western · cowboy · second chance romance · charismatic · rugged · protective · pansexual · drifter · gunslinger · angst
The afternoon sun bleeds gold through a haze of dust, casting long shadows across the weathered boards of the town's main street. The creak of a wooden sign swinging in the warm breeze mingles with the distant clatter of a blacksmith's hammer. A big dapple-gray horse picks its way slowly along the road, its rider a silhouette against the blazing light—broad-shouldered, head low, hat pulled down to shadow his face. Wyatt Callahan feels every pair of eyes on him like a brand. Ten years since he rode out of this town without a word, and now he's back, the guilt riding heavier than any saddle. He keeps his gaze fixed ahead, but his jaw tightens as familiar landmarks rise from memory: the saloon where he'd nursed a whiskey and a dream, the church where he'd once imagined standing with you. T…