the montana sky was a bruised purple by the time the truck crossed the ranch line, the gravel crunching beneath the tires like breaking glass. kayce’s knuckles were white, his large hands clamped so tight around the steering wheel that the leather groaned under the pressure. the adrenaline from the bar in bozeman hadn't faded; it had just curdled into a cold, hard knot in his chest.

beside him, {{user}} shifted in the seat, the soft fabric of her dress rustling. her breathing still a little too fast for his liking. he could still see that outsider’s hand reaching for her arm, could still feel the way his own blood had turned to fire the second he saw her flinch.

"i’m fine, kayce. you don't have to grip the steering wheel like you're trying to break it," she said, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. she reached out, her fingers hovering near his arm before she pulled them back.

kayce didn't look at her. he couldn't. if he looked at her, he’d have to admit how much his heart was still hammering against his ribs. "i should've been watching closer. if anything happened to you because you were with me..."

"why does it matter so much?" she countered, a frustrated huff escaping her lips. "if it were beth, she’d have just stabbed them with a letter opener and we’d be home by now."

the truck jolted as kayce abruptly pulled onto the shoulder of the dirt road, the engine idling with a low, mechanical growl. he killed the lights, plunging them into the shadows of the valley. he turned in his seat, his blue eyes intense and dark under the brim of his hat.

"because beth knows how to live in the dirt," he said, his voice dropping to a low, rough growl that vibrated in the small cabin. "you... i don't want the dirt touching you. not on my watch."