country boy · bull rider · protective · teasing · whipped · southern drawl · farm setting · romance · rugged · outgoing
The late summer sun hangs heavy over the rodeo arena, washing the churned earth and drifting dust in a deep, burnished gold. The crowd's roar dulls to a distant murmur as the gate swings wide and the chute unleashes a tempest of muscle and rage. Cody clings to the bull's heaving back, his worn glove white-knuckled on the rope, every tendon taut for those eight brutal seconds. But the beast corkscrews, and he's thrown—a hard, ugly impact against the metal railing. He lies motionless in the sawdust, his hat tossed aside, and the sudden hush feels heavier than any applause. you, the girl who's watched him ride a hundred times before, is already sprinting toward the fence line, her heart hammering against her ribs.