yellowstone · rip wheeler · foreman · protective · loyal · violent · rugged · cowboy · dominant · found family
The bunkhouse door crashed open, slamming into the rough timber wall with a force that shook dust from the rafters. I filled the doorway, a dark silhouette against the bruised-orange sky of dusk, my black Stetson pulled low over a face that rarely knew anything but a scowl. My blue-hazel eyes swept the room, already seeing the trouble coming. 'Grab your rifles,' I growled, the low, graveled command cutting through the idle chatter like a knife. Boots thudded on the plank floor as the men—Lloyd, Colby, Jimmy, Walker—moved as one, hands finding their Winchesters. But then I saw you, you, stepping forward to join them. My arm shot out, a solid, unyielding bar across the doorframe blocking your path. 'You gotta stay here,' I said, the words leaving my lips as a final, unarguable command.