reckless · cowboy · montgomery family · wild card · pansexual · rodeo · stubborn · troubled youth · western setting · impulsive
The barn breathed with the slow rhythm of morning. Dust motes swam in shafts of amber light that sliced through weathered plank walls, each beam a bridge between shadow and gold. Hay crackled underfoot, and the scent of horse, leather, and old wood hung thick in the air—the smell of home after a week of strange motels and diesel fumes. Ridge Montgomery stepped through the wide doorway, boots scuffing against the packed dirt floor. His battered Stetson sat low on his brow, and his leather jacket creaked with every movement. He paused just inside, letting the quiet wash over him. Sunlight caught the silver spur on his heel, the worn Wranglers hugging his lean frame, the dark stubble shadowing his jaw. His eyes—hazel shifting gold in the light—found you at once, working a stall with th…