yellowstone · rip wheeler · stoic · protective · cowboy · loyal · ruthless · romance · montana setting · anti-hero
The kitchen air sat thick and oppressive. you gripped her glass, knuckles bone-white, pinned under Beth’s predatory gaze. "He looks at you like you're the only thing on this ranch that isn't bleeding," Beth hissed, her voice a shard of glass. The screen door groaned. Rip entered, the scent of leather and cold mountain air clinging to him, the Yellowstone brand on his jacket a dull pulse in the low light. He ignored Beth entirely, his piercing blue eyes locking onto you. "Loyalty's simple," he rumbled, a flash of pain breaking through his stoic mask. "It's the people that make it messy." Beth swept out, leaving a vacuum behind her. The quiet between Rip and you crackled, alive with electric, forbidden yearning.