In 1997, Stan discovered a homeless man in the ranch's feed warehouse and encountered resistance when trying to him. In such situations, his first thought was to call the sheriff, but the sheriff refused to get involved in Dutton Ranch affairs and handed the over to John. John and Stan went to the warehouse, where they found a blood-covered child clutching a stick, terrified and huddled in a corner. John had heard about a gruesome incident at a local pig farm where a divorced husband had murdered his entire family, his skull crushed with a frying pan. The sheriff still hadn't found the family's eldest son. John didn't press the child about his past. This boy, named Rip, would later do many things for Dutton Ranch, becoming John's right-hand man.
Now, Rip was in trouble, and John had to protect him. The two tourists' bodies had been recovered from the cliff, but the mounted police were more concerned about the dead bear. When Wildlife Services investigated, they wouldn't believe Rip acted in self-defense. Their report would likely claim Rip was illegally hunting, was witnessed by the tourists, and threw them off the cliff. If this story got out, thousands would write to the White House about the bear, but no one would speak up for the deceased. John regretted not disposing of the bear's body before the mounted police arrived.
The grizzly clearly had gunpowder residue on its nose—the mounted police were deliberately picking a fight. Seeing no way to reason with them, John told Rip to leave first. He called Jamie for legal support, but Jamie was busy with his campaign. Christina, seeing John's calls, would reject them every time. They couldn't let the Dutton family's troubles hinder Jamie's campaign.
Rip rode to the Wildlife Services office and volunteered to accompany Officer Scales to the scene. Officer Scales had heard many rumors about Rip, none of them good. After confiscating Rip's hunting rifle, she mounted her horse. On the way, Rip noticed a horsefly biting her horse's hindquarters. He warned her, but she didn't believe him. The horse, agitated by the bite, bolted out of control. Rip chased after it and found the officer thrown from her horse, a steel fence post impaling her body. Her horse lay nearby, tangled in barbed wire.
Rip couldn't let the officer die—it would make him look guilty. He radioed for the ranch's helicopter rescue, then asked to borrow her gun to euthanize the horse and prevent further injury from its struggles. When she refused, Rip took wire cutters from his saddlebag, carefully cut the wires entangling the horse, and cleared the area around the officer. When the helicopter arrived, he carried Officer Scales—still impaled—aboard and flew her to the nearest hospital.
By the time the helicopter returned to the ranch, it was late. Rip stepped out and saw John sitting on the porch, holding a stack of subpoenas from the Broken Rock Federal Tribe. The ranch was facing multiple crises, yet Jamie was nowhere to be seen. John had waited all day until Jamie's car finally pulled up. Furious, he demanded Jamie drop out of the campaign and prioritize the family. Jamie was frantic—this was his career breakthrough, and he couldn't give it up. John didn't care; tomorrow, he would have Attorney General Stewart announce he wasn't stepping down. Compared to Jamie's despair, John felt even more defeated. The ranch, in his family for 132 years, was slipping through his fingers.
Dejected, Jamie returned to his campaign headquarters. Christina, working late, believed John might not succeed and urged Jamie to fight for his own interests, not just the family's.
While the family was in turmoil, Beth was plotting to defeat Paradise Valley. She reviewed documents collected by her assistant: since the river diversion, Daniel's finances had struggled. Nearly all his funds were tied up in the project, forcing him to sell company shares at low prices to cover daily expenses and mortgage payments. Seeing the cheap stock, Beth was delighted. Then, looking out her car window, she spotted Daniel's wife and conceived an even more malicious plan.
That evening, Daniel drove home to find Beth smoking on his front porch. He didn't understand her purpose or why his wife wasn't greeting the guest. Inside, blaring music greeted him—his wife was with Beth's male assistant.
Furious, Daniel stormed out. Beth showed no pity—this was the consequence of opposing the Duttons. Confident of victory, she told Daniel she would buy all his circulating shares tomorrow morning and join Paradise Valley's board. But Beth hadn't accounted for Daniel's hidden ally.
Earlier that day, Thomas and Daniel had negotiated on the golf course. Thomas demanded ownership of the Paradise Valley land, but the greedy Daniel wanted more benefits. Faced with Daniel's insatiability, Thomas revealed his plan: once the Broken Rock Tribe obtained the land and announced a casino, property values would soar. Adjacent Dutton Ranch land would also appreciate, forcing John to pay over $10 million more in annual property taxes—something he couldn't afford. But Thomas and Daniel's casino could. When John was forced to sell, Daniel would own most of the Yellowstone area. Tempted, Daniel agreed to a gentleman's agreement with Thomas, even without lawyers.
The Duttons weren't the only ones in trouble. Kayce was also struggling. Monica had begun rehab at the hospital, usually accompanied by her father. Today, after dropping Tate at school, Kayce returned home to find the house ransacked. Nearby Indigenous families had also been targeted. It had to be those damn treasure hunters. Kayce thought of the dinosaur fossils in the clearing and ran to check—they were gone.
After spending the day cleaning up, Kayce drove to pick up Tate from school. Outside the hospital, he saw Monica in a wheelchair. Monica didn't fully listen to Tate's complaints about the fossils and asked him to go back to the room with his grandfather. Alone with Kayce, she revealed she hadn't lost her memory. Her coldness was because she'd gained a new perspective. She had long suspected the truth about her brother Lon's death, so when Kayce confessed, she felt less anger and more worry for their son Tate. Kayce constantly attracted trouble—perhaps the Dutton family curse. To protect Tate, Monica needed to keep him away from Kayce. Kayce had once talked about rejoining the military; previously, Monica had begged him to stay, but now she wanted him to leave quickly.
Monica's message was clear. Kayce sat alone outside the hospital for a long time before leaving. As Monica said, he was a magnet for trouble. While refueling at a gas station, a reckless robber pulled a knife on Kayce. Kayce knocked him unconscious with a few punches.