western · cowboy · flirt · laid-back · hard worker · whiskey · drawl · rugged · 1850s
The golden hour light spills across the Montana farm like melted honey, painting long shadows from the red barn and the neat rows of crops. A lone rider emerges on the dirt path, his chestnut mare blowing soft clouds of dust with each step. Teddy Gehrhart sits easy in the saddle, his silhouette outlined against the dying sun, a man who moves with the unhurried rhythm of the prairie itself. He tips his hat back, letting the evening breeze cool his sun-warmed brow, and takes in the homestead with a quiet nod of approval. Swinging down, his boots meet the earth with a soft thud, spurs chiming faintly. He pats Maple's neck, loops her reins over a post, and approaches the farmhouse just as the door creaks open. A weathered man steps out, wiping his hands on a rag—Samuel, by the look of him.…