keep-the-wolves-close

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 21: Seven Devils

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, awkward tension, bad family dynamics, suspicion, being watched, mention of guns

* Word count: 3,055ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: So how is everyone feeling about Bonnie Jo? Are we all just as suspicious as Stella? What is everyone feeling? I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella practically floated out of the obstetrician’s office with Kayce trailing behind her. The internal ultrasound had been less than pleasant, but hearing the little thump thump of her baby’s heartbeat come through the speakers strongly made the discomfort worth it. Dutton babies were apparently stubborn, and meant to survive just about anything.

She twirled around, light as air, pulling Kayce with her. “Kayce! We're having a baby!” She giggled.

Kayce chuckled, pulling her close. Dipping his head, he planted a firm kiss on Stella’s lips. “We are.” Warmth flooded his chest at the thought of a tiny bundle in Stella’s arms. He was still coming to grips with his best friend being pregnant with his baby.

She rested her head against his chest, grateful he’d stopped the spinning. “I know they said they wanted to do another scan in about a week, just to be completely sure, but I want to scream from the rooftops.”

When Stella raised her head, Kayce dropped his hand to the small of her back, guiding her over to the truck. “You know there’s a lot of things we gotta start planning, right?”

Stella’s heart fluttered in her chest, thinking of all the things they had to get ready for. “Yeah, I know.” Her joy dimmed at the thought of her mother’s visit later. “First step is to get through this visit with Bonnie Jo though.” Kayce opened her door for her and she climbed into the truck. “Then we look for a house. Can’t really plan much without room for the little wrangler.”

Kayce made his way around the truck and hopped in with a sigh, Bonnie Jo already weighing on his mind. “You sure you should be stressin’ yourself out with her?”

She watched him start the engine and felt it rumble to life. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna do my best to not let her get to me.” She clicked her seatbelt into place. “I’m trying to figure out her game. Gotta play nice before I can get her to talk.”

“And Ryan’s okay with this?”

“Not really, but he understands just how astronomically unlikely this coincidence is. So we’re in it together. Two heads better than one and all.”

If Kayce would want anyone by her side during this, it would be her brother. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in thought. “Does your brother know?”

Stella frowned, glancing over at him. “Know what?”

“That you’re pregnant with our kid.”

Heat crept up her neck. “Oh, that.” She tucked some hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear. “He found out later that day before I came back from getting your go-bag.”

Kayce placed his hand against Stella’s headrest, checking his blind spots to back out of the parking space. Heat blossomed up her face as he leaned in, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his presence. Kayce glanced at her before putting the truck in drive. He was glad Ryan had been there for her when she needed it. “I’m shocked he hadn’t tried to beat my ass yet.”

Stella watched Kayce. The subtle changes in emotion on his face gave away his inner monologue. She reached for his hand. A smile tugged at Stella’s lips as he intertwined their fingers. His thumb rubbed along the side of her hand instinctively. The memory of how scared she was when Ryan found out flashed through her mind. “I think he saw how scared I was and decided to wait until later.” She grinned sheepishly at Kayce. “I don’t think he’ll actually do it, though.”

“We’ll see.” Kayce brought her hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. He hoped she was right, but was still apprehensive about seeing Ryan next.

“If he ribs you too hard, let me know and I’ll beat him up for you.” Stella giggled.

Kayce pulled up at the barn, seeing the red Geo Metro parked off to the side. He put the truck in park, panning his gaze over to Stella. “Hey,” he waited for her to look at him. “You gonna be okay?”

Stella took a deep breath, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Yeah,” she grumbled. “Her presence pisses me off, but I’ll be fine. I’ve got Ry with me.” Stella’s attention snapped to Ryan as he came out of the barn, leading BJ and Abigail with a scowl on his face. He glared at the truck, and Stella chuckled. “I should probably go save him.” She leaned over and dropped a kiss on Kayce’s waiting lips.

“Be careful.” They locked eyes and Stella smiled.

“Never, cowboy,” she winked at him as she shut the door.

“Come get your mare,” Ryan’s harsh voice broke through her lovestruck haze. Stella turned on her heel, heading to her brother. Ryan leaned toward her and mumbled under his breath, “she’s already tried to bite Bonnie Jo. Twice.”

Stella snorted in amusement, “atta girl,” and patted Abigail’s large shoulder. “Speaking of her, where is she?”

“In the barn. I’m putting her on Copper.”

She nodded her head to the side. “Decent choice.” A sly smile spread across her face. “I’d have put her on Sage.”

“Oh you mean your giant dragon?”

“Ha! Yeah.”

“Sage would kill her and not in a ‘cool’ way.”

Stella glanced at Ryan, letting the silence speak for her. Abigail nuzzled into her stomach. In the chaos of everything, Stella realized she’d forgotten to tell her mare about the baby. “You know, don’t you?” She petted her horse’s smooth neck. Abigail huffed softly at her.

“How’d your appointment go, by the way? Everything okay with peanut?”

Stella searched the area, making sure no one was around. She smiled softly at the nickname Ryan gave the baby. “Yeah, everything looks good. They wanna do one more check just to be absolutely sure, but I should be in the clear.” She faced her brother. “We heard the heartbeat, Ry.”

His eyes lit up and he attacked her with a hug, lifting her feet off the ground. “You’re kidding!” He spun Stella around and she giggled like she was little again.

“I’m as serious as a heart attack!” Stella went pale, slapping Ryan’s shoulder, her stomach churning. She let out a deep breath, trying to push down the nausea. “If you don’t want me to throw up on you, put me down!”

He skidded to a halt, holding Stella steady until he felt her stop swaying. “Sorry, sorry,” he squeezed her upper arms.

“It’s okay,” Stella waved it off, swallowing thickly. “Just somethin’ I gotta get used to.” She grabbed Ryan’s arms to stop the world from spinning.

Bonnie observed her children from the barn entrance carefully. They were tight-knit, and it showed. How they spoke to one another, how close they stood to each other. Ryan had been coarse and cold when she arrived.

Seeing him switch gears with Stella made Bonnie Jo’s heart clench. They really were each other’s rock. Regret coursed through her. She’d missed so much. She had nobody to blame but herself, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her kids were grown and making one hell of a life for themselves. One of them seemed to be starting a family of her own now. The thought of missing Ryan’s graduation, or that time she should’ve been there for Stella’s first heartbreak, sent an ache through her chest.

Bonnie Jo cleared her throat, interrupting the tender moment. “I don’t mean to bother, but can I bring Copper out and join you two?”

The siblings shared a glance. Stella waved Bonnie Jo forward. “Yeah, c’mon.”

Bonnie Jo walked out from the barn with Copper in tow. His sharp penny-colored coat gleamed in the sun. He wasn’t the mightiest of geldings they had, but he sure was bomb proof. And patient. They’d need a lot of that today.

“He just shines like the purttiest penny on this side of the Rockies, don’t he?” Bonnie patted his shoulder. Before she went off the rails, she had plenty of experience with horses. Her dad and grand-daddy had used them for their cows.

“He sure does.” Ryan offered lamely. He didn’t quite know what angle Stella was taking yet, and he didn’t want to overstep.

Bonnie Jo and Copper stepped up to the siblings. Abigail dropped her ears back at her presence. Stella nudged her gently in the side. Bonnie Jo turned to her daughter. “So that boy that dropped you off? Who’s he?”

Stella turned, grabbing a fistful of Abigail’s mane, hoisting herself up into her saddle. “That man? He’s my boyfriend.”

Bonnie Jo mirrored Stella, clambering up into her saddle. Copper chuffed at her in annoyance, but stood still. She glanced over at her son. “You got anyone?”

“The cowboy life has my heart for now.” He hiked his leg up and over his saddle, looking away as he spoke.

Stella blew out a breath, knowing she needed to lighten the mood. “Hey, Ry?” He hummed in response, nudging BJ to start walking. “Where we headed?”

“I was thinking maybe the overlook.”

Stella nodded even though Ryan wasn’t looking at her. The overlook was where John would go to think. She knew it was safer this way because it wasn’t a safe spot of theirs. She knew Ryan was keeping Bonnie Jo at a distance. “You got a rifle?”

“Sure do.” His answer came out clipped.

Stella’s lips pursed at his attitude. Bonnie Jo’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, her palms suddenly slick with sweat. “What do we need a shotgun for?”

Stella smirked. “Bears, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats,” she shrugged casually. “General wildlife. You should be used to that from Tennessee.” Stella remembered all the times she and Ryan walked through the woods, her brother carrying a rifle over his shoulder. “Why? You scared of somethin’?”

Bonnie Jo shifted in her saddle, swallowing the frog in her throat. She realized that even though these were her children, she truly didn’t know them. She didn’t know how much suspicion they had for her, and she had no idea what they were capable of — or what they would do if they got her alone. Which is exactly what it felt like.

Bonnie Jo rubbed the prickling at the base of her neck away with an uncomfortable chuckle. Her eyes darted around, almost like she was searching for something. “No, just ain’t been in the woods in a while.”

Stella’s brows pinched together hearing the discomfort in Bonnie Jo’s voice, and seeing it on her face. Almost like she was searching for something in the distance. Ryan had told Stella that Bonnie Jo had grown up in the back of a holler on a farm. From Stella’s own experience, growing up like that, the woods should have felt like second nature. What was she so afraid of?

Ryan squinted over his shoulder at Stella. They locked eyes in a silent conversation. The distrust was clear between both of them. Stella could understand Bonnie Jo being skittish, alone with two near-strangers who happened to be her kids. But it didn’t explain the way she flinched at the woods, as if they held a threat of their own. On the other hand, Stella struggled to understand. Bonnie Jo had seemed hopeful at the chance to spend time with them. Bonnie Jo gripped her reins tighter, her gaze flickering to the tree line like she expected something, or someone, to jump out.

‘What is she looking for,’ Stella asked herself. She chewed the inside of her bottom lip in observation.

The conversation quieted as they trotted along — Stella and Ryan watching every move, twitch, and jerk Bonnie Jo made. There was a grove of evergreens and spruces up ahead that they had to go through before they got to the overlook on the other side. This particular thicket was notorious for having coyote dens. It was dense and dark through the trees. If you weren’t careful, the silent shadows would slip in between the trees, playing tricks on your mind.

Stella remembered coming through here one night when she was 19, dragging behind the other wranglers after moving the herd. She knew the group had most likely gone around, but she wanted to cut some time off and meet back up with them. It had been the wrong decision. The coyotes were few in number, but the beau geste effect made their cackles and yips echo through the dark, multiplying their presence until it sounded like a pack of 50 hyenas closing in.

Stella shivered, thinking of how loud it had been. The sound ricocheted through the trees and a few brave coyotes nipped at Abigail’s hooves. The mare spooked, something she rarely did, shot off like a bullet. Stella held on for dear life as Abigail charged through the thicket that night. She’d thought she and Abigail were goners for sure.

Stella knew Ryan was aware of the coyote problem through here. Copper had the patience of a saint, but even he would spook at a coyote. She nudged Abigail forward to catch up with her brother. When she was shoulder to shoulder with him, she studied his stoic face. His jaw was clenched so hard, Stella swore she could hear his teeth grinding.

She could practically hear the gears turning in his head. Being back in the presence of Bonnie Jo was really eating at him. She wondered if he was bringing Bonnie Jo through here to be petty. “Hey,” she whispered. Ryan’s cold blue eyes shot over to her. “What’re you doin’?” Stella’s gaze flickered to the trees and back to her brother.

He set his shoulders high in defiance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Stella’s face fell flat, unamused. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Ryan,” she hissed back at him. “Why the hell aren’t we going around?”

Ryan glanced behind them to see how far away Bonnie Jo was. “Why is she so nervous?”

Stella huffed loudly. She couldn’t believe she was about to play devil’s advocate. “It could be because she doesn’t know us, and we’re taking her out into the middle of nowhere.”

Ryan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Tell me you don’t actually believe your own bullshit right now.”

“I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt, until she slips on that slippery slope she’s treading.” Her leg bumped against his as she moved Abigail as close to BJ as she could. “We’ll get to the bottom of this coincidence, but it’s gonna be long game. I need you to be patient, okay?” Stella fixed her gaze on him. “Let me handle it, you just play along.”

A gunshot rang out across the field, interrupting their discussion. Copper, BJ and Abigail pulled back, and threw their heads up with a snort. They stopped in their tracks, ears straight forward, listening for whatever caused the gunshot. Abigail scanned the area, her ears pinned at something in the grass ahead. BJ danced on his hooves, ready to bolt at the first chance. Copper hung back, wary-eyed and watchful.

The siblings snapped to attention, looking ahead to where the sound echoed from. The patch of trees was unnaturally still. The branches wound together like skeletal hands, waiting for them to make a move.

The eerie silence made goosebumps blossom along Stella’s body. The quiet of the forest pressed in from all sides, like it was listening. She gripped her reins tighter, reminded of when she and Rip went looking for that bear. “Bonnie Jo, stay back.” Stella ordered.

“What’s that up ahead?” Bonnie Jo’s edgy voice cracked. Her knuckles turned white from her grip on Copper’s reins.

Stella and Ryan nudged their horses closer to the trees. At first, they didn’t see anything out of place. Abigail whinnied with a snort at the end. To Stella, that was a warning to get the hell out of there. The sharp, metallic scent of blood and pine filled their noses. Stella pushed Abigail further, cresting the small hill before the grove of trees. A few yards ahead lay a coyote carcass on the ground. It was fresh.

A chill shot down her spine, seeing it had been shot. Stella shifted her gaze back to Ryan. If the coyote had been shot, someone could still be out here. “Was this us?”

Ryan’s head gave a sharp, nervous shake. His hand rested on the butt of his rifle, ready to pull and fire. “No one but us is supposed to be out this way today.” The siblings started scanning the area, looking for the possible intruder. The lingering sour smell of gunpowder hung in the air. A branch snapped somewhere off to the side.

Ryan and Stella’s eyes flickered to the trees, searching for any sign of movement. A shadow that looked too human-like sent a rush of adrenaline through them. Ryan fixed Stella with a stare. “Stay put.” He pulled out his rifle and pushed BJ closer to the trees.

Stella’s teeth ground together. She knew she should stay back, but the 9mm on her hip, courtesy of John, made her press forward in the opposite direction from her brother. She removed the gun from her holster, and began scanning the area. She squinted through the dense tree coverage, but stopped when she spotted a small plume of blue-grey smoke billowing up toward the sky.

She slid out of her saddle, keeping a hold of Abigail’s reins, and stepped over to investigate. A Main Street Red cigarette was smoldering in the grass. The strong smell made her stomach turn. Stepping on it, she made sure the embers fell off, before picking it up. She whistled sharply and her brother jogged over to her, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

He glanced at her making sure she was alright, and then down at her outstretched hand. The cigarette butt was partially crumpled, but a sure sign someone had been out here. Ryan gave Stella a rising look of alarm. “This was a mistake.” He turned BJ around, climbing up into his saddle. “We shouldn’t have come here.”

Stella caught more movement and hopped on Abigail, spinning her around in a tight 180. “We shouldn’t have come at all.” The siblings kicked their horses into action. “Fuck! Bonnie Jo go!”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 20: House of Mercy

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, mention of a gun, scheming and plotting, brief pregnancy mentions, abandonment, adoption, mention of drugs and jail

* Word count: 2,978ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

“Hey you two,” Kayce leaned down and kissed Stella’s head. Seated at the kitchen island, Stella worked on the laptop John had given her for the broodmare side of the business. He wanted to check in with her before he left because of the stress of her mother showing up at the end of last week.

Stella turned her head upward with a soft smile. “You know it’s the size of a sesame seed right now, right?” She asked with humor.

Kayce shrugged with a grin of his own. “Doesn’t hurt to start early.”

Giggling, Stella shook her head. She was interested to see how the next few months went. Especially with how protective Kayce was of her before she was pregnant. She shut the laptop, setting aside research on her mother, their future home, and stud options. “Where you off to this mornin’?” She knew he wasn’t heading into work. He’d been given a gracious amount of time off. Mostly because John was still in the hospital. Only part of the time off was for his own injuries.

Kayce reached for his travel mug for coffee when she asked. His shoulders dropped and he leaned against the counter in front of him. Stella’s face pulled together at his body language. Something was weighing on him. Kayce lifted his head and stared out into the yard through the large window, searching for answers to questions he never thought he’d have. “I was gonna go talk to Jamie,” he whispered.

Stella let out a soft sigh, now understanding the weight on her boyfriend’s shoulders. She stood quietly and made her way over to him. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she smiled when she felt his warm hands land on her forearms. Placing a soft kiss on his back as high as she could reach, she squeezed him softly, laying her head between his shoulders. “Everything is gonna be okay, love. You want me to come with you?”

Kayce turned in her arms, wrapping her securely in his. “It’s just before Helena, or something like that — at least that’s what Jamie said. I don’t wanna drag you all that way just for my own drama.”

She rubbed her hands along his sides, his words that were the same as Bonnie Jo’s echoing inside her mind. “Well your drama is my drama, babe. Especially now that baby Dutton is hitchhiking.”

“Yeah, but I think,” Kayce sighed, “I think this is somethin’ I gotta do on my own.”

“And that’s okay too. You know where I’ll be if you need me.”

Kayce released her from the hug and finished getting his coffee ready. Stella moved back over to the island and opened the laptop. He nodded toward the computer. “What’re you up to today?” He followed her back to the center of the kitchen.

Hopping back up on the chair, she opened the computer, and logged in. “Researching some studs,” she shrugged. “The usual.” Her cheeks warmed with the thought of them having their own place. She looked down at the keyboard. “I might also be looking at houses nearby.”

He grinned at her nerves from across the island. “Don’t pull a move my sister would and do it all, I wanna help too.” Stella fixed her glass and looked at him over the screen.

“Okay, I promise. I’ll show you some options I’ve seen when you get home.”

“You better,” he smirked at her. Walking around the counter, he leaned in and Stella instinctively rose in her seat a little higher to meet his lips. With his eyes still closed he whispered to Stella, “I love you.”

“I love you too, cowboy.” She leaned back to look up at him. “You be safe and I’ll see you when you get home.”

Kayce nodded, grabbing his coat and coffee, and headed out to his truck. Stella watched him go, a plan already forming in her mind. Bonnie Jo’s and Kayce’s words screeched in her mind like nails on a chalkboard. “A little place up just before Helena.”

Bonnie Jo’s words continued to assault her brain. “With a few good people who know what it’s like that life ain’t fair.” Some of what Stella found about ranches near Helena made her wonder if Kayce could be going to the same place. She didn’t want to believe it, or blame Jamie, but she had to see for herself.

Standing while shutting the laptop, she threw on her boots and coat. She paused, thinking about if there was a chance for violence. She didn’t plan on it, and she couldn’t be certain Bonnie Jo wouldn’t. Her gun was currently with the police department, but John had plenty of extras hiding around the house.

She moved into John’s office, and opened the small gun safe he had in the corner. “There has to be a handgun in here,” she thought out loud. “Now what was that code?” Her fingers tapped her thigh, trying to drum up the code John had given her. “Ah!” She exclaimed as the memory hit her.

She pressed the buttons in the correct order, reaching in and grabbing the first 9mm she saw, and some extra ammo. Her hand rested on the ammo box. Did she really want to do this? She shook her head and closed the safe behind her. The plan was to follow Kayce as close as she could without him noticing. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially in his old truck, but she had to try. “If we’re wrong, that’s fine,” she patted her stomach, “but if we’re right…,” she trailed off not wanting to imagine the violence she’d resort to.

Kayce pulled up to a small ranch just outside of Townsend. It looked to be a few good acres, not far from town, but far enough. He spotted Jamie’s car up by the ranch house. His face twisted at the sight of a woman on the porch, cigarette in hand. A woman who looked just like Stella. ‘No way. That’s too much of a coincidence.’ The woman perked up at the truck coming up the driveway, standing and coming to lean on the railing.

He put the truck in park and took a moment to settle his mind, trying to push down the growing dread gnawing at him. His heart sank lower in his chest as he approached the house. He came for answers, but now he felt like he was in for more than he bargained for. ‘I should have brought Stella.’ The closer he looked at the woman, the more he saw Stella, minus the cigarette. Her brunette wavy hair, her stature, the distrusting look. It shook him. Thankfully his brother came out the door as he arrived at the porch steps.

“Kayce!” Jamie greeted, nervously clenching his hands.

“Hey, Jamie.” Kayce’s eyes flitted over to the woman then back to his brother. “Who’s this?”

Jamie glanced between the brunette and his brother, sweat beading along his brow. “Oh, this is one of Garrett’s friends. She’s just staying here for a while.”

“Garrett?”

Jamie looked down at the ground and back up at Kayce quickly. “Yeah… about that. Why don’t you come inside?”

Gravel flying and skidding tires cut through the silence. Kayce saw Jamie’s eyes widen and before he could turn around, he heard Stella’s voice thundering across the yard.

“What the actual fuck is going on here?” The truck door slammed and she stomped toward the house. Her heart pounded in her chest. “Jamie, why the fuck is my vile mother staying in the same place as you?”

Kayce barely had time to register that Stella was storming past him. He reached for her. From the aggressive way she explained about her mother showing up at the Yellowstone yesterday, he knew she’d go in ready to throw knuckles. “Stella, Stella,” he grappled with her arms as she pulled free.

“No!” Her venomous eyes locked in on Jamie and Bonnie Jo. Jamie flinched as she stopped at the bottom of the porch stairs, Bonnie Jo’s eyes wide at her daughter’s righteous anger. “I’m not asking, Jamie. Start talking. Now.”

“I had no idea she was your mother, Stella! I swear!”

Kayce quickly stepped between his brother and the rabid hellhound he called his girlfriend. Stella wrestled to be seen over his shoulder. “Oh bullshit, Jamie! You expect me to believe you didn’t know when she's an older, walking copy of me?!”

“Stella Lee,” Bonnie Jo started.

Stella interrupted her. “You shut the fuck up!” She jutted her finger at the woman on the porch. “You don’t get to call me anything!” Stella snarled, teeth gnashing together with a deadly gleam.

Kayce turned on her, pulling her close as he tried to make her look at him. “Baby, look at me.” He grabbed her face firmly and forced her to meet his gaze. “Stella.” When her eyes met his, he whispered to her. “We’ll find out together, but screaming is gonna get us nowhere.”

Stella’s breath puffed violently in Kayce’s face, blowing his hair out of the way. He rubbed his thumbs on her cheeks. “C’mon, Stell.” He watched as she physically slowed down, but the fire in her eyes didn’t die out.

“One wrong fuckin’ word, and I’ll kill every single one of them.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less, baby.” Kayce slowly dropped his hands from her cheeks. “You good if I let go?”

Stella nodded, her glare locked on Jamie. He grimaced and nodded toward the door. He’d seen this side of Stella directed at other people, but it was terrifying having that kind of rage pointed at him. “Come in.”

He held the door open as the others filed in. Bonnie scurried in through the door first. Kayce walked behind Stella, but she paused, stopping them both. She glowered hard at Jamie. “You first.” No way she was letting anyone behind her or Kayce.

Kayce stared at his brother, silently urging him to follow Stella’s instructions. Jamie caught the look, and made his way through the entrance. Kayce breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind Stella, letting the door snap shut behind them.

Bonnie Jo stood off by a doorway, ready to bolt. She felt like this didn’t involve her, and she was good at running. 25 years ago proved that. Jamie glanced at Stella and Kayce and invited them to the table. “Have a seat.”

“I don’t think y’all —,” Bonnie Jo couldn’t finish her sentence. Stella’s voice, dripping with venom, sliced through the room, cutting Bonnie Jo off.

“— you will sit the fuck down. You ain’t gettin’ outta this one.” She ordered. She hadn’t followed Kayce here for nothing. She and her mother were going to have this conversation once Kayce and Jamie were done. Bonnie Jo glared at the younger — just as hot headed — but more controlled version of herself. Stella scoffed. “Mean mug me all you want. You wanted to see me again. Well, you got me.”

The four of them stood frozen. The gravity of reality settled in, weighing them down like the sky before a heavy snowfall. They each took a seat around the table.

Jamie leaned forward on his elbows, focusing on Kayce. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Kayce glanced briefly at Stella, relief washing over him. She’d shown up—even if she had to play him to do it. With an unsettled look at Bonnie Jo, he shifted his gaze back to Jamie. “Yeah,” he cleared his throat, not sure how to delicately proceed. “When you asked if you could still call me brother was it because you’re,” his heart raced in his chest, “adopted?”

Jamie’s mouth went dry. He hadn’t known that John didn’t tell him. By now, he thought everyone knew. “Uh,” he fumbled.

Stella watched him carefully, waiting for him to lie. To give her an excuse to jump across the table at him. She was prepared to do whatever it took to protect Kayce. Even from his own brother.

Jamie noticed Stella watching him like a hawk, eyes sharp, practically daring him to fuck up. “Well, yeah. I figured John would have told you.”

“So it’s not “dad” now?” Kayce’s brows inched up his forehead.

“Well the way our last conversation went, I don’t know what to call him.”

“Jamie, he’s your dad. The man that raised you.”

“Yeah, the man that molded me into who I am for his own benefit.” Jamie declared resentfully.

“You should’ve told him to fuck off more,” Stella joked. Seeing the opposite side of the coin, brought some clarity to her. “It worked pretty well for me.”

Jamie’s body sagged forward. “You both know I couldn’t have done that.”

Stella leaned forward. “Why not?”

“There was always a sense that I was a stranger inside someone else’s home.” Jamie grumbled. “I never knew if I was coming or going.”

“If there’s one thing Dad is good at, it’s making sure people know where they stand with him.” Kayce rubbed the stubble along his jaw. “If you weren’t sure, you should’ve asked me.”

“Well you’d broken out of the ranch. You were busy doing your own thing.”

“Why didn’t you ask me? I could have told you.”

Jamie’s mouth dropped open. He never thought to ask Stella. It seemed silly now that he hadn’t. She was around his dad just as much as Kayce had been. Ever hypervigilant, she certainly would have been able to clue him in. “I always thought you wanted to hit me.”

Stella chuckled low in her chest. “Jame, I wanted to hit most of the men there when I was 16. Shit,” she laughed, “I still do.” Her face softened forgetting her mother was there. “But I never hated you. You just piss me off sometimes.”

Bonnie Jo watched the interaction carefully, taking in every word, every glance, storing it all away. Seeing her daughter navigate the layered relationships with these two men hit her hard. She wished she had been that level-headed at Stella’s age. Instead, she’d been running wild, a loose cannon.

“Who’s Garrett, by the way?” Kayce’s question cut through the fog of Stella’s admission, snapping Jamie back to the moment.

“I’m his father. You’d do well to remember that, son.” Garrett Randall sauntered into the kitchen, bow-legged and full of himself.

Stella bristled at Garrett’s smugness, her temper flaring. “Yeah, well, this is his brother, so you’d be wise to treat him with some respect.”

“And this is my house, little lady. So I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re disrespecting, but it ain’t me.”

Kayce’s hand drifted across Stella’s legs, pressing her down gently into the chair. He could feel her tension, knowing she was about to launch herself at Garrett.

Stella held back just enough, knowing that attacking Garrett would put herself, and the baby, in danger. The aggression he carried from the second he walked in told her all she needed to know. She understood now why Bonnie Jo was in his circle. She shifted a hard stare at her mother, watching as the woman curled into herself. “So why are you here?”

Bonnie Jo finally looked across the table at Stella. Her heart thrummed in her chest. Garrett being behind her in the room, watching her closely, made her feel like the walls were closing in. She shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. “I already told you. I wanted to see you and your brother again.”

Stella squinted at her in suspicion. Bonnie Jo was almost cowering and Stella couldn’t understand why. Was it how many people were in the room for this delicate and volatile conversation, or was it something else? “Explain it to me. You didn’t want to see us when I was three. When Dad died, you never came. And when Ryan finally found you? You were in jail. Again.” Stella dropped one of her hands on Kayce’s in her lap with a sigh. “So what changed? Why now?”

Kayce and Jamie glanced at each other, mouths parted in shock. Before now, they’d only known the bare minimum when it came to Stella and Ryan’s past.

Bonnie Jo softened and faced Stella fully. She reached across the table to grab Stella’s hand, but Stella pulled back. Bonnie Jo’s face saddened. “I got myself outta trouble, and off the drugs. It’s been a few years.” She toyed with her fingers, looking down. “My friend Garrett here,” Bonnie Jo motioned to the cocky man behind her in the doorway. “Helped me out. Gave me a second chance.”

Stella looked up from her mother to Jamie’s biological father. The similarities between the two of them starting to peek out the longer she stared. “You did, huh?”

Garrett nodded, “she’s made great progress. It was hard in the beginning, but we made it through to the other side.” Garrett patted Bonnie Jo’s shoulder and she flinched.

Stella’s brows knit together at the sight. She met Kayce’s eyes, reading the silent agreement between them. Neither of them bought a damn word of it. Her decision still stood, and she did not want to let Bonnie Jo in. But to figure out what her mother’s angle truly was, she had to give her the space to slip up. If Bonnie Jo was anything like her, she’d bolt the second Stella pushed too hard. Better to let her talk — let her dig her own grave first.

If she had to put up with Bonnie Jo until she cracked, then fine. But it’d be on her terms. In her own yard, giving her the home advantage. She locked in on Bonnie Jo across the table. “Come to the ranch tomorrow at 2 o’clock to see Ryan and I. Maybe we’ll take some horses out.” Her obstetrician appointment was tomorrow, so she opted for after the check-up. She didn’t need to be stressed going into it. More than she already was.

Bonnie Jo’s eyes lit up with hope. “That sounds like a good idea, ba –,” she stopped herself from laying it on too thick, “Stella.”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 19: Way Down We Go

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, abandonment issues, pregnancy, hospitals, Ryan and Stella lore

* Word count: 2,217ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I'm excited about this new player I'm adding in. I know exactly where it's going, and I wanna hear all about what y'all think! Don't be shy to tell me! I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella sighed in relief as she stepped out of the examination room. Dr. Martinez had just told her that the hCG levels in her system had doubled in the last 48 hours. If her levels were anything to go by, her pregnancy was still viable and strong. She silently thanked every god she could think of, happy she could report good news back to Kayce. 

The thought of Kayce brought a smile to her face. Her heart warmed and her hand fell to her stomach. The little life they’d created appeared to already be as bullheaded as its father. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t want it any other way. By the time she went to get her panel done, his doctor had just arrived to check him over. Stella hoped that because the surgery was relatively simple and Kayce seemed to be healing well, that they could go home today. She was tired of being here.

She made her way back down to room 516. When she knocked on the door, she heard Kayce’s muffled, “come in.” She stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her. When she turned to face the room, she saw Kayce was in the process of getting dressed.

Her eyes lit up with excitement like the night sky during a lightning storm. “Does this mean we’re allowed to get the fuck outta here?”

He grinned at her, big and bright, noticing she had his favorite t-shirt on. “You’re damn right, baby.” He finished closing the last button on his shirt. “Speaking of little outlaws,” he glanced at her, taking in her buzzing excitement. “What’d the doctor say?”

Stella bit her lip, trying to hold in the grin breaking across her face. She stepped over to him, placing her hands on his chest while carefully avoiding his injured shoulder. His arms instinctively wound around her waist. “Well, the chances of this Dutton being just as stubborn as you are high.”

His hold on her tightened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She nodded and let out a little huff of a laugh, as Kayce drew her into his embrace. “My levels almost doubled like they’re supposed to, and my symptoms haven’t been terrible.” She stepped back to gaze up at him. “I still have to watch for symptoms until my appointment, but Dr. Martinez thinks we’re safe.”

“God, I love you,” he breathed as he planted a world spinning kiss on her lips.

Stella’s eyes fluttered closed and she let herself be consumed by the moment. They pulled away from the kiss, foreheads touching. It felt odd to be celebrating after nearly dying two days ago — especially with John still in a coma. But this was one wave Stella could roll with. “Let’s get the hell outta here, yeah,” she whispered.

“Let’s go home.”

Once Kayce was settled at home, Stella parted ways to go hang out with Ryan. Kayce wanted some time to be with Tate, and she wanted some time with her brother. She wanted to give him the good news from her second test just as she’d promised.

As Stella made her way down the hill, she spotted her brother by the barn entrance talking to a woman. Alone. Odd considering everyone should be finishing up the evening chores. Her brows knitted together as she tried to figure out who this woman was. Her hands slipped into her back pockets as she made it to the bottom of the hill. Ryan’s head snapped in Stella’s direction, his eyes wide, almost wild.

Ryan nodded at her, a silent order to go back up the hill. Stella didn’t feel like listening and she pushed forward. Ryan’s shoulders fell and his jaw clenched. The brunette woman turned and Stella felt like she was sucker punched. The woman in front of her was an older carbon copy of herself with her brother’s eyes.

Stella locked in on her brother. “What’s going on? Who’s this?”

Ryan’s stomach dropped. “Stella,” he paused, choking on words he never thought he’d have to say. “This is our mother, Bonnie Jo.”

Stella scowled immediately. “Who?” Her eyes flared at her brother with an unfiltered rage. “I’m looking at my mother right now, and it ain’t her.” Her fiery gaze fell upon the woman that abandoned her and her brother 25 years ago. Everything Ryan told her about Bonnie Jo when she was little came rushing back to her at full speed. The drinking, drugs, in and out of prison, leaving one night and never returning. Stella’s mind spiraled.

“Stella, baby, it’s me. Your mama. I've been doin’ good, stayin’ outta trouble. I wanted to find you kids and see the lives you’d made for yourselves. I promise.” Bonnie Jo’s Tennessee twang lilted at her.

Stella shook her head with disgust. “You after money? We ain’t got it.” Her hands flailed around and her accent got thicker the angrier she became. “You lookin’ for a place to stay cause you’re in trouble? We ain’t got one.” Stella’s breaths came in heavy huffs as she fought with herself to keep from jumping the woman right there.

Bonnie Jo’s voice was filled with disappointment. “Baby I just wanna be with my kids again.”

“Ha!” Stella laughed harshly. “Tell that to the 25 years where you couldn’t give a single shit less about us when you left. Didn’t bother to find us after dad died. You can fuck right off.” Stella pointed toward the front of the property. “The way you saw yourself in, is the way you can see yourself out.”

“Stella, you can’t speak to me like that!” Bonnie Jo sputtered in frustration. “Ryan, you wouldn’t let her speak to your mama that way, would you?” She hoped she could plea to her son, since he remembered more of her.

“Bold of you to assume any of you have a say in how I talk. I’ll speak to you however I see fit.”

“Bonnie Jo, you should leave.” Ryan’s voice dropped to a dangerous low. He stepped up right behind Stella. She was putting her foot down, and he’d be damned if he undermined her. He knew Stella was doing it for a reason. He used to dream about this day. But not anymore. Not after all these years. That hope died the day they left Tennessee.

Rip heard Stella’s raised voice as he passed the bunkhouse. He peeked inside, finding the wranglers looking uneasy. That was enough to make him round the corner and investigate. He spotted a woman that looked like Stella, standing in front of Stella and Ryan. Uncertainty settled in his stomach. “What’s the problem here?”

“She was just leaving, weren’t you?” Stella spat venomously. She glanced at the small, junky Geo Metro, most certainly belonging to Bonnie Jo.

“Who’s this? Who the fuck are you?” He could easily see that both the siblings were bothered.

Bonnie Jo glared at Rip. “I’m their mama. I got to doin’ better and came to see ‘em.”

Lloyd stepped out of the evening shadows, his arms crossed, settling beside Rip. Bonnie Jo’s eyes widened, her world suddenly feeling a lot smaller. “You got a lotta nerve comin’ round here, lookin’ for kids that you didn’t give a shit about and we raised, lady.” Lloyd chuckled cruelly, a sound Stella had never heard him utter.

“You got a lotta balls telling me I don’t deserve to see my kids.”

Stella stepped forward, ready to pounce. Ryan reached out to grip the back of her shirt. “Well you saw us, now you can fuckin’ leave and stay the hell away.” Stella snapped.

“I see where she picked up the foul mouth from.” Bonnie Jo sneered at Stella.

Opening the car door, she turned back to her children, voice shifting to something almost saccharine. “Y’all wanna act like y’all don’t know me? That’s fine. I’ll be around.” She lingered, letting the moment stretch. “I’m stayin’ at a little rental place, just before Helena, with some people who understand how life ain’t always fair. I just want to be with my babies again.” Bonnie Jo let her gaze drag over them, memorizing. Without another word, she climbed inside and drove off, gravel kicking up from her tires peeling out.

Rip turned slowly, staring at the siblings. His expression teetered between shock and something far deadlier. They knew they had to explain themselves quickly.

Stella held her hands up in defense. “Hey listen, her showing up after 25 years wasn’t on my bingo card.” She spun to look at Ryan. “I don’t even know how she found us.”

Ryan shrugged, gnawing at his bottom lip. He’d made damn sure they were ghosts when they left Tennessee. Bonnie Jo had been in prison at the time. She shouldn’t have even known they were gone. “I don’t know. I left no trace of us between here and Tennessee.”

“So I’m guessing you're not planning a heart-to-heart?” Rip asked carefully.

“Once I learned about her, I never wanted to see her.”

“After I found out she was in prison again when our dad died, I knew I never wanted to either.” Ryan’s hands slipped into his pockets as he glanced at the ground. “That’s why I packed Stella up and got us the hell out — wasn’t about to leave a trail for her to follow.”

Stella’s body sagged forward. “We’ve gotta tell the wranglers.” Her eyes flickered between Rip and Ryan. “If she shows up again, which I’m sure she will like the cockroach she is, they need to know who she is so they can throw her ass out.” Without waiting for the men to agree, Stella marched to the bunkhouse. She crossed the threshold, taking in everyone’s nervous energy, and moved to the table in the kitchen.

They all stared at her with wide eyes, looking for direction. She blew out a breath, shoving the shame of her “mother” aside. The people in front of her knew her outside of Bonnie Jo. They wouldn’t judge — hell, they all came from colorful pasts. She shook her head. “I’m guessing y’all have questions, which I’ll be glad to answer.” She cleared her throat, feeling comfort when she heard Ryan, come up behind her. “But first, y’all need to know who that was.” Rip and Lloyd moved to stand by the sink.

“It was our mother, Bonnie Jo,” Ryan joined in walking up to the dining table. “If she shows up here again, you kick her out. By any means necessary.” He cringed at his words and corrected himself. “I mean don’t kill her, but get her off the property.”

Stella made a face at her brother. Of course she didn’t want the wranglers to kill Bonnie Jo, but her mind was divided. The anger she felt rolling through her was a very different kind of hurt. She’d only felt this way once before. It was when she first started asking about Bonnie Jo, and Ryan finally told her the truth.

“Are you guys okay?” Colby spoke up, breaking the silence.

Ryan observed the tension in Stella’s shoulders, and half shrugged. “I think so, but there’s some things to work through.”

“She dangerous? Or just a pain in the ass?” Jake asked with suspicion.

“I mean she’s been in and out of prison, had a drug problem, but I don’t think I’d consider that dangerous.” Stella couldn’t give them much information, but she at least wanted to help.

“No, she ain’t dangerous. Just... not all there.”

“How’re you so sure? How’d she find you?” Rip asked, arms crossed while his brain worked overtime.

“‘Cause people don’t go ghost for twenty-five years then pop up for no damn reason,” Walker added, solidifying everyone’s suspicion.

Stella looked at Ryan. “I mean, they have a point, Ry.” She fixed her glasses, turning to face him fully. “There’s no way that woman would have been able to bridge the gap between here and Tennessee without someone giving her a starting point.” Her eye flickered over to Rip, who nodded silently to her, letting her know she was on the same wave as he and Walker. “And turning up two days after all of us were attacked? Somethin’ about that don’t sit right with me.”

Ryan stared at his little sister, torn. The seven-year-old in him wanted to believe she’d changed. The fifteen-year-old wanted to believe she meant it this time. But the man he was at 32? He knew better. “Fuck.” He breathed out. He was lost. He needed Stella’s steady head.

Stella saw the storm of fear behind her brother’s eyes. There were very few times she’d seen him truly shaken. She allowed herself to relax. “Look, I’ll go diggin’ and figure out how the hell she found us.” Since she had the least amount of attachment to Bonnie Jo, it made the most sense to her that she would go looking. She turned her gaze to the wranglers. “If she shows up again, you find me, Lloyd, or Rip. Got it?”

The group silently agreed, heading out to go finish the chores they’d been interrupted from. Rip, Lloyd and the siblings remained in the kitchen. They all passed a look between each other. Suspicion and tension thickened the air, heavy like a storm ready to break. The pit in Stella’s stomach was getting heavier as the seconds ticked by.

Stella shifted on her feet. “I gotta go tell Kayce, too.” She glanced at Ryan. “We’ll get this figured out, I promise.”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 18: Green Valley

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, pregnancy, mentions of adoption, possible betrayal

* Word count: 1,471ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: This is a short little "cool down" chapter from all the madness going on. More drama is soon to follow. A little surprise for our beloved sibling pair, Ryan and Stella. I'll let y'all be the judge on whether it's good or not lol. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Rip knocked on the door to room 516, and pushed his way inside. Kayce lay on the bed, coiled to spring into action when he heard the door. Kayce relaxed when he saw it was Rip, but he held his finger up to his mouth. He motioned to Stella, fast asleep curled into his side.

Rip nodded, stepping closer so he could speak in hushed tones. Even though he knew Stella could sleep through almost anything. Growing up in the bunkhouse did that to a person. “How you holdin’ up?”

“I’ve been better. But she’s okay, and that’s what matters.” Kayce shifted on the bed to see Rip better, but still kept Stella close. “You heard anything about my dad?”

He nodded soberly. “It ain’t lookin’ too great, Kayce.” He cleared his throat. “They had to put him in a coma so he’d heal right.”

“We all know my dad. If they hadn’t done that, he would be the biggest pain in the ass.”

“Your sister is doing okay too. Burned up pretty bad from the explosion.”

“The explosion?” Kayce frowned.

“A bomb was sent to her office building.”

“All on the same day?” Kayce’s arm wrapped around Stella just a fraction tighter. “That ain’t a coincidence.”

Rip nodded slowly and swept his gaze around the room, eyes landing on the table. “It sure ain’t,” he trailed off as he caught sight of the pregnancy test stick and box. He ran his hand over his mouth, forcing down the shock. His eyes flickered between the table and Kayce and Stella.

Rip wasn’t sure if Kayce had caught him noticing the table’s contents or if he was oblivious to it. Rip licked his lips, and decided against saying anything. It wasn’t the time. “I called Jamie when I couldn’t get a hold of everyone.”

“Did they try to get him too?” Kayce twitched, ready for more bad news.

“No,” Stella’s sleepy voice was muffled by Kayce’s shoulder as she sat up. “But he was perfectly fine.” She tousled her hair. “Not a hair on his head was misplaced. He told Rip we “shouldn’t call him for these kinds of things” anymore.” She blinked slowly at her boyfriend, letting the information about his brother sink in.

“I don’t think he would have had anything to do with the attack.” Could he have? Kayce didn’t believe Jamie carried that much hatred in him.

“Well we need to figure that out because if he did, that’s a problem, Kace.” Stella pinned him with a grave look. The unspoken threat hung in the air like humidity before a thunderstorm. A dark, feral glint flashed in her eyes.

Kayce met Stella’s stare head on, reading between the lines. She wasn’t angry. She was willing to become the most frightening version of herself to protect their baby. His brother or not, it wouldn’t stop her. He nodded subtly, letting Stella know he got the message, but also understanding the importance of talking to his brother. “When I get outta here, I’ll talk to him.” Kayce glanced at Rip. “Don’t let my sister get to him before I do.”

Rip nodded curtly. “Alright, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone and get back to mine.” He started to stand with a groan.

“Oh, speaking of your lovebird,” Stella chirped excitedly. “What’s this I hear about you maybe puttin’ a ring on that?”

Rip stilled. He hadn’t told anyone but John and Lloyd. “Where’d you hear that?”

“I have songbirds that sing to me from everywhere, Wheelie,” Stella smirked. “You should know that by now.”

“Yeah, well,” he chuckled fondly at his right hand, “when it happens you’ll know.” He turned on his heel, heading for the door.

“You better!” Stella called after him. Hearing the door click, she nestled back down into Kayce’s side. He wrapped his arm around her, feeling a sense of peace despite his uncertainty. The room was silent after Rip exited. The burden of everything that happened during the attack and the events that followed weighed heavily on Kayce. “You’ve been awfully quiet,” her fingers danced along his chest.

“Just thinkin’,” he mumbled.

“Yeah that’s the dangerous part.” Stella looked up at Kayce. “Talk to me, baby.”

Kayce’s arm flexed, hugging her tighter. He wasn’t sure he could even put his thoughts into words yet. “I’m not even sure what’s going on in my head, Stell,” he shook his head.

She propped herself up on her elbow. “How ‘bout I start?” Kayce nodded, more than happy to let her take the lead and give him some direction. “I’ll go check on your dad in a while, and get information for you. Speaking of your dad, he’s gonna need his bedroom back when he gets outta here. Not some hard ass mattress. And sure as hell not that dilapidated trapper cabin.” She leaned back on her elbow.

Kayce knew his father would need his room back. Especially if they wanted him to heal properly. “Yeah,” he paused. “I gotta think of where we could go.”

“Well, hear me out. We could move into my house for a short while. Tate could have the guest bedroom until we have the baby sleeping by itself.” Her fingers traced idle patterns on his chest. “But after his sibling gets here, we’d be shit outta luck on space in my house.”

“We could. But it’s a little far out from the ranch, don’t you think?”

“I mean kinda, but not really. Before all this mess started, I came back and forth all the time.” Her heart ached at her next option, but she offered it up anyway. “Or, we could sell my house. Then take the money from that and use it to buy something that suits all of our needs.” Her hand flattened against his chest. “It doesn’t need to be decided right this second, but we’re gonna have to figure it out.”

Stella stilled, knowing it was important to figure this out, but it wasn’t the actual conversation they needed to have. “But before we go any further, let’s address the elephant in the room.”

“Jamie,” Kayce guessed quietly.

Stella pursed her lips to the side. “Yeah.” She cleared her throat, not sure how to address what she’d heard the other week between Jamie and John. “Have you ever heard anything about Jamie being adopted?”

Kayce’s brows pulled together. “No? Why would you think that?” He crossed his legs, raising the backrest of the bed, and sat up straight. A memory of when Jamie asked him if it was okay if he still called him brother flashed through his mind.

Stella shuffled around, mirroring his pose. This was a delicate subject. “The night of the shoot out at the cattle thief’s house, when I got home before you did, Jamie was already there talking to John.”

Kayce sat back against the bed, taking in the information, glad she wasn’t rushing. His heart jumped in his chest.

“The words from your father were — ‘Pretty much everyone at one point or another wonders what life would be like with different parents. You actually have the opportunity to choose.’ Then I heard him say he knew Jamie’s biological parents.” Stella wiped her dewy hands on her pants. “I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot like admission of adoption to me.”

Kayce’s head swam with the information. His brother’s question made absolute sense now that he knew what Jamie meant. “It doesn’t change how I feel about ‘im. He’s my brother. We grew up together.”

Stella nodded. “I understand that, love.” She thought carefully about her next sentence. It was either going to piss Kayce off, or drive her point home. “But if he does anything that puts me, the baby, or anyone on the ranch in harm’s way — and if he had anything to do with the attack yesterday?” She made sure she had his eye contact. “All of you will have to take a number because pregnant or not, I’ll have his head first.”

He knew it wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. Kayce nodded, clearing his throat. “I understand, Stella. I’ll talk to him when I get out of here.”

“I trust you, Kayce. Just don’t let your love for him cloud your vision.” A small wave of cramps hit her abdomen, and she leaned back on her hands, blowing out a breath. “Yes, Jamie and I have had our spats, but I’ve never thought anything directly terrible about him — until Rip told me what Jamie said and the fact that he was untouched.” She sat up, catching Kayce’s gaze. “That’s a little too coincidental for me, love.”

Kayce exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face. He wanted to defend Jamie, but the pieces weren’t adding up. His gut twisted. He needed time to think.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 17: Never Til Now

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, pregnancy, pregnancy test, serious conversation, pretty tame tbh

* Word count: 2,593ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! Also just imagine that's Stella and Kayce in the gif lol.

Stella pulled up to the small gas station in between the ranch and the hospital. She needed to gather her thoughts. She’d told her brother. When the words tumbled out of her mouth, the weight on her shoulders lifted. She didn’t have to carry the news alone.

After she went to the bathroom, she wandered up and down the aisles. Stella was searching for Kayce’s favorite gummy bears. This wasn’t the normal gas station she stopped at. She was disoriented with their set-up. She found herself in the row that had personal care items. Condoms, male enhancement pills, Tylenol and the like. She froze when she saw the pregnancy tests.

The doctors had already confirmed it, but she needed to see it for herself. Her hands trembled as she gripped three packs up, swallowing the nausea down. Maybe if she saw it for herself, she could approach the idea with Kayce sooner. She marched forward, continuing her search for Kayce’s candy.

She found the gummy bears back by the coffee station. She frowned — why the hell were they by the coffee? — but she grabbed two bags, making her way to the counter. She stopped halfway past the chips and grabbed her favorites. She’d forgotten to eat today and her stomach was letting her know. Or was it the baby? She shook her head and continued to the front.

Taking a steadying breath, she forced herself to relax. She didn’t want the cashier to know just how off balance she was. She plastered a fake smile on, and laid her things down. “Hey, how are you?”

The clerk gave her a bored look. “Livin’ someone else’s dream.” Stella pulled a face, but corrected it quickly. The clerk couldn’t care less. He rang up her items and tossed them in a bag. “$43.76.”

Stella’s eyes widened at the price, but then remembered she bought three pregnancy tests, and they weren’t cheap. Even for a gas station. She reached into the inner pocket of her jacket, pulling out her wallet. Tapping her card against the reader, the clerk scooted her bag across the counter, and she grabbed it. “Thanks, have a good night.” She gave him an awkward smile, and stepped back out into the parking lot.

Finding a spot for Kayce’s truck in the parking garage was a nightmare. His front end stuck out just a little too far for Stella’s comfort. There wasn’t anything she could do, and she wanted to get back to Kayce.

She grabbed the snacks from the passenger side, and slid out, making sure to lock it up. Glancing side to side, she opted for the elevator instead of walking all the way down.

Trudging up the hill, annoyed at the incline, she remembered John had been attacked. Unless they couldn’t treat him and had to medevac him somewhere else, he should be here. She made a mental note to ask the nurses if they knew anything. Unless Kayce already had.

Stuck in her thoughts, she barely noticed her name being called. When hurried footsteps crept up behind her, she spun on her heel. Her fist cocked back, ready to strike.

“Whoa, Stella-belle!” Rip looked at her wide eyed with his hands out. “It's just me!”

“Oh shit, Rip, I’m sorry!” Her fist dropped as she gave him a quick once-over, relieved to see a familiar and safe face. “Wait, the hell’re you doin’ here?”

Rip remembered hearing Stella in the background when he spoke to Kayce. “Beth was attacked too.”

Stella gripped her bag tighter. Rage rolled through her like a tidal wave. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ. They tried to take all of us out at once.”

“They did,” Rip nodded curtly. He glanced down at the bag in Stella’s hands. “You want me to carry that for you?”

She instinctively pulled the bag closer. “Nah I’m good. Just some gummy bears for Kayce and chips for me.” She threw on her charm, keeping her tone light to avoid any suspicion from Rip. “Have you heard anything about John? I was preoccupied with Kayce.” She started toward the elevator to keep him from pressing.

“What happened to Kayce?” Rip kept pace with her.

“He got shot in the shoulder.”

"Jesus." Rip let out a heavy sigh. "No, after I checked on Beth, I was gonna ask about him."

“Well let me see if Kayce is awake, and if they’ve told him anything and I’ll get back to you.” She pressed the call button, and the elevator dinged open.

“What room is Kayce in?” Rip asked, stepping into the elevator behind Stella.

“516.” Stella recited the number that she’d committed to memory.

“I’ll stop by after while.” Rip laid the plan out. The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival at the floor Stella needed. “I’m gonna be here all night with Beth.”

Stella swung her arm in between the doors, keeping them from closing. The bag crinkled as its contents jostled around, exposing the corner of a pink and white box from behind her chips. “Well you’re in luck because I’m gonna be here all night with her brother,” Stella laughed softly.

Rip’s eyes flicked down to the bag, spotting the unmentioned item inside. The colors reminded him of a pregnancy test, but that didn’t make sense. If she and Kayce were trying for a baby, she would’ve said something. His gaze lingered before shifting back to Stella. He couldn’t tell exactly what it was. Maybe it was some medicine she’d grabbed for her or Kayce. It wasn’t his business, but the way she kept the bag close made him think twice.

“Alright, I’ll see you in a little while, Stella-belle.” Rip watched as she stepped through the door. His hand shot out, stopping the doors just before they closed. “Oh, Stella.”

She spun back around, fixing her glasses and focusing on the grumpy cowboy she’d become so fond of. “Yeah?”

"Not that you would," he said, knowing she usually avoided Jamie. “But don’t go to Jamie for anything from this point forward.”

Stella frowned, recalling the conversation she'd overheard between Jamie and John a week ago—it sounded like Jamie wasn’t a Dutton by blood. That was something she wanted to talk to Kayce about. “I won’t. What happened?” It wasn’t like Rip to outright warn her not to talk to someone.

He waved her over, not wanting any outside ears to hear. She followed his direction and came closer, understanding his unspoken message. He swept his eyes around the hallway before leaning forward. “I called him when I couldn’t get a hold of anyone. He said I shouldn’t call him for these things anymore.”

Stella jumped back as if she’d been bit. Did Jamie have something to do with the attack? No way—he hadn’t suddenly grown a spine overnight. She understood maybe feeling bitter and resentful because John didn’t tell him anything about being adopted until now. But helping a giant corporation take out the only family he’s ever known – just a week after finding out the truth? That was dramatic, even for Jamie. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Her tone came out cold.

Rip sat on his words, knowing he was walking a fine line between sending Stella on an attack dog mission and keeping her in check. “Gotta do some more diggin’, but until we find out the answer, you stay glued to the ground. Understood, Stella?”

Stella’s lips pursed in annoyance. The pointed warning was for her and her alone, reminding her that Rip knew exactly how she operated. She internally cursed that he knew her so well. They needed an answer, and Stella could get it quickly. But she understood that they had to recover from the massive blow first. It also wasn’t just about her anymore. There was a tiny life that depended on her now. She couldn’t just go off half-cocked anymore. She huffed heavily. “Okay, fine.” She scratched her scar. “I’ll see you soon, Rip.”

He moved back into the elevator completely and the doors slid shut. Stella remained rooted to the floor, staring at the spot Rip had just been. Her hands clenched into fists, fighting the surge of betrayal rising in her chest. She realized she had to calm herself down before she went to Kayce’s room. He would immediately clock it and call her out. Stella pulled in a deep breath, straightening her posture. She knew it was late, so she hurried down the hall to Kayce’s room.

Opening the door quietly, she peeked in. Her face warmed at the sight before her. Kayce, sound asleep, his face soft and peaceful. The slow rise and fall of his chest was soothing. She loved seeing him like this. He truly had no idea just how beautiful he was.

Stella scooted into the room, shutting the door behind her softly. Setting the bag on the chair, she dug out one of the bags of gummy bears and placed it on his table to wake up to. She moved back and stared at the bag. The weight of the pregnancy tests loomed overhead. Stella groaned. “Oh just get it over with.”

She shuffled around in the bag, her fingers brushing up against one of the boxes. Grabbing it, and a paper cup off of Kayce’s table, she made her way to the in-room bathroom.

Kayce’s eyes opened and he scooted up with a sleepy frown. Why did she have to psych herself up to go to the bathroom? His frown turned into a soft smile when he spotted the gummy bears. Stella — his heart pitter-pattered from her small show of affection. He remembered Stella’s muttered words before he heard the bag and she disappeared to the bathroom.

He reached over and peered into the bag. Another bag of gummy bears made him smile, followed by a bag of her favorite chips. He shifted them around and two pink and white boxes caught his eye. His hand hesitated. He’d seen the boxes before when Monica got pregnant with Tate.

Was Stella pregnant? He thought back over the last few weeks. There was a time she was insatiable for sex, not that he minded. Then she got gloomy. And then dangerous when her people were threatened. Then came the need for reassurance. “No, she couldn’t be,” he whispered to himself. But he was assaulted with the memory of all the times he’d finished inside her. Her birth control was solid, but even the best birth control wasn’t foolproof. “Fuck,” he breathed out.

The toilet flushed, followed by the hiss of the sink. Kayce toyed with the idea of putting the box back, but now he needed to know. The door cracked open, light bathing the dark room, illuminating the box on his lap like a spotlight.

Stella went to turn off the light, but stopped when she noticed Kayce staring at her, her body going rigid. The box on his lap and the unreadable expression on his face made her heart sink. Fear constricted around her like a python refusing to release its prey. “Kayce,” she trailed off. The uncertainty behind his expression made her pulse race, stomach flipping.

“What did it say?”

She knew there was no hiding it from him now. Pulling the stick out of her back pocket, she timidly walked over to his bedside. She reached over his head, turning on his bed light. Moving the bag to the table, she placed herself in the chair. Her hand reached out, offering the test up to him.

Kayce took it from her grasp, their fingers brushing together. Hers felt clammy and cold, and he knew she was panicking. He took a breath, hearing his sinus rhythm spike slightly. Shifting his gaze to his hands, two pink lines stared back at him.

He blinked hard, trying to focus on what he could already clearly see. He held his breath. Then, pulling the test closer to his face, fixating intently on the two solid, dark lines staring back at him. He let the test drop to his lap, running a hand through his hair, struggling to find words.

“Kayce, say something, please.”

He locked eyes with Stella. Images of her slamming her car into their assailant’s stolen vehicle, putting down the last one. The thought of her running off by herself before that. Her reckless abandon helping him and her brother with the cow thieves. All the times she could have gotten hurt, or worse. “Did you know?” He kept his tone even, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She shook her head. “Kayce if I had even the foggiest notion, my thought process would have been different.”

He nodded, staying silent.

“The doctor figured it out this morning.” Stella leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs at the knee. After having explained it to her brother, she was more calm going into it now. “She ran the standard pregnancy test when she checked me over. Dr. Martinez said it came back positive, so she ran a secondary test and it was also positive.”

Kayce observed her closely, finally picking up on the subtle signs he saw when Monica was pregnant. Exhaustion, sensitive skin, the subtle mood shifts — small things he should have noticed before. They’d both been blinded. “Was she able to tell you how far along you are?”

Stella wrapped her arms around her middle. “Five weeks.”

Kayce reached his hand out for her. He watched as she contemplated taking it. “Is the baby okay?”

She leaned forward, grasping his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. “From what she can tell, there's nothing of concern. Dr. Martinez wants to do another test to check my hormone levels day after tomorrow and she told me symptoms to look out for.”

“And what are those symptoms?” He needed to know for his own sanity.

“She said excessive bleeding and cramping.” Stella shifted in her seat. “Which, the mild cramping I’m having right now, is normal after the kinda day we had.” She was referring to herself and Kayce, but now, with the baby in mind, it felt strange to think of it that way too. She squeezed his hand, offering reassurance. “Then follow up with my own doctor within the week. Which I’m gonna make an appointment in the morning.”

Kayce hated to ask the question, but he wanted to give Stella the space to decide. “Are we doing this?”

Stella paused, contemplating the difficult options. She squeezed his hand again, pulling it closer, hugging it to her stomach. “I’m in, if you’re in huckleberry.” She gave Kayce the lopsided smile that made his heart skip a beat.

“C’mere, baby.” He pulled her hand, guiding her into the bed with him. He scooted over, making room for her to lay on his unaffected side. He placed the positive test and the unused box on his table. Wrapping his arm around her as she settled down, he pulled her close. She gazed up at him. Her eyes softened, as if he were the calm after every storm.

Kayce leaned down, planting a firm kiss upon her lips. Silently telling her everything he couldn’t find the words for.

Stella snuggled into his side, feeling safe. Feeling like she finally had solid ground beneath her feet. “So,” she smirked to herself, “congratulations dad.”

Even though he’d heard it once before, it made his chest swell all over again. His hand traced along Stella’s arm as he chuckled. The steadiness that was Stella, blanketed him in warmth. “You too, mama.”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 16: Siren Song

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, pregnancy, Stella's world legit flipped, anxiety, panic

* Word count: 4,047ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

The world around Stella slowed to a crawl. The sounds of the hospital around her melted together, distant and warped, like she was under water. Her breath hitched as Dr. Martinez’s words reverberated through her head like the gunshots from earlier.

She stared at Dr. Martinez like she had seven heads, and her mouth went dry. “I’m — I’m what?”

Dr. Martinez walked over to Stella, hands reaching out for her, worried she might collapse. Stella looked green around the gills, and Dr. Martinez realized she should have had her take a seat.

Stella backed away, not wanting to be touched. Her hands trembled. “Don’t, I’m fine.” She swallowed thickly, pushing nausea down.

The doctor held her hands up and stepped back, as if de-escalating from an explosive animal. “What do you need from me?”

“How,” Stella breathed deeply through her nose and pushed it out through her mouth. “Do you know how far along?”

“Well once we ran the standard test and it came up positive, we also did a quantitative hCG panel to be certain.” Dr. Martinez kept a close eye on Stella. “It showed you were around 5 weeks.”

Stella felt the blood drain from her face. She became light headed and she dropped into the chair beside the bed in the room. Her hands drifted over her stomach absentmindedly. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ joking,” she barked out a laugh. “There’s no way.” Stella leaned her elbow on the arm of the chair, and chewed on the outer skin of her thumb.

“Unfortunately, Miss Daniels, the blood panel doesn’t lie.” Dr. Martinez gazed at her tentatively. “I’m guessing this wasn’t planned?”

Stella laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, you could say that.” She bit the outside of her thumb roughly. “What do I need to do next?”

“Well from here, I recommend taking it easy. Follow up with an OB sometime within the week. Especially with the car chase and wreck,” Dr. Martinez gave her a look. “Keep an eye out for any heavy bleeding outside of mild spotting or cramps. After everything your body went through today, mild cramping or spotting can be normal. But contact us right away if something doesn’t feel right.”

“Is the baby okay?”

“Realistically, you went through a lot of stress and trauma.” Dr. Martinez sighed, wanting to be transparent with Stella, but she didn’t want to frighten her either. “But, the baby is still itty-bitty, and tucked up really high in your uterus.” She made sure to speak soft and slow, giving Stella time to absorb the information. “So right now it’s still got a lot of padding. Early pregnancy is fairly resilient, but highly unpredictable. The stress and trauma can increase risk of complications or miscarriage. You absolutely need to take it easy and minimize stress from this point forward.”

Stella nodded, “that’s why I’m keeping an eye on spotting and cramps?”

“Right,” the doctor nodded. “At this point, we don’t see any immediate concerns, but it’s important to keep an eye out for those symptoms and check in with your OB as soon as possible. The best way to know if baby is safe is with the ultrasound they’ll give you at your follow up appointment.”

Stella gnawed on her thumb, mind racing at the speed of light. “What else could I do before that to make sure it’s okay?”

“Well in 48 hours we can run another quantitative hCG panel to make sure your levels are rising appropriately. It would be more helpful than an ultrasound right now.”

“Do you know how long Kayce will be in the hospital for his shoulder?”

“Well the reconstruction was simple, so I would assume at least two or three days.”

“Okay.” Stella finally dropped her hand from her mouth. Her foundation reappeared under her feet. “Let’s run another test in 48 hours and we’ll go from there.”

“I think that’s a very wise decision. Is this your first?”

Stella nodded.

“Well I think you’re asking all the right questions, and you’ll do just fine. You’ve got the maternal spark.”

Stella shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “I wouldn’t say all that now,” she waved the doctor’s words away.

Dr. Martinez fixed Stella with a look. “The way you fought for that man upstairs, says otherwise.”

“Can you keep this between us please?”

“Yes of course.”

“Stella!” Ryan’s voice broke through the moment, making the noise of the surrounding hospital loudly warp back into high speed. “Stella!”

She jumped up from the chair, recognizing the panicked tone in her brother’s voice, and sprinted out into the hallway. She wildly looked around for him. “Ryan, I’m here!”

“Oh thank god!” He hurried to meet her with his arms outstretched. They slammed into each other with thunderous force. Ryan clutched her in a vice-like grip, as if letting go would make her disappear. When the attack on the ranch happened, he feared the worst. “When I couldn’t get a hold of you or Kayce, I thought you were dead.”

Stella gripped him back just as tight. His hold grounded her. Her body chose that moment to finally let go of all the tension she’d been holding. Her brother was here, she could sit back for a second. Tears sprang from her eyes, wetting his shirt. “I didn’t know what was going on, but someone attacked me and Kayce,” she sniffled. “He got me out, but then I got him out.”

Ryan placed his hand on the back of her head, tucking her even further into his embrace. “Shh, it’s okay Stellee. I’m here.” He swayed them in a rocking motion like he did when they were younger. It never failed to calm Stella down. “Where’s Kayce?”

“He’s waking up from anesthesia. My doctor said they’d bring him down soon. He got shot, Ry.”

“They attacked us at the ranch too.”

“And John,” her voice came out small.

“This has,” he dropped his voice low so only she could hear, “Market Equities written all over it.”

Stella nodded against his shoulder. A deep breath left her and she relaxed into her brother’s hug. “Christ, I’m tired.”

“What did your doctor have to say?”

Stella froze. The baby. The thought slammed back to the front of her mind. She couldn’t tell him yet. He’d probably try to murder Kayce. “They said other than some bruising, I’m good to go. Just need to take it easy.”

Ryan stepped back slightly, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

She looked up at him, tear-stained cheeks rounder than normal, which Ryan couldn’t place why. Frowning, she stepped back, suddenly not wanting to be touched again. “Yeah, Ry. I’m good, I promise.”

The rattling roll of a hospital bed coming down the hallway grabbed her attention. When she saw Kayce, her feet took off to meet him. “Kayce!”

His tired eyes perked up when he heard her voice. He looked around for her, spotting her sprinting up the hallway. Holding his hand out to her, she gripped it the second she reached his bedside.

“Hey, baby.”

The name stung her ears. She clenched his hand tighter, forcing the discomfort away. Suddenly the acridly sterile smell of the hospital was overwhelming. “Hi, cowboy.” The nurses continued pushing the bed, and Stella walked along beside them. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ do that again, you hear me?”

Stella stepped out of the way to let the nurses get him transferred to the bed in the room. Ryan came up behind her. Just his quiet presence made her feel protected and able to drop her guard. When the nurses got Kayce set up, they left the room, giving the siblings permission to go inside.

“Visiting hours are almost over though, so keep an eye on your time,” the last nurse warned them.

Stella nodded at the nurse before he walked away, “yessir.” When she didn’t move, Ryan gave her a gentle nudge against her back.

“I’m okay, Stell. You can come in.” Kayce's prompt was muffled from inside the room.

Her feet felt heavy, like cinder blocks were attached to her boots. Seeing Kayce vulnerable brought a form of unease to her she wasn’t used to. She’d seen him bloody and bruised before — the memory of his fight with Rip came to her — but she’d never seen him like this.

Forcing herself forward, she broke the seal of the doorway. She and Kayce locked eyes, and his face softened. “Hey, sugar,” he gave her that sideways grin that made her heart race. He held his hand out for her and she instinctively moved to the chair next to the bed.

She hesitated to grab it, thinking about her conversation with Dr. Martinez earlier. Rolling her eyes at the nagging thoughts, she grabbed the chair and slid it closer to the bed. Plopping down, she grabbed Kayce's right hand. Her thumbs ran across his knuckles, and she leaned down placing a kiss across them.

Ryan watched from the opening of the room, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. Gratitude swelled in his chest — Kayce got his sister out of danger. Seeing his sister be able to be soft in his presence warmed him. There was always something so gentle between the couple. Even when they were teenagers. It brought Ryan comfort to know she was in good hands. Even if those hands got her in trouble sometimes.

Stella blinked to focus on Kayce’s face in the dim light. “Do you want me to stay the night with you, or do you want me to go get clothes and stuff for you?”

Kayce squeezed her hand while deciding. He would love for her to stay, but he knew her aversion to hospitals. It was worse than his. He could see her mind working overtime. He knew getting a small reset would let her come back with a clearer head. “You know where my old truck keys are?”

“You mean the Ford?” Stella's face pulled together trying to remember where she'd seen them.

“Yeah.”

“Are they in your bedside table?”

Kayce nodded. “Have Ryan take you home. Pack me a go-bag. When you reset, come back.”

Stella contemplated his proposition. Even laid up, he was still trying to regulate her emotions.

“You also need to get another pair of glasses, babe.” Kayce smirked playfully at her. “Don’t need you getting a headache from squintin’ at me.” He moved his hand up and tapped her nose gently.

She softly pushed his hand away from her nose. “Shut the fuck up, you dickhead.”

“You’ll need wheels for a while, too. Guaranteed your car is totaled.”

Stella let out a breathy, “fuck.” In the heat of the moment, she’d forgotten all about the mess they’d left on 540. She also recalled not telling her brother.

“Why's your car totaled?” Ryan’s voice cut in.

Stella dropped her head groaning into Kayce’s mattress, her voice coming out muffled. “I’ll explain on the way home, okay?”

Kayce met Ryan’s hard face with a sheepish grin.

Ryan tapped her shoulder. “C’mon, you got a whole lotta talking to do.”

By the time they’d made it to the ranch, Ryan was flabbergasted at her lack of self preservation. He put his truck in park outside of the big house and let out a deep breath, glancing over to his sister. “Jesus Christ, Stella.”

“People were in danger, and they had something to do with John getting filled full of holes,” she shrugged awkwardly. “I had to do something.”

“Yeah, but bulldozing your way through people and mowing them down?” Ryan scoffed. “I feel like there were a few other tricks you could’ve pulled out before that.”

The siblings hopped out of the truck. Stella rounded the front end and met her brother on the way to the porch stairs. “There might have been, but won’t do me any good to think about the variables now.”

“I’m just glad you guys are alright.” Ryan relented.

“Yeah,” she sighed, thinking about the baby again. “Me too,” she murmured. The house was eerily quiet and in disarray. A frown crept across her face. She spun and grabbed her brother’s arm, catching him off guard. “Tate and Monica, are they safe?”

Ryan jumped at her grasp. “They are. They wanted to stay in the bunkhouse tonight.”

“Okay, good.” Stella turned on her heel and took the stairs two at a time.

When she reached the room she and Kayce were borrowing, she stopped in the doorway. The heavy emptiness held her in place. The realization of how close both she and Kayce almost came to dying, hit her like a truck. Their — baby. Her hand found itself on her stomach before she even realized it.

Ryan’s footsteps startled Stella as he reached the top of the stairs. She jumped, pulling her hand away from her stomach abruptly. He frowned, noticing her hand fly away from her stomach. He decided not to press for now. “You gonna go in?”

“Yeah,” she cleared her throat. “Kayce not being here hit me a little harder than I thought it would.”

“You want help, or just moral support?” Ryan leaned against the door jamb.

“Moral support is fine. I know what he wants, and you sure as hell aren’t packing a go-bag for me,” she chuckled.

“And why not?”

“Because you ain’t packin’ my underwear, dummy.”

Ryan faked a gag, “yeah I want no parts of that.”

Stella smirked at her brother’s feigned discomfort. “S’what I thought. C’mon in. Sit.” She moved forward into the room and into the walking closet to grab two small bags for her and Kayce.

Ryan meandered in, taking in the details of the room. There were a few small potted plants that looked like — if he could best guess — succulents. All of them were green. Some leafy, and some smaller bluntly rounded leaves. A few of her shirts and jeans were scattered around the room, as well as some of Kayce’s. He knew it was John’s, but distinctly had a feeling of Stella now.

Stella grabbed a few more shirts than she thought Kayce would need. She grabbed his favorite one and held it close. The scent of it plainly Kayce, and comfort washed over her. She’d be damned if she tried to tell anyone she didn’t love that man. Selfishly, she chose to put it in her bag. She knew he would enjoy seeing her in it.

“So did your doctor say how long Kayce would be in there?” Ryan called out to her.

“Yeah, she said he’d probably be there for two or three days. Why?” She grabbed both bags and moved into the main room with her brother.

“I wanted to know how long you’d be back and forth. I doubt they’d try anything at the hospital, but you can never be too sure.”

Stella huffed, dropping the bags on the bed. “So what I’m hearing is, I’ll have a babysitter?”

“No,” he dragged out the single syllable. “What I’m saying is, I want you to be safe, and to call me the second something seems weird.”

Stella stilled. There were a lot of things that could be considered weird right now. The fact that she was standing there pregnant with Kayce’s baby, keeping it from everyone, and pretending everything was normal? That was the strangest of them all.

Pregnant. The word electrified through her mind. Kayce’s baby. Her hand itched to touch her stomach, but she acted like she was adjusting her shirt. She was having trouble coming to grips with the reality that — if the test was right — in seven months there’d be a cooing baby in her arms. Her baby. The one she’d wake up every hour on the hour to feed.

Shit. Did she want to breastfeed or bottle feed? Cloth diaper or regular diaper? Was it a boy or a girl? The thoughts swarmed her and she felt the room spin beneath her feet.

Ryan noticed Stella had gone pale. “Can I ask you something?” His voice brought her back from the tornado of thoughts that was motherhood.

Stella turned, looking at Ryan with wide eyes. Nerves about what he was going to ask made her cold sweat. “Of course.”

He observed her deer in headlights look. He thought about her hand on her stomach, jumpy nature. The exhaustion, sensitive skin, face rounder than normal. He’d never experienced his sister pregnant, but he’d seen a pregnant woman or two. He remembered what their mother looked like when she was pregnant with Stella. He almost thought to ask but pushed the thought off. She would have said something. “You for sure got the go ahead that everything is okay?”

Stella forced herself to not lose her temper. She knew he was asking because he cared, and she wasn’t always the most forthcoming with information. Like now. She shrugged noncommittally, busying herself with the zipper on Kayce’s bag and then hers. “I mean there’s another test that they wanna run in a couple days, but it’s just a safety measure. But otherwise I’m fine.”

“Okay, well I wanna know how the test comes out.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Stella grinned at him.

Ryan watched her fidget with the bags for a few moments longer. The lingering thought that something wasn’t quite adding up with his sister poked and prodded at him. He cleared his throat, stepping closer to her. “Hey, get me those keys for Kayce’s truck. I’ll bring it up for you.”

“Oh yeah,” Stella stopped messing with the bags, refocusing on her original task. She opened the top drawer of Kayce’s bedside table, and the keys and an extra pair of glasses of hers rattled to the front. Grabbing the keys, she passed them over to Ryan.

“Don’t forget to grab your backup glasses,” he gently reminded her.

“I won’t,” she accidentally tried to readjust the nonexistent glass in her face. “Oops. But my head is starting to hurt. So, I definitely won’t forget them.” She reached back in the drawer to get them before she forgot.

Ryan smiled at her fondly. Ever since she was a kid, fixing her glasses was a nervous habit. Even when they weren’t on her face. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll meet you at the porch.”

Stella watched as he left the room, and waited to hear his stomps heading down the stairs. When she heard the door close, her shoulders sagged, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She plopped down on Kayce’s side of the bed, thankful to finally be alone. Bringing her hands up to her stomach, she rubbed side to side carefully.

She whispered mostly to herself, but also talking to the little thing growing just under where her hands were. “What’re we gonna do, kid?” Taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed the side of the bed grounding herself. She spotted Kayce’s “at home” hat, and dreaded the possible outcome of telling him.

Stella knew he wouldn’t assume it was someone else’s. But the idea that he might not want it crossed her mind. It was a dangerous time for a baby on the Yellowstone. She understood the gravity of bringing a new life onto the ranch. So she couldn’t blame him. Hell, they didn’t even have a house of their own. “I could have him move in at my house,” Stella pondered out loud. She shook her head. “No. It’s too far from the ranch. He’d never go there permanently.”

Logic seeped in, interrupting her spiral. There was no way he’d want her to get an abortion. “You remember the hell he went through when his dad told him to have Monica terminate. Ain’t no way.” That thought calmed her nerves ever so slightly. Whatever happened, Kayce and she would work through it.

“When do we tell him?” She patted her stomach softly. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Stella knew she had to tell him. She wanted to tell him. But she thought back on all the trauma her body went through. How she wasn’t 100% sure if things were still okay. A shuffling sound from downstairs made her thoughts hesitate. She put on her glasses and listened closely to figure out if someone was coming, but didn’t hear anything else. So she brushed it off as the house settling.

She didn’t want to wait too long, just in case something did go wrong. There was no way she would be able to carry that alone. But waiting a few days would give her the time to accept the idea more and also figure out what the hell she was going to say. “We’ll tell him after the next test.”

“Tell who what?”

The reappearance of her brother made her gasp and clutch her chest. “Jesus Christ, Ryan!” Her stomach lurched. What did he hear? She stumbled over her words, trying to come up with anything believable. Before she knew what she was doing, the words blurted out. “I’m pregnant.”

Ryan’s steps stuttered. “Excuse you?” He blinked rapidly, trying to push the shock away. He looked her over, and the panic on her face told him she wasn’t just pulling his leg.

She stood and shuffled back and forth on her feet. “I’m —,” she fought to get the words out a second time. If she said it again, it would be real. It was real whether she said it or not, but saying the words out loud made it loom over her like a rain cloud. “I’m pregnant, Ry.”

Ryan stood frozen in place, staring hard at his little sister. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, to ask, but he didn’t know where to start.

“I didn’t know until today. They ran tests checking me over, and they ran the standard pregnancy test and it came up positive. So they ran a different kind of test that confirmed it and also gave me a timeline,” Stella rambled. She twisted the ends of her sleeves in her hands. “Because of the car wreck, they want to run a secondary test to make sure my pregnancy levels are still rising.”

Ryan still gawked at her.

“Ryan, say something.” Her voice shook. “Anything, please. Scream, get mad, something.” The silence from her brother made it seem like the walls were closing in. Her breath caught in her throat, tears welling in her eyes.

Ryan’s face softened. She’d kept this to herself all afternoon, carrying the weight of it alone. He could see the panic rising in her, threatening to spill over. He stepped forward and wrapped Stella in a hug, letting her bury her face in his chest. “Shhh, it’s okay.” He held her tight, swaying on their feet. He cleared his throat. “Does Kayce know?”

Stella shook her head. “No, I want to make sure my levels are still rising before I tell him.”

“Why?”

Stella bit her lip, pausing, not wanting to think of the worst case scenario. “So I know what kind of news I need to give him.” She backed up. “The doctor said early pregnancy is pretty durable. The craziness of today could cause issues though if I’m not careful.” She swallowed thickly, “so I need to know if everything is okay first.”

Ryan took off his ball cap, scratched his head, then settled it back into place. He blew out a long breath. His sister was pregnant. “Okay, what are the next steps?”

“The doctor wants to do another hCG test in two days, which is perfect because I’ll be there with Kayce already.” She recounted all the information Dr. Martinez gave her. “Then I need a follow up with my OB. Which by then I’ll be far enough along for them to do an ultrasound that will confirm everything is okay,” her voice broke and she swallowed the lump in her throat, crossing her arms. “With me and Kayce’s baby.”

“Alright, well I want to know everything the second you find out anything.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to lock eyes with him. “And please, for the love of god, make a follow up appointment.” He smiled at her affectionately. “My niece or nephew needs to meet their awesome uncles.”

Stella gave him a small smile like she was finally coming out of shock. “Yeah, okay.” She glanced out at the twilight taking over the ranch grounds, and rubbed her arms. “I should probably get back to Kayce. He might think I cut and run.” She glanced up at him. “Can you keep this between us please?”

“Of course, Stell.” He placed a hand over his heart. “Until you say something, my lips are sealed.”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 15: Don't Tread on Me

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, violence, death (not main characters), shooting, guns, car accidents, blood, and a surpise at the end

* Word count: 3,875ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: Okay so first of all, hell yeah to Stella and Kayce for cleaning house. I love them so much, and I love their love. Second of all, WHAT?! Did y'all see that coming? Let me know your thoughts on the matter. This chapter was so much fun to write. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella let out a breath and ambled down the stairs. The muscles in her stomach were tight this morning. She wasn’t sure if it was the stress, or her period was coming, or she was hungry. The thought of eating made her feel green. She rubbed her stomach to calm the discomfort. Making her way into the kitchen, she glanced at the clock over the stove, seeing it was almost lunchtime. She smiled softly at the thought of Kayce letting her sleep in. It ruined her plans of talking to him about the events of the last week, though. The look they’d shared over the fire told her he didn’t view her any differently, but she needed to hear it from him. He was downtown at his office by now for sure.

She opened the fridge and grabbed a couple water bottles. She decided she was going to venture out to town and stop by Kayce’s office. She just had to find Tate and make sure he was with his mom. She’d been staying at the house for a bit because of the craziness she’d gone through the other week doing some work with Chief Rainwater.

It was a strange arrangement, for sure, but Stella didn’t mind. It made figuring out Tate’s supervision a little easier to handle. She trekked over to the front door, threw on her jacket and boots, and stepped out onto the porch. Off to the side she spotted Monica already with Tate for the day. Monica must have felt Stella’s eyes and looked over to her. Stella waved and met her over at John’s “talking tree”.

“Hey, Stell,” Monica greeted softly.

Stella watched the 11 year old bouncing around in the front yard briefly and switched her gaze to his mother. She leaned her hand against one of the adirondack chairs John kept over here. “Hey, how you holdin’ up?”

Monica let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in her chair. “As good as I can be, I guess.” She crossed her legs at the knee and looked up at Stella. “I guess I know how it feels to be you and Kayce now.”

“It’s not like that all the time, but it happens.” Stella paused, knowing exactly what Monica was thinking. She’d been there not long ago when she was followed to her house. “It takes time, but you’ll be able to coexist with that part of yourself eventually. If you ever need to vent, I’m here.”

“Yeah I guess so, thank you.” Monica cleared her throat. She observed the woman in front of her for a brief moment. She stood taller, more confident. Monica tilted her head slightly as Stella adjusted her stance, pressing her hand lightly against her stomach before dropping it just as quickly. She made a mental note of it but let it go for now. “So what're your plans today?”

“Well I have to make my way into town. I gotta talk to Kayce.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just need clarification on a few things. That’s all.” Stella straightened from leaning on the chair and readjusted her glasses. “Which is why I wanted to find you,” she said, though there was the faintest beat of hesitation before she continued. “I wanted to make sure Tate had someone with him before I left.”

“Well I’ll be with him all day since his grandpa is out for the morning and afternoon. Thanks for making sure he’s not by himself.”

“Of course. Call if y’all need anything, okay? If you can’t get me, Ryan and Lloyd are down at the barn.”

Monica nodded and Stella made her way down the hill toward the bunkhouse. She wanted to let Ryan know she’d be gone for a while. Cresting the hill she could see everyone milling about, keeping up with simple chores. Them taking it easy today was a pleasant sight. They’d been through enough the past week as well.

Ryan stood off to the side, filling hay troughs while keeping a watchful eye on the wranglers. His mind was spinning a million miles an hour, but standing still simultaneously. The thoughts swirled mercilessly in his mind. He felt eyes on him and swept his gaze around to find the culprit. When his eyes landed on his sister, he relaxed. “Hey Stellee belly.”

Stella gave him an affectionate lopsided grin, “Hey, you doin’ okay?”

“I should be askin’ you that, killer.”

She shot him a look, shaking her head. "Not funny."

He held his hands up in surrender, “okay okay. I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “To answer your question, I’m fine. Just another day at the Yellowstone.”

“That’s one way of saying it,” Stella chuckled humorlessly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

Ryan squinted at her, crossing his arms. “What’s going on with you?”

"Nothing,” she crossed her arms back at him.

"Yeah, see, that’s a lie."

"Ryan, I just came down here to tell you I’d be gone for a while. Can I do that without an interrogation?" His brows lifted at her sharp tone, but she exhaled and softened. "Sorry," she muttered, rubbing her temple. "Just tired," she murmured, rolling her shoulders. A tension sat between them, something unspoken.

Ryan’s eyes flicked over her face. “You sure?”

Stella forced a smirk. “Would I truly lie to you?”

He huffed. “You? Never,” the sarcasm dripped from his voice, but the suspicion in his eyes didn’t waver, lingering on her longer than she liked. “Where you headed?”

“I gotta run into town and talk to Kayce.”

“Alright, well you be careful and I’ll see you when you get back.”

Stella nodded, giving a noncommittal salute. “Aye aye captain. Gonna grab my keys and head out.”

Ryan called out to her before she got too far away. Something was eating at him and he had to confirm again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharper than usual. “I’m serious, Stella. You look… different.”

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, biting her lip. “I’m fine, Ryan. Really.”

“Okay Stellee, just gotta make sure. Don’t want you to fall into complete darkness.”

Finding a parking spot had been damn near impossible. There were cars packed into every spot out in front of Kayce’s office. It was almost like there was a parade about to start. Stella slammed her door, and pressed the lock button on her key fob. The small SUV chirped back at her twice before she walked toward the building.

Inside the office, the main entryway bustled with workers and officials. Emmett Walsh, J.T. Rigby, and Kyle Ridley walked out of Kayce’s office, dressed to the nines. She smiled at them fondly. They backed her boyfriend fiercely. She was glad he had them in his corner. “Hey gentlemen, you’re lookin’ dapper today.”

“Oh Miss Stella, you’re beautiful as a daisy on a spring day.” Emmett laid on the charm thick. “We were just talking to Kayce about maybe running for governor.”

Stella’s brows raised at the proposition. “Oh really, huh?” She leaned in conspiratorily with the old men. “What’d he say?”

Emmett shrugged his shoulders, his face folding into a cute little old man frown. “He didn’t seem too interested in the idea,” his eyes brightened, “but maybe you could work your charm on him?”

Her head flew back with a deep laugh. “I’ll try my best, Mr. Emmett. I can’t make any promises though.” She pointed to his office door. “That one there?” She paused a beat for dramatics. “Is as hard-headed as they come. Even more than me.”

The older gentlemen laughed at her true admission. Emmett gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Well whatever you can do, Miss Stella, we’d appreciate. We know he would be damn good for Montana.”

“Yessir,” she nodded with a wink. “Now, speaking of that stubborn man, I have to go talk with him. If you’ll excuse me.”

Stella stepped away from the older men and over to the receptionist. “Hey Stacey,” she smiled politely at the woman behind the desk. “I’m here to see Kayce for a few.”

“You can go on in. They were the only ones he had to meet with so far today.”

“Thank you.” Stella stepped away from the desk and hit the door with a soft knock.

“Come in,” Kayce’s husky voice echoed from behind the door.

Stella twisted the doorknob and floated inside. Closing the door behind her and leaning on it, she gave Kayce an innocent smile. When he glanced up from the paperwork on his desk, the grin that spread across his face so wide, Stella thought his face might split in half.

The weight on his shoulders eased the moment he saw Stella. The heaviness of the conversation he had with Emmett, J.T., and Kyle floated away, something he could worry about later. “Hey, sugar.” Kayce started to push up out of his chair but Stella held a hand out to stop him.

She sauntered over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He gazed up at her like she hung the moon and stars. Leaning down, she planted a firm kiss on his lips and smiled against his mouth. “Hey Mr. Livestock Commissioner.”

Kayce held onto her forearms, subconsciously rubbing his thumbs over her smooth skin. He noticed she was still warmer than usual. His brows twitched in uncertainty. “What brings you all the way out here from the hills? You okay?”

Stella hitched her bottom up on his desk, one of her jean-clad legs softly brushing against his. “Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know why everyone keeps askin’ me that.”

Kayce rolled his chair in front of Stella, resting his hands on her knees. He looked up from beneath his cowboy hat, causing her to unconsciously bite her lip. “We’re askin’ because we care. And also it’s been a couple dark days, baby. And you’ve been — different.”

Stella leaned back on her hands, insecurity clutching at her stomach, reminding her of why she was here. The things she’d done over the last few weeks had definitely been out of her wheelhouse of normal. She’d been impulsive and angry. Wicked. Judge, jury, and executioner. The word ‘executioner’ tightened her chest.

She sat up and reached out for one of Kayce’s hands. He took her hand, not sure where this was going. She played with his fingers, distracting herself from the thoughts rolling around in her head. His forehead started to sweat under the brim of his hat. “Sugar, what’s going on? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and you’re puttin’ off a lot of smoke right now.”

Stella groaned, rolling her eyes at the nagging self-doubt. “Look,” she swallowed thickly, feeling on the verge of vomiting, “I just —,” she fought with the words. “This is probably stupid, but I need to know you aren’t disgusted by me after all of this.”

Kayce’s eyes softened and his shoulders dropped. He leaned forward letting her hand slip out of his grasp. He placed one large hand on her thigh, and wrapped the other around her hip. The closeness from him made Stella feel safe even though she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. She couldn’t help but look everywhere but Kayce. He squeezed the top of her thigh. “Hey, Stella, look at me.” A shiver ran up her back at the thought of laying herself bare.

He let her take her time, studying her face. Her jaw set in a hard line with nerves. The scar that cut through her eyebrow pulled inward toward her nose as she warred with herself. He realized she needed to hear from him that he wasn’t about to cut and run. Just like he needed to hear it from her when he told her what he did to avenge Lee. He would be there for her until the end of their days. Just like she’d always been for him. His huckleberry.

“Stella, I don't think there's anything you could do that would make me leave. I might take a lap around the ranch, but I won't leave. You won’t lose me."

Hearing her words from a few years ago thrown back at her, calmed the fluttering of her heart. Stella took her time and really surveyed him. She needed to decide if she could really trust him. Yes, she understood she could trust him with anything under the sun — her life, her heart. But being one of the ones to actually dictate someone’s life status? That was a completely different ball park of trust.

"Stella,” Kayce squeezed her hip, pulling her back to reality. “I'll help you with anything you need, sugar." He put his arms around her waist and brought her closer. He kissed her shirt covered stomach. She put a hand on the back of his neck. Kayce wanted more than anything to make sure she knew he was there for her. "I’ll help you figure this out. You’re not alone. I promise.”

Stella sighed. "Thank god we got that outta the way," she joked to hide her discomfort. She stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking again. "Thank you for not running."

“Of course, sugar. You can’t get rid of me that easy.” He smiled up from her stomach at her while she played with the ends of his hair.

Gunfire and breaking glass cut through the air followed by a scream cut short from Stacey. In one full sweep of his arm, Kayce pulled Stella off his desk, and flipped the workspace on its side with his other arm. “Get down,” Kayce screamed.

Stella dropped to the floor, tucking herself as small as she could behind the desk. “What the fuck is going on, Kayce,” she cursed, realizing too late her gun was still in the glovebox of her car.

Kayce ignored her question and grabbed for the gun he kept underneath the desk. With practiced precision, he undid the safety as the door burst open. He yanked a flash grenade from his go-bag, pulled the pin, and threw. It bought him the seconds he needed. The moment the grenade detonated, the masked men fired, but Kayce was faster. He took them down with quick and precise shots before they knew what hit them.

He darted over to the bodies lying where they fell and grabbed one of their guns. “Stella on my six, now!” Kayce ordered.

Stella hopped up as fast as she could and bounded over to her boyfriend. If anyone could get her out of whatever the fuck this was alive, it was him. “What do we need to do?”

Kayce handed her one of the rifles from the dead assailants. “You know how to work one of these?”

“Aim, trigger, shoot,” Stella grabbed the assault rifle from him. The weight was heavy, the metal cold in her hands. The message of “kill or be killed” came through loud and clear.

Kayce grabbed the bulletproof vests from where they rested against the filing cabinet behind his desk. The first thing he wanted to do was make sure he wasn’t sending Stella out there underprepared. Yes the assault rifle would help, but it didn’t protect her from the bullets that may come her way. He found both sets of vests and handed one off to her. “Follow me. Drop anyone that looks like them.”

Stella nodded curtly, slipping the protective gear over her head. There was no time to tighten it. She brought her center of gravity low and balanced her weight on her knees. She followed closely behind Kayce, watching his back as they stepped through the doorway.

Looking to her right, Stella could see Stacey on the floor, blood pooling beneath her body. She gave a silent prayer for the receptionist, and kept moving behind Kayce. He made sure the room was clear and pulled open the door. Carefully he surveyed the surrounding area. Main Street was complete chaos. People of all shapes and sizes, scurried around trying to find cover. A sense of calm washed over him when he felt Stella grab the back belt loop of his pants, letting him know she was there.

Sirens echoed in the distance as Sheriff Donnie’s truck sped around the corner. Whatever threat there had been, it had been neutralized for now. The ring of his phone pierced through the screams and alarms going off.

“Rip, I need you to get everyone back to the ranch, right now!”

“Your dad’s been shot, Kayce.” Rip’s voice came through the tinny speakers.

“What?!” Stella yelled.

“Where?!”

“Every-fuckin’-where, Kayce.” Kayce paced forward, eyes wild at Rip’s description of his dad’s situation. “Listen, I want you to look for a blue two-tone van headed northbound on 540. You understand?”

Stella silently mouthed the directions to herself. If Kayce couldn’t remember, she would.

“How bad is he?”

“I mean, I'm an hour from the hospital. He ain't got a fսcking hour, Kayce.”

“Fuck,” Kayce shouted. “Send me your location, and I'll send a Care flight.”

“Uh... Let's do Hemet's pasture on 89. Tell the chopper I'll fսcking be there, you got me?”

Kayce hung up with Rip and strode forward, locked and loaded for his next target. Stella tried to keep pace with him as he took control of the scene. His voice boomed through the area. “We're looking for a blue two-tone van. Going north on 540.” He pointed to Handon. “Give me a Care flight to Hemet's Pasture. Hemet's Pasture, now.”

"Stand down, Kayce." Donnie tried, but they all knew it was useless.

Kayce hopped in his truck and backed out before Donnie could stop him. They didn’t have a choice but to follow after the red tide that was Kayce Dutton. Stella ran for her SUV, keys jingling against her hip attached to her belt loop.

“I can keep up, Donnie! You follow for backup!”

“Stella I don’t think you –,” Donnie started, but Stella's voice split his ears.

“I don’t care, Donnie! Get in your fuckin’ car!” Stella screamed as she dropped into her SUV. Her tires squealed as she left Main Street.

“Fuck!” Donnie vented. “I need you two units to stay here, you come with me!”

Stella drove down 540 faster than she ever had. Kayce had a headstart, but she was just as fast when it came down to it. She sped along, knowing Kayce had cleared a path, keeping her eyes peeled for the van of the hour. Donnie’s sirens blared behind her. If it wasn’t a dire situation, she would almost say it was fun.

Her heart dropped into her ass when she spotted a blue van racing down a street perpendicular to the one they were on. Kayce sped up, and Stella knew exactly what he was about to do. “Fuck,” she hollered.

Kayce dropped his foot to the floor and raced forward to meet the van at the intersection. Stella watched in horror as her boyfriend rammed into the van, causing it to spin off to the side into a ditch. She made an executive decision and pulled a sharp right, racing to to turn around and come from the other side of Mill Creek Road.

She could hear the firefight in the background and fear constricted around her throat like a vice. She floored it, pushing the SUV to its limit. Coming up from the other side, she spotted Kayce pinned between trucks. His muzzle flashed — proof he was still in the fight. Relief surged through her.

She watched as several of the men fell from being shot. Her breathing picked up and she decided to take as many of them out as she could. She saw two of the guys make their way to a red sedan and rip the lady in the car out, tossing her on the ground. Stella’s breathing hitched and she knew she had to get them before they raced off.

Stella jammed her foot to the floor and the engine roared under the strain. She caught a glimpse of Kayce and Donnie, still shooting at the red sedan. Kayce spotted her coming and took off at a sprint.

The red car inched closer and closer, and she’d be damned if the last motherfucker made it out alive. Her SUV slammed into the Honda, metal crunching as both vehicles spun in opposite directions. Her glasses flew off, and she blinked rapidly, squinting to refocus. She groaned, holding her stomach from the seatbelt’s impact.

Gritting her teeth she reached over for her gun and jumped out of her SUV as fast as she could. She could hear Kayce yelling in the distance for her, but ignored him. She drew her weapon and fired at the man in the car like shooting fish in a barrel, unloading her clip into the driver’s seat. Blood sprayed across the shattered windshield, and finally, she let herself breathe.

Turning she locked eyes with Kayce and felt relief seeing him still standing. He almost made it to her before he dropped to the ground. A piercing scream left her lungs as she caught sight of blood seeping through his shirt. “Kayce!!”

She sprinted, not caring about the distance, and dropped to her knees beside him. The undone bulletproof vest hitting her in the chin. “Kayce!” She turned Kayce on his side, trying to get a better look at the damage. His blood stained her fingers, and it felt like her world was slipping right through them. “Donnie!” She screamed. “Donnie get a medevac now! Get me a med kit!”

Kayce reached up and touched her arm. She wiped furiously at her face, not realizing tears had started to flow. “Kayce, baby, stay with me please,” she begged. “You’re gonna be fine, I just need you to stay awake until the medics get here.”

Stella changed in the hospital room designated for Kayce, waiting for her own results to come back. The medics urged her to get checked out on the way there. She put up a fight, reluctant to leave Kayce’s side until she saw they were taking care of him. Once they had him in their care, she relented and let them check her out from head to toe.

A soft knock brought her out of her head. The doctor that saw her earlier poked her head in. “Hi Miss Daniels. Can I come in?”

“Have you heard anything about Kayce?”

Doctor Martinez smiled softly at the worried woman in front of her. “Yes,” she nodded, “he's doing just fine. He’ll be coming down here soon once he fully wakes up.”

Stella propped her hand against the wall, letting out a sob of relief. When she hadn’t heard anything, she started getting worried. The weight she'd been carrying since Kayce was shot seemed to lift, even if just for a moment. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, really. And you’re good to go. Just a bit of bruising, but nothing a few slow weeks won't cure.” Dr. Martinez glanced at her apprehensively. “However, there is something I wanted to speak with you about.”

Stella wiped her face and stood tall. “What is it?”

“I thought you said you weren’t pregnant?”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 14: Sound of War

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, violence, shooting, guns, dread, pleading for life, hanging, cutting human flesh, also is Stella a villain now???? Like miss ma'am holy hell

* Word count: 2,901ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: Ooo I'm kinda really digging scary Stella ™️ lol. I’m walking that fine line with her, and hopefully it’s done in an understated way and not over the top. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella dug in with her leg and spun Abigail abruptly, pulling her pistol out of its holster, aiming it directly at Wade. The men’s eyes shot open and they pulled their horses to a halt, kicking up dirt and grass as they struggled to gain traction. A warning shot rang out from Stella’s pistol. Both men jumped to double back, only to be met head-on by the enraged wranglers. “Oh shit,” Wade startled. “Clint go back!” The wranglers split into two groups as if they knew Clint and Wade would run in opposite directions.

With undeniable grace, Stella pushed Abigail to the left, herding Wade up toward Rip’s group. Walker dropped right to force Clint into Lloyd’s path. Clint took off in a mad dash, but his father just had to make a spectacle of himself.

“I'll shoot every one of you sons of bitches!” Wade fired off a few rounds chaotically, missing any intended target.

Stella moved in perfect sync with Abigail, the rhythm of her gallop steadying Stella’s aim. Seeing the older man duck and his hat flip off his head, she roared his own words back at him, “ain't so tough now are ya, Wade?”

In slow motion, Rip and Dude slipped past her. His lariat swung high above his head. He struck it out, aiming for Wade’s neck, and caught him under the shoulders, yanking backwards. Wade flew off of his horse, hitting the ground with a less than pleasant thud. Rip took off, dragging the older man a few hundred yards through the grass and dirt behind him until he found the spot he wanted.

Kayce loped up beside Stella as she holstered her pistol. Words swirled around his head. There was so much he wanted to say, but wasn’t quite sure how. Now wasn’t the time, so he would work through it and talk with her later. Right now they had to focus on confirming 100% that Roarke Morris and Market Equities had hired Wade and Clint. Stella had seen and heard enough to be damning, but it didn’t hurt to cover the bases twice.

Rip quickly scanned the area and found the tree he wanted. Waving over his shoulder he called out, “Ryan, Colby!” He pointed to his lasso around Wade and then the tree.

Knowing exactly what Rip was asking, Colby and Ryan dismounted swiftly and ran behind the tree. Rip tossed the end of the rope up over the split in the tree. Ryan caught it and wound it around a sturdy branch on the ground. Colby gripped Wade’s arms, pulling his body taut against the tree.

Rip stepped in front of Wade. He repositioned his hat, and scanned the group. He found Stella hanging back with Kayce, and waved her over. She’d done well over the last few weeks, up until she ran off last night to confront the problem. Rip wanted to make sure Stella had picked up the message from them about controlling herself, that darkness that bubbled just beneath the surface. This would tell him whether or not she actually absorbed the lesson. She was sharp, but sometimes subtle lessons flew right past her.

Stella’s body stiffened at Rip’s silent beckon. She glanced briefly at Kayce, picking up the unease on his face, and then back to Rip. Her brother standing behind their leader caught her eye. If she didn’t know any better, he looked like he wanted to jump in front of her, taking her place. They locked eyes and nodded at each other. At Stella’s confirmation that she was fine, his shoulders visibly relaxed. She smiled inside at Ryan restraining himself. He was trying so hard to let her stretch her legs.

She handed her reins to Kayce, their hands drifting across each other. She felt his fingers try to grasp hers. A lopsided grin let him know she was okay. With the ease of second nature, Stella stood in her stirrups, and hiked her right left up and over Abigail’s back, dismounting. She fixed her jacket, and walked over to Rip.

Rip waved his hand toward Wade. Stella frowned, but realized he was passing her control of the moment. She took a steadying breath and faced the man they were going to put to death. The thought made her stomach turn, but she knew it was something that had to be done. ‘These men didn’t raise no bitch,’ she reminded herself. It was time to put on a show for everyone that they wouldn’t forget, or have doubts about her in the future.

Crossing her arms, she sighed. “Hey, Wade. Long time no see. How’s your yard?” She smirked at him while fixing her glasses.

“Fuck you,” Wade spat with disdain.

Stella sarcastically clutched at her nonexistent pearls with a gasp. “Now Wade, since when do we talk to women that way?” Her face turned to stone. “Oh wait, I forgot. You don’t give a damn about women, considering you stomped the shit out of one of my own.” She caught Teeter’s gaze, feeling the rage boiling underneath.

The crackling of Rip’s leather gloves as he adjusted them, tethered her back in the present. “We need a name.”

“What name?”

“The motherfuckers that hired you.” Her gaze hardened. Stella could feel the large group staring at her. She pushed down the stage fright, realizing these people — her family — needed to know that she would protect them with every bit of her might and fury.

Kayce focused on Stella, watching her hold the weight given to her with grace while trying to keep balance within herself. He’d been put in this position with Dan. He knew exactly what was going on in her head.

“I saw and heard enough to condemn you,” Stella licked her lips, “but we need it from the horse’s mouth.”

Wade began to hyperventilate. He was quickly coming to terms that he hadn’t realized the danger he’d put himself in. The look on Stella’s mature and scarred face was vastly different from the teenager he remembered. The look said it all.

“I’m not gonna ask you again.” Stella gently brought him back to his current reality. The tone in her voice was deceptively comforting. The wranglers felt a cold chill pierce through them. Stella had an evil in her they hadn’t thought possible. “I’m gonna have Rip start cuttin’ bits off of you.”

Wade’s eyes widened in fear he’d tried to hide. He looked at Rip.

“Don’t look at him. He won’t save you. You’re talkin’ to me.” Stella stepped into his line of sight, commanding the older man’s attention.

“Names Roarke,” Wade choked out. “Market Equity,” he gulped for air, “son of a bitch.”

Stella scoffed and nodded, looking at the ground, “that’s what I thought.”

Wade began to wiggle around in Colby’s grasp. “Let me down.”

Stella’s face pulled together. “Why would I do that?” Wade struggled as Colby’s grip tightened. “We’re gonna kill you, but before we do,” she pointed at their captive, “we need somethin’ back that belongs to us.” In every branded member’s eyes, Wade had lost the right to the mark on his chest the second he signed on with Market Equities.

“You don’t deserve to wear this fuckin’ brand.” Rip stepped forward grabbing Wade’s shirt collar, and ripped it open.

Wade’s eyes frantically searched for some form of savior. He saw Kayce and felt a false spark of hope. “Kayce! Don’t let them do this to me! Please!”

Kayce remained silent, keeping his eyes on Stella. Wade’s fate had already been decided. There was nothing Kayce could do, or would do, to stop the long black train coming his way.

“Stella, Stella,” Wade was on the verge of sobbing. “Please don’t let them do this to me, please!”

“You fucked with me and mine. This is your own doing.” Stella left no room for argument. This was the first time she was openly being invited to be the monster in the room. The power that coiled in her heart from Wade’s fear and her control over the situation was intoxicating. She knew she couldn’t let it go to her head. The balance between the two was a fine line. One wrong move and she would go overboard. Rip made his way over to Walker, giving him instructions of what he needed to do to gain the trust of the rest of the ranch.

Walker stepped up to Wade. The look of hope in the old man’s eyes made Walker sad for a brief second. “Mister, I don't know you. But if you're wearing that brand, you must be a bad man. And if these mοthеrfսckеrs want it back, you must be even worse.” Walker steadied his shoulders. “Karma comes in all shapes and sizes. Looks like it's me today.” He glanced at Ryan and Colby. “Y'all best hold him.”

Walker brought out his knife and began tearing into the flesh on Wade’s chest. The sound of ripping flesh as Walker pulled the skin away from muscle made bile rise to the back of Stella’s throat. Wade’s screaming in agony took over the quiet landscape. Forcing herself to tune it out, she walked back over to Kayce and hopped up on Abigail. She fixed her glasses and set her jaw. This was a part of the duties she’d accepted. She had to get over the queasiness that some of the actions brought up.

With the brand successfully removed, Walker backed up, holding the piece of Wade’s chest limply in his hand. Rip gave a quiet direction to her brother, and he grabbed the rope from the tree branch. He yanked it backward until Wade’s feet left the ground. Stella forced herself to watch. Numbness set in as she understood this was what she signed up for. This was what they all asked for. They had all become meaner than evil. The tide was changing. She was changing.

Her gaze moved to the back of Abigail’s neck. Her breathing heavy and shallow. The wickedness of her thoughts rolled through her. She glanced at Kayce, looking for a tether to pull her back in. To keep her feet on the ground.

He locked eyes with her and silently talked her back from the ledge. Kayce knew Stella was fighting with the need to go after Market Equities right this second and keeping herself in check. There was a way to go about sending a violent message and starting a war. This wasn’t gentle parenting now. This was the patient, quiet before the storm. The silence before the kill. When Stella took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, he knew she was good to go.

Rip, Colby, and Ryan joined the group in front of the tree. The silence that took over was deafening, heavy. The group slowly coming to terms with what they had done.

Rip turned and fixed his hard gaze on everyone. “You all wanted revenge. Well, now you got it. But there's a price to pay for revenge. Now you gotta pay it.”

Everyone hopped on their horses to head home. When it got dark, Lloyd and Walker would take the trash out, and everyone else would get their shiny new brands. Stella wanted to go to the house and sleep for a week, but she knew the right thing to do would be stay and lend support to their friends as they got the ranch’s calling card burned into their skin.

“I need to go talk to my dad. Let him know how things went. I also gotta check on Tate,” Kayce’s voice broke through Stella’s introspection. “You wanna come with me?”

Stella gave the offer a brief thought, watching the others trot off. “As long as we can make it back in time for the branding.”

“We don’t gotta be there for that, sugar.”

She frowned, “yes, we do. We agreed. We’re all in this together. Now yes, a few of us already have the brand, but they don’t. They need our support now more than ever. They need to know we’re there until the end.”

Kayce leaned back in his saddle. In that moment, Stella reminded him of Lee and his tenacity for loyalty to his men. She carried the weight of responsibility like a foreman would. “If you take a nap and let me come get you when Rip says they’re ready, I’ll go with you.”

Stella contemplated her boyfriend’s negotiation. “Deal.”

With Stella tucked in upstairs, Kayce made his way out onto the porch where his father sat. He joined his father in a chair, and sat in the comfortable silence. He gazed out over the rolling hills, struggling to find the balance between peace, satisfaction, and guilt over taking someone’s life. Feeling John’s eyes on him, he finally broke the seal. “They’re all fine.”

“And Stella?”

“She did just fine.”

“But is she okay?” The father and son locked eyes.

“She’s fine. Learning the balance.” Kayce paused, not sure if he wanted to start an argument. “I feel like she shouldn't have to learn that though. You asking her to step into this position has put a weight on her that she shouldn’t have to worry about.”

“I asked her to step up because I know I can trust her to fight for you and this place with every ounce of cruelty she can muster.” John shifted in his seat to be able to see Kayce better. “In case you haven’t noticed, life is cruel and uncaring. You can't reason with evil, son. Evil wants what it wants and won't stop until it's won or you kill it. The only way to kill it is to be meaner than evil, which is what I know I can expect from Stella. That's going to be your last lesson, son – how to be meaner than evil and still love your family. And still enjoy a sunset.”

“He’s right, you know.” Stella’s sleep filled voice floated over from the doorway. Both men snapped to attention at her presence. “Rip called. They’re ready.”

Kayce nodded, standing with a groan. She kept her word about napping, so he would keep his and they would go with the wranglers to be branded. He stepped up to her, and wrapped her in a hug.

“You know you don’t have to go to the branding, Stella.” John interrupted.

Stella leaned back from Kayce and looked at John. “But we do. The men need to know we’re in it. Every part that comes. That we’re there until it’s finished. Leave no doubt in their minds that we’ve got their back, just like we ask that they’ve got ours.”

John rested his hand on his chin, considering Stella’s words carefully. If he wasn’t sure before, he now knew he made the right choice asking her to step up. He nodded and waved them on. “Go on, be with your guys. I’ll watch Tate.”

As the sun fell behind the mountain, and darkness covered the valley around them, Kayce and Stella made it to the old trapper cabin where every branded member had been before. The few that didn’t have the mark stood near the fire, fear in their eyes as they watched Rip heating up the branding iron.

Stella dismounted and forced her tired legs to walk over to the group. Kayce hopped off Tank and loosely tied both horses to the old hitching post they had out here.

“Alright, listen up.” She fixed her jacket, wincing at the discomfort from her sore muscles. “I’m not gonna lie to you, this is gonna suck beyond measure. I’d rather get kicked by a mother cow than experience this again.”

“Again?” Colby caught the tense of her words.

Stella pulled down the corner of her jacket and shirt, exposing the healed scar on her chest. “Yeah, again.” The unbranded groups eyes widened.

Ryan joined Stella and pulled his shirt to the side as well. His brand a lot more pink than hers. “I second that.”

Colby’s eyes bugged out. “When did that happen?”

“Right after Stella was followed.”

Stella could see Rip becoming agitated off to the side and decided to rein them in. “Anyway, it’s gonna suck, but we’re here to help patch you up when it’s done. Everything will be fine after the iron is off you. I promise.”

Kayce stepped up next to Stella and her brother. “Since our skin is more sensitive than a cows, it won’t take as long. We all signed up for it. This is the price for getting revenge.”

Rip pulled the branding iron out of the flames, red hot and sizzling. “Teeter, you’re up first. You ready?”

Ryan handed the pink haired woman a belt to bite down on. “You’ll need it so you don’t crack those pearly whites of yours.”

Stella placed herself right next to Teeter. She held out her hand for the woman to grab. “Just don’t break my hand, that’s all I ask.”

Teeter gave an uncomfortable smile, and gave a trembling nod. She placed the belt in between her teeth, grabbed Stella’s hand as hard as she could, and nodded to Rip. She wanted to get it over and done with. When the brand hit her skin, she saw white.

Stella met Kayce’s gaze over the fire, searching for something — reassurance, understanding, maybe even regret. And she found the comfort of the same darkness staring back at her.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 13: Let it Begin

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, violence, Mia getting put in her place lol, Mia in general because that girl makes me wanna punch things

* Word count: 3,859ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, which I had to split into two lol, and we're definitely coming to the thick end of Season 3. This starts some of my favorite drama, and there will be (hopefully) a few surprises coming soon. Something inside Stella has snapped, and she's not playing about her people any longer. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella watched as Ryan and Jimmy walked into the bunkhouse to get everyone ready. They all had a serious talk about whether they wanted to be branded after this because after what they were about to do, there wouldn’t be any going back. A line had to be drawn.

Everyone came to an agreement. The ranch was always a target. Now the people that call this place home were being dragged into the danger zone. Ethan, Jake, Teeter, and Colby knew they couldn’t just sit idly by while the branded members took care of the problem. This mess was going to take everyone.

The silence between her, Rip, and Kayce was molded by exhaustion, determination, and anger. The plan was made. They were gonna get their pound of flesh. Stella massaged the ache in her sides from the night before, her fingers pressing carefully into the tension. She fought her eyelids as her body swayed with fatigue.

Kayce slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. Stella sighed at the feeling of safety that wrapped around her. She tucked her head into his chest, searching for the slightest bit of calm before the chaos erupted. Silence hung in the distance, making it seem like the quiet before the storm. Kayce’s hand instinctively rubbed her back in soothing circles.

“Stop,” Stella muttered, her voice muffled by his chest.

He frowned, looking over at Rip. The older man’s look said more than words could. Something was off, and both men felt it. Tired or not — with as fired up as she had been this morning — by now she’d be running laps around all of them. Chomping at the bit to get their vengeance. Rip motioned toward Stella, wordlessly telling Kayce to pay close attention.

Kayce shifted, tilting his head down to catch Stella’s gaze. “Baby, you okay?” Gentle concern laced his voice.

“Yeah, my skin just hurts,” she admitted quietly.

Her answer tugged at his gut. He leaned back to inspect her closer. “You gettin’ sick?” He swiped his hand across her forehead. It was warm. Warmer than normal, not enough to sound the alarm, but enough to make him wonder. He knew her skin hurt whenever she started getting a fever. His brow pulled together with a frown. She’d never been one to let him fuss much over her. By now, she would have slapped his hand away.

She shook her head gently as he removed his hand. “Don’t think so. Being without my coat all night probably didn’t help.” She shrugged, pulling her jacket tighter. “I’m just tired, Kace.”

Her words were casual, but the way her shoulders sagged, and the weight of her body leaned against his told him otherwise. Kayce tucked her back into his chest, placing his chin on her head. “Alright, sugar.” He gave her soft reassurance, but filed the details away for later.

She sighed heavily into his neck, tucking her arms into the warmth of his open jacket. Burrowing herself into the safety that was Kayce. He wanted to question her, but knew she was already running on “E”. Unease moved through him, but he put it away for later.

Rip watched the exchange with silent concern. It wasn’t like Stella to admit she was run down, or not feeling great. He glanced toward the bunkhouse. He should probably say something to Ryan, but it wouldn’t do any good to do it now.

The sound of Mia hollering at Ryan inside the bunkhouse split the silence. Stella rose from the safety of Kayce’s jacket with a foul look and his arm stiffened behind her back, holding her in place.

Rip cleared his throat, fixing his leather gloves, attempting to pull Stella’s ire away from Mia. “You sure you wanna go through with this Stella?” He knew neither time, nor her energy was on their side. John had invited them to stay at the house this morning, but both Kayce and Stella decided they needed to be with the group. “It’s gonna be a long day, and you’ve been up since yesterday morning.”

Stella cut her eyes to Rip, shoulders drooping at the thought of the warm and cozy bed that waited for her. Letting out a heavy sigh, she nodded. “Yeah I’m sure. Work don’t stop, just cause I’m tired.” She patted Kayce’s chest and pointed to the bunkhouse, where the yelling had increased in volume. “I’m gonna go take care of that.”

Kayce’s hand flexed on her elbow. He wanted to stop her, but he knew it would prove useless. Her mind was made up. The least he could do was try to convince her not to go overboard. “Don’t kill her, Stella.”

She felt his hesitancy, but slipped out of his hold. They didn’t have time for hissy fits. She had to go help her brother. “I make no promises, cowboy,” she called over her shoulder.

Stella swung the door open letting it smack against the wall. She stared at the madness taking over the house. Ryan, Lloyd, Ethan, and Colby stood at the cluttered kitchen table. Lloyd scrambled to jump in and stop the argument. He was the only one who looked in Stella’s direction. He thought about cutting the fight off, but the look on Stella’s face was enough to stop him.

Her brother argued with the young woman, her shrieks cutting through the room. Jimmy, Laramie and Walker stood near the back watching everything unfold.

Mia turned from Ryan to yell at Jimmy. “What stupid shit have you gotten dragged into this time? All because of this godforsaken place!” She felt out of her depth, questioning what she’d gotten involved in by being with Jimmy.

Stella reached her limit. “Hey,” she boomed with a loud clap of her hands that echoed off the walls.

Everyone’s heads snapped to attention at the woman glaring at them in the doorway. It wasn’t often they heard that tone from her. She and Kayce shared the trait of being soft spoken.

“Knock it off,” Stella fixed her angry gaze on Mia. “My brother said stay clear until we tell you otherwise. So stay clear.”

Mia had enough of Stella ordering her around. The few times they’d been in each other’s presence, that’s all Stella had seemed to do. “I don’t work for y’all. I don’t have to take orders from you, princess!”

The wranglers froze. ‘Princess’ was a known trigger — no one pulled it without consequences. They were half shocked that Stella hadn’t leapt for Mia’s throat right then.

Stella knew better than anyone that respect was the glue holding the ranch together. If Mia thought she could ignore their orders, what would stop others from doing the same? She had to put Mia in her place. If she didn’t, Rip would, and Mia wouldn’t like the way he did it.

“You’re right,” Stella smirked, eyes glazing over. A memory of punching Fred in the jaw for calling her that, streaked through her mind. “You don’t work here. So you shouldn’t be here for more than a couple of days at a time.” She waved her hand, gesturing to the house and ranch, “this is Jimmy’s place of employment. Not a frat house for you to crash at.” Stella’s gaze hardened. Jimmy’s reputation was already hanging by a thread, and Mia wasn’t helping. If she kept pushing, she’d drag him down with her, and Stella wasn’t about to let that happen.

Anger from Mia’s dig boiled beneath Stella’s skin. “Isn’t there like a rodeo, you need to be doggin’ at or somethin’?” Stella’s face remained passive except for her brows inching up her forehead.

Mia’s face flushed as her hands curled into tight fists, trembling at her sides. Ryan saw the tension in Mia’s coiled stance, her fists trembling with barely restrained fury. He was afraid if she did, his sister would mop the floor with her. He stepped in, his stance a silent warning. She glared up at him.

“Where the hell do you get off thinking you can tell me what to do?” Mia sputtered. “Just because you’re screwin’ the boss’s son, you think you’re special?”

The room froze. Every eye turned to Stella, whose teeth ground audibly as her grip on control slipped. Shots had been fired. If they hadn’t been worried for Mia’s health before, they were now. Doubt curled around Mia, cursing her impulsive words.

Stella removed her glasses, setting them gently on the table. Her movements slow and deliberate, using the time to try and ease her temper. Stella’s gaze flickered to her brother’s back, clocking the fight in Mia’s eyes before he blocked her view. A wild look blazed across Stella’s face and she stepped to the left allowing Mia to see her clearly. “This ain’t the fight you want, babe,” her voice eerily calm. “Go to the rodeo, and we’ll have Jimmy call you.”

Mia made the mistake of goading her. “What, you ain’t got a comeback?”

Stella cracked her knuckles, closely observing the small gap she could squeeze through to strike. Her hard eyes locked on Mia like a hawk locking in on prey. Fear gripped Mia’s heart. She’d pushed too far. Before anyone could react, Stella darted through the wranglers with precision, her hand locking under Mia’s left arm.

“Stella!” Ryan yelled, trying to grab her.

With a swift pivot, she flipped Mia like a calf at branding. Her movements fluid and practiced, pinning her knee on her chest. Ryan and Lloyd jumped into action, holding Jimmy back, knowing this battle of dominance between the women had to occur. Walker kept Laramie by his side. She wanted to defend her friend, but knew Mia had dug this grave herself.

“Listen close, princess,” Stella growled while Mia puffed and panted, grabbing at Stella’s leg. “I’ve been here 14 years, and I’m one of the people in charge now. If you don’t live or work here, you follow our orders. Simple as that.” Stella’s weight pressed down on Mia’s chest, making it impossible to fight back. For the first time, Mia’s bravado cracked, her wide eyes betraying the fear she’d tried to hide. She wheezed from the pressure on her chest. “Me fuckin’ Kayce has nothin’ to do with that.” Stella stood, releasing Mia from her weight.

A loud gasp escaped Mia’s mouth, finally able to breathe deeply. She held her throat and coughed. “You crazy bitch! You could have hurt me!”

“But I didn’t.” Stella held out a hand, rage slowly subsiding. Mia ignored the hand and pulled herself up. Stella scoffed with a quiet, “okay, Mia.” Stella had a moment where she understood Rip when she did the same thing to him.

Stella dusted her hands off on her pants. “Now, when we tell you to stay the fuck gone until you’re told otherwise, do it. Because if I find out you’re in our fuckin’ bunkhouse? What I did to you today will be nothin’ compared to what I do to you then.”

The scratching of boots on gravel stiffened Stella’s back. Her anger for the barrel racer easing away. Solid and sure, with a hitch from one too many hard landings on his hips, Rip’s gait didn’t slow down. 

Rip’s glower passed around the room as he stormed into the house, making everyone scatter. The others scrambled for any menial task to keep out of Rip’s crosshairs. Ryan and Lloyd remained in the middle to block the feuding women from each other.

Rip searched out Stella and did a quick visual check on her. She appeared tired and annoyed, but not hurt. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and traded spots with him. She moved to the table to pick up her glasses while he took over the situation. He watched as Mia rubbed her neck.

“You two,” Rip growled, pointing at Laramie and Mia. “You’re done here. Both of you. Out. Now.”

Laramie opened her mouth to argue but snapped it shut under Rip’s glare. Mia hesitated, her pride forcing one last look at Stella before stomping toward the door.

Stella rubbed her temples, the adrenaline fading. They didn’t have time for this kind of drama — not with everything else threatening to tear the ranch apart. The last thing they needed was infighting. There were more pressing matters than some daddy’s girl not getting her way.

She fixed her glasses and moved through the door, casting a final glance at Mia and Laramie as they left in Mia’s truck. Everyone had filed out of the house and started bringing out their horses, preparing for the battle ahead. The group was quiet, the weight of what was about to happen pulling on them. Kayce coming her way with Abigail and Tank in tow made her smile softly at him. Stella held out her hand to take Abigail’s reins from him.

“Glad you didn’t kill her,” he joked. “When we heard banging we got a little worried.”

“Pfft,” she laughed tiredly. “All I did was flip her. She’s fine. Took almost everything in me though.”

Kayce’s face pulled in concern. “You sure you’re good to go for this?”

“Yes, honey,” she sighed. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Stella turned, grabbed the bottom of Abigail’s mane, and stepped up into her saddle.

Kayce’s eyes lingered on her form, catching the exhaustion he knew she was trying to hide behind her smile. He knew she probably wanted nothing more than their bed and 14 hours of sleep. Yet here she was, ganging up with the rest of them to do her part. He understood why the men respected her.

Stella felt his stare and gazed down at him. She flashed him a smile, that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m good, baby. Let’s go.”

Kayce sighed heavily in annoyance. It was impossible to change her mind once she decided to do something. He followed suit, hopping up onto Tank. They walked their horses over by the fence to join the rest of the group.

“Rip,” Kayce called out. “Let’s run over the plan with everyone, one more time. Don’t need anything going sideways.”

Rip settled into his saddle with a groan. His gaze swept through the wranglers. “If anyone is having second thoughts, now’s the time to back out.” He wanted to give them the chance to make up their minds. “If we all do this, there’s no going back.”

The air was thick. Dense with the crackling static of danger on the horizon. Things were in motion. Big things. If they didn’t band together now as one unit, they would get caught in the crossfire later. This place was their home. These people, their family. They were all in.

“Alright,” Rip nodded soberly. “Stella, Walker.” The two in question rose to attention. “You walk the fence lines, you’re just out there to fix some posts.”

Kayce’s voice broke through the tense air. “Woah now, when did we agree on using you as bait? I don’t remember that part of the conversation.” 

“Yeah, I’m not sure I’m liking where that’s going,” Ryan added, looking perturbed, not comfortable with leaving his little sister in Walker’s care.

She thought back to the flames she’d set the night before. Wade’s farm almost went up in flames because of her. Of course they’d want to make an example out of her. Stella was more than certain that she was their next victim. “It makes the most sense for me to force their hand.” Stella stated casually, “plus I’ll have Walker right there with me. I’ll be fine. Discussion over.” She didn’t want to undermine their concern for her, but they didn’t have the time to argue. She understood the risks, but was willing to take them for the ranch.

Stella and Walker shared a resolute look. She knew he would do whatever he had to to make sure she got out first. It wasn’t in his nature to send a woman to the wolves first. She would do the same for him.

Rip reined everyone back to the topic at hand. He was well aware of the risk Stella was taking, but he was more than confident she could handle her own. “From your little bonfire last night, Stella-belle, you being front and center will bring them in faster.”

“I’m never gonna live that down, huh?”

“No, you will not,” Rip chuckled, looking back to the rest of the wranglers. “We’ll lay our horses down in the trees nearby. They’ll be out scouting for trouble to cook up.”

“What makes you so sure they’ll be out after last night,” Ethan questioned, reluctance moving through his voice.

“Because he’s gonna try and fuck us over first before admitting to his boss that a little girl lit his shit on fire and almost shot him.” The wranglers stared up at Stella.

Kayce cleared his throat, pulling everyone’s attention to him. His eyes raking over the wranglers. “We’ll wait in the trees, and when they take the bait, we’ll swoop in behind. After that, follow our lead,” he motioned to Rip, Stella and himself. “These sons of bitches are gonna learn today.”

Stella stepped up, giving her own set of directions. “Walker and I will ride out first. Give us about 20 minutes and then follow. It’ll give us time to act natural, and y’all time to hide.” She locked eyes with every one of the people she’d come to view as family. “Be careful, and think smart. We’ve only got one shot at this before he goes running to his boss and all hell breaks loose.”

The wranglers silently agreed, finishing up tacking their horses for the ride ahead. The thumping of impatient hooves on the ground filled the quiet. Ryan watched from across the way as Stella and Kayce spoke quietly. Most likely Kayce was expressing his dislike of her being bait. Stella handled it with ease, her round face softening as she gazed at her boyfriend — almost like she was soothing a child. It was her way of calming his unrest, getting him to trust her even when he wanted to protest.

Stella had changed since being attacked while protecting Tate. Ryan expected it because that was more than anyone should have to deal with. What he hadn’t anticipated was how her protectiveness had sharpened, like she was carrying some unspoken responsibility for all of them. He noticed her shift uncomfortably in her seat and instinctively place a hand on her lower abdomen.

Frowning with apprehension, Ryan mounted Blue Jeans and rode over to the couple. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, just sore.” She absentmindedly rubbed circles on her stomach, easing the tension away. Ryan and Kayce glanced at each other, but before they could question her further, Rip called out for Stella and Walker. It was time to put the plan in motion. Stella gazed at her brother and boyfriend. “Be careful, please.”

They nodded and watched as Stella trotted off with Walker right behind her. 

The pair made it to the fence in question in good time. Off in the distance, they spotted their back-up setting up in a small bunch of trees. They laid their horses down, to which Stella was pleasantly surprised to see that Kayce had taught Tank to do so.

Conversation between her and Walker was minimal. There had always been an unspoken understanding between the two. The fact that she was one of the few who didn’t outright disrespect him when he first came to the ranch, had laid a solid foundation between them. Stella moved Abigail in front of Walker and his horse, Pico. The posts along this section of fence weren’t entirely shot. She was starting to wonder if they were going to come up with anything to do at all.

The emptiness of these couple pastures settled onto Stella’s shoulders. The prairie grass fluttered back and forth in the wind, not a soul in sight. The vast open space felt oddly claustrophobic in its isolation. Knowing the gang was nearby, didn’t settle the anxiety tossing in her stomach. It truly felt like Walker and her were sitting ducks. Not knowing what use of force Wade and his son would strike with, left a sour taste in her mouth. She didn’t like not knowing what to expect from a violent situation. She and Walker were prepared, but the vulnerability made her skin crawl.

She found a post that had clearly been ripped out of the ground, and whistled for Walker’s attention. His eyes snapped to her and he followed her hand to the messed up fence. He trotted over, and slid to the ground from his saddle. He handed his reins up to Stella, having her hold Pico for him. Stella's eyes scanned their surroundings while Walker moved the makeshift timber post out of his way.

The silence wound around her like a vice. It was almost too quiet, causing goosebumps to sprout along her arms. She gnawed on her bottom lip, straining her eyes to see as far as she could. “You feel that tingle down your back?”

Walker paused while untangling the barbed wire. He’d been doing as much as he could to ignore the feeling of being watched. At first he explained it away as the rest of the wranglers being nearby. The longer they walked along the fence, the less he could deny where it was coming from. He nodded discreetly. “Yup, we’ve got an audience somewhere.”

“Up and to the left?” The wicked feeling seemed to pull her body toward the upper part of the pasture.

“You would be right, vaquero,” he confirmed while keeping his hands busy.

Stella spotted Clint and his father burst through the trees she'd been watching. “Hey hey hey,” she hurriedly called out to Walker.

He spun around, seeing the men getting closer. He dropped the post he’d been holding and held his hand out. Stella tossed his reins to him as he scrambled to get into his saddle. The pair kicked their horses into a gallop. They made a large circle and rounded back the way they came.

The pounding hooves signaled that the father and son duo were gaining on them. Stella looked over her shoulder to see how close they were. Clint wound his lasso in the air, close to Walker.

“Go left,” she yelled at Walker. She hoped he would understand and dodge before the lasso found its mark.

“Ain't so tough now are ya, little girl?” Wade taunted from behind.

Stella pushed Abigail to move faster down the hill. They needed to make it to where the wranglers laid in wait. She and Walker pulled ahead of Wade and Clint, galloping neck and neck. “When the wranglers get behind us, I’ll distract them so the guys can catch up. You wrap around and help get them off me.”

“Hell no!” Walker refused to let her put herself in the line of fire. He glanced back, seeing the wranglers closing the gap. “You fall back, I’ll draw them off.” He pushed Pico out ahead of Abigail, leaving Stella no choice, but to pivot around. She knew exactly what to do.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 12: Sinners and Saints

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, talks of shooting people, otherwise pretty tame

* Word count: 3,033ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I don’t know why, but there’s something about this chapter that I love. Rip’s first line of dialogue to Stella cracks me up every time I read it lol. What’s your favorite from the chapter? I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella breathed a sigh of relief, pushing Abigail into a gallop toward the new barn they’d finished a few weeks back. The sun blared over the mountains in front of her. She could see Jake, Ethan, Ryan and what looked to be Walker scurrying around the front in a frenzied state.

Her scarred brow pulled as she frowned in question at his presence. John and Rip stood near the entrance to the barn. Off to the side, she could see the vet’s trailer parked in front of the entrance. That meant Teeter and Colby had made it back to the ranch without any further incident.

Kayce joined the pack outside with Tank. The sight of him draped a blanket of soft warmth over her. Steady and unwavering. She was home. The sound of Abigail’s hooves beating against the ground caused everyone to snap their heads in her direction. A mix of looks that ranged from pissed to worried greeted her. She braced herself for the scolding she was about to catch from them.

She slowed Abigail down as she got closer. Kayce beat everyone to her and helped her down from her saddle. He instantly began checking her over for any sign of injury in silence. Their eyes locked and all the noise from their audience faded away. He brought his hand up to her face, wiping at a sooty smudge along her cheek.

He leaned in and dropped a quick peck against her lips. While it was a small gesture, it was packed with gratitude that she was okay, but disappointment that she’d taken off by her hot-headed self. She smiled bashfully up at him as he handed her reins to her.

Ryan grabbed at her arms when Kayce let her go. “Oh my god where the fuck have you been? We thought you were hurt, or worse!”

“I sent a message to the fucks that did that to our people.” She swung her arm toward the barn, where she assumed Colby and Teeter were still being fixed up. She could feel the hot glares from John and Rip on her. Stella realized she’d just kicked a hornets nest. A wave of doubt overtook her, the gravity of her impulsivity hitting her.

She stood tall, refusing to let their stares cause her to falter. She strutted forward into the barn, keeping her gait confident.

The dramatic flurry of activity that followed made her roll her eyes. Ryan demanded answers from her, Kayce hovered, John and Rip brought up the rear – it felt like the world was closing in. Shoving the feeling aside, she stepped into the barn to break down Abigail. She’d worked hard today after not putting in much work for more than half the summer. She removed Abigail’s bridle gently, and the mare let the bit drop out of her mouth. Stella hung it carefully next to her stall. Several sets of footsteps came up behind her.

“Walker!” Rip’s voice echoed down the hall. “Finish untacking Abigail for Stella.”

She glowered at the pissed off foreman just over the roan’s withers.

Rip growled back at her, “don’t you fuckin’ look at me like that. C’mere,” he waved her over to where John, Ryan, Kayce, and himself stood.

Walker slipped in between her and her mare with a pitying look. He’d caught the same anger just this morning. So he already knew what she was in for. Walker knew Stella could be a bit spontaneous, but this was new to him.

Stella passed the gaze back at him, and maneuvered around him and her mare. She let out a deep sigh, glancing at Kayce for reassurance. This was only the second time she’d faced all of them head on at once. Just like in the first situation, she could clearly identify the anger coursing through her boyfriend.

Kayce stood next to his father, his eyes fixed on Stella. The fire in her burned so fiercely, it made him question if he could keep up with this new version of her. Yet, watching her now, the depth of his love for her caught him off guard. It felt like a punch to the gut when he realized he would marry this woman in a heartbeat. Kayce clenched his jaw, torn between pride and frustration.

He frowned while fighting the need to tear into her about acting alone and wanting to allow her the opportunity to explain herself first. He knew he would have done the same thing and couldn’t help but feel slightly hypocritical.

Her boots scuffed along the pavement of the aisle, fatigue setting in. Everything hurt. Her skin felt like it was on fire. The sound of her feet and the soft clinking of her saddle were the only things heard in the barn hall. Shoving her hands in her hoodie pocket, she muttered tiredly, “what Rip?”

He looked her over. Dark circles under her eyes from being up all night. Rage and adrenaline were the only things keeping her upright. He could see, hell they all could, that something changed in her; seemingly overnight.

It was dark, and heavy. Something he’d seen in himself many times before, and watching it manifest in Stella like a thunder head cloud bothered him. He knew he had to help her get a handle on it quickly before she spiraled out of control. He would need Kayce and Ryan’s help to do it.

He took a steadying breath, trying to remind himself that if it were him on the other side of this conversation, he wouldn’t respond well to a verbal attack. “What did you do?” He kept his tone soft. He wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for her answer.

“I already told you. I left a message of our own.”

Rip crossed his arms, his stare drilling into her. Her vague answer didn’t sit right with him. “What kind of message, Stella?”

She hesitated briefly, crossing her arms and leaning a shoulder against the entryway, mirroring Kayce’s posture. Thinking over the events of the night, did she do enough to leave a message? Or did she just look stupid doing it? She met Rip’s gaze, and the anger bubbled up in her chest again. Her voice came out cold and deadly, daring anyone to question her. “I made sure Wade Morrow knows exactly who he’s messing with.”

Ryan stepped forward, his voice cutting through her. “You what?”

Glaring at her brother, her fists balled under her arms. “I made sure that dusty, old fuck, Wade Morrow knows he messed with the right ones on the wrong day today. He hurt our people,” she jabbed her finger into her chest. “On our side of the fence,” her eyes flitted to the barn where Colby and Teeter were being worked on, “and he most certainly knows better.” She pinned John with a look, speaking volumes about the brand she knew Wade carried.

Kayce's feet shuffled as he stood up straight, his voice quiet but no less tense. “Stella, tell us what you did. Stop dancin’ around it.”

John knew that if they kept pushing her like they were, the conversation wasn’t going to yield the results they wanted it to. He swallowed roughly, nervous about what Stella might have actually done. He fought back and forth with the feeling of pride and frustration. She was doing exactly what he wanted her to, but not going about it the way he would have preferred. “What exactly happened? I need to know so we know what kind of mess we have to clean up.” He proceeded to scold her gently, “this is why we don’t go off half-cocked. If you’re not careful, that fire you’ve got right now? Will burn outta control.”

A hush fell over the small group as they all waited for her to defend herself. She wasn’t exactly sure where the bravado was coming from, but she wasn’t going to stop the ball from rolling now. “You wanna know what I did, John? I didn’t waste time getting to Wade’s.” She looked at her brother, “which coming here for one of y’all and then doubling back would have taken too long.”

Ryan rolled his eyes at her.

She focused back on their boss. “When I got there, I happened to witness Roarke Morris finishing up a conversation with your old pal. He was instructing Wade to hit us where it hurts, to force us to retaliate. Inevitably giving Market Equities legal grounds to take ranch land from right out underneath our feet.” She scrutinized the small group, her shrug casual, almost dismissive.

John prompted her softly to continue, “and then?”

“I waited until ugly ass yoga boy left, and singed our brand into Wade’s front fuckin’ lawn.”

Rip’s eyes narrowed. “You did what now?”

Stella’s fingers twitched, and for a split second, she considered sugarcoating her answer. But there was no room for hesitation now. “I burned the ranch’s brand into his grass. Big and bold so he can’t forget. He tried to intimidate me. I shot off a round or two at him and told him next time I wouldn’t miss.” Her voice was steady, but her stomach churned, waiting for their reactions.

The fire in her eyes was the same one that had pulled Kayce in years ago, but now it burned hotter, wilder. He couldn't decide if he wanted to kiss her or shake her. Maybe both. The thought of losing her caused his voice to catch, “you could have gotten killed,” Kayce warned, knowing just the kind of man Wade Morrow was.

“I had it handled, Kayce.”

“You don’t just handle people like Wade, Stella.” Rip put his sunglasses on his hat and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What were you thinking? I know you’re smarter than that.”

“I was thinking,” she balled her fists at her sides. “I’m sick and tired of every other week there being a different threat because of greedy bastards like Dan, Malcolm, and now Market Equities wanting their slice of this place. Them thinkin’ they can walk all over us and we’ll just belly up to them, is over.”

Rip silently assessed the information being laid out. “We gotta be smart about retaliation. Every move, calculated. Controlled. When you race off without a word to anyone, how can we do that if we’re worried about saving your ass at the same time!” He squinted in thought. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I wasn’t sure how much input I could give. Lesson learned. So I’m doing it now.” She pushed herself off the wall, her voice rising with her agitation. She’d been feeling a lot more protective over everyone lately. Seeing her brother get shot, and Colby and Teeter hurt, something inside her snapped.

Her violent thoughts took her back. She’d never shied away from a fight before, but she typically would try to figure out the most non-lethal way to come to a resolution. When Colby told her it was Wade that did this, she’d made her mind up. These people weren’t getting away with this. Not anymore.

“We need to remind these motherfuckers who we are.” She paused to think if she was pushing too hard and too far. She shoved the thought aside. “Back in the day, not a single person would have messed with us like this.” She pushed up her glasses. “We can’t afford to be subtle or soft anymore, John. Not when they’re circling like great white sharks in a blood filled sea while we try to play the game diplomatically.”

Kayce clenched his hands into fists, stepping closer to Stella. While he understood her point, and agreed with the ones she made, seeing Stella going on the attack to his dad made the hair on his neck stand up.

The last time she did that, she ended up being branded. She’d asked for it intentionally, but it still didn’t calm his nerves. He knew his father better than anyone here. When someone got in John Dutton’s face, they weren’t standing for much longer. “Stella,” he started, knowing he needed to stop her trail of self-destruction.

Stella's hand flew up to stop him. “No, Kayce. I’m not finished yet.”

Her sharp voice made him pause. Kayce’s chest tightened, torn between pride at her resolve and fear of where this reckless streak might lead her — or them. She was fire incarnate, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to stoke it or snuff it out before it consumed them both.

“We need to be the sharks in the water. Not the other way around. Because one day they’ll wipe us all out while we’re trying to “gentle parent” our way out of the situation.” Stella crossed her arms, huffing. “You’re lucky I stopped myself from doing what I originally planned.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t because I know what this ranch means, and how far we’re willing to go to protect it.”

John held out his hand creating a cease fire. “What was your plan?”

The ghost of that unholy grin crept across her face. It shot a wave of uncertainty up the spines of the men before her. “I was gonna shoot them where they stood. Put their bodies on Market Equities’ doorstep as a warning.” She pulled down her hoodie. “I’ll do it every time. And the next time I won’t stop myself.” She hoped they took her words as a promise, not a threat.

The silence that fell over the group was deafening. John studied the woman he’d watched grow up. The points she brought up were all very good ones. His chest swelled with pride at her improvement in making an argument and keeping it solid. Also with her use of the small sliver of self control she had left.

It wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for her to be a little feral. Dare he say it, unhinged. Stella always had the tiniest flame that flickered just beneath the surface. In his opinion, it was one of the reasons Kayce was drawn to her back when they were kids. With his youngest, it was like Kayce had been raised by wolves, more often than not. So it made sense to John that Kayce and Stella were the same person, just in different bodies.

John thought carefully about his next words. He wasn’t worried about her not listening, or throwing a fit. He didn’t want to be responsible for giving her the grounds to spiral further. He could plainly see that Stella was evolving. Becoming just a bit more ruthless. He wanted to make sure they all guided it in the right direction.

His lips pursed and he pointed at her. He watched as her shoulders squared, ready for him to rip into her. “You’re right. Wade knows better than to pull a stunt like that, but so do you.”

Stella’s heart pounded in her chest. She hadn’t expected an agreement. She had been prepared for an even larger argument to ensue with her aggressiveness. Her anger wavered for a moment, face softening, feeling like a kid again finally being told by an adult they’re proud of you.

John’s look hardened, but his eyes softened at her. “That piece of shit is a bully and a coward, but he ain't stupid. His job ain't riding tourists by buffalo. Today,” he motioned at the ground, “is what he was hired to do. You’re right, Stella, we can't be soft anymore.”

Rip took up the conversation, giving her a second to come back from her shock. “What do you want us to do, sir?”

“We can’t call the sheriff,” Stella mentioned.

John shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “No, they've already thought about that and already have a reason or an excuse or an alibi.”

“We’ve gotta do something, John,” Stella grumbled.

“I have more reason than anyone to go after that piece of shit,” he fixed his gaze on Rip and Stella. “You two be smart about this.” He pleaded with his eyes at Stella. “You figure out a plan that works, and you take that trash to the fսcking train station.”

Rip and Stella nodded and accepted the job simultaneously. “Yes, sir.”

Stella looked at her brother and Kayce. “I'd be hard pressed to believe y’all ain’t in.”

Ryan shared a glance with Kayce and responded. “We’re in. All of us are.”

Stella tensed at the implications of her brother’s words. “Now hold on a minute. We gotta talk to the others because if they’re all in, they’ll need a brand. And the brand ain’t for everyone. Defending our own or not.”

“She’s right.” John intervened. “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it right. Not half-assed. Not alone either.” He glanced at Stella. “It’s time we push back.”

Kayce smiled internally when his father silently but strongly defended his girlfriend. He thought just maybe they could steer her in the right direction and make this work. He watched Stella and realized, if she was riding into battle, he’d follow right beside her. Relief blanketed him knowing she’d have him in her corner. Knowing that he and Stella were one hell of a team gave him a sense of peace.

“Alright,” Rip tapped Stella on the elbow. “Let’s get this show on the road,” and the group started to walk off, but John’s voice stopped them.

“Hey.” They spun to face him like soldiers awaiting orders. He looked at the men of the group that surrounded Stella in a protective circle, his tone authoritative. “You three work with her on this and iron out the details. Don’t do it angry. Run it past me before you make a move,” he gave Stella a pointed look, then looked at Rip. “That son of a bitch has something that belongs to me and I want it back. Make sure this doesn’t come back on us.”

“Yessir.”

“Oh and Stella?”

Stella’s feet halted and she looked at him over her shoulder. She could see Ryan in the way John looked at her, and she softened.

“Control it,” John said, his tone sharp but not unkind. “Or it’ll control you.” Stella nodded, the words cutting through her anger like a cold wind. She understood the warning — she just wasn’t sure if she could heed it.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 11: Blood in the Water

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, injuries, technically arson, gun, gun fire, Stella’s attitude throwing Colby and even me for a loop

* Word count: 2,992ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I’m so stoked for this chapter and the next. Stella is on a different level now. Not sure what snapped, but something did and it’s about to get real. I hope everyone loves this chapter as well!

Stella and Abigail found Colby at the bottom of the hill – shirtless, wet, and shivering in the frigid Montana night air. Without hesitation, she yanked off her dark green Carhartt and draped it over his shoulders. The jacket was a bit too snug, but it was enough to keep him warm. “Put this on, Colby.”

Colby shoved his shaky hands at her in protest trying to keep her from giving up her jacket. “Stella, you’ll freeze,” his teeth chattered violently. “I’m fine. Help me find Teeter.”

“Shut the fuck up and take the damn jacket,” Stella’s voice cut through the silent night. “I’m doin’ much better than you. At least I’m dry.” Stella turned on her heel and stalked away from him before he could push her jacket back into her hands. Her boots crunched through the grass and she drew in a breath, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Teeter,” She yelled into the surrounding area, hoping that the woman would answer back. She could hear Colby behind her, desperately calling out for her too.

Stella used her flashlight to brighten the area ahead of her. She looked through the grass for any tracks or signs of where Teeter could have gone. There were some depressions near the edge of the water. The river rippled serenely, drastically opposing the frantic search for the pink haired wrangler. Because the terrain was bumpy and untouched down here, it was hard to tell what direction the depressions moved in. Stella couldn’t tell if the dips in the ground were just the terrain, or someone moving through the grass. ‘Should have paid more attention when the guys were trying to teach you how to hunt and track,’ she complained to herself.

She called out to Colby over her shoulder, “where was she?”

“We were in the river,” he replied, his voice shook. “After we got trampled, I don’t know.”

“Fuck,” Stella breathed out, her breath vaporizing in the air. The chill seeped into her arms through her hoodie as she scoured the area. A wave of guilt washed over her because she was the one that sent them out to work fences. Adrenaline coursed through her, blood pumping in her ears. She barely noticed the cracks of breaking twigs echoing around her — was it Teeter, or something else? 

A rustling in the darkness snapped them to attention. Stella gripped her flashlight tighter, and Colby instinctively edged closer, bracing for a wolf — or worse. Their hearts jumped into their throats. She quickly shined her light in the direction of the noise.

“Teeter,” Colby yelled.

“I’m here,” a small muffled reply drifted over to them.

Colby and Stella let out a collective breath they’d been holding. Colby froze, unable to react. A very naked Teeter worked on crawling out of the trees. Stella called him to action, “go get that blanket from the back of the gator!” Colby jolted to life and took off for the gator at the top of the hill.

Stella quickly helped her up, placing herself around Teeter’s trembling form to cover as much of her as she could. She didn’t want her to feel more vulnerable than she already was, and wanted to trade some of her body heat with the frozen woman.

A large gash on the side of her face made Stella wince. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Teet. What the hell happened?” From what Stella could see, there were a few more bruises and scrapes along her body, but the slash on her head was the worst physically. Stella knew Teeter was shaken up. She hadn’t planned on almost meeting death today when Stella sent them out.

Colby sprinted back up to them. He didn’t think through his words before telling Stella, “it was Wade and his son.” He worked on taking Teeter from Stella and wound her up in the blanket. “They said to give John a message and trampled us with their horses.” He grabbed at Teeter’s face, checking the wound on her head.

“Is it bad?” Teeter woefully asked Colby.

Stella’s jaw locked and she went silent as she watched the interaction in front of her. If it weren’t for the circumstances, she would have celebrated the apparent feelings between the two. “I’m gonna get the first aid kit.”

As calmly as she could, Stella made her way up to the side-by-side. They all knew Wade was trouble, but this just confirmed her suspicions. She remembered him working on the ranch, but leaving not long after she and Ryan came. At 14, she was more focused on learning the routine around the ranch than really paying attention to the people who came and went. She wasn’t entirely aware of the beef between Wade and John, but she knew it existed.

The Morrows came onto the Yellowstone’s land and hurt her friends. Retaliation already brewed in her mind. She ran through her options. She could waste time going back to the ranch with the couple, or she could take a page from Rip and Kayce’s book and go take care of the problem herself. Her breath came in shallow puffs the angrier she became.

The firm grasp she had on the first aid kit cut into her hand. Rip’s words from a few weeks ago when she was in charge of doing something equally choatic echoed in her head – ‘you’ve just gotta do it and ask for forgiveness later. You’re taking a stand and protecting what’s ours.’ Stella knew that the bunkhouse would retaliate, but that wasn’t quick enough justice for her. She’d leave a message Wade couldn’t ignore, forcing him to confront them on their terms.

With her mind made up, she hopped in the side-by-side and plopped the kit in her lap, turning the engine over. She drove down the hill and got as close to Teeter and Colby as she could. Climbing out, she spotted Colby and Teeter kissing. The illogical side of her mind squealed with delight. Stella had been silently cheering for Teeter to lock Colby down. This hadn’t been the way she thought that would happen, but she was happy regardless. She spotted Abigail not far off keeping a watchful eye on everything occurring.

Wordlessly, Stella handed the kit over to Colby. He knew how to clean someone up quickly, and good enough until they could get the proper care. He helped Teeter sit down on the gator and started patching her up.

Stella’s body went rigid, the anger radiating off her like a simmering storm. “Once you clean her up, you good to get her back home?”

Colby glanced up at her quickly and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He looked uncertain. “You’ll be right behind us, right?”

“Somthin’ like that. Gotta take care of somethin’ first.”

He started to interrupt Stella, “I understand you’re angry, we all are, but don’t go doin’ anything crazy yet.”

Stella held her hand up stopping his arguments. “Get her to the vet, Colby,” her tone of her voice was thick with something Colby was frightened by. He’d never heard that tone from her before.

She let out a sharp whistle for Abigail, prompting the mare to trot her way over. “I’ll be behind y’all soon.” She grabbed the bottom of Abigail’s mane and swung herself up into the saddle. “Get her home Colby,” she ordered one last time and took off. Colby’s mouth hung open as he and Teeter watched Stella gallop off into the darkness.

Stella knew that Wade’s current property was at the end of pasture four. She pushed Abigail to get there like her life depended on it. Buffalo flew by them on either side. She thanked the gods above that the buffalo were used to horses, otherwise she’d have more of a problem on her hands.

The closer she got to the end of the pasture, she could see the lights of the home dotting the horizon. She slowed Abigail down as she arrived at the fence line for their property. The house was about 250 yards from where she stood. She could see in the dim light of the evening that there was a fancy car sitting in front of Wade’s house. That piqued her interest.

She slid out of her saddle and grabbed Abigail’s reins, rubbing her hand along the mare’s wide shoulder. “Please stay right here. I’m about to do some dumb shit, and I don’t need you hurt. You’re my only ride back.” She gave Abigail’s shoulder a pat with a somber chuckle. The gravity of her anger and being by herself finally hit her. “If any buffalo come close, or get agitated, walk away. For the love of god, please don’t get an attitude with them,” she pleaded.

The mare blew out a dragon breath forcefully. She was not only trying to catch her breath from the harsh ride, but agreeing with her girl.

Stella unfastened her holster again, wanting to be prepared depending on how this went. She scanned the area and didn’t see anyone patrolling the area. She crouched and snuck up to a farm truck parked not far off from the house. Hearing the front door open, she ducked further against the truck, hiding the bottom half of her body behind the back tire.

A voice drifted out over the front yard, meeting Stella’s ears. If she didn’t know any better it was Roarke from Market Equities. “Now keep pushing until he does something else we can use in court.” He sounded annoyed.

Stella grinned darkly, “good,” she whispered. “I hope your ass is chapped.”

The proof that Wade was working for the company currently gunning for the Yellowstone land brought back the anger from earlier. The act of trampling her friends was the beginning of a plot to push them to do something drastic. It changed her plans of what she was originally going to do.

“I'm going to bring some more men on,” Wade told his apparent new boss. “I don't want a dozen of his wranglers dragging me through the sagebrush.”

Stella scoffed quietly, “that’s the least of your worries, my dude.”

“Bring on whoever you like, but somebody had better get drսg through the sagebrush. We can't sue for damages if there aren't any damages.”

Stella’s mouth dropped open. They wanted them to retaliate so they could legally force a take over of the land from the ranch. Everyone who wanted the ranch land needed to be reminded that the Yellowstone and it’s employees weren’t as soft as they assumed. Stella worked an idea over in her head. She needed to come up with something that would leave an impression, but not cause an immediate all out war.

Wade pushed back against Roarke, “you don't know John Dutton like I do.”

“That's why the job pays so well,” the evil businessman chuckled. “So keep poking him till that son of a bitch does something he can't take back.” He motioned to his security, “let's go.”

She waited patiently until she heard Roarke’s car pull off, and Wade close the door to his house. She glanced up at where she left Abigail, and spotted her waiting not from from where she originally stood. Her ears were perked up, observing the area around her, one eye always on Stella.

Stella would have liked to say she couldn’t believe these people, but over the last few years, she had learned differently. The lengths that some people would go to just to get a plot of land – rocks, dirt and trees – never failed to flabbergast her. No matter how many times she’d experienced it.

When the shadow from the porch light cut off, Stella stood stiffly from crouching for so long. Carefully she scanned the area, her head just peeking out over the bed of the truck. She wanted to be sure Wade or his son, Clint, weren’t still outside. When she was sure the coast was clear, she spotted a gas can in the bed of the truck. Her eyes lit up with a feral Kayce-like energy that spread through her whole body. Grabbing the gas can, she shook it to make sure there was some of the flammable fluid still in it. With the wild energy still vibrating through her, she darted out from around the truck.

She made her way back up to Abigail, who met her halfway, and grabbed her flint and steel out of her saddle bag. She hadn’t had to use it often, but it was handy to have. She dashed back to the front yard.

The swirling thoughts made her feel claustrophobic. She took a step back to think about what she was doing. If she actually wanted to go through with it. This would most likely set off a series of events that none of them could stop once it started.

She shrugged because knowing Wade, even the tiniest bit that she did, Stella was sure he would confront them first before making a complete scene with Market Equities.

Her first instinct had been to shoot them both on sight, but she knew the bunkhouse crew would want their share of retribution. This wasn’t just her fight — it was all of theirs.

Moving with deliberate, furious precision, Stella carved the rocking Y into Wade’s front yard, the gasoline glinting under the moonlight. They wanted a message? She would deliver it loud and clear. She was sick and tired of all of these greedy and duplicitous people walking all over them. That was a talk she was going to have with John when she got back to the ranch.

Bringing up her flint and steel, and struck the flint so hard sparks flew. The sparks ignited the fumes from the gasoline and the Y illuminated her face quickly. The fire was hotter on the scar that ran across her right eye and casted a dark shadow, but the flames reflected in her galsses making Stella look unholy. The crackling of the grass was almost satisfying as she watched the destruction.

Her voice roared out across the property. “Wade Morrow!” Stella waited a few moments before calling out again. She caught a glimpse of someone peeking out the side window next to the door. The person was Wade.

His eyes widened seeing the flames in his front yard. He and Clint rushed out onto the porch. He screamed at his son, “go get the fuckin’ hose!”

“What about her?!”

“I’ll take care of her! Get the fuckin’ hose so the whole place doesn’t go up in flames god damnit!” While Clint ran off for the water, Wade stomped down from the porch, his shadow flickering behind him in the firelight. Squinting through the flames, his leer twisted into something grotesque. “Little Stella? Well, haven’t you grown up somethin’ nice,” he drawled, the words dripping like rancid honey.

He observed the large rocking Y burning in his grass and Stella standing stoic behind the flames, her gun in her right hand. Sweat sprouted along his brow. Glancing around wildly he looked to see if she had anyone with her. He hadn’t been expecting them to find out this fast. Let alone send one of their own by themselves.

“Why’d they send you?” Wade sneered, his gruff laugh cutting through the crackling flames. “They must not care too much, sending a little girl with a gun and a grudge.” He paused, scanning her. “Figured John would send someone with more bite.”

Stella’s face darkened, but she didn’t rise to the bait.

Wade gestured to the burning Y scorched into his yard. “You think this scares me? You’re just collateral damage. John won’t even remember you and the ranch will move on.” The bellowing laugh he let out cut through her ears. “Are you the new attack pup?”

Stella’s short nails dug into the palm of her hand and her lips tightened against her teeth, but she forced herself to stay quiet against his goading. She wanted Wade to bury himself with information he shouldn’t share. An almost satanic smile spread across her lips.

When he saw the devilish line cut across her face, he started to rethink his arguments. He honestly didn’t know just how far Stella would go, given the fact that he didn’t see her after he left the ranch. Wade held out his hands in a defensive posture, “now hold on a minute. Wouldn’t want to do anything to give Market Equities the grounds to swoop in and grab that land from y’all, now would we? I have legal grounds as of right now to give them the “go ahead” to attack.”

Stella refused to let him try and intimidate her. “You wouldn’t dare go to them first. You wouldn’t wanna let them know how a little girl,” she sneered at the words, “snuck onto your property and lit your shit on fire.” She pointed an accusatory finger. “You’ll pay for your sins, Wade. Trust and fuckin’ believe. By the time we’re done with you, you’ll remember who the fuck you’re up against.”

“If you want war,” his voice dripped with venom, “you better be ready to fight like hell.”

“Ready or not, dickhead.” She pulled out her pistol, tired of hearing what he had to say, and fired off a round right past his head. “Next time, I won’t fuckin’ miss.” She let a few rounds off at the gas can as she ran backwards. The resounding explosion rattled in her ears and the force pushed her further up the hill.

She scrambled up onto Abigail as she heard Wade and Clint screaming behind her. A few stray bullets whizzed in her direction inaccurately. Her breath came in ragged gasps as adrenaline surged, but she forced herself to focus, guiding Abigail to safety. The chance of them actually hitting her in the dark, desparate and rushed, was slim to none. She knew she and Abigail had to get out of there fast so that once the fire was contained, they didn’t catch up to her.

Stella swung onto Abigail, her legs trembling as she kicked the mare into a gallop. She veered onto a rugged path between the properties, knowing Wade and Clint wouldn’t risk following—at least, not yet. She figured they were probably more concerned with their farm not burning down.

Stella pushed Abigail to keep herself sure footed on the rocky path. Both grunted every so often as they maneuvered around the different obstacles. Abigail could sense Stella’s sense of urgency. Her main focus was getting them back to familiar territory.

Stella’s heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest, every beat echoing in her ribs, with the weight of what she'd done. Blood was in the water, and she'd made the first cut.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 10: Run Devil Run

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: NSFW, unprotected sex (wrap it up y'all, but what's new for these two lol), p in v penetration, creampie (again, shocker lol), language

* Word count: 3,181ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I’m really loving writing these chapters of the last bit of season 3. Also, I have wanted to use this particular gif for so fuckin’ long lmao. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Kayce stepped out of the closet in the master bedroom. He snapped the pearl buttons on his denim shirt and called out for his son, who was visiting for the next couple days. “Tate? Let’s get down for breakfast.”

Stella meandered closer to the door while she slipped a t-shirt over her head. “Your son left with his grandfather before you woke up to see the cowhorse guys at the fairgrounds.”

“Cowhorse guys?” Kayce stepped back into the room and rolled his eyes. “Oh Jesus, that means he’s horse shopping.”

“Don’t worry,” Stella giggled, “I gave your father a list of what I want him to look for. Cause I’m still in charge of that too, by the way. So he’s technically not unsupervised.” She ran her fingers through her hair that she hadn’t gotten to put up yet. “If I didn’t know any better your dad was doing a soft launch of his retirement.”

She watched him as he snapped the buttons at the cuffs of his shirt and looked at her from under his lashes. She bit her lip at how attractive that small act seemed. The entire look he had going on today had her clenching around nothing below the belt. The quiet gravel in his voice, the full denim outfit, his hair mussed just right.

“My dad ain’t retired, Stella.”

She huffed and leaned a hip against the armchair in front of the fireplace, crossing her arms. “I know, but he spends almost every day with Tate, which, okay fine. I appreciate him putting in the effort to be a good grandfather to your son. But he galivants around all day with Tate, leaving us to pull 16-hour days doing our jobs, and his on top of it.” She shrugged, “and you end up doing both of his jobs. So all I’m saying is, I think he’s toying with the idea of retirement.”

Kayce scrunched up his face at her as she walked by to go to the closet. Something was off about her today. He wasn’t sure if it was that little girl from a week ago, or Hotshot giving her problems. But her attitude was throwing him for a loop. “So what are your plans today?”

Stella dug through the hanging shirts in the closet, looking for a specific green one. “Probably gonna work Hotshot some more. Or maybe do some chores around until your dad calls me about a horse.” She walked back into the room to throw on the green plaid button up and Kayce leaned on the archway. “Haven’t completely decided yet.”

She could feel Kayce’s gaze burning into her back. She turned to face him and her cheeks went pink while her heart sped up. There were devilish thoughts that she watched dancing across his face while he stared at her. She felt like she was the prey and he was the lion sizing her up, but in the most delicious way possible. “What,” she asked innocently.

His voice came out so low and gravelly it made goosebumps blossom along her skin. “Damn, you look good, sugar.” He stepped closer to her, which she tried to back up and fake like she was resisting the temptation. His hands snapped out and grabbed her waist, pulling her snugly against him.

Stella gasped when she connected with his hard chest. The lace of her bra scratched pleasantly across her nipples. With her mouth open, Kayce dove in. Without a second thought she gripped the hair on the back of his head and pulled him as close as she could get him.

His hips aligned with her thigh and she could feel his growing erection, tight inside the denim. “Fuck, Kayce,” she panted out against his lips. “I need you inside me,” she reached down and popped open the button of his jeans.

He gave her the little grin he knew she loved. “Don’t gotta ask me twice, sugar.” Kayce’s hand trailed from her waist, unfastening her jeans. He gently pushed her back until her knees hit the bed. Instead of letting her fall, he twisted her around and pulled her pants down to her knees in one fluid motion.

A little squeal slipped out of her at the quick motions as she tried to catch herself on her hands on the bed. Shuffling could be heard from behind her and her pussy clenched with anticipation. She felt like she couldn’t get any wetter. Kayce pushed his pants down just enough and slipped inside her. They both breathed heavily at the sensation.

With her legs not able to spread all the way, the fullness overwhelmed her to the point that her knees trembled. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ Kayce,” her hand slapped on the comforter and she dropped her head.

Kayce drew his hips back and snapped them forward abruptly. Stella let out a sinful moan that almost made him cum right then. He continued the motion at an irregular pace. Working toward the end goal of orgasm for the both of them. They both had places to be, so this was going to be quick, but he’d get her to that high if it was the last thing he did.

Stella dropped her top half to the mattress with a grumble, “don’t fuck with me, Kayce.”

“Oh?” He pulled out, making her groan at the loss. “I guess I’ll go to the fair grounds then.”

Stella shot up and reached around to grab his arm. “Don’t you dare!”

He grinned wide, and gently turned her around. “Lay back, I’m gonna pick your legs up.”

Stella bit her lip as Kayce manhandled her legs, pants still attached, up and over his left shoulder. He slid home, sighing lewdly. His hips snapped to meet hers forcefully. The moans and sighs he pulled out of her made him want to whimper with carnal need. The desperation of need in the both of them made his hips wildly slam into her slick pussy.

“My god,” Kayce panted, “you look so good taking me.” He felt her clench around his cock and he chuckled.

“Baby,” Stella moaned while tossing her head back, giving his hips a second wind, “please please please,” she begged.

“Where?”

Stella’s focus snapped to his face. Dewy with sweat, concentration fading as he got closer to his release. “In,” she was breathless at the pace he chose.

Primal need took over Kayce’s brain at her request. He crested over the hill of his orgasm and shot his release inside her, moaning her name. She fell off the precipice not far behind him when she felt him fill up her waiting cunt.

Kayce leaned forward against her legs, using the angle to help keep him upright while he caught his breath. Stella reached forward to grasp his arm. “Hey,” she whispered. “You good,” she asked, enjoying the full feeling of him still seated in her.

“Yeah.” He pulled out much to her dismay. “Let me go get something to clean you up.”

Once they were both redressed, Kayce sat on the bed and watched Stella as she fluttered around the room. She rushed to finish getting ready in her post sex daze. While her movements were hurried, it was almost like she was in slow motion. She was home to him. Gentle but firm, peaceful but equally chaotic. The lighthouse on the coast that called him back to shore. Steady hearted. Sure footed. His chest swelled with affection. “God I love you, you know that?”

Stella stopped moving, looking over at him. The post-coital flush on her cheeks ramped up again from the look he was giving her. It was a look of complete adoration that almost knocked her off her feet. “I love you too,” she whispered with a small smile. “And as much as I would love a repeat, we’ve both got responsibilities to get to.” She took a few steps closer to him and held out her hand.

He grasped her fingers in his. He had a thought to pull her down to him, but changed his mind. He stood while complaining, “yeah, but we kinda make the rules for our schedules now.”

She chuckled, “mmhmm, we do. But that doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it.” She put a hand on his chest, leaning up and placed a light kiss on his lips. “Now, c’mon cowboy. Go save your father’s wallet from himself and keep him on track with my list.” Stella watched him walk toward the door, but called out to him. “Kayce.”

He stopped and looked back at her. “Yeah?”

Stella gave him her trademark lopsided grin and shrugged. “Nothin’. I just wanted to look at you before you walked away.” Kayce’s movement stilled. At her use of his own words on him a flicker of something soft, only for her, colored his gaze. He gave her a sideways grin and made his way downstairs.

Stella gazed out the window for a few minutes after Kayce left, feeling the responsibility weighing on her shoulders. ‘Better get it done and over with.’

It had been a few hours as Stella drifted around the ranch getting chores out of the way that she'd been ignoring for far too long. Rip had insisted she take the day off after being told about the incident with Kayce and Ryan. John’s voice after a particularly rough session with Lee and an angry gelding echoed in her mind: ranch work didn’t stop just because you had a bad day. His words had never rang truer than now. Which was the perfect excuse to show her Abigail girl some tender love and care.

Since Rip was away at the fairgrounds helping keep John in line with her list, it was Lloyd and her in charge since Ryan was laid up for a few days. They’d sent Colby and Teeter off to fix some more fence lines they hadn’t gotten to yet. With those two gone, it was just Lloyd and Stella moseying around the barn. Jake and Ethan were off doing their own thing. It was the time of year that they could get away with having a little extra free time.

The brush she held in her hand slid along Abigail’s spine, swiping the last bit of dust off her coat. Stella blew out a breath trying to keep the cloud she’d just brushed off Abigail from going in her mouth. She placed the brush into her grooming bucket and grabbed the show sheen to spray Abigail’s coat down making her the cleanest mare on the ranch. She enjoyed little moments like this because it didn’t feel like the world was out to get the ranch and everyone that resided here.

Lloyd wandered into the barn and poked his head into Abigail’s stall as Stella finished up. “Well if she ain’t the prettiest roan I’ve ever seen, I dunno who is.” He smiled affectionately at Stella. He watched as she finished up making sure she didn’t miss any spots on the mare. A swell of pride overtook him as he observed her.

She’d been through hell, more than most her age should have to deal with, in his opinion. But somehow she still managed to keep her head up. He could see it in the way she threw herself into the work, not letting any issues stop her. The way she made sure everyone else was alright, when she had every excuse to quit. He knew under Rip and Kayce’s careful eyes, she would do just fine.

“How ya holdin’ up from last week?”

She dropped the show sheen bottle into the bucket. “I think I’m alright. That bastard stole our cows and calves and shot my brother,” she wiped her hands on her jeans feeling the anger roll through her. Sadness quickly took its place when she thought of the little girl. “I do wish the little girl hadn’t been there though.” She cleared her throat. “If I have any guilt, it would be that.”

“Aw, Lil’ Bit. You can’t blame yourself for that. You didn’t know.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make it any better, Lloyd.” The little girl’s scream pierced her ears, and the image of her standing over her father burned a hole in her mind as her stomach turned. Lloyd reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“She’s gonna remember that for her whole life. And I’m a part of that.” She fixed her glasses with a sniff. “I still remember when I found my dad like it was yesterday, you know.” Her hand raised and she chewed the skin on the side of her thumb.

The small motion reminded Lloyd of Stella at 15 when she confided in him for the first time about finding her dad dead on the floor of his apartment when she was 11. He grimaced as the memory smacked into him. Stella had been acting out and reckless, and Ryan couldn’t get to the bottom of it with his lack of experience at 19. He came to Lloyd and asked him for help finding out what the problem was. When she explained to him everything going on in her mind, it had been just after a grizzly tried to eat her and Kayce saved her from it.

Stella opened her arms and invited Lloyd into an embrace. She needed a hug. Lloyd pulled her in and held her close. It wasn’t often she reached out for comfort outside of her brother or Kayce, but when she did he knew not to turn her down. He gently rubbed up and down her back. “Life ain’t fair, Lil’ Bit. You can’t carry around the weight of someone else’s sins like your own. It’ll crush you eventually.”

She exhaled deeply, trying to make herself believe his words. She whispered, “yeah, workin’ on it,” as she pulled back. Flattening the hair on her head, she brought her focus back to the present. Worrying about that little girl’s new path in life wasn’t gonna do her any good. It felt harsh to think, but Lloyd was right. She couldn’t carry that. Taking a steadying breath, she frowned seeing the sun dip lower towards the horizon.

She took out her phone to check the time, she found it had been quite some time since Colby and Teeter had wandered off. It had been long enough for Teeter to corner Colby, breaking down his resolve. Stella grinned despite the heavy weight on her mind. Teeter wanted Colby like bees loved honey. Stella loved that woman and her tenacity. She was glad they chose her.

Her chest tightened with the need to move. She couldn’t be still and wait for Kayce to get home. Ryan had always said to her, when in doubt, ride it out. That mantra followed her all the time, and today it seemed it was more than necessary to follow. “I think I’m gonna saddle up and go check on Colby and Teeter,” she chuckled, “more like rescue Colby from Teeter.

Lloyd smiled at her shift in mood. “The ride’ll probably do you good. Go keep those cowboys in line, ya hear me? Make sure Colby doesn’t give you any lip.”

Stella made quick work of getting Abigail saddled and ready to go. With the possibility of being out after the sun fell behind the mountains, she made sure she had her pistol, an extra clip, a flashlight and a few extra batteries. She’d be damned if she’d get caught without them. She was sure everything would be fine, but the wildlife in Montana didn’t care if she was just out there to find her friends.

She cursed herself for sending them out so far. It may have only been to pasture four, but it was about a 45 minute ride on Abigail. There was plenty of flat land to open up the mare’s speed, helping kill some time, but the sun had fallen behind the mountains at this point. As Stella got closer to where she thought the pair should be, the tree cover thickened. She found the side-by-side, but not a single sign of Colby or Teeter.

In the dark, her eyes widened to help her see better. Her skin began to crawl at the implications the deserted gator had. The chilly night air blew across her face, making her shiver. Stella stopped Abigail’s walk to listen for any sign of her friends. The only sounds that met her ears were Abigail breathing, and the wind moving through the high grass and the combination of Englemann Spruce and Douglas Fir trees that dotted the landscape of pasture four.

Monitoring Abigail’s body language closely, Stella slid off the safety of her saddle. The large mare kept her ears perked, twitching them in multiple directions. Stella ran a hand along Abigail’s wide shoulder, her muscles flexing in anticipation when she shifted back and forth on her hooves. “Whoa, girl,” Stella whispered. She grabbed the reins and brought Abigail with her. “Let’s check over here.”

Stella reached to her holster on her hip, unsnapping the button that kept it secured. She crunched as quietly as she could through the grass over to the gator. The doors were closed and it was shut off, but the keys were still in the ignition. The more details she found, the less she liked the situation.

The thought of breaking the silence of the wilderness made her cringe, but she needed a heading to find her friends. “Colby! Teeter!” She paused and listened for anything that could be a sign of them.

A silence splitting splash at the bottom of the hill to her right caught Stella’s focus. She draped her reins across Abigail’s thick neck — knowing the mare would follow her — and drew her weapon. The deadly click of the safety signifying she was ready to defend herself. Abigail listened to their surroundings for a brief moment longer, her ears at attention down the hill. She snorted noisily, scenting the air. She could sense Stella’s unease and fell into line behind her.

Stella grabbed her flashlight holding it in one hand and aimed her pistol with the other, just like Ryan had taught her many years prior. Walking to the top of the hill, she stopped and gazed down, trying to see through the thick trees. Stella squared her shoulders and called out again, but down where the sound had come from this time. “Colby! Teeter!”

A muffled voice responded in question. “Stella? Down here!”

She felt her heart lift hearing his voice. He was okay and that’s what mattered. “Colby!”

“I can’t find Teeter!”

Stella’s stomach did a somersault when she heard the desperation in his tone. Something bad had happened. She holstered her weapon quickly, and left Abigail standing ground tied. She darted down the hill toward his voice as fast as her legs would allow.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she made her way to the bottom. If Colby couldn’t find Teeter, Stella worried that it was worse than she thought.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 9: The Fault Line

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, violence, brief mention of death, shoot out, vomiting

* Word count: 3,276ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. There were all kinds of interesting little nuggets of gold throughout the chapter. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Stella waded through the tall grass along the roadside. The few crickets that were left this late in the season, filled the empty silence along with the crunching grass. Glancing around, she took in just how desolate it was on this road. Her anger slowly ebbed. She didn’t want to go into this with a chapped ass mindset.

She peeked through the trees, trying to get a glimpse of the house sitting back further in the wooded plot of land. It looked dark inside, without any movement. What she could see of the surrounding yard didn’t appear to have anyone moving either. If it wasn’t for the car sitting near the trailer, she would think no one was home. ‘What if no one is home,’ she questioned herself.

With a shake of her head she brought herself back to the task at hand. She couldn’t think like that because then she could get sloppy and cause an accident. Second guessing herself, she looked over to Ryan and asked for clarification. “So we’re just apprehending him, right?”

He nodded and gave her reassurance softly, “that’s the plan.”

“Kayce,” Stella paused to see if he would acknowledge her. He did, but barely. She groaned and reached out to grab him. “Hey.”

“What, Stella?” His eyes were hard and cold, signaling he was in “work” mode.

“What exactly is the plan before we get in there?”

“Like I said, stay behind me and Ryan and listen to everything we tell you.” He continued his track toward the house, causing her arm to slip off his forearm.

Stella readjusted her glasses, taking a moment to calm herself. The spite could wait until later when she and Kayce could duke it out under the sheets. Annoyed as she was, the authoritative vibe he carried right now had her heart racing.

She glanced back at the house. The pin-pricks of uncertainty reached up her spine, contracting across her shoulders. “Somethin’ doesn’t feel right.” She took a deep breath. “It’s almost too quiet.” As they rounded the corner of the driveway, she pulled the heavy steel from its holster on her hip. The deadly snip of the safety clicked into the off slot, effectively turning off the nerves off in her mind.

Kayce took point, bent at the knees, and stone-faced. As quiet as snow fall, he broke off and to the right to get a better view of the house. Ryan trailed behind him, a small group of cattle catching his attention.

Kayce took a spare second to watch as Stella brought up the rear to his left. The attentiveness on her face allowed his heart to settle.

Ryan whistled from behind him, nodding his head toward cattle that were in a makeshift panel fence paddock. They ambled about, lowing and grunting every so often. “See the brands?”

“I did.”

Ryan crept up past Kayce, placing himself against the wall between Stella and the stairs. “Stay behind me,” he directed her over his shoulder.

Kayce’s boots stomped up the steps of the small deck attached to the trailer. He forcibly knocked on the door. “Livestock Officer, open up,” his voice was thick with authority, unconsciously making Stella’s heart rate speed up and her skin tingle. He tried again with a little more bass in his voice. “Open the door.”

The sound of footsteps trodding through the mobile home alerted him to someone running through the house. Quickly, Kayce and Stella’s heads snapped up to the windows to detect the movement.

Kayce bent at the knees again and doled out quick directions as he jumped back down the stairs. “Watch the front,” he told Ryan. “Stella, meet me around back.”

He watched Stella start to back up to wrap around the back of the home to meet him. In his peripheral he saw Ryan suck himself up against the wall. Which in any normal situation would have been correct, but hearing the direction of the person running inside made Kayce’s hands tingle in anticipation. “Off the wall,” he hissed.

Ryan squinted. “What?” He whisper-yelled back.

Stella caught a flash of metal through the window. Her eyes widened when she heard the rifle cock again. She shouted in a harsh whisper at her brother through her teeth, “turn your chest to the fuckin’ wall!”

Ryan immediately spun on his feet to face the wall at his sister’s urgency. A load of buckshot blasted through the wall. Stella and Kayce didn’t think twice, unloading a few rounds where they thought the offender might be.

Stella watched her brother scream and drop to the ground, laying flat on his back. Her attention wasn’t on him for long when another shot shattered through the window near her head. She ducked as fast as she could, but a couple of the grains clipped her hat. “Fuck,” she exclaimed.

Kayce’s heart dropped as he heard her cry out. His eyes wild as he assessed the situation efficiently. He yelled out to her, “you good?!”

“Yeah!” When he heard her response he took off around the house following the footsteps. Stella checked looked at her brother, and he was still writhing around on the ground and groaning. She said a silent prayer that he would wait to do anything dramatic and darted off after Kayce around the house.

She skidded around the corner and dodged gunfire through the walls of the house left and right. The reverberation of the shots rattled her ribs. Stella and Kayce’s movements synced together like practiced choreography. Their weapons raised with lethal accuracy and let loose a flurry of bullets at the man as he ran out of the front door on the attack.

The shots stopped and everything went quiet in the yard except for Stella panting and Ryan groaning behind them. The percussive sound from the gunfire rang in her ears. Stella holstered her pistol, hands trembling. She shared a quick nod with Kayce and bolted over to Ryan to help him turn over.

“You gonna live?” Stella pushed Ryan onto his side and yanked at his vest. She needed to make sure he wasn’t hit. Ryan gasped at the release of pressure from his vest. “That's why I told you to turn your chest to the wall. If he would've hit you in the side, we'd be scooping you into a body bag with a shovel and I’d be out a brother.” She got him turned on his side. “You’re not bleeding, so that’s a plus.” She sighed in relief when her hands came back from their investigation clean.

“That's pretty fucking descriptive,” her older brother groaned as she flipped him over like a pancake. He crawled to his knees.

“Can you get up? I don't’ think we’re done.”

“Stella!” Kayces voice called out for her.

Ryan nodded and wheezed. “Yeah.”

Stella bounded back to Kayce’s location. He met her halfway and grabbed her arms, immediately looking her over. “Are you okay? Let me see you.”

“Yeah, I’m fine Kace. Get the medics out here for Ryan though. He’s gonna live, but he’ll be sore for a few days.”

Kayce lifted his radio closer to his mouth. “Dispatch, this is one-one-zero, Code 3. Officer down, multiple GSW. Send EMS and all available units to my 20.”

The dispatcher gave a muffled answer over the radio. “Copy one-one-zero.”

Kayce spotted the nicks in the bill of her hat and reached out to make sure her forehead was unscathed. “You sure you’re okay?”

The mumur of the dispatcher interrupted. “Please advise if your 20 has changed.”

Kayce fixed his eyes on her, and Stella’s mouth went dry as the Sahara desert. He responded briefly to dispatch, “20 is the same.” She never broke the eye contact, but gave him a sideways grin that made his heart constrict.

“I’m good. I got this.” Stella stretched her shoulders, but her head snapped to the house as a high pitched scream echoed out from the front room.

She and Kayce ran to the door, and their hearts stop at the sight of a little girl – who couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old – staring at her deceased father at the top of the steps.

Kayce’s head dropped as he leaned on the door frame. He was devastated she had to bear witness to her father’s demise. Stella covered her mouth as her stomach rolled, transported back to when she found her own father on the floor of his small apartment.

She ran off the porch. Bracing herself on her knees, she retched out what little contents she had in her stomach. The sour smell of the vomit that splashed against the dirt at her feet made her stomach do a somersault. She spit out anything remaining in her mouth and wiped her lips on the back of her fist. Her blood pressure spiked, causing her to feel like she was roasting alive in the borrowed vest from Ryan. She scrambled to get the velcro undone. She needed out of the confining clothing.

As Stella dropped the vest on the ground, she breathed in through her nose and out of her mouth; grappling with the fact that she helped end the life of that little girl’s — seemingly only — livelihood. “Shit,” she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Ryan limped his way over to Stella and placed a hand on her back. He rubbed back and forth between her shoulders while she caught her breath. “Hey, Kace and I can take it from here. Why don’t you go home and rest?”

Slowly, she stood up straight. “Shouldn’t I be here for any type of questioning?”

Ryan shook his head, “no you probably shouldn’t. You shouldn’t have been here in the first place.”

Stella looked at Kayce standing helpless in the doorway, and then stared back at her brother. “You’re probably right,” her voice crackled from her previous disposition. “I’m gonna go make sure he’ll be okay without me here.”

Kayce eyed her as she wandered up to him. “You alright?”

Stella nodded solemnly, gazing up at Kayce on the porch, “yeah. But will she be?”

“I hope so.”

“You need me here, or should I head home to stay out of astronomical trouble?”

“I’ve got guys on the way, so we’ll have enough hands here to take care of things.” He slowly trekked down the steps, holding his arms out to her. She returned the favor and melted into his embrace. “You get yourself cleaned up, and I’ll be home soon.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Stella gazed up at him. “And don’t try to lie to me either.”

“Yeah, sugar. I’ll be fine. Nothin’ I haven’t dealt with before,” he looked past her. “Unfortunately.”

Stella gave his ribs a squeeze. He looked like he wanted to lean down and kiss her, but they both thought better of it at the moment. “I love you,” she patted his chest softly. “I’ll see you at home.”

It was dark by the time Stella made it back to the Yellowstone. Pulling up to the big house, as she affectionately called it, she huffed out a breath she didn’t quite realize she’d been holding. Her hands remained wrapped tightly on the steering wheel as her SUV rumbled softly beneath her. The car wasn’t even in park yet. Nausea still rolled through her every time she thought about the scream from that little girl. She rubbed her stomach softly, trying to soothe the nausea away.

She forced herself back to the present and noticed that the lights were still on in the living room. It wasn’t terribly late, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for John to still be wandering around before heading down to the old trapper cabin for the night.

With a groan, she convinced herself to get out of the car and head up the steps into the house. Inside was warm and cozy compared to the chill that had set in for the evening outside. Taking her hat and coat off, she hung them by the door. She stepped forward, dragging her feet into the rest of the house. She heard raised voices coming from the living room. Frowning, she redid a quick bun at the base of her neck and paused her steps.

“Did you know him?” It was Jamie’s voice that echoed out into the side hall.

“Yeah, I knew him.” Stella recognized the patriarch’s gravelly voice. “And when he married the woman who gave birth to you, we all begged her not to do it because we knew. But I guess she thought she could save him.”

Stella blanched and her mouth dropped open partially at the implication that Jamie wasn’t a Dutton by blood. There was no way that anyone else knew this because there would have been emotional explosions from every direction. Kayce would have most definitely mentioned it to her at some point, or at the very least the family would have said something in passing if it was common knowledge.

There was a soft scoff that came from John. “Why she wanted to bother in the first place, I don't know.” Stella assumed the groan that emanated from him was from him sitting down. “I don't know how to explain the chemistry of attraction. The thing that drives us to do the very thing that will kill us. I can't explain it to you, because I don't understand it myself.”

Stella knew she should walk away, but her feet were cemented to the floor. This was earth shattering news, if she understood it correctly. A memory of getting stuck in this same exact position two years ago smacked into her. As much as it made her skin crawl, she couldn’t get her feet to move.

“But you are in a unique position, Jamie. Pretty much everyone at one point or another, whether just mad or curious, wonders what life would be like with different parents. You actually have the opportunity to choose.” Stella’s jaw was almost on the floor. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You're a resourceful man, son. So, if he's still alive, I'm sure you can find him. And you can look into his black fսcking heart. His rotten,” John cut himself off. Stella knew he did it because there was no point in trying to sway Jamie’s decision. He would make his own mind up. “You can look into his eyes, Jamie, and you get to choose. You can choose who you call father.” John sighed heavily. “Goddamn, I'm tired.”

Stella sputtered to life, rushing to the kitchen to grab a drink before heading up to bed. Shaking her hands she released the weird vibe that she just walked through. She focused on the fridge and the inevitable water bottle that she would bring up to bed with her. Fatigue from the day caught up with her in that moment. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

She reached into the fridge and grabbed the cold bottle. When she stood up straight, she almost screamed, finding John leaning against the counter with his arms and ankles crossed. With a hand on her chest, she chuckled breathlessly, “Jesus Christ, John, gonna have to get you a bell,” she joked.

“The same could be said for you.”

Her shoulders dropped while she rolled her eyes. “Why’s that?”

“What’d you hear?”

“Enough while I made my way to the kitchen,” she replied flatly. “Listen,” Stella huffed. “It’s none of my business and I don’t particularly care one way or the other.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “I just wanted to get water and go shower while I wait for Kayce to get home. It’s been a really long day.”

John observed Stella closely. She wasn’t nervous or guilty like she had been two years ago. And she certainly wasn’t lying to his face. The self-assured air she carried silently impressed him. At this point he knew she could be trusted with the information she had overheard. He wanted to make sure she didn’t tell Kayce until the time was right though. “Can you keep it to yourself until I say otherwise?”

Cracking open the water, she took a sip to think of her answer. There was no doubt in her mind that she could keep it a secret. There were many things she’d overheard here that had never seen the light of day from her mouth. Was she willing to keep it from Kayce? That was where she teetered of the fence of indecision. She knew that’s what John was asking. Telling Kayce would most likely cause a small ruckus, but not telling him made her feel dirty and deceitful. Especially when she promised to communicate with him. She was sure there was a way she could tell Kayce and have him keep it to himself for a short time. Kayce was usually good about taking a while to think about something. What John didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him in this case. “Sure,” she gave a small shrug.

Her eyelids looked heavy to John, like she was fighting to keep them open. She appeared to be carrying much more than the day with her, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He watched her drive off after she’d gotten back from Hamilton with Rip. He surmised that was why her day was long. “Are you feeling okay? What happened when you left for the second time?”

Stella hadn’t anticipated this portion of the interrogation. “I just helped Kayce and Ryan out with something they needed Rip for, but he was busy after we got back.” She cleared her throat, “so I went instead. And it was a lot.”

“What happened?”

“Some cattle and calves got stolen, they needed an extra hand to apprehend the guy, so I helped.”

John scrunched his eyebrows together, “you know you –,” he would have finished but Stella interrupted him.

“– legally shouldn’t have done that because I exist on paper where Rip doesn’t,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I already got an earful from your son, but I helped and here we are.” She shrugged again, “I had a vest and a plan. I wasn’t unprepared.”

“You and that son of mine,” John laughed softly. “Hardheaded, stubborn, and made for each other. You know that?”

Stella gave him a lopsided grin, feeling the tension of the previous conversation pass. “I’m glad you see it my way, sir.”

John reached out and patted her shoulder. “Alright, kid. I’m turning in for the night. You get some rest, and I’m gonna need you to start working on that failed sell attempt tomorrow.”

“Oh! I actually wanted to bring something up to you about that.”

“The floor is yours, Stella.”

“Since we’re trying to keep Jimmy from killing himself in rodeo, can I have him help me with Hotshot?” When John didn’t say anything, she continued to explain her thought process behind the idea. “It’s a win-win because he gets the feel of the rodeo, but a little less dangerous. It’ll free up my hands some, and he gets to learn. When he’s been with Kayce and I, he’s good with them if you coach him a little bit. I’m gonna talk to Rip and Kayce about it too, but I figured your input should be asked.”

John crossed his arms again, mulling over her thought process. He appreciated that she was willing to delegate the workload, but also keep some for herself on top of everything else she now had on her plate. She seemed to be falling into her new role almost seamlessly.

To Stella, John not immediately shooting down the idea and actually taking a minute to think over it meant she must be doing something right in his eyes. She could see his confidence in her building. He nodded slowly, “I think it’s got the possibility to be a smart idea. I say do it and see how he does.”

Stella squealed with delight, her arms instantly wrapping around John. “Thank you!”

John froze, not accustomed to this level of physicality from Stella. He responded with a quick squeeze before he backed up with a gentle smile. “You’re welcome. Now can I go to bed?”

Stella giggled, “yeah. I’ll get started with Hotshot tomorrow, and hopefully Jimmy will join me.”

After showering and lying down, Stella fell asleep hard. She had been more exhausted than she thought. She didn’t even wake up when Kayce came into the room and sat down on the bed beside her. The only thing that brought her to consciousness was Kayce’s lips finding her forehead with a soft kiss.

Stella stretched her limbs with a groan. “Hey baby,” she mumbled sleepily, her natural drawl peeking through.

Kayce smiled affectionately at her and brushed some of her hair out of her face. “I’m gonna get ready for bed and I’ll be right back, okay?” Stella nodded, already drifting off into slumber once again. The talk about Jimmy could happen in the morning.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Especially on that day! 🤣🤣🤣 he was big mad lmaooo

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 8: Danger Angel

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, mild violence, mentions of memories of a sexual encounter, Spiteful Stella ™️

* Word count: 3,441ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and getting to see things from a different angle. I hope everyone is loving it so far still! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Kayce’s mind raced as he left his new office as Livestock Commissioner in Town Hall. A memory of Stella this morning made a small grin creep across his cheeks as he remembered her completely lost underneath him – her dark brown hair splayed across the mattress, the relaxed sighs he pulled from her echoing through his head. He cleared his throat to force himself to focus. The gravity of the call he received a few minutes ago weighed heavy on him, helping to ground him in the present.

Ethan and Jake had been out on rounds checking fence lines in the lower pastures that were closest to the road. Jake called Kayce and told him that one of the fences was busted and their cows and calves were missing. Making sure to mention there were signs of someone being inside their property line. The call hit like a punch to the gut. ‘No sign of the cows and calves,’ Jake had said. ‘If there weren’t tire tracks in the grass, I'd have thought aliens took ‘em.’

A fire burned under Kayce to figure out what happened, and find the cattle before they could be sold off. Otherwise, it would hurt their profit margin, or worse, threaten everything they fought for every day.

It also brought up the question of who was it? Rustlers? Wade Morrow? Someone else working for Market Equities? Regardless of who, all of those options could be dangerous for them. He didn’t trust anyone who snuck onto the ranch’s land now after Tate and Stella at the end of last year.

The vision of Stella bloodied, passed out against a tree, and his son nowhere in sight made his chest tighten. Tate’s screams when they found him in that bathroom in the house at the base of the Crazies, made his stomach turn sour.

Stella’s warning from the night she was followed echoed in his mind. “How can you be sure? There’s so many places people can sneak onto the property and we all would be none the wiser.” He clenched his fists tightly and thought that he couldn’t let something like that happen again.

Kayce cursed to himself, making his way down the inner office corridor to get Ryan and Handon so they could go assess the situation. As he rounded the corner, he spotted Ryan marching toward him. “You’re just like Stella, you know,” he muttered to his sister’s boyfriend. “Always showing up when I’m looking for you.” Kayce smirked at Ryan’s comparison of Kayce and Stella, his chest swelling with adoration.

Despite the tension in Kayce's shoulders, he felt a sliver of gratitude looking at Stella’s brother. Ryan had proven himself time and time again. Especially during the search for Tate while Stella was laid up in the hospital unconscious at the same time. Kayce couldn’t think of a better example for Ryan’s loyalty to them, to the ranch. It spoke volumes to him.

Kayce cleared his throat, “Hey.”

Ryan gave a friendly smile to Kayce. The relationship between him and Kayce had been constantly evolving ever since Kayce and his sister had made things official. Beforehand, he and Kayce got along great whenever he was around. When Ryan discovered that Stella and Kayce had been fooling around, things got complicated. He wanted to punch Kayce’s face into the dirt just on principle alone.

He was cautious when Stella admitted they were giving a relationship an actual go. Now he was happy that his Stellee was happy, but the older brother in him instinctively kept a watchful eye on Kayce. Even though Ryan trusted Kayce wholeheartedly with Stella and her safety. Kayce had been there for her when Ryan couldn’t be. Kayce saved her. That meant everything to Ryan.

“My sister finally drive you to ask me to get her outta your hair?”

Kayce chuckled. “Nah,” he felt his cheeks heat up, “‘tween you and me? I’m crazy about her. I don’t think there’s much she could do that I wouldn’t almost immediately forgive her for.”

Ryan smiled fondly at the man in front of him. Kayce’s admission gave him a small bit of reassurance that maybe, just maybe Stella had ended up on the right side of things. With the exception of how she was now willingly putting herself in more danger working side by side with Rip. Ryan knew he agreed to her doing it because she was a grown woman and can make her own decisions, but it didn’t stop him from worrying.

“Good to know.” He crossed his arms. “So when you came down the hall, it looked like you were on a mission to find me. Jake call you too?”

Kayce smirked, amused at how similar the siblings actually were. Meaning business when they were laser focused with serious faces and crossed arms. “Yeah. The cows and calves are missing outta that front pasture. Said it looked like someone had a truck and trailer in there.”

“We need to find those cows.” Ryan’s heart sped up. “The calves aren’t branded or tagged yet.”

“Get your badge and Handon. Meet me out at pasture 3.”

Kayce spotted the few fence panels knocked out that Jake warned him about easily. Parking the truck along the roadside, he investigated the barbed wire fence that laid on the ground. The lines had most definitely been cut. The edge had been smoothly squeezed into sharp points. The sound of Ryan’s truck crunching along the roadside gravel let home know they made it. With a sigh Kayce pushed on his knees to stand up straight. Both doors slammed alerting him to their presence behind him.

“Fence was cut,” he said over his shoulder. “Let's look around these tracks, see what we can figure out.”

The three men broke off in separate directions, looking all over the ground to find a glimpse of what happened in the pasture.

Ryan followed the tire tracks from the road and back through the tall grass. The trail that cut through the field was about 50 feet long. There had to be a cattle trailer attached to whatever vehicle plowed through the pasture. He called out to Kayce, “the tire tracks come all the way back here.” He quickly measured the length of the pattern cut into the long grass. “Too long to not have a trailer attached.”

Handon wandered back and forth inspecting the ground for anything out of place. He could see there were fence posts that had gotten torn down in a hurry. “They had jack fencing. You can see where the panels sat in the grass. Ripped it right up when they left.”

In a muddy spot, Kayce caught sight of dog prints on the ground. Some had belly rub spots where the cattle dogs dug low to push the cattle forward. “They used panels and dogs. They knew what they were doin’.”

“What should we do?” Handon asked.

“There’s cattle sales happening today.” Kayce glanced at his officers and gave out directions, “Ryan you take Three Forks,” he pointed at Handon, “you go to Lewistown. I’ll take Billings. Call ahead so they know you’re coming.”

Kayce pulled up to the Billings Auction House and turned off his truck. He sat there quietly analyzing the crowd around him. Husbands and wives, lone farmers, and farm teams all spread out. They wandered around the pens that were set up for horse and cattle alike. The families were getting an idea for the specific livestock they wanted from the auction today.

Exiting the truck, Kayce made his way inside the auction house. His eyes sped across every brand he saw on the cows in the inner arena, and every employee working with them as he strode by. The auctioneer could be heard rambling in the arena. The smell of cows permeated every sense he had. If he wasn’t used to it, he’d probably be winded. He came up short by the time he reached the end of the building. No cows that he could see were the Yellowstone’s. Muttering a curse under his breath, he spun on his heel to head back outside.

The dusty air from a truck pulling by smacked him in the face as he stepped outside. The man driving the vehicle locked eyes with him, and glanced at his badge in his belt. The man dipped his head low and pulled down around the corner to drop the load he was hauling off inside.

“Hey,” Kayce called out authoritatively to a few men standing nearby with horses. Pointing to the hauler that just passed them he asked, “you ever seen him before?”

“No,” the group of men shook their heads.

Kayce strode forward, watching the man back the trailer up into the covered drop off station. The dogs stared back at him, and he caught the man’s eye in the side mirror. Kayce felt his chest tighten. He knew this was the guy he was looking for.

The assumed rustler started the truck again and pulled right back out of the loading zone. Kayce knew the rustler was about to run with his father’s cattle in that trailer. Off to his left there was a horse unattended by its rider. He darted toward it and hopped on. Kayce took off like a bullet to catch up to the truck.

The rustler pulled past him, unable to go too fast because of the cattle he had, but also with how many people milled about. Kayce and the horse galloped up along the side of the trailer. “Hey! Stop,” he shouted. “Stop the fuckin’ truck!”

When the man ignored his orders, he grabbed the lasso that was attached to the saddle. He twirled the rope high above his head and pushed the horse to go faster. The pounding of the horse’s hooves picked up pace and they creeped up closer to the front of the truck. When he was close enough and his rope was ready, he aimed for the driver. The rope shot out and wrapped itself around the rustler’s neck. Kayce pulled back hard enough to make a point.

The truck began to slow down and the dogs barked at Jayce as he stopped the horse next to the window. “Put it in park or I’ll drag you across the whole fuckin’ state,” Kayce yelled as he dismounted the horse.

Kayce rushed to the window as the man followed his orders. He yanked open the door so hard it bounced back on the hinges, and ripped the man out of the truck. Holding onto the rustler’s collar, he backed him up roughly against another truck nearby. With one arm, Kayce held the man there. With the other he pulled out his phone and called Ryan.

“I got him,” Kayce panted, “meet me at the Billings Sale House.” He hung up and pushed on the man’s neck with his forearm. Ignoring the fact that they now had an audience, he questioned the man in front of him. “Did you do this alone?” All the rustler could do was nod nervously. The sweat beaded across his forehead.

Kayce didn’t believe him for one second. “Yeah?” For a split second, he thought about the consequences of him roughing this guy up in front of bystanders, but disregarded every thought that came to him. He reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out a branding iron. Kayce stood back and swung it at the man’s abdomen, stealing the air from him. Kayce put a hand on the rustler’s shoulder, holding him up. “I want a name and an address. And if you lie to me again I’m gonna stop hitting you and start beating you, you understand me?”

The man nodded again vehemently and said, “yeah,” as Kayce threw the branding iron back into the truck bed.

Ryan and Handon pulled up not too long after Kayce called them. Ryan had finished up in Three Forks and met Handon up in Lewistown. Ryan drove because he knew he had to burn some rubber to get there. It was about a two hour drive, but they made it in about an hour and a half.

“Handon, you take him,” Ryan pointed to the rustler, “and make sure he makes it to the jail alive.” He gave the agent a pointed look.

Kayce held his hand out, “wait Ry, we need a third man.”

Ryan blinked hard at Kayce making sure it was him and not Stella talking to him. “Then we’ll get Rip to help,” he explained as if it were the most obvious answer.

Kayce waved Handon on. He knew he’d get some help from the ranch regardless. He pulled his phone out and tried calling the foreman, hoping he’d be home from selling that gelding. Much to Kayce’s annoyance, after calling the foreman three times and the call going straight to voicemail, he knew he wasn’t going to get a hold of him that way. He’d have to call Stella.

“Hey baby, what’s up?” Her slight drawl was like music to his ears.

A soft smile spread across his lips, “hey baby, are you and Rip home from Hamilton yet?”

He could hear the frown in her voice through the tinny speaker. “Yeah, why? What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine. We just need an extra set of hands to take care of some cattle thieves.”

“Who’s cattle?”

Kayce silently cursed her for her attention to detail. “Ours,” he sighed.

“Okay,” Stella drug the word out. Kayce could hear the suspicion in her voice. “Well Rip’s indisposed at the moment. He’s been havin’ a rough day, and I have a feelin’ your sister is in the process of makin’ it better.” Stella sighed through the line. “I’m free as a bird right now, so how ‘bout I come help?”

“No, sugar,” he shook his head as if Stella could see him. “You can’t help with this.”

The other end went silent, and Kayce tried his damndest to hear any sound possible. He realized he just told Stella no — and that didn’t always end well — but he didn’t want her involved in this. Not when Rip was still very much in the game and an option.

“Legally you can’t,” Kayce tried to soften the blow.

Ryan looked on from a distance wearing a smirk as he watched Kayce shuffle foot to foot as he thought about how to work around Stella being pissed. Seeing her cause Kayce to be antsy amused him. He knew for a fact that Stella was pissed at Kayce for trying to stop her. Ryan didn’t want her involved as much as Kayce, but he knew he couldn’t fight her on it. He would just have to be there to pull her out if things went too far.

Kayce cleared his throat. “Sugar?”

“I’m here.”

“Can you go get him?”

She scoffed at his attempt to distract her with sweetness. “Have you tried, oh I don’t know, calling him?” The sarcasm and spite dripped from her voice.

“I did, but his phone is off. I figured you’d be close by.”

“I mean I am.” Stella sighed. “Alright, I’ll bite. Where do you need him? I’ll go tell him and get him on the road for you.”

“Stella, I’m not —,” Kayce would have finished telling her he wasn’t falling for that but Stella interrupted him.

“By the time you’re done arguing with me, Kayce,” Stella stressed the syllables of his name, “I could have already had him on his way to you.”

Kayce ground his teeth at his girlfriend’s determination. “Fine. 4775 Tibbs Road, Butte. Get him here asap. Wanna do this before dark.”

“Roger that, captain.”

Kayce could tell she gave one of her noncommittal salutes as he heard the line drop. He let out a harsh breath, and heard Ryan chuckling off to the side. “You,” Kayce pointed at his lead officer, “can shut the fuck up.” He turned, marching back to the truck. They had about a two and a half hour drive, so they had to get on the road.

Ryan called out behind him, “you know she’s gonna be the one that shows up, right?”

“If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t,” Kayce threatened.

“You know as well as I do — you told her no. And in her mind, that’s a challenge.”

Kayce shook his head and climbed up into the truck, Ryan following suit. He was deciding how this was gonna go when Stella inevitably showed up in Butte.

As soon as Stella hung up the phone, she made her way from the barn to the bunkhouse. Her plan was to dig through Ryan’s stuff, and find a vest to take with her. Fully knowing he had at least one or two extra bullet proof vests. If she knew her boyfriend and brother, she knew there were bound to be bullets flying at some point.

Thankfully everyone was out doing chores and not hanging out in the bunkhouse. She hurried over to Ryan’s bunk and dug through his trunk. There was a pair of boots that he always wore out when they were going somewhere nice. A bunch of extra socks. Underneath some of his fancy shirts, there was a vest that she knew would fit her. She made a small celebratory hah, nabbed it, and slammed the trunk shut.

She hurried out to her car, thankful she’d left her keys in the bunkhouse. Looking in the gun case she kept in the back seat, she was pleased to find an extra clip. “Ready or not,” she started the car. “Here comes fake Rip.” She chuckled at her own dumb joke.

Two and a half hours later, Stella spotted Kayce’s Dodge parked off the side of the desolate road. There had been a total of maybe five ranches that Stella had seen dotted along the stretch of Montana miles. Pulling up behind him and Ryan, she hopped out, sliding her gun and case to the driver’s seat. She quickly threw on the vest she’d brought along, making sure the velcro was done up tight.

“What does “you legally can’t” mean to you, Stella?”

Her eyes rolled so hard at Kayce’s parental tone, she almost rolled herself into Wyoming. Grabbing the extra clip for her pistol, she slammed the door in exasperation. The cold metal felt heavy in her hand as she slipped it into the clip holster on her belt. She looked up at Kayce over top of her glasses. “Yeah well, like I said, Rip is busy. I’m the next option.” She frowned, “and anyway, why can he “legally” help, but I can’t?”

“He technically doesn’t exist on paper.”

“Well tough shit. Two and a half hours have already been wasted. It’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing,” she jutted her thumb at her brother who looked guilty, “you can thank him for that.”

“Ryan, you can’t tell me you want her to do this with us!”

Ryan held his hands up in a defensive way. “Hey, I don’t make the rules for her anymore.” He cleared his throat. “Of course I don’t want her to do it, but I know her mind is made up. She’ll be fine.” He glanced at Stella. “I gotta start trusting her judgement.”

Stella rocked back on her heels, impressed with her brother. Normally he would be right beside Kayce, doing everything in his power to talk her out of whatever harebrained plan. “Thank you.”

Kayce’s jaw twitched in anger as he clenched his teeth. He gazed at his girlfriend. Really looked at her. She seemed much better than she had at the beginning of the year. Stronger. Feral. She carried something deadly in her eyes. He shook his head and all but growled. “Fine,” the word slipped through his teeth. “But you stay the fuck behind me and your brother and do exactly as we say. You hear me?”

Ryan and Stella crossed their arms at the same time. If Kayce wasn’t so annoyed, he might have laughed at the double mint twin action. The scar that cut through her right eyebrow was a solemn reminder of the things she’s already done for his family.

Stella raised her scarred eyebrow, doing her best to hold her tongue at being told what to do. “Okay fine, but if I see a better opportunity, I’m taking it. You can fuckin’ fight me about it later, Kayce.” Stella pushed past both men. Her shoulder bumped particularly hard into Kayce’s, almost knocking him off balance. The men shared a glance, and followed after the woman they cared for. Something had changed in her over the last few months. Neither of the men could figure out exactly what, but they weren’t sure yet if it was for the better.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 8: Danger Angel

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, mild violence, mentions of memories of a sexual encounter, Spiteful Stella ™️

* Word count: 3,441ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and getting to see things from a different angle. I hope everyone is loving it so far still! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Kayce’s mind raced as he left his new office as Livestock Commissioner in Town Hall. A memory of Stella this morning made a small grin creep across his cheeks as he remembered her completely lost underneath him – her dark brown hair splayed across the mattress, the relaxed sighs he pulled from her echoing through his head. He cleared his throat to force himself to focus. The gravity of the call he received a few minutes ago weighed heavy on him, helping to ground him in the present.

Ethan and Jake had been out on rounds checking fence lines in the lower pastures that were closest to the road. Jake called Kayce and told him that one of the fences was busted and their cows and calves were missing. Making sure to mention there were signs of someone being inside their property line. The call hit like a punch to the gut. ‘No sign of the cows and calves,’ Jake had said. ‘If there weren’t tire tracks in the grass, I'd have thought aliens took ‘em.’

A fire burned under Kayce to figure out what happened, and find the cattle before they could be sold off. Otherwise, it would hurt their profit margin, or worse, threaten everything they fought for every day.

It also brought up the question of who was it? Rustlers? Wade Morrow? Someone else working for Market Equities? Regardless of who, all of those options could be dangerous for them. He didn’t trust anyone who snuck onto the ranch’s land now after Tate and Stella at the end of last year.

The vision of Stella bloodied, passed out against a tree, and his son nowhere in sight made his chest tighten. Tate’s screams when they found him in that bathroom in the house at the base of the Crazies, made his stomach turn sour.

Stella’s warning from the night she was followed echoed in his mind. “How can you be sure? There’s so many places people can sneak onto the property and we all would be none the wiser.” He clenched his fists tightly and thought that he couldn’t let something like that happen again.

Kayce cursed to himself, making his way down the inner office corridor to get Ryan and Handon so they could go assess the situation. As he rounded the corner, he spotted Ryan marching toward him. “You’re just like Stella, you know,” he muttered to his sister’s boyfriend. “Always showing up when I’m looking for you.” Kayce smirked at Ryan’s comparison of Kayce and Stella, his chest swelling with adoration.

Despite the tension in Kayce's shoulders, he felt a sliver of gratitude looking at Stella’s brother. Ryan had proven himself time and time again. Especially during the search for Tate while Stella was laid up in the hospital unconscious at the same time. Kayce couldn’t think of a better example for Ryan’s loyalty to them, to the ranch. It spoke volumes to him.

Kayce cleared his throat, “Hey.”

Ryan gave a friendly smile to Kayce. The relationship between him and Kayce had been constantly evolving ever since Kayce and his sister had made things official. Beforehand, he and Kayce got along great whenever he was around. When Ryan discovered that Stella and Kayce had been fooling around, things got complicated. He wanted to punch Kayce’s face into the dirt just on principle alone.

He was cautious when Stella admitted they were giving a relationship an actual go. Now he was happy that his Stellee was happy, but the older brother in him instinctively kept a watchful eye on Kayce. Even though Ryan trusted Kayce wholeheartedly with Stella and her safety. Kayce had been there for her when Ryan couldn’t be. Kayce saved her. That meant everything to Ryan.

“My sister finally drive you to ask me to get her outta your hair?”

Kayce chuckled. “Nah,” he felt his cheeks heat up, “‘tween you and me? I’m crazy about her. I don’t think there’s much she could do that I wouldn’t almost immediately forgive her for.”

Ryan smiled fondly at the man in front of him. Kayce’s admission gave him a small bit of reassurance that maybe, just maybe Stella had ended up on the right side of things. With the exception of how she was now willingly putting herself in more danger working side by side with Rip. Ryan knew he agreed to her doing it because she was a grown woman and can make her own decisions, but it didn’t stop him from worrying.

“Good to know.” He crossed his arms. “So when you came down the hall, it looked like you were on a mission to find me. Jake call you too?”

Kayce smirked, amused at how similar the siblings actually were. Meaning business when they were laser focused with serious faces and crossed arms. “Yeah. The cows and calves are missing outta that front pasture. Said it looked like someone had a truck and trailer in there.”

“We need to find those cows.” Ryan’s heart sped up. “The calves aren’t branded or tagged yet.”

“Get your badge and Handon. Meet me out at pasture 3.”

Kayce spotted the few fence panels knocked out that Jake warned him about easily. Parking the truck along the roadside, he investigated the barbed wire fence that laid on the ground. The lines had most definitely been cut. The edge had been smoothly squeezed into sharp points. The sound of Ryan’s truck crunching along the roadside gravel let home know they made it. With a sigh Kayce pushed on his knees to stand up straight. Both doors slammed alerting him to their presence behind him.

“Fence was cut,” he said over his shoulder. “Let's look around these tracks, see what we can figure out.”

The three men broke off in separate directions, looking all over the ground to find a glimpse of what happened in the pasture.

Ryan followed the tire tracks from the road and back through the tall grass. The trail that cut through the field was about 50 feet long. There had to be a cattle trailer attached to whatever vehicle plowed through the pasture. He called out to Kayce, “the tire tracks come all the way back here.” He quickly measured the length of the pattern cut into the long grass. “Too long to not have a trailer attached.”

Handon wandered back and forth inspecting the ground for anything out of place. He could see there were fence posts that had gotten torn down in a hurry. “They had jack fencing. You can see where the panels sat in the grass. Ripped it right up when they left.”

In a muddy spot, Kayce caught sight of dog prints on the ground. Some had belly rub spots where the cattle dogs dug low to push the cattle forward. “They used panels and dogs. They knew what they were doin’.”

“What should we do?” Handon asked.

“There’s cattle sales happening today.” Kayce glanced at his officers and gave out directions, “Ryan you take Three Forks,” he pointed at Handon, “you go to Lewistown. I’ll take Billings. Call ahead so they know you’re coming.”

Kayce pulled up to the Billings Auction House and turned off his truck. He sat there quietly analyzing the crowd around him. Husbands and wives, lone farmers, and farm teams all spread out. They wandered around the pens that were set up for horse and cattle alike. The families were getting an idea for the specific livestock they wanted from the auction today.

Exiting the truck, Kayce made his way inside the auction house. His eyes sped across every brand he saw on the cows in the inner arena, and every employee working with them as he strode by. The auctioneer could be heard rambling in the arena. The smell of cows permeated every sense he had. If he wasn’t used to it, he’d probably be winded. He came up short by the time he reached the end of the building. No cows that he could see were the Yellowstone’s. Muttering a curse under his breath, he spun on his heel to head back outside.

The dusty air from a truck pulling by smacked him in the face as he stepped outside. The man driving the vehicle locked eyes with him, and glanced at his badge in his belt. The man dipped his head low and pulled down around the corner to drop the load he was hauling off inside.

“Hey,” Kayce called out authoritatively to a few men standing nearby with horses. Pointing to the hauler that just passed them he asked, “you ever seen him before?”

“No,” the group of men shook their heads.

Kayce strode forward, watching the man back the trailer up into the covered drop off station. The dogs stared back at him, and he caught the man’s eye in the side mirror. Kayce felt his chest tighten. He knew this was the guy he was looking for.

The assumed rustler started the truck again and pulled right back out of the loading zone. Kayce knew the rustler was about to run with his father’s cattle in that trailer. Off to his left there was a horse unattended by its rider. He darted toward it and hopped on. Kayce took off like a bullet to catch up to the truck.

The rustler pulled past him, unable to go too fast because of the cattle he had, but also with how many people milled about. Kayce and the horse galloped up along the side of the trailer. “Hey! Stop,” he shouted. “Stop the fuckin’ truck!”

When the man ignored his orders, he grabbed the lasso that was attached to the saddle. He twirled the rope high above his head and pushed the horse to go faster. The pounding of the horse’s hooves picked up pace and they creeped up closer to the front of the truck. When he was close enough and his rope was ready, he aimed for the driver. The rope shot out and wrapped itself around the rustler’s neck. Kayce pulled back hard enough to make a point.

The truck began to slow down and the dogs barked at Jayce as he stopped the horse next to the window. “Put it in park or I’ll drag you across the whole fuckin’ state,” Kayce yelled as he dismounted the horse.

Kayce rushed to the window as the man followed his orders. He yanked open the door so hard it bounced back on the hinges, and ripped the man out of the truck. Holding onto the rustler’s collar, he backed him up roughly against another truck nearby. With one arm, Kayce held the man there. With the other he pulled out his phone and called Ryan.

“I got him,” Kayce panted, “meet me at the Billings Sale House.” He hung up and pushed on the man’s neck with his forearm. Ignoring the fact that they now had an audience, he questioned the man in front of him. “Did you do this alone?” All the rustler could do was nod nervously. The sweat beaded across his forehead.

Kayce didn’t believe him for one second. “Yeah?” For a split second, he thought about the consequences of him roughing this guy up in front of bystanders, but disregarded every thought that came to him. He reached into the bed of the truck and pulled out a branding iron. Kayce stood back and swung it at the man’s abdomen, stealing the air from him. Kayce put a hand on the rustler’s shoulder, holding him up. “I want a name and an address. And if you lie to me again I’m gonna stop hitting you and start beating you, you understand me?”

The man nodded again vehemently and said, “yeah,” as Kayce threw the branding iron back into the truck bed.

Ryan and Handon pulled up not too long after Kayce called them. Ryan had finished up in Three Forks and met Handon up in Lewistown. Ryan drove because he knew he had to burn some rubber to get there. It was about a two hour drive, but they made it in about an hour and a half.

“Handon, you take him,” Ryan pointed to the rustler, “and make sure he makes it to the jail alive.” He gave the agent a pointed look.

Kayce held his hand out, “wait Ry, we need a third man.”

Ryan blinked hard at Kayce making sure it was him and not Stella talking to him. “Then we’ll get Rip to help,” he explained as if it were the most obvious answer.

Kayce waved Handon on. He knew he’d get some help from the ranch regardless. He pulled his phone out and tried calling the foreman, hoping he’d be home from selling that gelding. Much to Kayce’s annoyance, after calling the foreman three times and the call going straight to voicemail, he knew he wasn’t going to get a hold of him that way. He’d have to call Stella.

“Hey baby, what’s up?” Her slight drawl was like music to his ears.

A soft smile spread across his lips, “hey baby, are you and Rip home from Hamilton yet?”

He could hear the frown in her voice through the tinny speaker. “Yeah, why? What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine. We just need an extra set of hands to take care of some cattle thieves.”

“Who’s cattle?”

Kayce silently cursed her for her attention to detail. “Ours,” he sighed.

“Okay,” Stella drug the word out. Kayce could hear the suspicion in her voice. “Well Rip’s indisposed at the moment. He’s been havin’ a rough day, and I have a feelin’ your sister is in the process of makin’ it better.” Stella sighed through the line. “I’m free as a bird right now, so how ‘bout I come help?”

“No, sugar,” he shook his head as if Stella could see him. “You can’t help with this.”

The other end went silent, and Kayce tried his damndest to hear any sound possible. He realized he just told Stella no — and that didn’t always end well — but he didn’t want her involved in this. Not when Rip was still very much in the game and an option.

“Legally you can’t,” Kayce tried to soften the blow.

Ryan looked on from a distance wearing a smirk as he watched Kayce shuffle foot to foot as he thought about how to work around Stella being pissed. Seeing her cause Kayce to be antsy amused him. He knew for a fact that Stella was pissed at Kayce for trying to stop her. Ryan didn’t want her involved as much as Kayce, but he knew he couldn’t fight her on it. He would just have to be there to pull her out if things went too far.

Kayce cleared his throat. “Sugar?”

“I’m here.”

“Can you go get him?”

She scoffed at his attempt to distract her with sweetness. “Have you tried, oh I don’t know, calling him?” The sarcasm and spite dripped from her voice.

“I did, but his phone is off. I figured you’d be close by.”

“I mean I am.” Stella sighed. “Alright, I’ll bite. Where do you need him? I’ll go tell him and get him on the road for you.”

“Stella, I’m not —,” Kayce would have finished telling her he wasn’t falling for that but Stella interrupted him.

“By the time you’re done arguing with me, Kayce,” Stella stressed the syllables of his name, “I could have already had him on his way to you.”

Kayce ground his teeth at his girlfriend’s determination. “Fine. 4775 Tibbs Road, Butte. Get him here asap. Wanna do this before dark.”

“Roger that, captain.”

Kayce could tell she gave one of her noncommittal salutes as he heard the line drop. He let out a harsh breath, and heard Ryan chuckling off to the side. “You,” Kayce pointed at his lead officer, “can shut the fuck up.” He turned, marching back to the truck. They had about a two and a half hour drive, so they had to get on the road.

Ryan called out behind him, “you know she’s gonna be the one that shows up, right?”

“If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t,” Kayce threatened.

“You know as well as I do — you told her no. And in her mind, that’s a challenge.”

Kayce shook his head and climbed up into the truck, Ryan following suit. He was deciding how this was gonna go when Stella inevitably showed up in Butte.

As soon as Stella hung up the phone, she made her way from the barn to the bunkhouse. Her plan was to dig through Ryan’s stuff, and find a vest to take with her. Fully knowing he had at least one or two extra bullet proof vests. If she knew her boyfriend and brother, she knew there were bound to be bullets flying at some point.

Thankfully everyone was out doing chores and not hanging out in the bunkhouse. She hurried over to Ryan’s bunk and dug through his trunk. There was a pair of boots that he always wore out when they were going somewhere nice. A bunch of extra socks. Underneath some of his fancy shirts, there was a vest that she knew would fit her. She made a small celebratory hah, nabbed it, and slammed the trunk shut.

She hurried out to her car, thankful she’d left her keys in the bunkhouse. Looking in the gun case she kept in the back seat, she was pleased to find an extra clip. “Ready or not,” she started the car. “Here comes fake Rip.” She chuckled at her own dumb joke.

Two and a half hours later, Stella spotted Kayce’s Dodge parked off the side of the desolate road. There had been a total of maybe five ranches that Stella had seen dotted along the stretch of Montana miles. Pulling up behind him and Ryan, she hopped out, sliding her gun and case to the driver’s seat. She quickly threw on the vest she’d brought along, making sure the velcro was done up tight.

“What does “you legally can’t” mean to you, Stella?”

Her eyes rolled so hard at Kayce’s parental tone, she almost rolled herself into Wyoming. Grabbing the extra clip for her pistol, she slammed the door in exasperation. The cold metal felt heavy in her hand as she slipped it into the clip holster on her belt. She looked up at Kayce over top of her glasses. “Yeah well, like I said, Rip is busy. I’m the next option.” She frowned, “and anyway, why can he “legally” help, but I can’t?”

“He technically doesn’t exist on paper.”

“Well tough shit. Two and a half hours have already been wasted. It’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing,” she jutted her thumb at her brother who looked guilty, “you can thank him for that.”

“Ryan, you can’t tell me you want her to do this with us!”

Ryan held his hands up in a defensive way. “Hey, I don’t make the rules for her anymore.” He cleared his throat. “Of course I don’t want her to do it, but I know her mind is made up. She’ll be fine.” He glanced at Stella. “I gotta start trusting her judgement.”

Stella rocked back on her heels, impressed with her brother. Normally he would be right beside Kayce, doing everything in his power to talk her out of whatever harebrained plan. “Thank you.”

Kayce’s jaw twitched in anger as he clenched his teeth. He gazed at his girlfriend. Really looked at her. She seemed much better than she had at the beginning of the year. Stronger. Feral. She carried something deadly in her eyes. He shook his head and all but growled. “Fine,” the word slipped through his teeth. “But you stay the fuck behind me and your brother and do exactly as we say. You hear me?”

Ryan and Stella crossed their arms at the same time. If Kayce wasn’t so annoyed, he might have laughed at the double mint twin action. The scar that cut through her right eyebrow was a solemn reminder of the things she’s already done for his family.

Stella raised her scarred eyebrow, doing her best to hold her tongue at being told what to do. “Okay fine, but if I see a better opportunity, I’m taking it. You can fuckin’ fight me about it later, Kayce.” Stella pushed past both men. Her shoulder bumped particularly hard into Kayce’s, almost knocking him off balance. The men shared a glance, and followed after the woman they cared for. Something had changed in her over the last few months. Neither of the men could figure out exactly what, but they weren’t sure yet if it was for the better.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Honestly, I just think it was misplaced anger/frustration/stress. She just happened to be the one that broke the thin patience he already had that day lol.

And I knowwww 😭! It makes me excited for her future, and I’m excited, but also a little nervous, to try and tackle it!

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 7: The Line

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, subtle mention of a sex dream, and morning shenanigans between our favorite couple, but fairly tame though

* Word count: 3,099ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! It's a little slow-moving, and kind of filler-y, but kind of necessary for Stella's development.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all my readers! Let’s close out this year, and bring in fresh and new opportunities and good health, wealth, and abundance in 2025! 💛

Stella hopped out of the trailer hearing everyone’s boot steps disappear towards the cab of the truck. Shutting the door tightly and making sure the latch was tight, she trudged to the back door on the driver’s side with a sigh. She wished she’d brought her earphones. Adjusting her glasses, she heaved the door open, keeping her gaze low.

She could feel everyone’s curious eyes on her as she leveled herself out to the best of her ability. Her patience was already thin from having to leave Kayce this morning. He looked so damn good and she could have stayed and been consumed by him if responsibility hadn’t made her stop him. Then the mess with Mia and Hotshot, making her feel like she was giving up on him. She wasn’t sure how long her calm demeanor would hold out today.

She looked up and caught Mia and Jimmy staring at her. Feeling a warm sensation on her cheeks under their gaze, she forced the blush from creeping up her face. She reached above her head and pulled herself into the backseat of Rip’s truck, plopping into the seat with a sigh.

Mia leaned over, invading Stella’s personal space. She shoved her phone in Stella’s face. “What do you wanna listen to? These two are boring and lame and want silence for hours.”

Stella shifted her back against the door, putting space between her and the other brunette woman. In all honesty, Stella didn’t hate Mia. But Mia’s loud, invasive personality grated on Stella’s nerves. She couldn’t help but think the boisterous swagger was to cover up some insecurity of hers.

Stella was happy that Jimmy was happy – but the way Mia treated him, often made Stella side eye her. She couldn’t figure out if Mia had an ulterior motive for being with Jimmy, or if she was just being overprotective.

Stella wanted to try and extend an olive branch, but she knew Mia would take an inch and run a mile if she wasn’t careful. Rip’s stern look in the rearview silenced any type of nicety Stella was going to lead with. Stella knew he was still irritated by Mia's presence. It didn't help matters that Stella ran late this morning either. His glare was a passive reminder that everyone was toeing a fine line today. She thought she better let Mia down easy.

“Normally, I’d like some tunes,” Stella could feel the heat from Rip’s stare, and hoped he’d wait to hear what she had to say, “but I’d rather listen to the air conditioner right now, Mia.”

Mia’s shoulders dropped. She pouted, sinking back into her corner of the truck like a petulant child. She muttered under her breath, but loud enough for all of them to hear, about them being boring as hell. Jimmy shifted in his seat, uncomfortable at his girlfriend’s behavior. They’d all seen Rip, who wasn’t much of a people person, lose his temper enough to know Mia was dangerously close to the edge.

Stella couldn’t help but to chuckle. “My boyfriend’s 10 year old behaves better than that, girl.” An uncertain air consumed the men in the cab of the truck with her open admittance of possession over Kayce. It was almost like they forgot that Stella and Kayce were a real thing now. She smirked fondly at the men. She knew how hard it was because she took quite a while to get used to saying it out loud too.

Mia crossed her arms and mind wandered to Stella and Kayce. Their teamwork effortless, almost choreographed – the way they balanced the workload, both emotional and physical, captivated her. Kayce a strong leader and Stella one in her own right, but both together an unstoppable force. Mia knew they would take over this ranch one day. That’s what she longed for with Jimmy. A relationship that was steady as a rock and effortlessly adaptable to anything that came their way.

Mia ignored Stella, making Stella sigh and relax back against her window. She closed her eyes, trying to steal a few minutes of shut eye. After all, Kayce had her up very early this morning long before the start of his day. ‘Damn rancher’s hours,’ a soft smile spread across her cheeks as her mind floated back to him and the sleepy romp he greeted her with this morning.

Stella was rudely woken by the sound of Mia shuffling around and loudly singing to herself. She fixed her glasses, and glanced around the truck. Rip’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel, which Stella was sure was to keep from reaching back and strangling Mia. Jimmy shifted in his seat, making Stella wonder if his back was bothering him, and Mia rocked back and forth lost in her out of tune country song.

Straightening up in her seat, Mia looked over at her with a smirk. “You havin’ a good dream over there?”

Stella breathed in deeply and stretched. She huffed out, dropping her arms and took a glance out the windows. From their immediate surroundings, she could tell they were close to their destination. Her brain finally kicked in and she remembered Mia asked her a question. “Actually, yes. I was.”

“So when you mumbled Kayce,” Mia started but she stopped short with Stella’s fiery eye contact.

“You’re damn straight.” Stella refused to let Mia embarrass her in front of the guys. “I was dreaming about this morning.” Groans echoed from the front seat, making Stella grin.

“Alright that’s enough of that,” Rip interrupted. “We’re here.”

The truck rumbled up along the outer fence for the arena. The crunching of the gravel driveway was loud as the heavy trailer came to a stop next to the arena fence. Stella, Jimmy, and Mia watched as the cowboys came into view. A chute opened with a clang and a horse bucked around the arena, doing everything in its power to get the rider off of him. They watched in awe as the cowboy held on tight and didn’t give up until the pickup men came to get him.

Mia jumped out of the truck slamming the door. She stepped forward and opened Jimmy’s door for him. Rip remained in the truck with Stella. She stayed quiet, observed the grouchy foreman.

He let out a loud breath, closing his eyes and dropping his head back against the headrest. “Ahh, thank god. Silence.”

Stella giggled quietly at his dramatics. “She’s entirely bad, Rip.” The irritable cowboy glared at her in the rear view mirror. A laugh escaped her. “I know, I know. She’s not your usual stoic cowboy.”

“It’s not that, Stella.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Then what is it?”

“The bunkhouse has turned into a fuckin’ frat house.” He shook his head, “I don’t know when it happened, but it needs to be nipped.”

“There’s been a lot goin’ on, and the bunkhouse wasn’t exactly top priority. We’ll get it back together. Maybe I can figure somethin’ out,” Stella shrugged.

Rip nodded. “Today though, I’m havin’ you do the talking.” Stella’s eyes bugged out of her head. Rip smirked, “oh don’t give me that, you know these guys just as well as I do. It’s your turn to take the lead.”

Stella scratched her head and breathed out harshly. It was now or never because soon she would be expected to do these things without Rip’s supervision. She blew out a breath and opened the door, sliding out of the back of the truck.

Jimmy and Mia stood by the back of the trailer, waiting for direction from Rip. They were surprised when they witnessed the hardened cowboy stay in the truck. Stella walked up to the outer arena fence and saw that Sid Steiner was strutting his way over.

Stella waved out a hand to the man as she heard Mia exclaim about who he was in the background. “Hey Sid!”

Sid ducked his head in a polite greeting. “Howdy, Miss Stella! What can I do for ya?”

“Rip should have called you,” she glanced back at the truck, “but we have a gelding we thought you might get some fun out of. I don’t have enough time to work with him as much as he needs, even though it pains me to give ‘im up.”

“Oh, he’s a rough one, huh?”

“Yeah, even Kayce won’t touch him. And Rip doesn’t have the patience for him any more.”

Sid made a face at that admission. Rip, he knew had a short rope for that kind of thing. But Kayce would normally work with any freight train that came his way. In Sid’s opinion, that kid was born to break colts.

Stella cleared her throat, interrupting his thoughts. “Where do you want him?”

“Drop him off in the arena. We'll see what he can do.” Sid began to turn around but stopped himself. “What’s his name?”

Stella grinned at Sid’s memory. He knew she liked the respect of knowing a horse’s name and using it. “Hotshot.” Stella jogged to the truck and leaned in the passenger window to give Rip direction. “Back ‘im up to the arena,” she tapped the window and backed up, giving Rip room to maneuver the truck around.

“Jimmy, Mia!” The couple’s heads turned on a swivel to Stella. She waved her hand in the direction of the truck and trailer. “Help them get Hotshot in the arena.” Mia stared at her, but Jimmy left her standing there open mouthed. Since he had better knowledge of Stella’s new role, he knew to just go with her flow instead of questioning it.

As Jimmy came up beside her, Stella spun on her heel and matched his pace. She hollered over her shoulder, “move it Mia! If you hold your mouth open anymore, you’re gonna catch flies. Let’s go!”

Mia sputtered but her feet started to move, catching up to her boyfriend and Stella quickly. The three of them, plus the help of a few of Sid’s guys, made quick work of getting Hotshot out of the trailer, strapped up, and into the chute. The gelding snorted in anger, pawing at the ground.

Stella patted the gelding’s shoulder. “You got this, boy.” The foursome climbed their way behind the chute to watch Hotshot’s ride. Stella could hear Rip talking to Jimmy about the difference between rodeo on the weekends, show rodeo, and business rodeo.

Sid’s son Rocker, who couldn’t be older than 15, strutted up to the group of adults. He nodded to Stella, who he’d met a few times before, and climbed over the fence to mount up on Hotshot. Stella smirked at Rocker’s determination. She knew he would one day rule the business rodeo world.

She glanced over at Jimmy, who watched the whole scene with wide eyed wonder. He glanced at Stella and admitted, “that kid is 1000 percent cooler than me.”

Stella chuckled and leaned toward him and Mia. “He’s been riding things that have tried to buck him off since he was barely walkin’. Honestly? He’s cooler than all of us,” she looked back to the arena with a laugh.

Sid mounted his horse after getting Rocker ready. “You ready,” he asked his son. Rocker gave a curt nod, laid back on Hotshot, and put himself in position to ride.

With another assertive nod saying he was ready to go, Sid’s men popped open the chute. Hotshot and Rocker took off. Hotshot bounced and flung himself hard. He was doing everything he could to get Sid’s son off his back. He spun this way and that, kicking every which way, but Rocker stuck to Hotshot’s back like glue.

Stella had never seen the gelding that angry. Yes, she’d been thrown. She’d witnessed Rip, Jimmy, and Kayce get flung like ragdolls by Hotshot as well. Never this hard though. Next to her, Jimmy stood up to watch the show in front of him. Rocker started to slip off the side of the gelding, but righted himself quickly. Everyone in the crowd of people was hollering at the teenager to keep fighting.

Sid and the other pickup men came up on both sides of Hotshot to pull Rocker off and get him to safety. Stella heard Jimmy whisper in amazement to himself. She stood next to him and watched as Sid made over to them. Leaning on the fence, she called out to Sid. “So what do ya think?”

“I mean, he bucks pretty good Miss Stella, but he’s not competition material.” Sid leaned on his saddle horn. “I’ll give you a couple grand for him, but that’s because it’s you and Rip.”

Stella thought about it, and looked at Rip nearby listening. Rip just shrugged at her, forcing her to figure it out on her own. He wouldn’t be around forever to give her all the answers. Sella thought maybe she could convince John to keep him on the feed bill if she could get Hotshot to mind his manners? Stella didn’t want to give up on him. She shook her head and faced Sid. “I appreciate that, but John wants him off the feed bill. If he won’t be any good to you, I don’t wanna dump him on yours.”

“Tell ya what? We could keep ‘im for a little while, run him until he don’t feel like buckin’ anymore, if that’ll help?”

“Nah, I’ll make it work. I think I have an idea. Thanks though, Sid.”

“Anytime, Stella,” he smiled at her as she walked away. Sid looked at Rip and waved, “see ya later, man!”

Mia grabbed Stella’s attention, “he didn’t want the horse?”

“Didn’t buck hard enough,” Stella clenched her fists as she explained while continuing to walk by the woman. “C’mon, we gotta get him back in the trailer.” Mia stood, following after Stella.

The women hopped down off the chute loading zone, and Mia jogged ahead to open the trailer. Stella went and got Hotshot from one of Sid’s cowboys. Giving the gelding a pat on the neck, she whispered to him, “it’s okay boy. We’ll get you right.” Stella led him over to the trailer and loaded him up.

She heard Rip call out for Jimmy as she stepped out. She waved to the door, silently directing Mia to close it up as she listened to Rip subtly explain to Jimmy why he shouldn’t rodeo anymore. Especially after his last incident.

“Is this you telling me I shouldn’t rodeo?” Jimmy asked.

“No, Jimmy this is me telling you why you shouldn’t.” Rip cleared his throat. “What you do with the information I give you is up to you, but I want you to think long and hard about it.” He clapped Jimmy’s shoulder, “let’s go.”

Jimmy glanced at Stella sullenly. She smiled sadly at him. Knowing how excited he was when he found something he was good at in this lifestyle, her heart bled for him, understanding that they were slowly convincing him to stop what he loved.

Jimmy moved past her and Stella reached out to grab his arm. “I’m sorry, Jaybird. We’ll figure somethin’ out.”

“Yeah, Stella. Me too,” he muttered and kept going to the cab of the truck. Stella dropped her hand in disappointment, and joined the group in the vehicle.

They headed on down the road back to the Yellowstone. Inside the truck was quiet. Everyone seemed to be locked into their own worlds. Some despondent, some resentful, some overthinking.

Stella’s mind worked overtime, trying to come up with a solution that worked for both Hotshot and Jimmy. She had a possible idea, but she would need to talk to Rip and Kayce before she got Jimmy’s hopes up.

Jimmy stared out the window watching the Montana landscape fly by them. He understood Rip and Stella’s intentions for telling him to stop rodeoing. He knew they cared and were telling him they didn’t want to see him die. But he finally found something that he was good at and it was being ripped away from him.

Mia pouted against the window. She’d heard the conversation between Rip and Jimmy. She thought Jimmy should be able to do whatever he wants with his free time. She couldn’t believe that Stella and Rip were trying to convince him to stop. He was good with broncos and he could make a lot of money. He could make a life for himself, outside of the ranch.

A loud pop and Rip letting out a string of curses pulled everyone out of their thoughts. Stella heard Hotshot squeal in displeasure. The truck vibrated and shook back and forth. Looking around the truck, everyone was holding on to their respective oh shit handles and Rip navigated the truck to the side of the road.

“Damn who dropped a quarter in the magic fingers truck,” Stella joked as the vehicle came to a stop.

“Shut the fuck up, Stella!” Rip screamed. He huffed and puffed with rage as he jumped out to check the tires.

Stella’s lips pursed together, agitated at Rip’s lack of humor, but also understood she was on the thin ice of his temper and it was about to break. Jimmy and Mia stared at her slack jawed. It wasn’t everyday that Rip lost his cool on Stella. Everyone knew that.

Her lips smacked together and said, “y’all stay here. I’m gonna go help him.”

“You think you should after that? I wouldn’t.” Mia crossed her arms indignantly.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mia. I know how to deal with pissy pants,” she shoved open the door and hopped out. Marching to the bed of the truck she could hear Rip fighting with a tire on the trailer. She stopped at the bed and grabbed the tire iron and the jack.

Rip kicked violently at the tire and cussed as Stella sidled up behind him. “You might need these, cactus jack.” He leaned a hand against the trailer wall and let out a heavy sigh. “Here, you take the jack and raise it up some,” Stella directed. “I’ll get the lugs off.” Rip grabbed the jack from her and the pair silently got to work.

Jimmy and Mia watched from the inside of the truck. They both decided it was safer to be there than out there with the explosive lead wrangler. Mia cracked a joke about how Rip was one angry man.

45 minutes later they were back on the road. Stella was a little sweaty, but she could deal with it. She silently pleaded with Mia and Jimmy to stay quiet the rest of the ride home.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Yaaas! If you do, you’ll have to let me know! And I know! She’s basically his lil baby bird. I was like, “brother,” lmao. And I was proud of her because normally she would have cussed him out for that lol. And also her trying to make deals 😭😭 they grow up so fast 😭😭😭.

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 7: The Line

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, subtle mention of a sex dream, and morning shenanigans between our favorite couple, but fairly tame though

* Word count: 3,099ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! It's a little slow-moving, and kind of filler-y, but kind of necessary for Stella's development.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all my readers! Let’s close out this year, and bring in fresh and new opportunities and good health, wealth, and abundance in 2025! 💛

Stella hopped out of the trailer hearing everyone’s boot steps disappear towards the cab of the truck. Shutting the door tightly and making sure the latch was tight, she trudged to the back door on the driver’s side with a sigh. She wished she’d brought her earphones. Adjusting her glasses, she heaved the door open, keeping her gaze low.

She could feel everyone’s curious eyes on her as she leveled herself out to the best of her ability. Her patience was already thin from having to leave Kayce this morning. He looked so damn good and she could have stayed and been consumed by him if responsibility hadn’t made her stop him. Then the mess with Mia and Hotshot, making her feel like she was giving up on him. She wasn’t sure how long her calm demeanor would hold out today.

She looked up and caught Mia and Jimmy staring at her. Feeling a warm sensation on her cheeks under their gaze, she forced the blush from creeping up her face. She reached above her head and pulled herself into the backseat of Rip’s truck, plopping into the seat with a sigh.

Mia leaned over, invading Stella’s personal space. She shoved her phone in Stella’s face. “What do you wanna listen to? These two are boring and lame and want silence for hours.”

Stella shifted her back against the door, putting space between her and the other brunette woman. In all honesty, Stella didn’t hate Mia. But Mia’s loud, invasive personality grated on Stella’s nerves. She couldn’t help but think the boisterous swagger was to cover up some insecurity of hers.

Stella was happy that Jimmy was happy – but the way Mia treated him, often made Stella side eye her. She couldn’t figure out if Mia had an ulterior motive for being with Jimmy, or if she was just being overprotective.

Stella wanted to try and extend an olive branch, but she knew Mia would take an inch and run a mile if she wasn’t careful. Rip’s stern look in the rearview silenced any type of nicety Stella was going to lead with. Stella knew he was still irritated by Mia's presence. It didn't help matters that Stella ran late this morning either. His glare was a passive reminder that everyone was toeing a fine line today. She thought she better let Mia down easy.

“Normally, I’d like some tunes,” Stella could feel the heat from Rip’s stare, and hoped he’d wait to hear what she had to say, “but I’d rather listen to the air conditioner right now, Mia.”

Mia’s shoulders dropped. She pouted, sinking back into her corner of the truck like a petulant child. She muttered under her breath, but loud enough for all of them to hear, about them being boring as hell. Jimmy shifted in his seat, uncomfortable at his girlfriend’s behavior. They’d all seen Rip, who wasn’t much of a people person, lose his temper enough to know Mia was dangerously close to the edge.

Stella couldn’t help but to chuckle. “My boyfriend’s 10 year old behaves better than that, girl.” An uncertain air consumed the men in the cab of the truck with her open admittance of possession over Kayce. It was almost like they forgot that Stella and Kayce were a real thing now. She smirked fondly at the men. She knew how hard it was because she took quite a while to get used to saying it out loud too.

Mia crossed her arms and mind wandered to Stella and Kayce. Their teamwork effortless, almost choreographed – the way they balanced the workload, both emotional and physical, captivated her. Kayce a strong leader and Stella one in her own right, but both together an unstoppable force. Mia knew they would take over this ranch one day. That’s what she longed for with Jimmy. A relationship that was steady as a rock and effortlessly adaptable to anything that came their way.

Mia ignored Stella, making Stella sigh and relax back against her window. She closed her eyes, trying to steal a few minutes of shut eye. After all, Kayce had her up very early this morning long before the start of his day. ‘Damn rancher’s hours,’ a soft smile spread across her cheeks as her mind floated back to him and the sleepy romp he greeted her with this morning.

Stella was rudely woken by the sound of Mia shuffling around and loudly singing to herself. She fixed her glasses, and glanced around the truck. Rip’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel, which Stella was sure was to keep from reaching back and strangling Mia. Jimmy shifted in his seat, making Stella wonder if his back was bothering him, and Mia rocked back and forth lost in her out of tune country song.

Straightening up in her seat, Mia looked over at her with a smirk. “You havin’ a good dream over there?”

Stella breathed in deeply and stretched. She huffed out, dropping her arms and took a glance out the windows. From their immediate surroundings, she could tell they were close to their destination. Her brain finally kicked in and she remembered Mia asked her a question. “Actually, yes. I was.”

“So when you mumbled Kayce,” Mia started but she stopped short with Stella’s fiery eye contact.

“You’re damn straight.” Stella refused to let Mia embarrass her in front of the guys. “I was dreaming about this morning.” Groans echoed from the front seat, making Stella grin.

“Alright that’s enough of that,” Rip interrupted. “We’re here.”

The truck rumbled up along the outer fence for the arena. The crunching of the gravel driveway was loud as the heavy trailer came to a stop next to the arena fence. Stella, Jimmy, and Mia watched as the cowboys came into view. A chute opened with a clang and a horse bucked around the arena, doing everything in its power to get the rider off of him. They watched in awe as the cowboy held on tight and didn’t give up until the pickup men came to get him.

Mia jumped out of the truck slamming the door. She stepped forward and opened Jimmy’s door for him. Rip remained in the truck with Stella. She stayed quiet, observed the grouchy foreman.

He let out a loud breath, closing his eyes and dropping his head back against the headrest. “Ahh, thank god. Silence.”

Stella giggled quietly at his dramatics. “She’s entirely bad, Rip.” The irritable cowboy glared at her in the rear view mirror. A laugh escaped her. “I know, I know. She’s not your usual stoic cowboy.”

“It’s not that, Stella.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Then what is it?”

“The bunkhouse has turned into a fuckin’ frat house.” He shook his head, “I don’t know when it happened, but it needs to be nipped.”

“There’s been a lot goin’ on, and the bunkhouse wasn’t exactly top priority. We’ll get it back together. Maybe I can figure somethin’ out,” Stella shrugged.

Rip nodded. “Today though, I’m havin’ you do the talking.” Stella’s eyes bugged out of her head. Rip smirked, “oh don’t give me that, you know these guys just as well as I do. It’s your turn to take the lead.”

Stella scratched her head and breathed out harshly. It was now or never because soon she would be expected to do these things without Rip’s supervision. She blew out a breath and opened the door, sliding out of the back of the truck.

Jimmy and Mia stood by the back of the trailer, waiting for direction from Rip. They were surprised when they witnessed the hardened cowboy stay in the truck. Stella walked up to the outer arena fence and saw that Sid Steiner was strutting his way over.

Stella waved out a hand to the man as she heard Mia exclaim about who he was in the background. “Hey Sid!”

Sid ducked his head in a polite greeting. “Howdy, Miss Stella! What can I do for ya?”

“Rip should have called you,” she glanced back at the truck, “but we have a gelding we thought you might get some fun out of. I don’t have enough time to work with him as much as he needs, even though it pains me to give ‘im up.”

“Oh, he’s a rough one, huh?”

“Yeah, even Kayce won’t touch him. And Rip doesn’t have the patience for him any more.”

Sid made a face at that admission. Rip, he knew had a short rope for that kind of thing. But Kayce would normally work with any freight train that came his way. In Sid’s opinion, that kid was born to break colts.

Stella cleared her throat, interrupting his thoughts. “Where do you want him?”

“Drop him off in the arena. We'll see what he can do.” Sid began to turn around but stopped himself. “What’s his name?”

Stella grinned at Sid’s memory. He knew she liked the respect of knowing a horse’s name and using it. “Hotshot.” Stella jogged to the truck and leaned in the passenger window to give Rip direction. “Back ‘im up to the arena,” she tapped the window and backed up, giving Rip room to maneuver the truck around.

“Jimmy, Mia!” The couple’s heads turned on a swivel to Stella. She waved her hand in the direction of the truck and trailer. “Help them get Hotshot in the arena.” Mia stared at her, but Jimmy left her standing there open mouthed. Since he had better knowledge of Stella’s new role, he knew to just go with her flow instead of questioning it.

As Jimmy came up beside her, Stella spun on her heel and matched his pace. She hollered over her shoulder, “move it Mia! If you hold your mouth open anymore, you’re gonna catch flies. Let’s go!”

Mia sputtered but her feet started to move, catching up to her boyfriend and Stella quickly. The three of them, plus the help of a few of Sid’s guys, made quick work of getting Hotshot out of the trailer, strapped up, and into the chute. The gelding snorted in anger, pawing at the ground.

Stella patted the gelding’s shoulder. “You got this, boy.” The foursome climbed their way behind the chute to watch Hotshot’s ride. Stella could hear Rip talking to Jimmy about the difference between rodeo on the weekends, show rodeo, and business rodeo.

Sid’s son Rocker, who couldn’t be older than 15, strutted up to the group of adults. He nodded to Stella, who he’d met a few times before, and climbed over the fence to mount up on Hotshot. Stella smirked at Rocker’s determination. She knew he would one day rule the business rodeo world.

She glanced over at Jimmy, who watched the whole scene with wide eyed wonder. He glanced at Stella and admitted, “that kid is 1000 percent cooler than me.”

Stella chuckled and leaned toward him and Mia. “He’s been riding things that have tried to buck him off since he was barely walkin’. Honestly? He’s cooler than all of us,” she looked back to the arena with a laugh.

Sid mounted his horse after getting Rocker ready. “You ready,” he asked his son. Rocker gave a curt nod, laid back on Hotshot, and put himself in position to ride.

With another assertive nod saying he was ready to go, Sid’s men popped open the chute. Hotshot and Rocker took off. Hotshot bounced and flung himself hard. He was doing everything he could to get Sid’s son off his back. He spun this way and that, kicking every which way, but Rocker stuck to Hotshot’s back like glue.

Stella had never seen the gelding that angry. Yes, she’d been thrown. She’d witnessed Rip, Jimmy, and Kayce get flung like ragdolls by Hotshot as well. Never this hard though. Next to her, Jimmy stood up to watch the show in front of him. Rocker started to slip off the side of the gelding, but righted himself quickly. Everyone in the crowd of people was hollering at the teenager to keep fighting.

Sid and the other pickup men came up on both sides of Hotshot to pull Rocker off and get him to safety. Stella heard Jimmy whisper in amazement to himself. She stood next to him and watched as Sid made over to them. Leaning on the fence, she called out to Sid. “So what do ya think?”

“I mean, he bucks pretty good Miss Stella, but he’s not competition material.” Sid leaned on his saddle horn. “I’ll give you a couple grand for him, but that’s because it’s you and Rip.”

Stella thought about it, and looked at Rip nearby listening. Rip just shrugged at her, forcing her to figure it out on her own. He wouldn’t be around forever to give her all the answers. Sella thought maybe she could convince John to keep him on the feed bill if she could get Hotshot to mind his manners? Stella didn’t want to give up on him. She shook her head and faced Sid. “I appreciate that, but John wants him off the feed bill. If he won’t be any good to you, I don’t wanna dump him on yours.”

“Tell ya what? We could keep ‘im for a little while, run him until he don’t feel like buckin’ anymore, if that’ll help?”

“Nah, I’ll make it work. I think I have an idea. Thanks though, Sid.”

“Anytime, Stella,” he smiled at her as she walked away. Sid looked at Rip and waved, “see ya later, man!”

Mia grabbed Stella’s attention, “he didn’t want the horse?”

“Didn’t buck hard enough,” Stella clenched her fists as she explained while continuing to walk by the woman. “C’mon, we gotta get him back in the trailer.” Mia stood, following after Stella.

The women hopped down off the chute loading zone, and Mia jogged ahead to open the trailer. Stella went and got Hotshot from one of Sid’s cowboys. Giving the gelding a pat on the neck, she whispered to him, “it’s okay boy. We’ll get you right.” Stella led him over to the trailer and loaded him up.

She heard Rip call out for Jimmy as she stepped out. She waved to the door, silently directing Mia to close it up as she listened to Rip subtly explain to Jimmy why he shouldn’t rodeo anymore. Especially after his last incident.

“Is this you telling me I shouldn’t rodeo?” Jimmy asked.

“No, Jimmy this is me telling you why you shouldn’t.” Rip cleared his throat. “What you do with the information I give you is up to you, but I want you to think long and hard about it.” He clapped Jimmy’s shoulder, “let’s go.”

Jimmy glanced at Stella sullenly. She smiled sadly at him. Knowing how excited he was when he found something he was good at in this lifestyle, her heart bled for him, understanding that they were slowly convincing him to stop what he loved.

Jimmy moved past her and Stella reached out to grab his arm. “I’m sorry, Jaybird. We’ll figure somethin’ out.”

“Yeah, Stella. Me too,” he muttered and kept going to the cab of the truck. Stella dropped her hand in disappointment, and joined the group in the vehicle.

They headed on down the road back to the Yellowstone. Inside the truck was quiet. Everyone seemed to be locked into their own worlds. Some despondent, some resentful, some overthinking.

Stella’s mind worked overtime, trying to come up with a solution that worked for both Hotshot and Jimmy. She had a possible idea, but she would need to talk to Rip and Kayce before she got Jimmy’s hopes up.

Jimmy stared out the window watching the Montana landscape fly by them. He understood Rip and Stella’s intentions for telling him to stop rodeoing. He knew they cared and were telling him they didn’t want to see him die. But he finally found something that he was good at and it was being ripped away from him.

Mia pouted against the window. She’d heard the conversation between Rip and Jimmy. She thought Jimmy should be able to do whatever he wants with his free time. She couldn’t believe that Stella and Rip were trying to convince him to stop. He was good with broncos and he could make a lot of money. He could make a life for himself, outside of the ranch.

A loud pop and Rip letting out a string of curses pulled everyone out of their thoughts. Stella heard Hotshot squeal in displeasure. The truck vibrated and shook back and forth. Looking around the truck, everyone was holding on to their respective oh shit handles and Rip navigated the truck to the side of the road.

“Damn who dropped a quarter in the magic fingers truck,” Stella joked as the vehicle came to a stop.

“Shut the fuck up, Stella!” Rip screamed. He huffed and puffed with rage as he jumped out to check the tires.

Stella’s lips pursed together, agitated at Rip’s lack of humor, but also understood she was on the thin ice of his temper and it was about to break. Jimmy and Mia stared at her slack jawed. It wasn’t everyday that Rip lost his cool on Stella. Everyone knew that.

Her lips smacked together and said, “y’all stay here. I’m gonna go help him.”

“You think you should after that? I wouldn’t.” Mia crossed her arms indignantly.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mia. I know how to deal with pissy pants,” she shoved open the door and hopped out. Marching to the bed of the truck she could hear Rip fighting with a tire on the trailer. She stopped at the bed and grabbed the tire iron and the jack.

Rip kicked violently at the tire and cussed as Stella sidled up behind him. “You might need these, cactus jack.” He leaned a hand against the trailer wall and let out a heavy sigh. “Here, you take the jack and raise it up some,” Stella directed. “I’ll get the lugs off.” Rip grabbed the jack from her and the pair silently got to work.

Jimmy and Mia watched from the inside of the truck. They both decided it was safer to be there than out there with the explosive lead wrangler. Mia cracked a joke about how Rip was one angry man.

45 minutes later they were back on the road. Stella was a little sweaty, but she could deal with it. She silently pleaded with Mia and Jimmy to stay quiet the rest of the ride home.