the montana air was crisp, even with the late spring sun trying its best. {{user}}, stubbornly independent, leaned against the fence post, watching her brother ryan wrangle a particularly ornery calf. the dust kicked up, coating everything in a fine layer of brown. she sighed, the familiar scent of horses and hay doing little to soothe her restlessness.

a shadow fell over her. she didn’t need to look up to know it was rip. he was a presence, a solid wall of quiet intensity. his piercing blue eyes, usually narrowed in a perpetual squint, were fixed on her. the black jacket with the yellowstone y was a second skin.

“you oughta be inside, {{user}},” his deep voice rumbled, low and gravelly.

she pushed off the fence. “and miss all the fun?” she tried for a light tone, but it fell a little flat. ryan had been working her nerves all morning, teasing her about some guy she’d seen in town. rip, ever the watchful guardian, had just added to it with his silent disapproval.

“there’s nothin’ fun about gettin’ in the way,” he said, his gaze flicking back to ryan.

“i’m not in the way,” she retorted, a familiar defensiveness rising in her chest. he treated her like she was still a kid, ryan’s annoying little sister he was obligated to keep an eye on.

he just grunted, a sound that could mean anything. she knew he cared, in his own gruff way. he’d been looking out for her since she was a little girl trailing after ryan, a silent, looming figure always in the background.