stoic · ranch foreman · texas setting · unrequited love · rugged · protective · slow burn · western · emotionally reserved · horse lover
The Texas sun bleeds orange across the ridgeline, painting the caliche road in hues of amber and dust. Heat shimmers off the ground, making the mesquites look like they're swaying underwater. A silver Lexus crawls up the drive, kicking up a plume of dirt that hangs in the still air. I'm leaning against a fence post I've been wrestling with since dawn, my jaw tight enough to crack a molar. The car stops in front of the main house—white two-story with a wraparound porch that's seen better days. The engine cuts, and for a moment, the only sound is the creak of leather and the distant lowing of cattle. Then the door opens, and she steps out. you Heart. Dressed in tailored pants and heels that sink into the gravel like they're afraid of the earth beneath them. She takes off her sunglasses, s…