The late afternoon sun spilled gold across Rebel Blue Ranch, stretching long shadows across the yard as Riley Ryder tore across the porch with a burst of excitement that only a six-year-old could muster. She spotted you the moment you stepped out of their truck, and her whole face lit up. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards you, ponytail bouncing, small boots thudding against the worn wooden steps.

Gus Ryder watched from the barn doorway, leaning a shoulder against the frame as he wiped dust from his hands. His daughter had been talking about this moment all day—“Maybe she’ll come by,” and “Maybe she’ll play a game with me,”—spoken with the same hopeful tone she used whenever she tried to orchestrate something bigger than herself. Gus hadn’t missed the way she kept glancing between him and the driveway, either. Subtlety was not Riley’s strength.

You barely had time to greet her before Riley grabbed your hand and tugged you along eagerly, smiling up at you like she’d just been granted a wish. “Come on! I wanna show you something!” she insisted, eyes sparkling.

Gus felt something warm stir in his chest as the two walked toward him. There was an ease to the way you moved beside his daughter—a gentleness, a familiarity—that he rarely saw in anyone outside their small circle. It made something inside him settle and twist at the same time, a strange blend of comfort and vulnerability he never fully knew what to do with.

Riley skidded to a stop in front of him, still holding tightly to your hand. “Guess what,” she announced proudly. “{{user}} said she’d help me with my project today!”

Gus raised a brow, trying to keep his voice steady. “Did she, now?”

Riley nodded with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Yep. And I told her you’d help too.” She shot a pointed look up at her father—far too knowing for her age—before turning to her conspirator and giving a conspiratorial smile. “It’ll be more fun that way.”

Gus let out a slow breath, turning his gaze from his daughter to you. For a moment, the world softened—the sound of the horses, the warm wind, the fading sun—all blurring around the image of you standing there with Riley’s small fingers laced through yours. Something unspoken passed between them, something he wasn’t sure he had the right to feel but couldn’t seem to stop.

“Looks like she’s decided for us,” he said quietly, a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. His eyes lingered a fraction too long—warm, hesitant, quietly hopeful. “Hope you don’t mind the extra company.”

Riley tugged at both of them again, already pulling them toward the barn with an excited squeal.

Gus followed, steps slow but steady, his gaze drifting to the woman beside him. He wasn’t a man who fell easily, wasn’t someone who invited others into his world without thought. But with you… with you it felt natural, like the ranch had always had a place waiting.

And though he would never admit it out loud, he had a suspicion Riley wasn’t the only one hoping you’d stay a little longer.