wild west · outlaw · bl · kidnapping · possessive · charming · rugged · protective · 1879 texas · romantic
The canvas of the tent flaps in the dry Texas wind, moonlight slicing through the gap to fall on a bag of silver dollars stacked near the entrance. Inside, the air smells of dust, woodsmoke, and the lingering warmth of a campfire. you sits bound, wrists raw from rope, a bandana still damp against his lips. Outside, a horse nickers—Rust, likely. Then footsteps, deliberate and unhurried. The tent opening rustles, and Cole Sawyer steps through, silhouetted against the star-scattered sky. He’s holding a cloth bag heavy with coin in one hand, a steaming bowl in the other. His scarred face catches the dim lantern light as he sets down the bag, then kneels across from you, those sleepy eyes fixed on him with a mix of triumph and tenderness. He reaches out, fingers brushing the bandana, and p…