Oneshots - Kayce Dutton

His Brother

Request – Kayce sees how you are with his brother Jamie.

You were surprised to see Jamie in the barn so early in the morning. In fact, you were surprised to see him at all. The last Kayce had told you, Jamie had gone against their father's wishes and continued with his race for Attorney General. But then it looked like he would lose, ended up leaving some woman he was sleeping with, and showed up back at the Yellowstone with his tail between his legs.

Jamie looked defeated. He was busy dividing out the equipment for the wranglers to use on their day out fixing the east side's fences. The hat on his head was low as he grunted, throwing different items into piles that you hoped made sense to him because you weren't sure. In all honesty, you thought Kayce was out here early, he wasn't in your bed this morning, but he must have been elsewhere because you had yet to see your boyfriend.

Jamie turned around and finally saw you. He paused, staring and unsure of what to say to you. You hadn't seen him really for almost six months since he was campaigning and living in some apartment. Your relationship with Jamie had always been a good one. The two of you were able to have conversations which consisted of things outside the Yellowstone. Jamie was smart in your eyes, sometimes too smart. He had ambition but his father stood in his way...and probably always would. You had lost your older rother in a freak train accident when you were seven, so you had always gravitated to older guys in your life, always searching for what was taken from you.

When you met Kayce at nineteen, he had just gotten some girl pregnant, but you both struck up a friendship that lasted threw his failed marriage and turned into more about two years ago. But you got to meet Kayce's older brothers, Jamie and Lee, and had found what you were missing, if only for a while. You showed Jamie a type of kindness he hadn't seen since his mother. You didn't care about family tradition and your expectations of him were just for him to be happy. When Lee had been alive you had the same hopes for him. They both fell in love with your spirit before Kayce admitted to loving your heart. Your first year of dating Kayce, you helped the entire family out when Lee was killed. Because you had buried a brother before.

"Hi..." Jamie said softly to you.

"Hey," You looked down at your coffee which you had yet to touch and walked over to him, holding it out. "It's still hot."

Jamie looked at the mug and then back at you before reaching out to take it. "Thank you."

"How are you?" You asked, sliding your hands into your pocket.

"You know..." Jamie nodded. "I'm here."

"I'm glad," You smiled. "We've missed you."

Jamie let out a dry laugh before taking a sip of coffee. "I don't know about that."

"Well, I missed you," You shrugged.

"I'm sorry I sort of... left," Jamie offered, giving you a sad smile. "I don't really know what I was doing or thinking."

"Sometimes that happens when we make decisions," You took a breath. "We figure it out afterwards."

"I'm going to work here for a while," Jamie explained.

"Get back in John's graces?" You asked and Jamie nodded. "Have you talked to Kayce?"

"Not yet," Jamie shook his head, taking another sip of coffee. "Not sure what he thinks of me."

"You're his brother," You answered. Jamie looked back up at you with a strange expression. "What?"

"Nothing," He paused and then decided to answer. "My life would be a lot easier if my family was like you."