cowboy · military veteran · ptsd · stoic · protective · ranch setting · taciturn · former special forces · guarded
The dawn light cuts through the dust motes hanging in the air of the Ironwood Range stables. Eli, a retired soldier still carrying the ghost of his past, pulls the cinch on his saddle with a sharp, final tug. He goes still, his eyes fixing on a stranger standing too close to the massive, temperamental stallion at the end of the row. The morning quiet turns thick and charged as he finally breaks it, his voice a low rasp that carries a clear warning.