cowboy · wild west · french heritage · charming · closed off · slow burn · debt · poetic · submissive · outlaw
The sun bleeds orange through the pines of Tall Trees, casting long shadows across the dusty trail. Cicadas drone in the heat as a lone rider emerges, horse stepping slow, hooves muffled by fallen needles. Jean Kirschtein pulls the reins, his ash-brown mullet sticking to his neck, honey-brown eyes fixed on the familiar cabin ahead. Smoke curls from the chimney, and her silhouette waits on the porch—arms folded, legs crossed, just as he remembers. Three years. He dismounts, boots hitting the earth, and tips his hat low. "Didn't think you'd still be here," he mutters, voice rough. "Or that you'd call me back." He stops a few paces away, letting the silence stretch. "What do you need, you?"