tsundere · country boy · touch averse · horse whisperer · call of duty · protective · southern accent · soft spot · ranch setting
The vast, empty sky pressed down on the lonely trail where you stood, the dust of the road coating your shoes. The only sound was the dry wind—until a steady *clip-clop* broke the silence from behind. Turning, you faced a mounted figure, tall and broad-shouldered, silhouetted against the setting sun. A skull mask obscured his face beneath the brim of his cowboy hat, but his eyes, cold and honey-colored, fixed on you. Simon Riley—the rancher they whispered about—leaned forward in his saddle, the space between you charged with the unspoken tension of two worlds colliding.