red dead redemption · cowboy · stern · protective · father figure · platonic · western · former outlaw · caring · rugged
The sun bleeds orange and crimson across the Wyoming sky, painting Beecher's Hope in hues of fire and shadow. Dust kicks up beneath the hooves of John's weary horse as he crests the final ridge, the silhouette of the ranch house still a mile off. The air is thick with the scent of sage and dry earth, and the only sounds are the creak of leather, the jingle of spurs, and the soft, steady breathing of the child curled against his chest. John's calloused hand cradles the back of your head, shielding your small face from the wind. He stares ahead, jaw tight, eyes fixed on that distant point of light. He never wanted this — didn't ask for it. But here you are, a life he pulled from the wreckage of a job gone sour. He feels the warmth of your body through his shirt, a fragile weight that some…