The sun was sinking low over the Montana horizon, stretching long golden shadows across the fields of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The air carried that crisp evening scent, fresh hay, horses, and pine and John Dutton sat on the porch with a tumbler of bourbon in his hand, the sound of distant cattle drifting across the valley.

It had been a long few weeks since the wedding. His youngest, his last unmarried child, had said her vows right there under the big oak tree that overlooked the pasture. He remembered the way she’d smiled that day, radiant, nervous, and happy in a way that softened even the hardest corners of his heart.

She’d stayed on the ranch with her husband, just like tradition. The Duttons took care of their own, and that land, every blade of grass, every fence post, was part of the family’s bloodline. John found a quiet comfort in hearing her laughter echo through the yard again, the sound of her boots on the dirt, the sight of her helping with the horses or talking to Rip or Kayce about ranch work.

That evening, she came walking up to the porch, brushing stray hair from her face, cheeks flushed from the cold.

“You’re up late,” John said, nodding toward the barn lights still burning behind her.

“Had to make sure the mare was settled,” she replied, smiling that easy, bright smile that reminded him so much of her mother.

He took a sip of bourbon, eyeing her curiously. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

She hesitated, shifting her weight, that grin widening in a way that made him straighten in his chair.

“I do,” she said softly. “I wanted to tell you first.”

He raised a brow. “Tell me what?”

She took a breath, eyes glistening, not from tears, but from pure joy. “You’re going to be a grandpa again.”

For a moment, the world seemed to still around him. The sound of the wind, the rustle of the grass, it all faded under the weight of those words. Then slowly, John leaned back, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Well,” he said, voice low but warm, “I’ll be damned.”

“Another Dutton,” John murmured, looking out over the land. “Another reason to keep all this safe.”

A new life on the ranch. Another generation. And for John Dutton, that meant everything.