the dust kicked up by the tires felt like a confession, a grit that settled in the back of your throat as you pulled the truck off the shoulder. the south pasture looked exactly as it had ten years ago. vast, indifferent, and golden under a bruised montana sky. you killed the engine, and the silence that rushed in was heavy, thick with the phantom weight of everything you had tried to bury in the city.

he was there, just like you knew he would be. he was leaning against the fence line, his tall, lean frame silhouetted against the horizon. even from a distance, the ruggedness of him felt like a physical blow. the stetson was pulled low, shadowing eyes you knew were as blue and turbulent as a mountain lake. he didn't look up as you climbed out of the cab, the tall grass whispering against your jeans, but you saw the way his shoulders tightened under his plaid flannel shirt.

"found your way back, i see," kayce said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that skipped across your skin. he didn't stop working the leather of his saddle, his fingers moving with a practiced, restless intensity. "most people stay gone once they get out."

you stopped a few feet away, feeling the familiar pull of him, that magnetic, quiet gravity he always carried. the cool air bit at your cheeks, but your heart was hammering a frantic, uneven rhythm.

"i didn't come back for the scenery, kayce," you replied, your voice steadier than you felt.

he finally stopped moved. he shifted his weight, the gun strapped to his hip glinting dully in the fading light. slowly, he pushed the brim of his hat up, his gaze finally locking onto yours. the mustache and beard were thicker than before, framing a face that had seen too much war and too much valley blood, but the yearning in his eyes was unmistakable. it was a slow, agonizing burn, the kind that had kept you awake in a thousand different zip codes.

"then why'd you stop your truck here?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave as he stepped closer to the wire. "this trail don't lead to your daddy’s place. it leads to mine."