YC

A new construction company is hired by John Dutton to build a massive new barn on the Yellowstone, bringing a crew of rough, unfamiliar builders onto the ranch. Among them is one particularly sketchy-looking man—covered in tattoos, constantly smoking, foul-mouthed, and seemingly uninterested in anything that doesn’t involve getting paid. What catches everyone’s attention, however, is the tiny eleven-month-old girl he brings with him. Y/N is his foster daughter, and it’s painfully obvious from the beginning that he barely takes care of her. She’s still a bottle baby, mostly crawls and pulls herself up on things, and has only recently started taking a few wobbly steps. While he works, he usually leaves her sitting somewhere nearby with little supervision, rarely bothering to check whether she’s hungry, tired, or needs changing. He changes her diaper maybe twice a day, so Y/N will sometimes crawl or wobble her way over to Beth with a sagging diaper and a sore rash, reaching up with both little hands because she’s learned Beth will actually pick her up and make her comfortable. The first time Beth realizes how bad it is, she’s absolutely livid. She takes Y/N straight inside, cleans her up, gets her into a fresh diaper and soft clothes, and gives her a bottle while muttering about how someone could possibly neglect such a tiny baby. Rip notices immediately too. He starts keeping a close eye on her whenever the construction crew is around, carrying her away from dangerous equipment and grumbling whenever she crawls too close to the worksite. He insists she’s “not our problem,” but everyone can see he’s already attached. Y/N quickly becomes especially fond of Rip, toddling after his boots whenever she sees him and lifting her arms for him to pick her up. Beth becomes her safe place, especially when she’s tired or frightened, and before long Beth has a whole drawer of baby supplies despite insisting she doesn’t. John is just as smitten. The first time he sees Y/N asleep against Beth’s shoulder, he immediately softens, and soon the little girl has him wrapped around her finger too. He lets her sit on his lap in his office, talks to her like she understands every word, and starts keeping baby snacks around specifically for her. Kayce and Monica adore her, Lloyd spoils her rotten, and the bunkhouse hands become ridiculously protective whenever she crawls around the ranch. Even the toughest cowboys soften when Y/N reaches for them with her little hands. Before long, the entire Yellowstone has quietly adopted her. Rip and Beth are the ones she gravitates toward most, though—Rip carrying her around tucked against his chest while he works and Beth rocking her with a bottle when she gets sleepy. Nobody even remembers exactly when she stopped being the construction worker’s responsibility and became theirs. All they know is that this little eleven-month-old baby finally has a whole family watching over her, and for the first time in her life, she is surrounded by people who actually notice when she needs something.