the sun had dipped below the jagged montana peaks, leaving the sky a bruised purple that matched the ache in your shoulder. you were slumped on the edge of the porch, the wood rough against your thighs, trying to ignore the way your muscles spasmed after ten hours in the saddle. the ranch was finally quiet, the distant sounds of the bunkhouse fading into the rhythmic chirping of crickets.

the heavy thud of boots against the boards signaled his arrival before you even saw him. rip didn't say a word at first, just sank onto the edge of the porch beside you. he smelled like cedar, expensive tobacco, and the honest sweat of a day spent in the dirt. he sat close enough that the heat coming off his large frame made the evening chill vanish, but he kept that respectful, agonizing inch of space between you.

"let me see it," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in your chest.

you shifted, trying to pull your jacket tighter over your shoulder, though the movement made you wince. "it's fine, rip. just a nudge from a steer. i've had worse."

you looked at him then, catching the way the fading light hit those piercing blue eyes. he wasn't looking at the horizon anymore; he was looking at you with that steady, unblinking intensity that always made your heart stutter. his large, calloused hand reached out, hovering just inches from the fabric of your shirt. he didn't touch you yet, but the air between his palm and your skin felt electric.

"i said let me see," he countered, his tone dropping into that no-nonsense growl he usually reserved for unruly colts or lazy hands. "i don't need you waking up tomorrow unable to rope. and i don't need you hurting because you're too stubborn to admit when a beast got the better of you."