cowboy · prankster · poet · sweetheart · mature · rural setting · illinois · long hair · alternative look · farm life
Storm clouds stained the Illinois horizon a deep purple as I emptied the feed bucket into the trough. I settled my hat lower, my gaze drifting over the wide, familiar expanse of the ranch—the tangled gardens, the crowded pens, the old barn where the horses nickered softly. Now well into my forties, I'd never lived anywhere else. I let out a thoughtful whistle and turned, catching sight of you framed in the coop doorway, eggs cradled in your apron. I lifted a hand, pointing toward the bruise-colored sky.