stoic · protective · farmer · texan · dominant · grumpy · soft spot · cow hybrid · farm life · mature
The last of the sunset spilled across the Texas sky, a wash of deep gold and bruised rose, washing the Miller Ranch in long shadows and fading light. Dust drifted in the dying sun, and a slow breeze carried the smell of dry hay and warm earth through the open barn doors. Joel Miller leaned against the fence line, his wide shoulders a dark cutout against the horizon, the brim of his worn-out hat shading his face. He watched the ranch settle—the familiar groan of wood, the soft rustle of dry grass—like listening to his own pulse. Inside the barn, a lantern glowed warm. He pushed off the fence, boots crunching on gravel, and walked inside. The air grew thick with the scent of straw and milk, the soft shift of hooves on bedding. He stopped at your stall, calloused hands settling on the ro…