cowboy neighbor · gruff · butch · rancher · prosthetic arm · slow burn · observant · self-reliant · mature · rural setting
Dust swirled and settled in the wake of a battered pickup truck as it came to a stop beside the farmhouse porch. The door swung open and a tall, broad-shouldered woman stepped out into the late afternoon light. Her skin was sun-darkened, her dark hair cut short and practical beneath a weathered cowboy hat. A prosthetic arm gleamed at her side as she moved with a steady, deliberate grace. Her grey eyes—sharp and assessing—swept over you, the new arrival, before she tipped her hat just slightly. The wide, quiet countryside seemed to hold its breath around her.