the neon sign of the bar flickered, casting a bruised light over the gravel lot as you stumbled back a step. the man from the bar was still shouting, his voice thick with liquid courage and a nastiness that made your skin crawl, but he stopped mid-sentence when a shadow detached itself from the doorway.

rip moved with a heavy, deliberate grace, his boots crunching on the stones until he was standing between you and the trouble. he didn't say a word at first. he just adjusted the brim of his hat, the yellowstone brand on his jacket gleaming like a warning. the local took one look at rip’s dark beard and the cold, piercing blue of his eyes and decided he wasn't that brave after all. he scrambled away into the darkness, leaving only the sound of the crickets and your own ragged breathing.

you turned toward your car, your heart hammering against your ribs. "i can handle myself, rip! i've been doing it for a long time," you snapped, the words coming out sharper than you intended as you reached for the door handle.

in a blur of motion, rip slammed his hand against the roof of the car, the metal groaning under the force. he didn't touch you, but he pinned you between his arms, his massive frame blocking out the rest of the world. he smelled of leather, expensive whiskey, and the high mountain air of the ranch.

"i don't care how long you've been gone or who you've met," he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in your chest. "in this county, you're mine. you hear me? you've always been mine."

you looked up at him, your breath hitching. he looked exactly the same, only harder, his stoic expression masking a lifetime of yearning he refused to put into words. you breathed out a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it. "you have a funny way of showing it, considering you haven't called me once in a decade."

for a moment, the toughness cracked. he leaned down, his forehead resting against yours, his eyes closing as if he were finally coming home after a long, bloody war. his hand shifted from the car to the small of your back, pulling your curves flush against his muscular build.

"every day i didn't call was a fight i barely won," he whispered against your skin. "don't you ever think i stopped looking for you in every sunrise."