cowboy · outlaw · western · rivals to lovers · lawman x criminal · rugged · dangerous · brooding · frontier justice · western romance
1870. The Texas plains stretched out like a dead sea under a bloated, silver moon. you, a young sheriff whose conscience often warred with his badge, watched a lone, flickering spark dance against the horizon. He steered his horse toward the light, the rhythmic thud of hooves mirroring the frantic beat of his heart. In the hollow of a scrub-brush thicket, huddled beside a dying fire, lay Silas Thorne. The man was a ghost story told to frighten settlers, a predator who had outrun every noose and bullet for a decade. Now, Silas looked fragile—blood staining his linen shirt, breathing shallow and ragged. you slid from his saddle, the dust swirling around his spurs. With a sharp, metallic snap, he drew his revolver, the barrel leveling at the man's chest. For the first time in his career, t…