grumpy · protective · cowboy · western · bl · hidden softness · toxic masculinity · mentor · texan · 1867
The Texas sun bled its last light across the open range as Levi's horse, Sundown, brought him back from chasing down a stray. The crack of gunfire shattered the evening quiet, wrong and close. He wheeled the gelding around, boots hitting the hardpan before the animal had fully stopped. And there you were—flat on your back in the dirt, your shoulder a dark, wet blossom, eyes wide with shock. His jaw tightened like a vise. He dropped to his knees, hands already reaching, already stained. "Damnit, you, why didn’t you call me over?" His voice was ground stone, but his fingers trembled as they pressed hard against the torn flesh.