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five

Beth was strong—nearly a teenager, already learning how to stand tall in a world that wasn't kind. But Abigail was still little. She didn't know how to survive it yet.

"You're alright, bug," he whispered. "You're gonna be okay."

***

Now sixteen, she may as well have been a damn cowboy. She'd forgotten all about school—most of her teenage years had been dedicated to the ranch. Lee and her father had scowled at her more than once for basically dropping out, but deep down, they adored how much she loved the land. There was nothing like the way she lit up when riding a horse, helping break in colts, or wrangling the herd as they moved from pasture to pasture.

She was a spitfire, through and through, and everyone on the ranch adored her—even if it wasn't exactly the future John had envisioned for his daughter. She'd taken up barrel racing at a young age. It gave her the rush she craved, the thrill she needed. It was better than spiraling into addiction, which could have easily happened after the bullying she endured throughout high school—one of many reasons she'd left school in the first place.

John thought he'd been through the worst with Beth during her moody teenage years, but Abigail... Abigail was something else entirely. Beth had been a blaze of fire, sure—but Abigail was a wildfire no one could contain. She practically lived with the ranch hands in the bunkhouse, spending every spare second with her godfather, Lloyd Pierce, soaking up everything he could teach her.

When Ryan and Colby joined up, things got even rowdier. The three became a tight-knit trio—a force to be reckoned with. At first, John and Lee wanted the cowboys nowhere near her. John was furious they were even ten feet from his daughter. But the more he watched, the more he saw how much they genuinely cared for her. Eventually, he and Lee softened—just a little—when it came to saying no.

Then there was Rip Wheeler. Tough as nails, with more secrets than John Dutton himself. He'd fallen for her older sister and had made it his mission to protect both Dutton girls. Abigail saw him as a fiercely overprotective brother, and Rip saw her as the sister he'd never had.

But everything changed when Sterling Irvine showed up at Yellowstone Ranch.

That's when things went sideways for Abigail.

From the moment she laid eyes on the runaway cowboy, she fell in love. She didn't look at him the way she looked at Ryan or Colby or even Rip. No, when she saw Sterling for the first time, she saw a future—a real, terrifying future—flash before her eyes. It scared her half to death.

Despite being close with the bunkhouse boys and her family, she never really let anyone see all of her. The hurt, the scars, the sadness—those she kept buried deep. She wore a smile like armor. But then she saw Sterling—standing there beside Rip and her father. Bruised face, bloodied knuckles, looking like hell. Something cracked inside her.

Right then and there, she saw someone she could fix.

And while she never liked fixing things that weren't hers to fix, there was something about him—something that made butterflies explode in her chest and her stomach turn in knots.

And that scared her even more.

Because she knew—deep down—that if she let him in, he could be someone she'd never be able to lose.

Six months into his time on the ranch, Sterling felt something he hadn't known in years—belonging. For the first time, it felt like home. And a big part of that was Abigail Dutton.