Rip. "Thank you for this," John said to Kayce before walking towards the horses. Lee smirked as he walked over to Kayce, winking to his sister who knew that Lee was about to tease Kayce. "Well, shit, Kayce, I've dated women with shorter hair than you," Lee teased as he grabbed Kayce's hair, Kayce turned away with a smile.

"Yeah, you sure they were women, Lee?" Kayce teased back making Arizona laugh. Jamie stepped up and hugged Kayce, the sight of the three brothers by each other's side made Arizona smile before she pulled out her phone and took a photo of them. Rip chuckled at the younger girl knowing the Dutton brothers would never know about the photo. "Hey, cowboy," Beth called from the car, Arizona knew she wouldn't go riding with them due to hating horses, her past trauma too strong to face the fear.

Arizona clicked, Flash moved forward and stopped by Ryan's side as Beth and Kayce hugged. "It's good to see the family together," Arizona spoke up as she looked at Ryan, the cowboy smiled at her when they locked eyes; his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her bright smile. "It's good to see you smiling," Ryan replied before Shane rode up between them. "Time to get going. Arizona, stay by me, eh?" Shane spoke as he looked the brunette up and down. Still smiling, she nodded and the two rode off with the others.

Ryan rolled his eyes as Rip rode up next to him, "She's out of your league anyway." Ryan looked to Rip before looking back towards Arizona as she laughed at something Colby said. "I don't trust Shane, he's only been here for a short time. And the way he treats girls... I'd hate for Arizona to be involved with him," Ryan explained to Rip knowing his protective nature over the youngest Dutton. "Let's get to work," Rip replied before riding off but Ryan knew that Rip would keep a closer eye on the younger Dutton girl especially with Shane around.

The cowboys and the Duttons worked together to round up the buffalo in the paddock, herding the buffalo into a different paddock from where they were. Arizona stayed by her brothers rather than Shane as Rip had ordered the drifter to assist Colby and Fred instead, she kept an eye on any loose buffalo but kept her distance knowing they were more aggressive than cattle. She smiled widely at Tate as he smiled at her before she kicked out her foot to ride alongside Lee and Kayce, the three of them racing one another; her winning the race proving why her horse was named Flash.

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Arizona smiled as she joined her brothers in fly fishing, she giggled as Lee handed his fishing rod to Tate allowing him to catch a fish. "I got one!" Arizona called out before jumping from her horse, Lee nodded to her as he pulled up the horse. They teased as a boat went by before settling down by a campfire where they cooked up the fish. Arizona made herself comfortable sitting in between Lee and Jamie as she ate the fish that she caught and cooked.

"You're gonna raise him on a reservation?" Lee asked Kayce as he ate. "People do it every day," Kayce replied unfazed by Lee's question. "'Cause they have no choice, Kayce," Jamie spoke up while Arizona sighed. "Hey, it's Kayce's choice. Leave him be," Arizona spoke up with a smile as Kayce nodded in his appreciation for her words. "Yeah, looks like you're ready to eat," Kayce told Tate as he checked the fish carefully.

"Every day, just like this," Jamie told Tate with a relaxed yet wide smile. Arizona smiled at the calm state that Jamie was in, something she rarely got to see. "Who are you kidding? Bet you haven't fished here in years," Kayce replied to Jamie, though Arizona knew he had a point in saying that; she had been out with John or Lee a few times but Jamie wasn't keen on participating. "Only thing we haven't done in years is see you, Kayce," Jamie argued back, the tense air returning. "Well, he told me to leave," Kayce pointed out, Arizona's shoulders slumped; she knew what was coming. "He told us all to leave except for Arizona. You were just the only one who did," Lee spoke up, it was a family loyalty test; they all knew that.

Arizona leaned her head on Lee's shoulder as she looked to Kayce with a sympathetic smile, she understood her brothers views better than her siblings. Jamie saw power and money, Lee saw loyalty and generational wealth while Arizona and Kayce saw land and animals. "It's different. You know that," Kayce responded. "Right, so you're gonna raise him in that meth-filled desert to prove a point," Lee continued while Arizona sat up straight again with an annoyed sigh. "What I'm proving you'll never understand," Kayce replied before Lee and Jamie laughed. "Shit, I miss being young. You wake up in the morning, and you just keep right on dreaming, right?" Lee teased.

"You're a 38-year-old bachelor living in your father's house, working 100-hour weeks for a nibble of his approval. Is that the dream, Lee? Sure as shit ain't mine," Kayce snarked back. Arizona frowned seeing the pained expression on Lee's face before Lee picked up a rock and threw it at Kayce. Kayce laughed as he dodged it before Tate glared at Lee. "Hey!" Tate shouted before throwing his fish at Lee, "Don't throw things at my dad!" Tate stood up to walk closer, "Fucker!" Arizona and Jamie shared an amused look as Kayce pulled Tate into his arms.

They all laughed at Tate's protective nature over his father, Arizona handed over her fish before stealing some of Jamie's; her brother amused by her actions but let her have some. "It's okay, buddy. We're just brothers arguing, man. Nobody's mad, okay? It's all right," Kayce assured the boy while Lee, Jamie and Arizona laughed. "You gonna tell me there's no fight in that blood?" Lee pointed out. "He's right though. It is a good day," Arizona spoke up with a smile. She loved her brothers will every piece of her heart and she didn't know what she'd do without them; they were her world.

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━━━ 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 ꒱࿐

Thoughts on Ryan's interest in Arizona?

Thoughts on Shane's interest in Arizona?

Thoughts on the Dutton boys bond with Arizona?

Thoughts on the chapter?

See you in the next chapter!

Dec 24 edit: Oh wow, I really went for the sweet baby sister looking up to her brothers route and the realisation that what happens to Lee is only the beginning, Arizona is gonna hurt bad. I realised that by the end of the book, she'll only have Kayce and Beth. . . Dang

also, yeah... arizona is 24 at the beginning while Ryan's like 30 or something... so if you don't like that, please leave now.