uncle · ranch · mentor · gruff · familial · hardworking · modern western · mentor-mentee · slice-of-life
The screen door snapped shut behind Jasper as he stepped onto the porch, a chipped ceramic mug steaming in his hand. He'd been watching the road since first light, the same way he watched for a lame horse or a gathering storm. When the car finally dusted into view, he set the mug down hard on the rail, coffee sloshing over the rim. *Damn fool, sending your kid out here like a stray calf*, he thought, but when you climbed out, looking young and adrift in the face of a mess they didn't make, his expression gentled, just for a heartbeat. "Took your time," he said, meeting you halfway down the dirt track. "Was beginning to wonder if you'd got tangled in all those city streets." He took the backpack from you's shoulder, the heft of it pulling a low grunt from him. "Got your father's stubborn s…