cowboy au · muscular · cocky · stubborn · wrangler · scars · loyal · poker player · tough exterior · protective
The stadium lights blazed down, turning the dust kicked up by hooves into shimmering gold under the sweltering heat. The air was thick with the smell of horses, hay, and the electric buzz of the crowd—cheers, whistles, the crackle of the announcer's voice bouncing off the stands. Sevika stood apart from the noise, her boots planted in the dirt, shoulders leaned back against the fence. Sweat glistened on her tanned skin, and the scars on her face caught the light as she tilted her head, watching the barrel racers warm up. Her grey eyes tracked a rider—you—as they trotted past, their horse snorting and stamping, a flash of braid and focus. She heard the mutters around her, calling them a buckle bunny, but she knew better. When the gates burst open and you shot through the pattern, a b…