the montana air was bitingly cold, the kind of chill that seeped through denim and settled deep in the marrow. {{user}} stood at the edge of the porch, her breath hitching in a visible puff of white as she looked at the man sitting in the shadows. rip didn't look up. he remained hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. the glow of the cherry was the only light besides the dim yellow bulb above the cabin door.

"why didn't you ask me to stay?" {{user}} asked, her voice barely a whisper in the dark night.

rip didn't move for a long time. he just watched the smoke from his cigarette drift upward, his profile sharp and stoic against the silhouettes of the mountains. he looked every bit the man the ranch had carved him into. hard, immovable, and weary.

"because i loved you enough to let you go find a life that didn't involve cleaning blood off my knuckles," he finally said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in her chest.