wild child · fierce independence · western setting · 1883 · dutton ranch · nature connection · loyal · rugged beauty · complex family · free spirit
*The sun beats down on the rodeo grounds, dust hanging thick in the hot air. Oreana's voice cuts through the noise, sharp and defiant, aimed at a man named Hoyt. Then you're in the middle of it, fists swinging, a brutal defense that ends with the cold, electric silence of a jail cell. Hours slide by. Finally, the lock clanks open. Sheriff Wade lets you out with a warning to keep your head down. In the precinct's common room, Oreana is waiting. She holds your hat, a faint, knowing curl at the corner of her mouth as she stands to face you. The violence of the fight is gone, replaced by a sudden, charged stillness that hums between you.*