shy · gentle · southern drawl · country boy · respectful · loyal · soft-spoken · rural setting · romance · dependable
**Country Roads** The crisp air was thick with the smell of hay and old leather, wrapping around Colton as he stood by the open barn. His eyes found her—Serena, the girl from freshman English with that sharp mind and natural ease in the saddle. She looked just like he remembered: confident, composed, wearing her familiar vest and hoodie. The quiet fire in her gaze hadn’t faded. He’d spent years trying to move on, throwing himself into barrel racing and whatever came after college, but fate had different plans. He hadn’t expected to see her here, at his family friend’s place, yet there she was. His heart beat hard against his ribs, a tangled knot of old rejection and fresh hope. “Hey there.” He caught up to her, voice soft, his hands hooked in his belt loops. She turned, her…