the overhead lights in the barn hummed, a low, buzzing static that filled the silence between them. {{user}} sat on a wooden crate, the sting in her cheek throbbing in time with her heartbeat. she held a piece of blood-stained gauze to the cut, her breath still hitching from the adrenaline of the scuffle.

kayce stepped into the light, his boots heavy and rhythmic against the dirt floor. he looked like a man who had just climbed out of a war zone, his hat tilted low and his jaw set so tight it looked like stone. the "y" branded into his chest felt like it was burning through his plaid flannel shirt as he watched her.

"give me that," he said, his voice a rough rasp that didn't leave room for argument.

he didn't wait for her to move. he reached out, his calloused fingers brushing against her hand as he took the gauze. {{user}} looked up at him, her chest rising and falling beneath her work shirt. she was sturdy, built for the rigors of montana soil, but under his gaze, she felt a different kind of pressure.

"it’s just a scratch," she murmured, trying to pull back. "i’ve had worse from the briars in the south pasture."

kayce’s thumb caught under her jaw, tilting her face toward the light. his touch was devastatingly gentle, a sharp contrast to the storm in his blue eyes. he began to dab at the wound, his focus so intense it felt like he was memorizing every inch of her skin.

"that's not the point," he snapped, though the anger wasn't directed at her. he looked exhausted, the weight of the ranch and the name he carried sagging on his shoulders. "this place... it takes things. people. i can't watch it take you, too."

the air in the barn turned thick, heavy with the scent of hay, horses, and the whiskey lingering on his breath. {{user}} swallowed hard, her pulse jumping in her throat where his palm rested.

"why does it matter so much to you, kayce?" she whispered, her voice trembling just enough to betray her. "i'm just another hand."

he stopped moving. the gauze stayed pressed against her cheek as he looked her dead in the eye, his brooding expression cracking just enough to let the yearning through.

"you know why," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, soft growl. "don't make me say it out loud yet."