Monica Long - Tumblr Posts
Helpless
Description: She worked as a lawyer in New York until she received a phone call from the man she owes her career to. She knew she would be back and what she was in for but what she didn’t know is that her life would change even more than she imagined.
Part 2
Chapter 1
“You hide your emotions for a living but at this moment you are not doing a great job” I directed an eyeroll to him. We were currently sitting at the dinner table, waiting for his children to join us.
“Not really helping John '' I let out a sigh taking in his words. I know he was right. This family has been in my life since I was 17. I had met Beth, who at first wasn’t the kindest but somehow we both got along great. In my job you had to be assertive, judgemental,firm, confident and when things got rough, you had to be rude and tough. Not an easy thing to do on a normal basis and I thought to myself I was crazy for not only entering law but to becoming a General Practice Attorney. Somehow when I enter the courtroom or when I am making a deal my eyes dial in to my target and I blackout. I do what is needed to do and my streak of losing none of my cases shows that. But when I am outside the law and I am just me, I lose myself. With Beth, she was that for me. She was the assertive side in me and I was the calming side to her. We got each other and I was thankful for that.
“You didn’t tell me she was joining '' Jamie, sweet Jamie. I get up and give him a hug which he gladly takes. Right out of law school I was taken under his wing. John decided not to tell him how he helped me through law school and how he became a mentor to me since the night we met. Jamie took such pride in seeing me become what I wish he knew I could be. Soon I had to move on since I wasn't a specialist in only one thing. I now only see him if he or John needs help and needs me to work with him on something. We distance ourselves over the past years but nothing feels any different now. “Finally” He sighs, moving around the table to take a seat across from me, of course one seat down from John who was at the end of the table.
“Decided we couldn’t keep her a secret anymore and now would be a great time to have her here” After Lee’s death I was asked to come back to the ranch. I moved to New York as I was working on expanding my knowledge in more than just Law, but when I received John's call I dropped everything. Lee’s death was unfortunate and John mentioned in that phone call that things were just going to get tougher from then, and hell did it. I have been working in the background with Lee’s death and filing it under the table with the help of Jamie. Also helping him with Kayce and Monica. When the drug explosion accident happened and Monica’s accident at school. With the kidnapping of the girl Kayce found and the trips he took to jail. Not to mention Dan and Beth, and I have a feeling that won’t be it.
“He didn’t want to continue hearing my rants on driving from home all the way to town. Loved the peaceful rides but you know I am not a morning person” I was staying just outside of Darby. Of course I could stay in town but it wasn’t a risk John nor I wanted to take. He has enemies and everybody knows each other, we didn’t want to give them anything that could come back and damage the farm.
“That you are not” I looked up hearing a familiar voice. “You remember your finals week?” I shake my head in embarrassment. I had just turned 20 but in Beth’s head I was 21. So she made a trip from Salt Lake City to Connecticut. Of course I told her right but she didn’t care. She told me Yale could wait for a couple hours so I could have fun. I was unaware that her couple hours meant a whole night a day. John sent me to study in Yale a couple months after we met. I promised him I wouldn’t disappoint and for me, I never make promises so It was like writing it in stone. I took multiple classes and spent nights, days,summer,spring break, holidays studying and advancing as much as possible in my degree. Work paid off when in only four years I graduated when it usually took 7. Anyways I was in my finals and she took me out that morning.
“In my defense it was 3 in the morning when you showed up” yeah 3 in the morning, I was walking into my apartment hoping to take a 3 hour nap so I could continue at 6 the next day.
“That when New york wakes up” So she shook me off the bed and drove us down an hour and 30 minutes to Manhattan.
“I thankfully took a that ride a power nap”
“If that is what you want to call it.” She laughs while pouring herself a drink. “ I could swear her body felt more energized than ever because she looked like a zombie who hadn’t slept in years'' I hadn’t slept well in 5 weeks. I knew finals were coming and with everything going on I needed every hour I could get to prepare for it. “We got to the club and she was going on a mission. I am not going to tell you what she did to get in because it would ruin your image of her '' She meant I seduced and promised the security an amazing morning if he let me in knowing I wasn’t 21 yet. That might not seem bad but when your promises are very verglaur and detailed and also loud, well now that I think about it, it was more embarrassing but still. “But don’t worry I didn’t let her slip that night. Well maybe just a little.” I cover my eyes and my ears. Dancing on every surface I could find and wired with more alcohol than they had in the club I was having the best time of my life that night. But when we got out and I saw the sun I began cursing at it like it killed and took away everything I loved. I bet there is a video of me out there becoming New York’s crazy woman who hates the sun. After that I went back into the club and refused to come out until the sun was gone. And to be fair that was not what I meant by not being a morning person. I love sunrises and sunsets, I just hate waking up.
“Sorry I am late. Leaving Tate wasn’t easy today” I have only seen Kayce from afar. When I arrived at the farm, Kayce had already had the altercation with John. I soon left and didn’t hear about him until I came back. I have been only helping Jamie with his cases but never had the opportunity to speak to him once. I knew he had moved back and became the Ranch Foreman but I avoided the farm as much as possible knowing that was what John and I agreed on. Kayce walked in with his head down seating next to John and Jamie. He only focused on me when John spoke up.
“Don’t worry son. We were just catching up” he stood up at the end of the table looking over at us. “This is Y/N. She will be living here starting today” That is not what we spoke about. I gave him a worried look but he only shook his head. That meant I had to trust him. “Beth and Jamie have known of her for the past years but because of the circumstances of you not being present in the ranch” A little sadness in both their eyes could be seen. “You hadn’t gotten a chance to meet her” I sent him a nod with a gentle smile and his response was a cold stare that he quickly moved towards his father.
“What do you mean she will be living in the main house?” Not that I mattered more than him but somehow his words caused annoyance in me. You don’t even know me and speak like I was not important. John takes the chance to sit down as Gator comes out with the food.
“I want to take this dinner as a chance to not only tell you about her” he look over to Kayce and then followed his gaze to Jamie and Beth as he continued speaking “and to tell you two along with Kayce how she came to the ranch and why I asked her to come back and stay in the ranch” That last part he looked over at me and I knew he was asking me to listen and consider his question on staying and living in the ranch for awhile. We began eating but John didn’t touch his food as he began speaking. “One night almost 7 years ago she came to the farm. I know under what circumstance she came to run into our lands but that is up to her if she wants to share it with you” He looks over at me and I give him a nod thanking him for that. He looks back to his kids and continues. “That night 3 of our cowboys were out and found her. Thankfully Rip found her before anything bad happened to her.” I look down focusing on my food not really wanting to relive that moment. I guess it showed on my face since I felt Beth take my hand that was settled in my lap. “Rip brought her to me and that night I decided to bring her in. She made a good impression on Rip and I so I decided to help her from that day on.” I smile hearing that from John. Rip was a big softy but had a hard time showing that to people. Mainly because this kind of life didn’t bring out the best in him. He liked it and as much as I would like him to see the better side of things, I know he is better off that way he is.
“So what does that mean? Is she?-” Beth chuckles at Kayces words.
“She is younger than you Kayce! Just 22” Almost 23 I thought. Jamie's words cause a groan from his brother who looks over to John for answers.
“It means I saw something and helped her become what she wanted in life. She spoke to me about going into law school and to show her gratitude she promised to do everything in her power to make me proud and devote herself to this family and she hasn’t failed since”
“She has helped me keep this family running and keeps you from jail.” Jamie says, taking a bit of his potato.
“She had been working behind the scenes since I asked her to come back months ago.” John adds finally starting to eat his dinner.
“So you paid for her school and are now moving her into the house in exchange for her service?” It was a question but to him it was a statement that he made his own answer from. “It will become a great headline” I see the annoyance now in John's face.
“I can assure you that being here will cause no harm in the farm's image. I will assure myself of that personally.” Beth chuckles again but Kayce takes it the wrong way. Getting up and excusing himself from the table.
“You don’t have too, it's not something he has a say about” John grabbed my arm before I could walk past him.
“If I am going to devote myself to this family like I promised I need him to trust me.” John nods letting go of me as I try to catch up to Kayce. I see a dark shadow walking down the path towards the foreman’s cabin. “Kayce!” I don’t see him turn around but he does turn right and leans over the fence. Goddamn dramatic Duttons. I shake my head with a mission, yet I don’t know what I am going to say when I reach him.
“I’ll ask the questions and I’ll tell you if you deserve to be here” I only gently smile and give him a nod. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at him. He spoke those words and it brought annoyance to his character. “What was the real reason behind him paying and allowing you to be here?” I shrugged in all honesty John and I never spoke about why he decided to help me out. I want to say it was for the kindness in his heart. We all know he takes prisoners and gives them work, it doesn’t sound like much but I can assure you it's a lot. Then there is Rip, a small boy who needed something and John gave him a start, a chance.
“I have no idea” I leaned against the fence, directing my gaze to the land before us. It was past 6 and the sun was way down. The crickets are already playing their tunes and the wind, singing along. “I am not one to usually put my take in things but I think it was because of you” I didn’t turn but I felt his gaze turn sharply to me. To be honest I was feeling a little nervous. Beth, Jamie and Lee had asked me the same question but I never told them what I actually thought the reason behind it was, one because I wasn’t sure and two because I was no one to put such an idea out there. “I came in around the time you left” Under his stare it felt like I was starting to run a fever. Chills went down my spine and I felt like I was burning, thankfully he turned back to the view in front of him. “I always was one to read people’s sadness and when I looked into his eyes, that was all I could see. At that moment I didn’t know why he was sad until later on when I met Beth. She told me all about it. The couple of weeks I spent in the ranch John was kind to me. Taking me in and treating me not like a worker but-” I cut myself off. It caused a bit of pain even thinking of such feelings. How for John I may be like his own child but I know that wasn’t true. Sure he cared for me but if it was between his own blood and me well, there was no question about it. I was pulling on my own heart strings and I needed to cut myself off. “I feel like I was just a right time, right place situation that helped him feel better about letting you go”
“How did you end up here?” He was avoiding my statement. The answer to that was something I haven’t told anyone except John. John had the right to know, but that wasn’t the case with Kayce or his siblings. I needed time. “By the looks of it I see you fighting yourself on whether you should tell me or not” I quickly shake my head.
“It's not a difficult choice. I have the right to not talk about it. Just like I told Beth, John had the right to know but it doesn’t mean it was easy. Am still dealing with my past and soon when everything is over, there will be no need to keep it hidden. Until then I ask them to trust me just like I trust the Dutton blindly”
“You ask for trust but we have more to lose with how much trust we put with you” He was right
“It might not be a lot but I could lose everything with putting my trust in you all. The Duttons are a full package and I choose to take that on no matter what. What you know of this family and its past since I have been here I have helped, if anything happens that could come back and bite me too. You know better than me that people here come and go just as fast as bullet trains”
A/N: I have found my new obsession.♥️. I don’t know where am going with this but I hope you guys like it. This app doesn’t have much of him so I hope that changes.
Thank you❤️.