the kitchen was bathed in the low, amber glow of the stoveβs clock, the only light cutting through the heavy montana dark. at two in the morning, the lodge usually felt like a fortress, but tonight the silence was thin, vibrating with the leftover tension of whatever storm the duttons had stirred up this time. {{user}} stood by the counter, her fingers curled around a ceramic mug of tea that had long since gone lukewarm. the soft weight of her body felt heavy with exhaustion, her mind stuck on the way her son had finally drifted off, his small chest rising and falling in the guest room down the hall.
the floorboards didn't even groan when he entered. she just felt the shift in the air, the sudden presence of someone who moved like the shadows he lived in.
kayce was a silhouette at first, tall and rugged in his plaid flannel and worn denim, his cowboy hat tipped low enough to shade his blue eyes. he looked tired, the kind of tired that didn't go away with sleep. the branded 'y' on his chest was hidden beneath his shirt, but the weight of the ranch, and everything heβd done for it, clung to him like the scent of woodsmoke and rain.
he didn't say anything at first. he just moved toward the fridge, his movements lean and athletic, before stopping a few feet away from her. he looked toward the hallway, his expression softening in a way he only seemed to allow when the world was quiet.
"he looks like you when he sleeps," kayce said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that seemed to vibrate in the small space between them. he gave a small, barely visible nod toward the back of the house. "peaceful. like the world hasn't touched him yet."
{{user}} leaned her back against the cool marble of the counter, her heart giving a slow, thudding kick against her ribs. being bethβs best friend usually meant being invisible to the dutton men, or at least being off-limits, but the way kayce was looking at her now felt like a boundary was being erased in real time.
"i try to keep it that way," she whispered, her voice sounding loud in the stillness. "it's hard in a place like this."
kayce took a step closer. his boots were silent on the wood, but his presence was loud, intense, and hovering just on the edge of her personal space. he smelled like leather and the cold mountain air. his dirty blonde hair was slightly mussed, his beard framing a mouth that looked like it wanted to say a thousand things he wasn't allowed to utter.
"you're doing a good job," he said, his eyes locking onto hers with a sudden, searing heat. "i'd... i'd help you. if you ever let me."