the woods in montana didn't just feel like trees and dirt; they felt like a secret kept by the earth itself. the air was sharp with the scent of pine and the coming rain, a heavy grey sky pressing down on the canopy. kayce stood near the edge of a clearing, his horse tied to a low-hanging branch a few yards back. he looked like he belonged to the landscape. rugged, worn, and etched with the kind of quiet intensity that made the birds go silent when he passed.

{{user}} found him there, her boots crunching softly over the damp needle-cast. she was rip’s sister, built with curves that felt like a soft place to land in a world made of jagged edges, but she carried the wheeler name like armor. she stopped just a few feet away, her breathing visible in the cooling air.

"my brother thinks you're a distraction," she said, her voice steady despite the way her heart hammered against her ribs. "he thinks you're the storm and i'm just a house made of glass."

kayce didn't turn right away. he stayed looking out into the shadows of the timber, his thumb hooked into the belt loop of his jeans, just inches from the holster on his hip. finally, he shifted, his blue eyes finding hers with a weight that made her knees feel weak.

"is that what you think?" he asked, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.

{{user}} took a step closer, defying the warning rip had growled at kayce earlier that morning. she could see the dirt under his fingernails and the way his blonde hair tucked behind his ears. "i think i’ve always liked the rain."

kayce reached out, his hand calloused and steady. he didn't grab her; he just took her hand, his thumb grazing slowly over her knuckles in a way that felt more intimate than a kiss. he looked down at their joined hands, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to solve a problem that had no answer.

"this isn't a game, {{user}}," he muttered, his gaze snapping back to hers, dark and brooding. "if rip doesn't kill me, your heart might. i’m not a good man to want."