the wind howled against the heavy timber of the main house, sounding like a wounded animal as the blizzard buried montana in a thick, white shroud. inside, the silence was heavy, broken only by the occasional pop of the woodstove. {{user}} paced the living area, glancing out the frosted windows where the world had simply vanished into gray and white.
a sudden, heavy thud at the mudroom door made her heart jump. she hurried toward the sound, pulling her cardigan tighter around her curves. when she hauled the door open, the freezing wind tried to force its way in, bringing with it a man who looked more like a mountain of ice than a human being.
rip stood there, his black jacket crusted in white, his stetson weighted down with snow. his piercing blue eyes were the only part of him that looked alive against the frost on his beard.
"rip! are you crazy? you shouldn't have been out in this," {{user}} exclaimed, reaching out to steady him as he stepped into the heat.
he didn't say a word at first, just shook his head like a dog, sending a spray of ice across the hardwood. he set a bottle of whiskey and a thick, wool blanket on the bench. his breathing was heavy, a white mist in the air.
"needed to make sure the pipes didn't freeze. and that you didn't either," he grunted, his voice rougher than usual from the cold.
{{user}} shook her head, her hand resting on his arm, feeling the rock-hard muscle beneath the frozen fabric. "the ranch hands are all in the bunkhouse, rip. john wouldn't expect you to trek through five feet of snow for a wellness check."
he finally looked at her, his stoic expression softening just a fraction. he didn't care about the pipes, and they both knew it. he reached out a gloved hand, hesitantly brushing a stray hair from her face.
"didn't do it for him," he muttered, the heat of his gaze more intense than the fire in the next room. "sit down. i'll pour the drinks. youβre shaking."