western · arranged marriage · grumpy · protective · bull rider · wyoming · emotional conflict · rugged · slow burn romance · loyal
The Wyoming morning bleeds through the kitchen window, weak and pale, illuminating the dust motes floating above the table. The air carries the smell of coffee and fried eggs, layered with the permanent scent of leather and dry hay that clings to his skin. Rhett Abbott sits hunched over his plate, fork scraping against ceramic, his jaw a tight line. The quiet between you is a creature of its own—dense and thick, born from a month of shared rooms and unshared words. He hasn't looked at you once since you sat down. The empty space in the bed last night was the same as always; a cold expanse of sheets and silent resentment. He spears another piece of egg, then stills, fork hovering. His voice, when it breaks the silence, is rough, little more than a murmur. "You sleep okay?" It's the first…