We've met, but I don't really know him.

And he doesn't know me.

Is it too much to ask that you help make that happen?

- Thought I'd bring the fix to you.

- You know how to ride a horse?

- Of course I do, I'm Indian.

- Yeah, maybe so.

But you're a cowboy today.

Thank you for this.

- Let me do it, Grandpa.

- You wanna do it?

- Yeah. - Well, try it.

You know, there was a time when most

of Montana was under the ocean.

- Really?

- Yeah, and I'm betting that right here,

betting right here was the beach.

'Cause you see this?

I'm thinking these washed up on the shore

and your buddy here, the dinosaur,

he was probably out walking looking for dinner right here.

- Do you think some day an explorer will find our bones

and wonder what happened to us?

- I think after us, Tate, exploring's all done.

Can't have a fire without wood.

Little twigs first.

There you go.

Now I need bigger pieces.

- I think you should carry the big ones.

- I'm supervising.

You've gotta do it, it's your fire.

Tate! (dramatic music)

Tate! (dramatic music)

This is the best fire starter in the world.

No, Tate, Tate!

Sit up for me.

I know, buddy, I know.

We've got to get you warm.

- Look like we've got a fire pit.

- I'm really gonna miss you.

- Where are you going?

- Nowhere, but you're gonna grow up

and I'm gonna grow old.

I'll just be this old shriveled raisin

in the corner telling you stories you don't want to hear.

That's life, that's the way of it.

Your dad is gonna be real mad at me.

He's got every right to be, so I don't want you

sticking up for me no matter what he says, you understand?

- I fell in the river and Grandpa saved me.

- Had breakfast?

Or maybe just skip straight to dessert?

- Like, what kind of dessert?

- Well, there's some cookies in there

the size of pie plates.

- Big cookie.

- They ain't small.

- Boy, you weren't kidding!

- You should have brought two.

Let me see that one.

Yeah, you're gonna have to go get another one

'cause this one's mine.

- Hey! - Yeah.

Tomorrow's the only thing a parent's supposed to live for.

- This game is dumb.

- Well, that's 'cause you're throwing at the trough.

That ain't never gonna work.

You gotta throw it up in the air,

let gravity do the work.

Once you figure out the physics,

you're going to get a splash every time.

You try.

There you go (laughing).

- I love it here, I wish we could live here.

- We got a home, buddy.

- Tate can stay in the main house with me.

You two take the trapper cabin,

give your minds a vacation for a night.

Tate, Tate, come on.

- Are there alligators in Montana?

- Well, I haven't seen one yet.

- It's probably too cold.

- Yeah, that's, that's my guess.

Why don't you run to the house and grab a big,

fat doughnut so your growling stomach

don't drive your mom nuts on the way home?

- Can I get the biggest doughnut?

- Biggest one in there, buddy, go.

Pick one yet?

- Hard to tell which one's the biggest.

- How about we line 'em up in a row

and then the biggest will be easy to spot then.

- You can do that?

- Yeah, grandson, you can do whatever you want.

That's the thing about being a grandfather.

I get to do all things I wish I'd done with my children

and the things I regret, I get to do different.

Wear your long johns tomorrow, Tate.

It's going to be cold in the morning.

Why don't you run upstairs to try and get some sleep?

- Too excited to sleep.

- Yes, grandson, me too, now go on, go.

- Okay.

- There you go.

- It's heavy.

- That rifle has power to take a life,

whatever you point it at.

You know that, right?

So if you know that you also know

that you don't have the power to bring it back, do you?

You just gotta be sure before you pull the trigger

because killing's the one thing you can't undo.

- It's dead, it was--

- Killing's the one thing that everything

on this planet does to survive, Tate.

It's the one thing we all share.

Now you share it too.

- Will something kill us too, Grandpa?

- Yeah, something will kill us too, Tate.

Might be a bacteria so small

you need a microscope to see it.

Might be a big old bear.

Something kills us all.

- I need to talk to you first, Grandpa.

It's very serious.

- All right.

- So, I've made a decision.

- That a fact?

- I'm going to be a cowboy.

- Well, that's a good thing.

This ranch needs you to be one.

Someday this all, all gonna be yours.

- Well, that brings me to my problem.

I don't have a horse.

- Yeah, pretty tough to cowboy without a horse,

that's for sure.

- So, can you buy me one?

- Well, if I buy it, how you gonna pay me back?

- I'll clean out the stalls or sweep out the barn.

- Well, that's a start.

Your dad's gonna have to train it 'cause I don't have time

for that shit anymore.

Who's gonna feed it?

- Um, I, I will.

- Okay, you don't, it don't eat.

I don't wanna have to hear otherwise, you understand?

- So is that a yes?

- If it's a yes from your father it's a yes from me.

- Daddy, Dad, you've gotta train my horse!

- His whole life's in your hands now, Tate.

How you treat him is how his life goes.

What are you gonna name him?

- Lucky.

Now can I have ice cream?

- One more bite.

(Tate sighs)

There you go.

Wait a minute.

You feed your horse?

You think it's fair that you have your dessert

before he has his supper?

- I'll be right back.

- Hurry up then, okay?

You don't want that ice cream to melt, do you?

- Mm mm.

(dramatic music)

Sorry to bother you, just checking to see

if Tate's in there with you.

- Tate!

- He came down here to feed his horse.

I thought, I thought he came back.

- What, alone?

You let him come down here alone?

(dramatic music)

- What is this?

(dramatic music)

What? (dramatic music)

My whole life's just a long series of losing things I love.

I'm not gonna lose this one.

- Where is he?

- Montana Free Militia.

- This is gonna be the end of us,

but we're gonna do it anyway.

- Knock it off. - No!

(Tate screaming)

- Look at me, buddy, it's Daddy, it's Daddy, it's Daddy.

It's gonna be okay, buddy.

(bright guitar music)

- Will you do me a favor?

Kayce said that you're building a camp near the cattle.

Would you take Tate with you?

I can't think of a better medicine

than stars for the ceiling.

Would you do that for me?

- Of course.

- We're ready here, boss.

(bright music)

- This how they used to do it, Grandpa?

- Just like this.

- I have nightmares.

- Wanna talk about 'em?

- I'm in that room, the floor just disappears,

I scream, no sound comes out.

No one hears me.

- You know what dreams are?

It's your memories and your imagination all mixed together

into this soup of what's real and what's made up.

The thing about this soup is

you can change the ingredients, Tate.

You can put in whatever you want to.

So when you close your eyes later,

you decide what you're gonna dream and that'll be the dream.

- Is it too late to go fishing now?

- Trout are like, they're like bankers.

They don't do a damn thing in the morning.

- Can I try some?

- No, it'll stunt your growth.

- What does that mean?

- It means it'll make you short.

- I'm already short.

- Not as short as you'll be if you drink coffee.

But you're bringing the net if you're planning on a big one.

- Why can't we live right here like this all the time?

- You know, I ask myself the same thing,

grandson, every day.

(laughing) That's exactly how you do it, look at you.

Don't even need a chuck wagon.

- You need lemon.

- There's a big bag of them on the wagon.

- I'll get it.

Is this a better camp?

- Let's see.

Yep, this camp's much better.

- Any more biscuits?

- There you go.

- I'm gonna need more than that.

Another one.

- (laughing) You're just like your father.

- What? - Sh!

- It's a cow elk, she's leading that wolf

away from her baby.

I'm feeling a little sentimental, grandson.

I'd like to see that little elk live.

What do you say we tip the scales in his favor?

- How are we gonna help it?

- We're gonna mark a little territory, grandson.

Whoa, hey, don't mark me.

- You gonna buy him?

- Maybe.

- Well, you already have a lot of horses at home.

- I got a lot of using horses.

- Dad, that's a nice horse.

- Expensive taste runs in the blood.

- That's the only way my dad will get it,

because he's broke as hell.

Why were you guys talking in secrets?

- I don't do that.

Secrets are like a callous on your heart.

- What's a callous?

- Feel that right there.

- That's hard. - That's a callous.

And every secret feels just like that.

You tell enough of 'em, before long

your heart won't feel a thing.

Ranching's a terrible business, grandson.

We can't control the price of beef or hay