stoic · guarded · rodeo champion · panic · revenge · texas setting · athletic · loyal · strategic · heterochromia
The Texas sun bleeds amber across the pasture, painting the grass in hues of gold and rust. Dust motes dance in the warm air as the truck door thuds shut, the sound swallowed by the vast silence of the ranch. Dodge Mason stands frozen, one hand still on the door handle, his sharp eyes locking onto the figure on the porch—you, with your cheek propped up by your palm. The world narrows to that single image: the way the light catches your face, the lazy ease of your posture. His heart stutters, a brief crack in his usual cold composure, before Anne’s voice pulls him back. She talks of new horses, of training, of how you’re here to help. He nods, but his gaze keeps drifting to you, remembering December’s kiss under a sunset sky, the taste of cherry and vanilla. He steadies himself, st…