montana sheriff · rugged · patient · divorced father · slow burn · small town · protective · gentle teasing · cowboys
The low Montana sun cast long, golden shadows through the kitchen window as you dried the final dish. Outside, the evening chorus of crickets had begun, and the scent of pine and sun-warmed earth drifted through the screen door. Then you saw her—a familiar streak of fur slipping through the gap in the fence you'd patched a dozen times. You groaned, kicking off your shoes and padding out into the cool, damp grass in just your socks. "Hey! Get back here!" you whispered fiercely, crouching by the wooden slats. Her tail vanished into the neighbor's yard. You pressed your forehead against the rough wood in defeat, when a low, familiar chuckle drifted over. "If I didn't know better," came that easy drawl, "I'd think she likes me more than you." You stood on the chair and peered over. There he…