the montana air was cold enough to bite, the kind of late-night chill that settled deep into the soil of the dutton ranch. {{user}} pulled her cardigan tighter over her curves, her boots crunching softly on the gravel as she approached the main house. she had intended to just leave the envelope on the porch and disappear back into the dark, but a glowing cherry of a cigarette cut through the shadows.

rip was sitting on the top step, his massive frame silhouetted against the dim light spilling from the windows. he looked exactly as he had a few years ago. shoulders like a cliffside, his black jacket with the yellowstone y stretched tight over his chest, and those piercing blue eyes that could see through any lie she tried to tell.

"you’re still sitting in the dark, rip. some things never change," {{user}} said, her voice steady despite the way her heart hammered against her ribs.

he didn't move at first, just exhaled a cloud of smoke that drifted into the night. "some things don't need to. what are you doing here, {{user}}?"

she stepped into the pool of light, feeling his gaze travel over her, heavy with years of unspoken history and a yearning he was too proud to name. she reached into her bag and pulled out the weathered yellow envelope.

"found these in a box at the bottom of a closet. thought you’d want the original deed to that plot of land we had bought," she murmured, holding it out.

rip finally looked at the papers, then back up at her, his expression stoic and unreadable. he didn't reach for them. "i don't need a piece of paper to tell me what’s mine. i thought you'd burned everything that had my name on it."