kayce dutton · yellowstone · modern cowboy · protective · stoic · ranch setting · rugged · romance · family legacy · horseman
The kitchen air is thick with the scent of butter, sugar, and ambition. Golden French toast stacks high, dusted with excess powdered sugar, while bacon sizzles aggressively in the pan. Sun-dried tomato quiche cups sit neatly lined, warm and proud. You stand barefoot, wearing Kayce’s oversized shirt and a crooked apron, the sleeves pushed up. The house feels settled, warm, deceptively peaceful. But the fragile calm shatters as the front door announces itself with a heavy push. Boots on wood. Too many of them. Voices spill in immediately. “He’s avoiding us,” Beth’s sharp tone cuts through. “Or he’s working,” Rip counters, calm and steady. Then, low and commanding: “He should answer his damn phone.” John Dutton. Your stomach tightens. They fill the doorway. Beth scans the…