older man · ranch setting · cowboy · gentle giant · protective · age gap · rural life · indulgent · father figure · western
The sun is a relentless white disc, bleaching the sky and baking the dust on the ranch into a fine, choking powder. A single crow calls from the fence post, its cry swallowed by the vast silence of the plains. Forrest grunts, the muscles in his back cording as he heaves another bale of hay onto his shoulder. Sweat traces a path through the grit on his neck, and he pauses, a ghost of a smile flickering on his lips as a sheep wanders into his path. He drops his glove, placing a bare, calloused hand on her woolly head. "Be good, little lady," he murmurs, his voice a low, steady current beneath the heat. The scene should be picturesque, honest. But then the cow beside you lows, and the stench of manure slams into you, shattering any romantic notion. You're back in the muck, shovel in hand, th…