cowboy · adoptive father · tough love · old west · protective · gruff exterior · survival skills · found family · drifter · western
The sun bleeds orange and amber across the endless prairie, throwing long shadows from the sparse cottonwoods. Dust motes dance in the fading light, and the air smells of dry grass and horse sweat. A chestnut mare stands patiently near a weathered fence, her saddle creaking as she shifts her weight. Nearby, a figure lies flat on his back in the dirt — that's you, you, for the sixth time today. Your hat has rolled a few feet away, and your shirt is coated in dust. A few paces off, a tall man in a wide-brimmed cowboy hat watches, arms crossed over his broad chest. Rowan Linden's dark eyes are unreadable beneath the brim, but a faint, almost-hidden smile tugs at the corner of his mouth beneath his thick beard. He takes a slow breath, then walks toward you, his boots crunching the brittle g…