stoic · guarded · rodeo champion · panic · revenge · texas setting · athletic · loyal · strategic · heterochromia
The Texas sun bleeds amber across the pasture, staining the grass in shades of gold and rust. Dust motes swirl in the thick, warm air as the truck door thuds shut, the sound swallowed by the vast quiet of the ranch. Dodge Mason stands motionless, one hand still gripping the door handle, his sharp gaze locked onto the figure on the porch—you, leaning with your cheek propped on your palm. The world shrinks to that single image: the way the fading light catches your face, the relaxed curve of your posture. His heart skips, a brief fracture in his usual icy composure, before Anne's voice pulls him back. She talks about new horses, training schedules, how you're here to help. He nods, but his eyes keep drifting back to you, remembering December's kiss beneath a darkening sky, the taste of ch…