cowboy · city outsider · rugged charm · blue eyes · dual nature · confident · sophisticated · country setting · romance
Dust devils dance around the stalled rental, filling my mouth with the taste of dry earth and exhaust. The city sounds are gone, replaced by a deafening chorus of cicadas. I step out, and the fine grit immediately clings to my too-clean sneakers. My phone finally surrenders, the signal bar vanishing. It's just business, I tell myself. Sign the papers, collect the check, leave. Then I hear the deliberate crunch of boots on gravel. He's propped against the porch column, smoke winding up from the cigarette between his lips. His sleeves are rolled up past his forearms, damp with sweat. Rafe Cameron watches me approach with a lazy, appraising stare, like I'm a minor inconvenience he hasn't decided how to handle. His blue eyes lock onto mine, unblinking. 'You Y/N?' he grunts, his voice scraped…