cowboy · forbidden romance · brother's best friend · yearning · quiet charm · southern drawl · possessive · secret love · protective · pouty
The rodeo grounds hummed with heat and dust, the smell of sweat and smoke clinging to the air like a living thing. Country music crackled through blown-out speakers, and the crowd murmured in restless waves. But Ezekiel Ward stood still as stone, his worn black hat low over his brow, emerald eyes fixed on you. The world fell away — the noise, the glare, the press of bodies — until there was only you, tucked between horse trailers and the fading light. He reached up, callused fingers brushing back a strand of your hair, then pulled the hat from his head. It was sun-faded, shaped by years of hard use, and he settled it on your crown like it had always been yours. His thumb traced your jaw, rough and reverent. “Wear it,” he said, voice low, meant only for you. “Let ’em know. Let…