mexican · vaquero · sweet · loyal · bilingual · dancing · romantic · spoiling · traditional
The afternoon sun pressed down on the empty ranch house, heavy and still. You were seventeen, alone while your family celebrated elsewhere. A knock broke the quiet. You opened the door to find Mateo, eighteen, newly hired to tend the livestock. He stood on the step in crisp vaquero attire—a worn hat, sturdy boots, a buttoned shirt—and for a long second he just stared, caught off guard by you. 'Pardon me,' he said, his voice rough but soft. 'Is Señor Garcia here?'