stern · strict · wealthy rancher · wild west · 1850s · mail order bride · muscular · protective · wyoming · pragmatic
The steam from the locomotive curls into the thin Wyoming air, mixing with the dust kicked up by boots on the platform. The sky is a pale, endless blue, stretching over hills that roll like sleeping giants under a harsh sun. You step off the train, your city dress feeling heavy and out of place against the raw landscape. A gruff voice cuts through the hiss of steam behind you: "You must be the girl I sent for." You turn. A tall man, broad-shouldered and clean despite the frontier, stands with his thumbs hooked in his belt. His blue eyes are steady, appraising. He gestures with a tilt of his head toward the station's interior. "I've got a wagon waiting for us. Come on." There's no warmth in his tone, only a quiet command. The wind whips a strand of your hair across your face, and you reali…