There wasn't a man alive that could change her mind about men.  Kenna had seen it all and always came away disappointed.  The bruises on her face had healed over, leaving her flawless golden skin to shine through once more.  Her beautiful blue eyes were tired looking, puffy beneath her brown lashes and bloodshot from too little sleep and too much marijuana.

The flashing neon lights across the street from the gas station were enough to have her temples throbbing, but she ran across the way for the chance at hot food that didn't come from a case.  The Tankard flashed in big cursive blue letters beside an outline of a busty waitress in pink lights.  Perfect, she thought. 

The interior was much the same as the bars she used to frequent in Oakland with Dax.  Dingy barstools, old men, and stained tables decorated the otherwise bare establishment.  Bartenders in skimpy clothing being oggled by men in ballcaps and cowboy hats served drinks with fake smiles and rolled eyes.  It would have to do.

"Excuse me?" Kenna took a seat at the bar and flagged down the woman pouring drinks in a revealing black tank top.

"What are you drinking sweetie?" The blonde asked as she served the two glasses of whiskey to the men beside her.

"Water, please." The bartender nodded and filled up a glass.  "Actually," she added once she had her drink, "I was wondering if this place was hiring?"

"Hiring?" The woman stopped pouring drinks and looked her up and down.  Kenna fought the urge to shrink away from her gaze.  She didn't look like much with her hair up in a messy bun going on three days without a wash, her fingernails dirty, and a pair of shorts that looked like they may as well be a pair of denim underwear.  It was all she had though.  Dax had filled her wardrobe for her with impractical clothing she was usually freezing in, but it turned him on.  Dax was a lot of things, but nice was never one of them.  Being turned on was as close to his nice side she'd ever gotten.  "Hey Walker." She greeted another patron that took a seat beside her on the right.  "Honey, have you ever been in this bar?" The bartender turned back to her.

Walker peered over at her curiously from his stool.  His dark hair contrasted against his pale, yet weathered, skin.  "No." She didn't want to explain how she came to be there.

"Jimmy!" She hollered over the heads of the men in front of her.  A scrawny strawberry blonde man looked up from the pool table.  He wore a denim jacket lined in sheep wool with a crooked grin.

"Do we need to order more drinks, Stacy?  Too slow to stay open again?" He asked politely.

"You're good, Jimmy.  I was just interviewing someone looking for a job." She nodded to Kenna who narrowed her eyes at the statement.  Walker wasn't taking his eyes off her.

"Please don't make me do that again." Jimmy whined and lolled his head back.  She glanced between the two of them, contemplating her next move. 

"Well, no one is twisting your arm!" Stacy snapped, placing a hand on her hip in mock offense. 

Kenna raised a brow and stood up, setting her water down.  "Look, I just got into town and I was just checking to see-" 

"Shit, Jimmy don't be a pussy." The man, Walker, growled behind her in a southern drawl.  She froze when she felt his hand grope her ass and give it one big squeeze with his palm.  Before she could think it through, she whirled around and let her fist collide with his jaw.  Walker fell back, knocking into the group of men playing pool and breaking a chair on his way.  Blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth and she felt every eye in that bar blazing into her soul.

"Holy shit." Jimmy breathed.  The men at the pool table pulled Walker up to a stand.  Her cheeks burned under his stare while he locked eyes with her.  She watched him wipe the blood away with the back of his hand.

"What did you do Walker?" A big burly man in a black jacket muttered with disapproval.  His black beard had been neatly trimmed back from his thin lips and curled out just beneath the brim of his black cowboy hat.

"Just helping Stacy interview." He laughed lightly.

Kenna looked back at Stacy who was beaming at her proudly.  "You're hired.  Ain't nobody knocked a man back like that since Beth Dutton."  Kenna didn't say a word.  She'd never heard of anyone named Dutton before.  "You'll pay to replace that chair with your first paycheck."

Kenna bit her bottom lip.  "When can I start?" She asked.

"Now." She tossed an apron over the bar.  Kenna greedily snatched it out of the air and tied it around her waist.  "What's your name?"

"Kenna." She made her way behind the counter and began to familiarize herself with the liquor. 

"Stacy Druin." She put her hand out and shook hers.  "You got a last name Kenna?"

"Black." She lied.

"Well Kenna Black, around here men can get real grabby and irritable when they drink.  They'll tip you real good, but they'll try to get something in return if you know what I mean.  You just keep dealing out ass whoopings like you did to Walker over there and you'll have nothing to worry about." She said happily.

Kenna nodded.  "Is that the group that causes all the trouble?" She gestured over to Walker and Jimmy who rejoined their group at the pool table.  There was six of them total.  Walker, Jimmy, an old man with a handlebar mustache, a black man with a red bandana around his neck, a young handsome guy in carharts, and the man in black.  They were all bullshitting and bent over their game.

"Them?  Hell no.  You'll never have to worry about sticking up for yourself when those boys are around.  Rip's a good man, he doesn't sit idly by when someone's being mistreated." She assured her.  "They close it down when they pass by here.  Make sure our girls get home alright."

"Oh." She said absentmindedly, taking in the scene before her.  "Which one is Rip?"

"The one in the black hat.  Him and Kayce run the ranch hands on the Dutton Ranch."

"Whiskey straight.  Two." A man ordered with two fingers held up.

Stacy reached for a glass but Kenna beat her to it and slid the man his order.  "Quick.   I like that." Stacy complimented.  "How often can you work?"

"As often as you'll let me." She replied hopefully.

"Good.  Where you staying?" She inquired.

"Once I get some money in my pocket, I'll let you know." She muttered and received a sympathetic smile from her new boss.

"Well, around here people will treat you like family if you let them.  If you need a place to crash just holler." She said politely.

"Thanks, but I like to make my own way." Kenna answered lightly.  The thought of sleeping under a roof that wasn't bolted to a sidewalk sounded appealing, but she never wanted to put herself in the position to owe anyone ever again.

"Understood." Stacy nodded, not a hit of offense taken.  She slid out from behind the counter and began serving trays of drinks to the boys at the pool table.

The night remained dully uneventful until Stacy bellowed out, "Last call!"

A handful of patrons flocked to the bar and placed their final orders.  A few new faces had come and gone, but the Dutton ranch hands had stayed just like Stacy said they would.

"I wanted to apologize, ma'am."  Kenna spun around from her place by the jukebox.  Walker stood with his hat in his hands and a serious look on his face.  "I meant no offense.  Miss Stacy just likes to make sure her girls can stand their own ground if need be, is all." He looked sorry enough standing there with his head low and his hat off.

"Apology accepted." She said dryly.  "Don't call me ma'am." She added as an after thought.  The title made her feel older than any twenty-six year old should feel.

Walker smirked.  "What should I call you then?" She knew he was searching for a name, the smug bastard.

"Miss." She stated unphased by his probing.

His smirk faded some as the rejection set in.  "Miss it is then."  He agreed.  "Guess I'll see you around." His boot spurs tinkled softly as he walked away and relief flooded through her.  "You got a mean right hook." He threw a smirk over his shoulder and rubbed his jaw to emphasize his point.

"Thanks." She wasn't ready to have men fawning over her, Dax was still too present in her mind and she would need time to heal from him.

"Well that's the last of them." Stacy hopped up on the table next to her and slung her apron over her shoulder. 

Kenna sighed gratefully and dug out the wad of tips she'd made, handing it over to her boss.  "Here."

"Keep it.  You earned them." She pushed her hand back.  Kenna stared at her in disbelief.  Keep them?  She'd never get away with keeping her tips back at Dax's bar.  Any cash she had was considered a protection fee, though it was Dax she had needed it from.  She tucked the money into her bra before Stacy could change her mind.  "Be here tomorrow night at five sharp.  I'll have Kendra train you on the register and show you the ins and outs."

"Five o'clock." Kenna smiled sweetly and pushed away from the table.  "Thank you for the opportunity."

"With a hit as hard as yours I should be paying you bouncer wages." Stacy laughed and gave her an approving smack on the back before disappearing into the backroom.

Kenna hung her apron behind the counter and made her way to the doors.  She passed by the ranchers and kept her eyes low.  She still didn't miss the fleeting glance the men gave her when she pushed open the doors.

It was pitch black and well after two in the morning, but she had nowhere to lay her head so she kept moving.  Eventually, she assumed, there would be an abandoned house or a slide at a park to crawl inside of.  The moon was her only light since she left Nevada and chucked her cell phone in a dumpster.  It was for the best.  Dax had been blowing it up with calls and texts.  After about twenty or so consecutive death threats she had vowed to ditch it somewhere.

If she hadn't dropped her phone in water and taken the battery out, she would have never found the tracking chip.  Fucking Dax.  She should have known.  He tracked everyone everywhere at all times.  He knew her family history better than she did.  Of course when she didn't return after making his delivery he got wise and sent out his dogs to sniff her out.

The measely five hundred dollars worth of marijuana he had her take barely lasted her through Idaho.  She sold some and smoked the rest to keep her mind off the maniacal biker that was undoubtedly hot on her trail and dying to get his revenge.  It was that thought alone that made her kick herself for ever falling for his blue eyes and broken promises.  Ever since they'd met it was lie after lie and constant let downs.  It wasn't love that kept her there so long.  It was his blackmailing and threats.  Most of California had her face plastered in convenient store windows and on gas station doors thanks to her involvement with the Iron Bears.

A pair of headlights in the distance drew her attention.  She found herself finger the zipper of her backpack that held the gun she had stolen before she left Dax's clubhouse.  Before the window in the full size truck could roll all the way down she took a step forward.  "Can I help you?" She offered with the distinct flavor of sarcasm on her tongue. 

"That's funny," came the voice within, "I was just about to ask you the same question." The man Stacy had called Kayce rested his arm over the door.  "Where you headed?  I can give you a lift." He said sweetly.

Kenna scrunched her face up.  "I bet you would." She said lowly.

Kayce caught her meaning and held up a hand.  "No ma'am, not like that.  I'm married, got a teenage boy." He announced proudly.  "Just trying to be a good Samaritan is all."  Kenna glanced behind him at the row of faces.  The man in the black hat was staring at her from the passengers seat.  "They're good boys too." Kayce said when he saw her trying to figure them all out.

"I don't take rides from strangers.  Especially truck fulls of them." Kenna narrowed her eyes at the gang.

"Well my name is Kayce Dutton.  This here's Rip Wheeler.  You've got Lloyd, Jimmy, Walker, and Colby." Each of the men raised their hands respectfully.  "These roads can be dangerous at night, we'd feel awful if something were to happen to you." Kayce explained genuinely.

"I can take care of myself." Kenna made to turn away when Rip spoke up.

"With all due respect ma'am, a punch in the jaw from little ole you ain't gonna do much but piss off a wolf or a cougar." Her jaw slackened a bit.  "Now I personally saw a pack of wolves kill an elk just up this road last week.  Blood attracts predators.  Wolves last week, maybe cats this week."  His voice was rough and sharp.

She didn't know what to say to that.  Of couse there would be wild animals, she was in Montana now.  She knew how to fend off men in California, but wolves and cougars were another thing entirely.  She could tell she was staying silent for far too long when Walker piped up.  "Stacy mentioned her new server was looking at places.  There ain't a motel for twelve miles.  We're just doing Stacy a favor, and you if you'll let us."

Her brows knit together.  "Stacy asked a group of cowboys to take me home like a stray cat?" She asked incredulously.

"You seem like more of a dog person." Jimmy leaned forward in his seat, thin lips set in a serious line.  Kenna gazed at him in absolute wonder, wonder for how many brain cells he had in his tiny head.  The rest of the men slowly turned with equally dumbfounded quizzical looks.  "Sorry." Jimmy shifted uncomfortably and melted back into his seat.

"Hows about it, Miss?" Walker asked with a hopeful smile.

"I don't have anywhere you could take me to." She admitted, cheeks flushing red at how pitiful she sounded.

"We can help you with that too." Kayce assured her.  The sound of a wolf howling in the distance made her freeze, essentially making up her mind for her.  She fast walked around the truck to the opposite side and stepped back when Rip opened the door so she could hop in the middle. 

Kenna felt her cheeks warm again when Rip climbed back in.  Kayce and Rip were clearly trying to give her space and angled their legs away from her practically bare ones.  She was glad for the heater blasting in the cab, smoothing her goosebumps down as it blew on her.

"My family owns a ranch about a half hour from here.  You're welcome to sleep in the guesthouse tonight." Kayce told her, pulling back onto the road.  She gulped when his headlights caught sight of a wolf trotting on the side of the road just yards from where she had been standing.

"I don't have a lot of money I can give you for helping me." She answered shamefully.

"Give me money?" Kayce chuckled lightly.  "Where are you from?"

"Oakland." She said the city with a sour taste.

"California?" He checked and she nodded.  "Well, my dad always said that people from around here were a lot different than the folks in California.  Round here people do things because its just the right thing to do, not because there's a reward in it for them." He explained.

She didn't think she'd ever known a man to do the right thing in general, let alone without getting something in return.  "He sounds like a good guy." It was her highest form of compliment since she never got to use it.

"He was.  Got shot on this road about five years back." Kayce stared straight ahead, his grip tightening on the wheel suddenly.

"I'm sorry." Kenna offered quietly.  Kayce shrugged nonchalantly and kept quiet the rest of the way.  She was grateful for that at least.  The four in the back fell asleep leaving just them up front.  Rip showed no signs of tiring, his eyes clear and scanning the road while Kayce barrelled down it.

A large gate with Dutton Ranch in big white letters greeted her as Kayce pulled down the long driveway.  Rip hopped out and unlocked the gate, letting Kayce enter and shutting it behind him.

"Welcome to Yellowstone." Kayce smiled at her as he wound around the bends and turns towards an impressive stone cabin.  She couldn't even imagine what it would look like in the morning.

A woman in a white cardigan and sweats was standing on the porch with arms crossed to keep off the chill.  Kayce shut off the engine and left the door open behind him for Kenna to slide out.  He walked up to the woman on the porch and wrapped his arms around her lovingly, planting a deep kiss on her smiling lips.

"Did you take care of the problem?" She asked cryptically.

"I always do baby." He murmured into her neck.

Kenna stood back awkwardly until the woman's eyes landed on her.  "Kayce?" She pulled away from him.  She found herself wondering if this was Beth Dutton that Stacy mentioned.  She was tan with straight jet black hair, it was clear what her heritage was.

Kayce glanced back at Kenna and took off his hat to scratch his head.  "Oh!" He chuckled.  "Stacy hired a new girl that just blew into town.  Couldn't leave her walking around all night in this country.  I'm gonna have her take the guesthouse tonight."

The woman seemed to gaze at him in adoration.  "Of course you are." She shook her head and patted a tan hand over his heart.  "I'm Monica." She stepped off the porch and held out her hand.

"Kenna." She shook it.  "I told him I didn't need any help." She said, hoping the woman didn't get the wrong impression of her.

Monica giggled, "I'm sure you did, but thats just my husband.  He's too kind for his own good." She said dreamily and Kenna felt a pang of jealousy.  No one had ever made her feel that way before.  "Sees someone in need and moves mountains to help them." She shrugged and cast a glance back at him.

"Well I'm grateful." Kenna replied putting her arms around herself to keep warm.  The shorts and t-shirt weren't cutting it in the windy night.

"You must be freezing!" Monica exclaimed suddenly.  "Kayce, get her into the guesthouse and warmed up." She commanded and Kayce jumped to the cause.  Monica turned back to her.  "It was nice meeting you Kenna." Kayce came up behind her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  "I'll see you upstairs." She promised him and spun around to go back inside.

"Guesthouse is just around the side here." Kayce lead her silently over the grass to another impressive cabin style house.  It was miniscule compared to the main house, but it still seemed like a mansion to her.  "I only have one rule." He stopped at the door.  Rip was carrying an arm load of firewood inside and she could hear the sound of a hatchet cutting kindling from within.  Good.  A blazing fire would take the chill off her bones.

"Whats that?" Kenna queried.

"You can shower, cook anything you want out of the fridge, hell you can even drink the beer for all I care," he shifted his weight onto his other leg, "but please don't touch any of the clothes in there.  Don't try to tidy up by picking up the jacket on the bedpost, don't move the clothes over in the wardrobe."

It was an odd request to say the least but she nodded her understanding.  "Okay I won't."

"Thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief.  "My dad and brother both lived in there at one point and I haven't touched their things." It clicked.  It was purely sentimental.  That she could relate to and she subconsciously began to twirl the ring on her right hand.  The two diamonds that represented both her and her mother's birth month.  It had been a gift from her father for mother's day.  She could still remember how her mother's face lit up when she received it.  Now it was all she had left of her.  "My dad didn't mess with my brother's stuff after he died, and I haven't had the heart myself to mess with my dad's."

"I understand." She saw Kayce glance at her ring she was spinning, and felt her own sense of relief when he resolved to not ask about it. 

He just pursed his lips empathetically and lead her inside.  It was open and spacious.  Rip stood in front of a blazing fire, the cedar crackling and popping and giving her hope for some warmth.  "Bathroom is through that door, bedroom is over there, and the pantry is stocked full of Monica's mason jars of shit.  Applesauce, pickles, jam, anything you can think of to can and more." He scratched his head.

"I packed in some firewood for you, ma'am." She fought the urge to grimace at the title Rip used.  "Should keep you going well into tomorrow."

"Thank you." He dipped his head respectfully and left the way he came.

Kenna took her backpack off and rubbed her sore shoulders where the straps bit into her.  "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Its no trouble at all.  I'm glad to help.  I'm heading back into town tomorrow at two if you need a ride back to Stacy's." He smiled and left her to it.

Kenna took a deep breath and examined her surroundings.  It would do for the night.  It was far fancier than any shitty motel she could have stayed in, and this came with food to eat.  She decided on a hot shower and a jar of applesauce to settle her growling stomach.

It felt amazing to have clean hair and smell fresh for the first time in days.  A soft bed beneath her, the warmth of a fire, and a full belly was enough to put her mind at ease and allow her to drift into a peaceful sleep.  All thoughts of Dax and the looming threat of him coming after her seemed to dissipate into a blissful dreamless void.