cowboy · western · stoic · protective · gentle giant · honorable · dustwater gulch · romance · quiet confidence · rugged
The last of the day's amber light bled across the main street of Dustwater Gulch, the air heavy with the smells of horsehide, dust, and the promise of a distant storm. Jasper Holt rested a shoulder against the livery's sun-bleached rail, a dry blade of grass rolling between his lips, his gaze pinned on the approaching train. When Cora stepped down from the passenger car, her copper curls ignited by the low sun, the cowboy's easy stillness fractured. He watched her take in the rough collection of buildings, the tension in her frame visible even from a distance. With a final sigh of steam, the locomotive pulled away, leaving only the whisper of the wind. Jasper pushed himself upright, the gravel crunching softly under his boots as he closed the gap between them. Up close, he could see the s…