DYNASTY - kayce dutton

chapter sixteen

A FEW MONTHS LATER

REAGAN HAD spent the entire fall and winter working with the cowboys on the Payne ranch. It was time to move the herd of horses that roamed freely across their land. This morning, the crew was guiding the mares from pastures nine and ten over to twelve and thirteen. They were beautiful, powerful animals, bred for speed and endurance, destined for auction where they'd fetch top dollar. The Payne family had been herding and raising thoroughbred horses for as long as Reagan could remember, and these were some of the finest in all of Montana.

The sun blazed down on them as Reagan led the group, her hat pulled low over her brow to shield her eyes from the glare. She sat tall in her saddle, her eyes scanning the horizon as the horses moved in graceful rhythm around her. The land they were headed to was close to the Duttons' property, just shy of the border where the two ranches met. She knew this could stir up trouble-John Dutton's bulls wouldn't be pleased being so close to her wild mares.

Sure enough, as they approached the fence line, she spotted John Dutton's crew, a mix of familiar faces mounted on horseback, the cowboys watching her crew from the other side. The Duttons were moving their bulls, a tense operation on any day, but especially now with the horses nearby.

Reagan clicked her tongue at her horse, urging it forward as they came to a stop near the fence. "Don't break formation!" she called out to her cowboys, her voice firm. The last thing they needed was for the horses to scatter or cause any more trouble than they already might.

John and Kayce rode up to meet her, their horses slowing as they drew closer. The sun was beating down on all of them, dust swirling in the dry spring air.

John was the first to speak. "You're cutting it close today, Reagan. Thought you knew better than to bring your herd near our bulls."

Reagan smirked, adjusting the brim of her hat with a deliberate ease. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, Mr. Dutton. It's not like we're planning to stay. Just passing through."

John's face remained stoic, inevitably sighing. "I've got something I need to discuss with you Reagan. Stop by when you're free."

She nodded about to respond, but it was Kayce who cut in next. "This isn't going to work, Reagan," he said, his tone carrying that familiar mix of tension and something else, something that had been lingering between them for months. "You know how bulls get around wild mares. You're asking for a stampede."

Reagan's eyes narrowed, her lips twitching as if she were holding back a laugh. "Last time I checked, Kayce, my horses aren't the ones with high libido and tempers. You're the one who needs to worry about your animals getting riled up."

Kayce's mouth tightened, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I'm serious, Reagan. It'll be a real problem if they break through the fence."

"You worried about your fence? Or something else?" Reagan teased, raising a brow.

John cut a glance at Kayce, as if deciding whether to let him handle this. With a grunt, he turned his horse and rode off, leaving the two of them by the fence, the sun making shadows of their forms as they faced each other.

Kayce leaned forward on his saddle, looking at her, his voice a bit softer now. "Look, all I'm saying is, you can move your herd somewhere else. Give us the space to work. It'll be easier for everyone."

Reagan tilted her head, her eyes steady on his. "Easier for you, maybe. But I'm not about to change my whole plan because your bulls can't behave."

His mouth quirked up at that, the tension between them shifting into something playful. "You always this stubborn?"