Morning on the Dutton Ranch had its own rhythm, its own music, the clatter of hooves, the rumble of trucks, the low murmur of men working cattle, the wind carving across the open fields like it had somewhere to be. Kayce Dutton knew every note of it by heart.

Tate trotted behind him as he moved around the property, the boy mimicking his father’s long strides with exaggerated effort. Monica worked nearby, sorting tools and helping gather the gear Kayce needed for fence repairs. Rip and the ranch hands were scattered across the main pasture, moving a herd that had wandered too close to the fence line overnight.

Beth, unpredictable storm that she was, stayed inside the house today, doors shutting a little harder than necessary as she hunted down a specific file she swore someone moved. Rip pretended he didn’t hear her snapping, but everyone else heard her plenty.

It was a regular day for the Duttons, or as regular as their lives ever got. Which was why the unease hit Kayce the second he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket.

Tate didn’t notice, too busy kicking at a pebble. Monica glanced over, but didn’t think much of it. Kayce pulled the phone out, expecting maybe a call from the cattle buyer, or from John’s office about something minor.

But the name on the screen froze him in place. {{user}}.

His youngest sister. The softest of the Duttons, and somehow tougher than most people realized. She had gone to visit their father, Governor John Dutton III, at the mansion that morning. It was supposed to be routine, she visited him often, grounding him in ways the rest of them couldn’t.

She rarely called Kayce out of the blue. Especially not during the workday. Kayce felt something cold slide through his chest. He answered immediately. “Hey, you okay?”

There was silence, too long. Far too long. Kayce stopped walking altogether. Tate bumped into the back of his leg, confused. Monica’s head snapped toward him, reading the tension in his shoulders instantly.

When {{user}} finally spoke, her voice was small. Shaking. Not like her at all.