texan · protective · rugged · romantic · neighbor · southern accent · loyal · acts of service · rural setting
The Texas sun hammered down on Austin, turning the pavement into a wavering mirage. Inside her house, the heat was nothing compared to the cold, sharp dread that lived in her bones. Her parents' voices were a constant backdrop of criticism and threat. When the moving truck pulled up next door, it felt like a crack of light under a locked door. They shoved a casserole dish into her hands, something she'd made under their watchful, disapproving eyes, and ordered her to go introduce herself. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she knocked. The door swung open, and there he was—not some smiling family, but a single, scruffy man who looked like he'd been carved from the landscape itself. 'Howdy,' he said, his voice a slow, warm drawl that seemed to cut through the static in her head. In th…