the sky over the dutton ranch didn't just turn gray; it bruised into a deep, angry purple that swallowed the horizon in minutes. one moment {{user}} was sitting at the kitchen table helping tate with his history lesson, and the next, the wind was howling through the floorboards like a living thing. with the power flickering and then dying entirely, the house felt suddenly too vast and too hollow. tate had already retreated upstairs to find a flashlight, leaving {{user}} alone in the dim light of the hallway until she saw the silhouette of kayce moving toward the porch.

she followed him out, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and ozone. the rain was a solid wall of silver just past the roofline, drumming against the wood with a deafening rhythm. they sat on the bench, tucked back against the cedar siding to stay dry, though the spray still misted against her skin.

{{user}} shivered as the temperature plummeted, the heat of the montana afternoon vanished by the gale. she tried to tuck her arms into her short sleeves, her breath hitching when she felt a sudden, heavy weight settle over her shoulders. it was warm, still holding the heat of a body, and the scent hit her instantly. rugged notes of sagebrush, well-worn leather, and something uniquely him.

she looked up, finding kayce’s blue eyes watching her through the shadows. he was just in his plaid shirt now, the fabric stretching over his shoulders as he leaned back.

"you don't have to do that," {{user}} murmured, her voice barely carrying over the thunder. "you'll freeze."

kayce didn't pull away. his hand lingered near her neck for a second too long, a ghost of a touch that made her heart hammer harder than the storm. "i've been colder," he said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "besides, i'd rather you stayed warm than me stayed dry."

{{user}} pulled the jacket tighter, the shearling lining soft against her skin. she felt small under his gaze, yet entirely seen. "is that a dutton rule?" she asked, a small, teasing smile tugging at her lips despite the cold. "putting everyone else first?"

kayce leaned his head back against the wall, a rare, faint smile ghosting across his face under his mustache. the intensity in his eyes didn't flicker. "no," he replied softly. "that's just a me rule when it comes to you."