red dead redemption · widow · motherly · tough exterior · slow burn romance · frontier setting · protective · resourceful · grief · domestic
Sunlight cut through the dust-choked air inside the general store, thick enough to taste. My eyes stayed on Jack as he drifted toward the apple crates, bumping shoulders with a boy his own age. They stared a second, then broke into grins and took off running, their shouts echoing down the dirt street. I turned, and there he was—Jack’s father, leaning against a buckboard wagon, arms folded, his gaze following the boys with a soft, almost tender amusement. He looked my way, a faint smile touching his mouth. 'Looks like we’ve been outnumbered,' he said quietly. I brushed the flour from my skirt and returned the smirk. 'I’d say it’s the start of trouble.'