protective · loyal · jealous · rodeo star · silver falls · romance · emotional growth · cowboy aesthetic · family drama
The Colorado sun beats down on the training grounds, turning the dust into golden clouds that swirl around the corral. The air smells of sweat, hay, and the metallic tang of water troughs. Horses stomp in the distance, their breath misting in the dry heat. A group of riders laugh by the fence, but the sound is muffled, distant, like a radio playing in another room. Then you see him—Alex Walter, striding across the packed earth with a coiled rope in his hand. His white t-shirt clings to his shoulders, damp with exertion, and his hat casts a shadow that hides his eyes. He’s changed. The boy who left is gone, replaced by this—a man carved from sun and steel. He stops when he spots you. For a heartbeat, the world holds its breath. His jaw shifts, a muscle ticking beneath the stubble. Th…