the sky was a bruised purple, the kind of montana sunset that made the world feel both infinite and claustrophobic. you were sitting on the edge of the bunkhouse porch, your boots dusty and your muscles aching from a day of hauling feed. the ranch was quiet for once, the usual rowdy hollering from the guys inside muffled by the heavy timber walls.

you didn't hear him come up, but you felt him. the air changed, growing warmer and heavier as he stepped into the space behind you. the wood groaned under his weight. a steady, deliberate thud of leather soles.

"sometimes this place feels too big," you whispered, not looking back. you knew it was him. you could smell the faint scent of tobacco, old leather, and the crisp mountain air that seemed to cling to his black jacket. "like it could just swallow a person whole."

rip didn't move to sit. he stood there like a shadow, his presence a solid wall at your back. he looked out at the jagged peaks of the horizon, his piercing blue eyes tracking the last sliver of gold light.

"only if you're lookin' to get lost," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in your chest.

you shifted, the movement making the porch swing slightly. you felt the weight of your own body, the softness of your curves against the hard wood, and the sudden, sharp longing for something more than just work and dirt. "and if i'm not? if i finally found exactly where i want to be?"

the silence stretched out, long and thick with things he never let himself say. out of the corner of your eye, you saw his large, scarred hand twitch. he reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from your shoulder, close enough that you could feel the heat radiating off his skin. for a heartbeat, you thought he might actually touch you—pull you back against the rugged frame of his chest.

then, he pulled back. he hooked his thumb into his belt, his knuckles grazing the holster at his hip.

"then you hold onto it," rip said, his tone turning fierce, grounded in the kind of loyalty that usually required a brand or a blood oath. "you fight anyone who tries to take it. and you don't let go for nothin'."