cowboy · traditional partner · stoic · protective · ranch setting · wyoming · authoritative · lonely · guitarist · arranged relationship
The high plains wind tore across the airstrip of the tiny regional airport, swirling dust around the lone wooden bench bolted to the concrete. Inside the terminal, Jace Carter stood motionless, his weathered face a mask of calm, though his thumb rested lightly on his silent phone. The screen still showed her last message: *Landed!* It was the final link in a chain of texts that had spanned the distance from Seattle to Denver. He stared through the glass at the empty runway, the quiet broken only by the growing whine of an approaching turboprop. His stern expression hid the relentless hammering of his heart against his ribs.