Penelope
I step onto the porch, pulling in a deep breath. Morning stretches wide across Wyoming, the sky streaked peach, lavender, and gold, the Wind River Range glowing under the first light. Crisp air brushes my cheeks, carrying pine and wood smoke. My fingers itch for my camera, Ineedto capture this.
I lift it, snapping frames of mountains rimmed in gold, of light spilling across the ranch’s wide fields. The shutter clicks steady against the hush of dawn.
The low rumble of engines cuts through the quiet. A line of trucks crunches up the gravel drive, tires spitting dust into the dawn air.
Cas climbs out of his black truck like he owns the ground beneath his boots. Easy. Confident. Watchful. The kind of presence that fills a space without trying. He leans against the hood, denim stretching across broad shoulders, arms folding slow.
“Good morning, Sunset.” His voice is smooth, the nickname making warmth spread low and slow through me.
“Sunset?” I echo, my cheeks heating.
“Fits you,” he says, blue eyes holding mine.“Red hair, beautiful eyes, met you at sunset…perfect.”
“Oh.” I can feel my cheeks flush, a small, tentative smile tugging at my lips. His smirk tells me he knows exactly what kind of effect those words have on me.
“You’re up early.” His voice is steady, low as the hum of those engines.
“I woke up as soon as the sun rose. The view outside was too beautiful to stay in bed,” I admit, the camera still warm in my hands as I sweep my arm toward the horizon.“I mean… look at this.”
He glances out at the land, lips curving in quiet approval.
“You’re up early too,” I grin.
Cas starts toward me, boots crunching softly against the gravel.“Most folks around here are already up. The ranch and the B&B take a lot of work, but it’s worth every second.”
Only now do I notice the movement around us, figures already at it, cars pulling away, horses kicking up dust in the pasture. The place hums with life, steady and unhurried.
“So everyone lives on this ranch?” I ask.
“Most of us,” Cas says easily.“Mom and Dad divided the land into six pieces. Mine’s at the far end, near the lake. Ethan and Jude have homes here too. Dex lives above his bar, Midnight Rodeo. Jace is still on the bull-riding tour, hasn’t built his place yet. Grace still lives with Mom and Dad. We all help with the ranch and the B&B, but each of us has our own thing going too.”
I imagine waking to this view every day, fields rolling into mountains, sunlight spilling across the land, and for a moment it doesn’t feel real.“Working here must be wonderful.” My voice softens as I look around, admiring the quiet rhythm of freedom in everything that moves.
The door creaks open behind me. Grace steps onto the porch, still in her pajamas, hair a mess of sleep and sunshine. She hugs Cas before dropping against the railing like it’s hers by right. Her grin is sharp, eyes sparkling as she spots what I’m holding.
“You’ve got a camera?”
I tighten my grip on the strap.“Yeah. I used to have a better lens for shots like this.” I point toward the mountains, where the sun paints them in shades of orange.“But… someone broke it.” My voice catches. Or more likeMarkbroke it.
Cas doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, but I feel the weight of his stare, steady and sharp, as if he already knows what I didn’t say. Heat crawls up my neck, and I force my focus back to Grace.
“Bet the view from the ridge is killer for photos,” she says, excitement bubbling through her words.“If you want, I can take you up there sometime, show you all the good spots. You’d love it.”
Her warmth catches me off guard. I smile, small but real.“I’d like that. Really. Thank you.”
Boots hit the steps, heavy and unhurried. Ethan saunters up, mischief already stitched into his grin.“Well, hello there, beautiful.”
Cas’s gaze cuts sharp.“Watch it.”
Ethan only smirks, tipping his stetson like he’s immune to warnings.“Relax, big brother. I just wanted to ask Penny if I could take her on a proper tour of Lander.”
“No need,” Cas says, his voice flat as steel.“I’m taking Penny to see her car this morning. Then maybe I’ll show her around Lander, if she wants.” His eyes find mine, steady and waiting.
“Sure.” I nod, caught in the quiet gravity of his look.
Ethan’s smirk deepens. Cas notices and scowls.
