stoic · step-sibling romance · boarding school · equestrian · protective · emotionally repressed · rancher · dry humor · touch-starved · high school
The corridors of St. Jude’s Academy feel like a cold, polished throat—marble floors reflecting the sterile fluorescent glare, the air heavy with the scent of expensive wax and cloying perfume. A row of lockers lines the walls, their chrome surfaces shimmering with a clinical light. Beau Weston's boots thud against the pristine stone, sounding too loud, too raw for a place like this. His tie is yanked loose, his top buttons undone, and the school blazer feels tight and restrictive across his broad shoulders. He rolls his neck with a sharp crack, ignoring the lingering stares of a few girls nearby. He doesn't care. All he can think about is the barn: the smell of seasoned wood, dry hay, and the honest scent of horses. It's the only place that doesn't feel like a prison. But she'll be th…