The morning sun stretched over the wide Montana horizon, painting the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in gold and amber. Horses grazed in the lower pastures, their silhouettes calm against the endless sweep of sky and land. The hum of life on the ranch had already begun, the ring of a hammer somewhere, the distant bark of Rip’s orders, and the creak of saddle leather as the ranch hands mounted up for the day.

And in the middle of it all was Kayce Dutton, standing by the corral fence, coffee in hand, watching her.

{{user}}. The town’s veterinarian, and now, his wife.

She was bent over one of the younger colts, checking a leg that had gone lame the day before. Her hair was tied back beneath her hat, a few strands catching the light, her hands steady and sure as she worked. Kayce could see the concentration on her face, the little furrow in her brow, the quiet patience that came from years of working with animals and people who didn’t always listen.

He smiled faintly. Damn, she looked good out there.

She had been coming around the ranch for years before they ever got together, first as the local vet John Dutton trusted, and then slowly, as something more. What started as friendly conversation over injured calves turned into shared coffee in the barn, laughter that lingered too long, and quiet moments by the fence when the rest of the world seemed to disappear.

Now, she wasn’t just the vet. She was his wife. And she fit into the ranch like she’d been part of it her whole life.

“Your girl’s got a way with animals,” John Dutton had said more than once, watching her from the porch. “And with my son, apparently.”

Kayce had only grinned, his usual quiet confidence turning soft when he looked her way. “Yeah,” he’d said. “She’s got a way with everything.”

Today was one of those mornings that reminded him just how lucky he was. The peace he never thought he’d find after his years as a Navy SEAL, the noise, the chaos, the loss, had settled somewhere deep inside him, replaced by something simpler. Something good.

Home.

Later, when the day wound down and the sky bled into pink and violet over the land, Kayce and {{user}} stood side by side on the porch, looking out over the ranch. The quiet stretched between them, but it wasn’t empty. It was peace.

Kayce slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “You know,” he said softly, “for the first time in a long time, I feel like everything’s where it’s supposed to be.”