#outer range au
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nurse-floyd · 6 months ago
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How to Smile Again - Chapter 1
Pairing: Rhett Abbott x driver!reader
Warnings: mentions of injury/ some sad feelings.
You arrive at the ranch and are introduced to Rhett who shows around your new home for the next few weeks.
Rhett Abbott taglist: @vivwritesfics
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Rhett didn’t know the first thing about F1 when your trainer called him to enquire about you going for some rehab there, sure he’d seen Nascar on TV as he flipped through the sports channel but his life was pretty much horses. He knew you were a driver, knew you had to be pretty good to be 1 of 20 driving on the current grid as your trainer explained to him. He also knew that you’d worked hard to get where you were. He also knew you’d had a pretty severe crash that had landed you there. 
He didn’t do much digging after that, he mostly wanted to respect your privacy and go off of what your physio and trainer told him about the incident and your surgery. Together they worked out what would be best for you, but mainly you were there for a break. Being on the grid wasn’t good for you at the moment, and everyone could see that. 
You weren’t exactly happy about coming here. No, you were used to being the one in control, but after the bad crash at the Las Vegas Grand Prix had left you with a nasty leg injury requiring surgery and weeks of physio, you were out for the remainder of the season and maybe the next if you didn’t get your strength back. That’s how you found yourself here, at a freaking ranch of all places. Your trainer and physio thought time away from the circuit and a different form of therapy would be good for you mentally and physically. 
A man dressed in worn jeans, a plaid button-up, and a Stetson was standing at the gate for your arrival. ‘Of course he would be wearing a fucking Stetson,’ you thought to yourself as the car pulled up. 
Rhett watched as you climbed out of the car, your posture stiff as you looked around. He watched as you climbed out of the car, the limp in your step wasn’t hard to miss, and neither was the slight scowl you wore on your face. He could tell there was some reluctance about being here, but he’d already gotten the heads-up from your trainer that you probably wouldn’t be in the best of moods. Still, Rhett was used to it; you weren’t the first to not want to be here and you certainly wouldn’t be the last. 
He gave you a smile and held out his hand for you to take, “Hey, my name’s Rhett, you must be Y/N? Your physio and trainer have told me a bit about you.” 
You narrowed your eyes slightly at him and gave him a nod and took his hand, “Yeah. I’m not exactly thrilled to be here.” 
Rhett laughed, unfazed by your bluntness, “Yeah, they also said that you might say that. How about I show you around and then show you to the cabin you’ll be staying in?” 
You took a minute to look around before you gave him a nod, just wanting to get the day over with and call your physio to tell him you were right and this was a dumb idea. There was no denying the place was beautiful. Sprawling fields filled with horses grazing. There were a couple of young children being led around the stables outside with workers, big smiles on their faces. You pulled your baseball cap lower over your eyes as you made a move to follow him, “let’s get this over with.” 
Rhett took the bag from your shoulder and led you through the main path as he pointed out the different areas of the ranch. “We’ve got the stables over there, indoor and outdoor arenas, the tack room is over there but we mainly sort that out for you.” 
You finally made it towards the cabin and it was exactly what you expected. It looked run down but cozy enough for your stay, so you had no complaints. There was a swing seat on the porch, a few plant pots around the porch to make it seem a bit more homey. 
Inside was much the same as the outside. There was a small simple kitchenette, a couch with a coffee table, and a bed. It was cozy enough and it’d do, but it was definitely run down and in need of a makeover. “Sorry it’s not much. Planned to redecorate and update it but the horses keep me pretty busy. Still, bathroom’s over there and the wifi is decent,” Rhett took the Stetson from his head and ran his hand through his hair as he looked around. 
“No…it’s fine. Thanks, Rhett,” you reassured him. ‘Not that I’ll be here long enough for it to matter,’ you thought to yourself. 
“Listen, I know this is the last place you want to be and you’re probably not interested in being here, but we can take things at your pace. No rush. When you’re ready, you can head over to the stables and I can introduce you to some of the horses.” 
You gave him a small smile and then you were alone. You took a seat on the edge of the bed and pulled out your phone to text your trainer. 
‘Seriously…’ 
Your phone flashed up with the three dots showing he was replying. 
‘Give it a chance, it’ll be good for you.’ He finished it off with a cowboy emoji, which made you roll your eyes. 
After about half an hour of lying on the bed, texting Max, Logan, and Danny how pissed you were, asking them how your reserve was getting on, and how much you were missing them, you thought you might as well not keep Rhett waiting any longer. 
As soon as he saw you heading towards the paddock where a few of the horses were grazing, Rhett made his way over to you. He joined you as you leaned against the fence and as soon as she saw him, a gorgeous piebald horse trotted over and nuzzled against his face. 
“This is Hope. She’s one of our best therapy horses and loves everyone.” You watched how Rhett's face lit up with a smile as he interacted with her. 
Another larger horse joined in as it noticed Rhett giving its pasture mate attention and gave a snort. 
“Alright, jealous!” he tutted as he gave the black horse who’d trotted over a scratch. “This is Toro. Don’t let the name fool you though, he’s a gentle giant.” 
You let out a small laugh at the name, causing Rhett to raise an eyebrow. 
“What?” 
“Nothing,” you replied, “good name.” 
He pointed out the last few horses in the field, “Over there’s Penny, Belle, and Teddy. There are a few more horses in the stables that aren’t being ridden right now if you want to come and meet them too.” 
He was patient and walked at your pace as you both headed toward the stables. There were a few empty stalls as you walked down the middle aisle, “Sam and Billy are out in the ring at the moment, but they’re my smaller boys for the younger clients we get. There’s Heidi; she’s on rest at the moment so isn’t being used.” 
You paused in front of one of the occupied stalls where a beautiful bay horse had its head leaning over the stable door at the sound of Rhett’s voice. “This is my girl, Jojo. My niece chose the name, Jolene.” 
You held out your hand to stroke her nose, and Rhett finally thought he might be getting somewhere with you opening up a little. As you scratched at Jojo’s nose, another horse let out a loud whinny, stealing both of your attention as she kicked the door once as if you hadn’t heard her the first time. 
“Who’s that?” 
“That is Peanut, Pea to her friends,” Rhett said as he led you towards the stable housing the huge chestnut mare. “She’s not usually a part of the program, a bit too stubborn and hot-headed to pair with most of our clients.” 
She was gorgeous, there was no denying that. Sure, you’d ridden horses a few times when you were younger, but not for a long time, not since your entire focus turned to karting and then Formula One. In all your time, you’d never seen a horse as gorgeous as this. Her big brown eyes stared into yours and you forgot all about your injury for a moment until you felt a painful twinge shoot through your whole body. Then you were reminded of why you were here. You were here because you couldn’t be there, at the track where you belonged, where you knew Max, and Danny and Logan were this weekend. Then the anger came back. 
“Listen, I appreciate you doing this, but you don’t have to. I told my physio I’d try this out, but I really don’t think this is for me,” you sighed. “I can’t even run without my leg hurting, so how the fuck is getting on a horse going to help me?” You didn’t mean to snap, but you’d had a long day and you were tired and in pain. 
“Hippotherapy and equine-assisted therapy have been shown to help a lot of people recover physically from injuries like yours as well as from mental health problems, PTSD.” 
“I don’t have PTSD. There are no mental health issues,” you snapped a little more than you’d meant to. Not because you were being an asshole—well, maybe a little—but after all you’d been through, you couldn’t be blamed. “I was in a crash and I hurt my leg, that’s all.” You weren’t about to tell a complete stranger about the nightmares that still plagued you, the depression at seeing your friends compete, at seeing your reserve in your seat, not traveling the world and being in near constant pain. 
“I didn’t say you—” Rhett didn’t get a chance to explain himself before you were snapping again. 
“I’m only here because I’ve been sent here. If it were my choice, I’d be in the gym or at home doing anything but this.” 
Rhett sighed and held up his hands in surrender, “Fine by me. Let me know if you change your mind,” he walked off and left you alone to cool off. 
He left you standing there next to the huge beast who nudged you playfully with her nose. “Stop that,” you chided.  
Peanut, however, didn’t listen and nudged you again. Then she decided to up her game as she began nibbling on the hood of your jacket, “I said stop it,” you gently pushed her away but she insisted. She leaned in again, a playful snort leaving her lips as she grabbed the baseball cap from your head and lifted it high in the air, nodding her head as if she was tormenting you. 
“Jerk…” you muttered under your breath. You rolled your eyes, grabbed the hat back, and gave her a pat. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all.” You sniffed as tears threatened to spill over, and buried your face in her mane. “How did I end up here, girl?” 
She nuzzled into your side, as if knowing you needed comfort in the moment. You clung onto her neck, scratching at her neck as your tears soaked into her mane. 
Rhett watched on from the corner of the stables as he went about his work. He felt weird encroaching on such an intimate moment. He’d had Belle or Penny lined up for you, but maybe he’d just found the right match, or rather Pea had. It’d be a gamble choosing her for you; usually she wasn’t a part of the program, but his instinct told him she’d be good for you. From what he’d seen so far, he might just be right. 
He left you with Peanut as he went about the rest of his business for the day and let you get settled. He knew he had his work cut out for him but he was determined to help you get back to where you wanted to be most. Back on the grid racing.
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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 1 year ago
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moodboards for each of the aus, if you're having trouble deciding just from the title, below the cut:
The Nanny Diaries
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The Meaning's Thin
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Not Hungry Anymore
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For Richer // For Poorer
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just tagging a few people who may be interested in voting, apologies if you're not: @newlibrary @bobfloydsbabe @gigisimsonmars @blue-aconite @yanna-banana
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callsign-joyride · 2 years ago
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Mad World | Rhett Abbott
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Despite the mood board suggesting otherwise, my fics are POC and size inclusive.
Summary: "Apocalypse" wasn't on anyone's yearly bingo card. Nationwide evacuations of major cities forced you and your best friend out of central Indiana, and you were told to get to Wabang. You made it, but not without having to overcome obstacles. Staying with the Abbotts proved to be the only option, but Rhett Abbott and all of his problems were the last things you expected to run into, much less spend time with.
Pairing: Rhett Abbott x fem!reader
Content warnings: For the fic - this is a zombie apocalypse AU. There will be dark themes and descriptions. Gore, violence, death, angst, enemies-to-lovers, eventual smut. There will be more specific warnings in individual chapters.
Taglist | Playlist
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Tagging the people from the John Wayne taglist:
@littlebadariell @cycbaby @luckyladycreator2 @idontcare-11 @blue-aconite @maverick-wingman @shawty-fenty @littlemisstopgun @rosiahills22 @katieshook02 @justanothermagicalsara @caitsymichelle13 @smoothdogsgirl @adoringsebstan @cherrycola27 @alexxavicry @mrsjaderogers @mak-32 @thefandomimagines @tallrock35 @caatheeriinee07 @bradshawseresinbabe @rosesvioletshardy @anotherr-fine-mess
Leave a comment or message me if you don't want to be tagged.
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jungle-angel · 1 year ago
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“Honey We’re Shrunk!”: Chapter 2 (Rhett Abbott x Reader)
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Summary: Royal was right, there was something weird about that hole in the west pasture. So what happens when Rhett, (Y/n), Amy and their kids wake up one morning and find that they’re only as big as a flea? Shit’s bound to ensue somewhere.  
Tagging: @sebsxphia​ and anyone else who wants to be tagged. 
Rhett blinked his eyes open but all he saw was darkness. His heart began a fierce, maddening race in his chest, drawing in a sharp breath upon discovering that he couldn’t see five feet in front of him. 
“(Y/n)?” he panicked. “(Y/n), where the hell did you go?” 
“Rhett?” you questioned. 
Rhett pawed around in the warm darkness, trying to feel for you or any sign that you were there. When his hand finally fell on your waist, the panic subsided somewhat. 
“The hell happened?” Rhett asked. 
“Power must’ve gone out in the middle of the night,” you mused. 
But it hadn’t been that hot out. There had been no thunderstorms rolling in at all, no wildfire warnings despite it being the height of wildfire season. 
Rhett reached up and when his hand fell on soft cotton threads, his eyes went a little wider than they had the night he had ventured to the hole with Royal. He was suddenly overcome with the nervous sensation, that something had gone awry during the night and that something very strange was happening. 
“You feel that?” he asked with a quiet nervousness. 
You reached up and felt it, the same soft cotton that Rhett’s bedsheets had been made of. You too were overcome with that same feeling, a mix of anxious fear that you had only felt the last time you had seen that infernal hole in the pasture. 
You and Rhett felt it all around, more so when you both fell to your hands and knees, crawling along the soft floor of cotton material to feel your way out of the darkness. At last you found the edge of something, the light of day muted only a little by the veil that divided the two of you and whatever lay beyond that. 
When you and Rhett lifted it, popping your heads out into the bright light of day, you two were astonished to find that you were still in his bed. But that strange feeling came back to you a thousand fold. the pillows where your heads once lay side by side, now seemed to be almost like mountains. They were much bigger than before, almost looming. 
“What the fuck happened last night?” Rhett wondered aloud.
“I don’t know but I have a feeling we’re not in Wabang anymore,” you joked nervously. 
You and Rhett turned right around, only to find that not only were the pillows  huge, but that Rhett’s bed was now the length of a full football field. The two of you were reeling at the sight, the sea of bedcovers and the drop-off at the foot of the bed made the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up. 
“Oh my God,” Rhett panicked. 
“What?” you asked him. “Rhett, what’s wrong?” 
“I just realized,” he answered. “Where in the hell are the kids?” 
You felt a pang of fear welling up in you when you realized that the kids probably wouldn’t find either of you. 
“Here,” you told him. “We’ve gotta find a way off the bed.” 
The two of you hurried along that seemingly endless expanse of Rhett’s bed, fearful of what awaited you at the drop-off. Luckily for you, there was the laundry basket full of Rhett’s clean clothes. 
“Looks like we’ve got a way down,” he said. 
“Jump together?” 
Rhett gripped your hand in his, the gold from his wedding band flashing in the golden morning glow. With one nod, you leapt off with Rhett, the laundry basket coming up fast beneath the both of you until you hit a rumpled up bedsheet with a rather loud *PUFF!!*, the two of you sinking right into it, before popping back up again. 
“Holy shit!” Rhett exclaimed, shaking the feeling of impact out of his head. 
“You ok?” 
“Yeah, I’ve never done that before,” Rhett chuckled. 
You laughed yourself as he pulled you into his arms and kissed the side of your head, the two of you slipping through the large, oval holes in the basket and riding a loose thread to the rug below. 
Whether it was your small size or just the feeling of it being disorienting, it seemed to take longer to get from one end of the room to the other, stretching on and on until you and Rhett reached the door. Rounding the corner of the door frame seemed to be equally disorienting with the endtable and the other bedroom doors looming high above you like city skyscrapers. Not since you and Rhett had gone to Minneapolis had you felt so dizzy just by looking up. 
“Amy?!” Rhett called out. “Amy?!” 
“Daddy?” 
It was so faint that you barely heard it. You and Rhett hurried into her room where Amy was clinging to the end of the silky ribbon around the neck of her favorite stuffed bunny rabbit. Her soft, cuddly Native American rag doll was right next to it, a gift from Wes and Nora, your friends whose families had worked closely with the Abbotts since the ranch had been built. 
“Amy,” Rhett called up to her. “Let go sweetheart, I’ve got you.” 
With a frightened look, Amy let go and dropped right into Rhett’s arms with a small yelp before he carefully lowered her to the ground. “You ok doodlebug?” 
Amy nodded. “I want my bunny and my Tiger Lily.” 
“I know sweetheart,” Rhett said, placing an assuring kiss on her forehead. “We’ll get out of this mess, don’t worry.” 
“What happened?” Amy questioned. “Did God turn us little?” 
“I dunno sweet-pea,” Rhett answered. “C’mon, lets go find your brothers and your sister.” 
You two didn’t have to look too far or too long to find Hannah, Tatum and Tanner. They had met you in the hallway, the three of them a little bleary eyed and confused as to what was going on. 
“Mommy, why are we tiny?” Hannah asked. 
Neither of you knew the answer. You were just as confused as the kids, unsure as to what happened. You and Rhett were about to tell them what you were both thinking, when something startled the two of you. The ground shuddered a bit under your feet along with a loud scratching noise on the floors. 
“Dog! Dog!” Rhett blurted out suddenly, trying to keep calm. 
The six of you bolted for the closest room which had been Hannah’s, running as fast as you could for her dollhouse. Rhett picked Tatum right up off of his feet when he fell behind his twin, rushing with him towards the sanctuary of the dollhouse. Right up and in you climbed into the living room with all its miniature furniture and dark green walls, smelling of old wood and a slight hint of basement must. You, Rhett and the kids cautiously peered out of the dollhouse and out through the bedroom door to see Diesel, the family Rottweiler, sniffing his way down the hall, a squeak of a whine escaping him as he searched for Rhett. 
“You think he saw us?” you whispered. 
“I doubt it,” Rhett whispered back. “I don’t think he even knows we’re here.” 
Diesel whined again, barking loud enough to wake Royal. Your hands shot right to your ears as the bark echoed across the room to the six of you, followed by Royal’s irritated curses and shouts. 
“God Rhett, what are we gonna do?” you asked him.
“Only thing we can do darlin,” he answered. “Make the best of a strange situation.” 
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averagewriter-inthedark · 2 years ago
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PERCY AND RHETT 🤭🤭
made by mwah 🫶🫶
AHHHH IM LITERALLY GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEED LIKE A LITTLE KID I LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH!!! 🥹🥰♥️ THIS IS PERFECT !! You are amazing!!! Thank you so so much for this I adore it !!!! 🤍🤍🥹🥹 im listing this on my masterlist 😭😭
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whiskeyswriting · 2 years ago
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Eyes on You
| For: @breadsquash |
| Song: Eyes on You by Chase Rice |
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Ever since he proposed to Milla, Rhett just could never stop smiling and staring at her when he would visit her. Whether it was baking together or just hanging out at her apartment and dancing to the records, Rhett’s attention and focus, and hands at times, were solely on Milla. He knew that his future would always be like this and he wouldn’t change it for anything else.
--
Cowboy AU 🏷️ List: @askmarinaandothers @bayisdying @breadsquash @callmemana @dragon-kazansky @callsignscupcake @callsignthirsty @cycbaby @likelyrowdy @luckyladycreator2 @gracespicybradshaw @mischief-siriusly-managed @starlit-epiphany @heyriojude
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broketraveler87 · 1 year ago
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🥵🥵🥵
More of these two please?
downright iconic
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synopsis: after handsome gambler’s hometown show, you follow lead guitarist rhett abbott on his smoke break.
pairing: rockstar!rhett abbott x fem!reader
warnings: 18+ minors dni, ageless blogs that interact will be blocked, swearing, explicit smut (semi-public oral, masturbation, spitting, praise, degradation (slut is used a lot, so is groupie), brief hair pulling, dirty talk, role play, like... rhett is kind of mean but it's been negotiated off-screen, i swear), and smoking (wc: 4K)
note: so... i'd like to blame @lewmagoo for enabling me and my guitarist rhett agenda, but in the end, i can only blame myself for this one. please read the warnings!
listen to gibson girl by ethel cain before/after/during for the full experience, i.e. a sexy guitar solo and general vibes.
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so many people interacted with the original post so i'm only tagging people who asked: @theharddeck @sometimesanalice @withahappyrefrain @blitchen @becks-things @ryebecca @perpetuelledaydreaming @rhettabbotts @starlightmoon2020 @wkndwlff @broketraveler87 @thedroneranger @high-speed-r @sebsxphia @cherrycola27 @uhhhhhhhhwat @roosterbruiser @pillow-titties @whoeverineedtobe @bobfloydsbabe @petcr3
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You’re watching him the whole show. How could you not? 
Handsome Gambler broke out on the basically nonexistent Wabang music scene a few years back and quickly became something of a local marvel.
A hidden gem in the realest sense.
Forged in the blistering sun that beat down on the cattle ranches and dude ranches of Wyoming and Montana all summer long where half of the five Handsome Gambler still worked in the slow season... a real rock band.
After a year or so, larger opportunities arose in out-of-town bars, and soon enough, Handsome Gambler were selling out dives up and down the Rockies.
They'd gotten enough local buzz for the Casper Star-Tribune to cover the release of the debut album last summer, both in print and online, calling them an electric revival of the musician who works with their hands. Blue collar rockstars.
And in the deep red shadows of the stage, no other description could do Rhett Abbott justice. He looks so ruggedly handsome, like a goddamn rockstar.
Loose strands of dark hair fall in his face, in his eyes as Rhett bends over a dark red Gibson – a beautiful electric guitar, saved up and paid for with rodeo earnings.
A guitar pick is between his lips, narrow and pursed in concentration. He reaches up and plucks it from his mouth, swiping his tongue across his chapped bottom lip, preparing for the upcoming guitar solo.
Tonight is their last show in a nine week tour, and for all intents and purposes since most of Handsome Gambler is from Wabang, their hometown show.
It's a packed house, if much smaller than their usual venues these days.
You’d seen them at Million Dollar Cowboy bar down in Jackson in a 400 person crowd right around when Handsome Gambler put out their debut album, which had really gained them all the attention.
A sleek concept album. Spinning a shadowy narrow of forgotten love and wasted youth and western nights, humming cicadas and wildfire smoke on the mountains and rich earth stained black with rain and death and in the aftermath, a dusting of wildflowers that sprouted anyway – in and over a dozen songs, woven with seductive guitar solos and haunting vocals, morose and longing.
Like a ghost, come down from the mountains.
You'd bought the album on the release date and listened on the floor of your old apartment, back against the scratchy carpet, hands folded at your bellybutton, eyes closed.
On your first listen, you'd hit with repeat without hesitation; on your second, you'd cried.
It was brilliant, meant to be heard live in a hazy dive, dense with bodies and liquor and smoke, like this one.
His solo comes, and Rhett slides down on his knees in the center of the stage; faded, once dark denim stretched taut around his muscular thighs. 
He sits back on his haunches, gaze slanted, watching the guitar and nothing else. Gorgeous hands slide reverently up and down the neck of the instrument, veins visible, muscles straining in his strong arms, in his beautiful neck. 
Head falling back, Rhett closes his eyes, caught in the music and carried downriver.
Seeing him like this reminds you of another piece in the Tribune last summer.
A freelance music writer had spent an afternoon with him before a show for an in-depth profile on the origins of the band, on the music, on Rhett as the North Star the rest of Handsome Gambler often described him as:
"Handsome Gambler is Not Afraid to Lose."
WABANG, Wyo. – It’s an unseasonably warm June in Wabang, dry enough to brown the fields and make the local ranchers worried about wildfire, but in a secluded diner on the edge of town, former competitive bull rider and now, lead guitarist Rhett Abbott looks like a man who isn’t afraid of a little risk. 
The diner was his choice, a run down place with enough charm in the form of checkered floors and old autographed photos in chipped wood frames to make it feel retro instead and according to him, the best pancakes in the whole damn state. 
And – with a laugh – some of the worst coffee. 
Over good pancakes, chocolate chip with homemade whipped cream, and bad coffee, I ask him about Handsome Gambler’s influences. 
He co-wrote their entire debut album and came up with the instrumental interlude in the middle, which serves as the musical crux of the album.
A blend of slow and sorrowful guitar and bass and nature ambience, recorded on Abbott's phone on a late April night after a bad rain storm, which dares to go on for an ambitious four and a half minutes. 
At my question, Abbott kind of smiles – half on, half off, an expression I notice often over our breakfast interview – and from memory, rattles off names like Grateful Dead, Springsteen in the "Born in the U.S.A." years ("I’m On Fire" is mentioned more than once and with great admiration), Clearance Clearwater Revival, "Fire on the Mountain" (Abbott is specific here, from The Marshall Tucker Band's 1976 album, "Searchin' for a Rainbow," not the Grateful Dead song), and more.
Household names. Ambitious names. One could almost roll their eyes if Abbott didn’t sound so sincere.
"I've always loved music. We didn't have a whole lot of live music around, not like in the big cities, but as a kid, Ma used to bring me to some of the cover band nights at this bar in town. S'closed down now, but I heard my first Led Zeppelin song there. Some drunk guy singing 'Going to California' in the wrong key for eight fucking minutes."
"She got me an old CD player for my room the next Christmas, and I'd put on Zeppelin IV and crank it all the way up. She'd come in screaming at me to turn it down, probably secretly regretted ever buying it for me."
Curious, I ask if Abbott remembers the name of the bar.
He grins, a full grin. "Handsome Gambler."
You love that profile, reread it often. His answers are so genuine, so sincere.
Every word, answer, description screams that Rhett Abbott is a man who loves music, who absolutely worships it with every bone in his body.
You can see it clear as day right now.
He plays with such ardent devotion, and caught in his thrall, you're short of breath, hand pressed across your collarbone, over your aching heart.
Applause breaks out at the end of the song, and Rhett's blue gaze blazes over the crowd and in a startling rush, lands right on you.
Your breath catches.
He has an intense stare, all scrunched brows and clenched jaw, covered in stubble, and middle-of-a-flame blue eyes, burning and bright.
He holds your gaze, drinking in the awe, the undisguised adoration in your expression.
Another starstruck fan in the crowd.
You wonder if Rhett can sense the want that warms your lower abdomen, descending from the moment Rhett stepped on the stage, a since-cast-aside black Stetson pulled low over his smoldering gaze, guitar slung carelessly over his good shoulder, and his arms – his bulging arms.
He must.
Because in a blink and miss it moment, Rhett winks at you. 
One of the girls at the next table over lets out a piercing squeal, bragging to her friends that the sexy cowboy with the guitar winked at her.
But no, Rhett had winked at you, rockstar Rhett Abbott.
You look down, sipping from the rim of your rocks glass, letting the whiskey sour ground the explosion of butterflies in your stomach.
A kind of giddiness sparks in your chest, mixed with something darker and headier. Something like anticipation.
One look at Rhett reveals a smirk, kicking up the corner of his mouth, as Handsome Gambler kicks off the next song – the last song of the night.
You drain the contents of the glass. It burns the whole way down, a struck match, a good burn.
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"Need a light, darlin'?" 
Rhett is leaning against the brick, watching you search around your purse for an excuse to be in the alley right now, in the alley with him. 
You used to carry around an old pack of cigarettes from your college days – a built in excuse to get out of an awkward social situation, stepping outside for a smoke.
Are you missing them in the darkness, or did you leave them at home?
A sidelong glance at him. You nod.
He offers you a lighter – a gleaming brass, not some garbage from the gas station – and when your arms remain loose at your sides, not moving to grab it from him, his brow quirks in question.
Heat rises in your cheeks. “Oh, I don't have a – Can I get one actually? Must’ve left my pack at home.” 
You stumble over your words and fuck, Rhett must know now.
You'd seen him slip out of the side Emergency Exit door and followed him out here, made brave with whiskey sours and adrenaline.
A door that is still cracked open, enough for a crackle of music and a faint haze of red light to seep out into the cool night and barely illuminate your faces.
The expression on his is hard to read.
An open pack of Marlboro Reds – a little smushed from being roughly pulled from and shoved back into his back pocket over and over – is held out to you, and Rhett lets you pluck one from the middle.
Sets one in between his lips. 
And with a crooked finger, Rhett gestures for you to come close, closer, until you’re close enough to see the beads of sweat on his skin, damp and flushed from the show.
You suck in a breath, and Rhett smoothly lights both of your cigarettes with a deft click. A quick flash of orange flame. You barely even notice, preoccupied with the press of his mouth around the cigarette, so close to your own. 
He straightens, pulling back but only enough to not blow the smoke right in your face. He inhales and blows it out of the side of his mouth, watching you. 
You hold in a cough, wincing at the acrid taste, and mimic him.
Breathe in and out and in again.
His gaze drops down, caught in the rise and fall and rise of your chest.
He squints, eyes crinkling in the corners, and with vague disappointment, you realize Rhett is checking out your shirt and not your cleavage.
Armed with a pair of eyebrow scissors and a dream, you'd cropped and cut and ripped until an enticing sliver of stomach and a hint of cleavage would be visible, almost but not quite showing the red lace of your bra. Just in case.
A crooked smirk dances on his lips, amused, as Rhett reads the name across the black fabric.
“A Floyd fan, huh? Y’got a thing for drummers, darlin’?” 
You manage not to squirm but only just.
You like Bob Floyd. He’s a great dummer, real sweet. 
(“It’s Bob, like Dylan,” Bob mumbled against the microphone earlier, during his introduction, looking very Born in the U.S.A. Springsteen in a plain white shirt and a camo baseball hat. At the sound of his voice, a drunk girl in the audience shrieked I love you, Bob, and Bob went beet red. “I , uh – Thank you. We love you too, Wabang.”)
You shrug in lieu of an answer, and Rhett's smirk grows a little wider, a little mean. 
"Why're you out here with me then, pretendin' to want a smoke?" 
You look him up and down, as if considering.
“Well, I really hoped Floyd might be around, but…” 
An obvious lie, but Rhett was a bull rider before. Some part of him must still possess that combative edge, that competitive streak.
You'd like to see him all riled up.
His gaze darkens, pupils blown.
A warning.
A snorting and kicking bull who's spent all night in a chute.
You bite back a smirk.
His voice is so low, so rough, scraping across your burning skin like day old stubble.
“S’that right? Are you a groupie or something? Some slut who’d let any of us bend you over and use you? Who’d suck any of our cocks?”
He is so very close you right now, crowding in.
“Maybe…”
Is that really your voice? All smooth and alluring?
Sucking on the end of the cigarette, you hollow your cheeks out with your inhale and relish in the way Rhett watches you.
You ash the cigarette, watching the red embers fall and fade.
“I mean, I do really love your music.” 
His next words come out in a harsh exhale.
“Take off your panties.” 
You blink at him, a little surprised, and Rhett cocks his head.
Like I dare you. 
Also like I don’t believe you. 
You slide them down your legs and place them in his open palm, fingers brushing against his. They are red lace and damp, obviously so. 
They had been ever since Rhett had flicked his guitar pick at you during the last song and before, even. 
He chuckles and shoves them in his back pocket.
“You liar. I recognize you. Saw you in there, watching me the whole goddamn show. You came out here lookin’ for me, didn’t you?” 
Not Floyd is implied. 
You nod, mouth dry, unable to keep up the lie. 
“And what were you hopin’ would happen, darlin’? How good of a groupie are you lookin’ to be?” 
“Anything, Rhett,” you breathe, pretense all but gone, "as good as you want me to be.” 
A wolfish grin cuts across his face. Good answer.
He catches your chin between his fingers, pressing hard enough to bruise. Pulls your cigarette from your parted lips and crushes it under his black cowboy boot. 
"It's your lucky day, darlin’. Get on your knees." 
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You drop your purse. Almost bruise your knees on the asphalt, and for a brief second, Rhett's eyes go wide with something like concern.
You've already moved on, pushing aside the groan of your knees, not bothered.
You undo his massive belt buckle – gleaming, like the lighter, an intricate design – and pull down his zipper in one quick move, eager. You look up at him, glossed lips already parted in mindless anticipation, and Rhett looks back with nothing but amused desire, that mean smirk.
“What? You lookin’ for an invitation or somethin’?” he asks, voice full of gravel. He is still smoking the cigarette, red embers reflected in his dark and shining eyes. “You wanted some cock so goddamn bad. Take it out.” 
You swallow hard and shove his boxers down until Rhett’s cock springs free, hard and dripping and beautiful.
A soft, longing breath escapes you, and Rhett smirks down at you.
You should probably work him up some, work him over with your hands until Rhett is desperate for you to put your mouth on him, but…
You put your mouth on him, desperate for the weight of him on your tongue. 
You go deeper and choke, moisture streaming from your eyes and down your cheeks. 
You’re a little out of practice. It's been a while, a little over two months.
You want him deeper, so much deeper, but… 
Too much, too fast. 
You have to pull back, gasping for breath, and Rhett makes a disappointed tsk sound. Blows out another puff of smoke.
“You can do better than that, right, darlin’? Because I bet I could go back in there and find some other slut who’d swallow my come in a fuckin’ heartbeat.” 
So damn degrading. You're on fire, smearing across your inner thighs without your underwear.
“I can. Let me do it again. I promise I can.”  
You sound downright pathetic. Can't even be bothered to care.
His smirk widens, and Rhett flicks the cigarette to the side.
"Gimme your hand," he urges in a low voice.
Fingers banded around your wrist, Rhett is not overly rough, careful not to yank and strain your shoulder, but he's not gentle either.
He presses down hard on the flesh between your thumb and pointer finger until your clenched fist opens for him.
His spit slaps against the center of your palm.
And is it your imagination that Rhett brushes a kiss across your pulse? 
He guides your hand back down on him – around him – and works your hand around the base of his cock in hard and unforgiving strokes, working the length of him too big for you to reach with your mouth right now.
Determined, you lick at him, running your tongue along the slit of his cock, the vein that runs down the side, and sink your mouth around him until your lips brush against his clenching fingers.
Swallow around him. 
Above you, Rhett shudders, dropping his head back against the brick, spasming on your tongue and hitting the back of your warm throat with an involuntarily jerk that makes you gag.
A low murmur of shit, sorry, darlin’ rushes from his mouth before Rhett seems to remember himself. 
No longer apologetic, Rhett catches your hair in his free hand, giving a good, solid pull, and continues to work your hand around him with the other. His fingers grow slick with your spit, dribbling from the sides of your mouth, wetting the coarse hair on his knuckles.
He's muttering under his breath, curses and praises and words too low for you to make out over the wet sound of him.
“Fuck. So good, darlin'. So goddamn good."
A moan vibrates around him, and Rhett curses again, louder.
“S’that good, that what you needed? You needed my cock in your mouth? Anyone could walk out here. Anyone could come out here and see you on your knees, swallowing me whole like a desperate little slut.”
You whimper in answer, like yes, like please, like more, I desperately need you to say more, and a hand scrapes across your cheek, calloused and warm and rough, a slow stroke.
“But I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Good little groupie like you.” 
Damp arousal drips down your leg, and you can't handle it anymore, you need, you need, you – 
He doesn't miss a beat, not Rhett.
He sees you move, sees your hand pull at the denim, desperate for friction, for anything. A strained groan slides down your spine.
"Jesus Christ... How wet're you from suckin' my cock? Show me."
This seems like an impossible demand in this situation – you on your knees with your mouth full of him – but you've always been creative.
You gather your arousal, gasping at your own wetness, somehow surprised even in all this, and hold your hand out for him in the light.
Red light shines across your glistening fingers.
"God..." Rhett seems almost amazed. "Haven't even touched you, darlin'. You're so wet for me."
Awe burns away, leaving something more carnal in the ashes.
His eyes are half-lidded and nearly black, a summer storm on the indigo horizon.
"Touch yourself for me," Rhett rasps out, an order, a need.
And spits on your glistening fingers.
It's so wet and depraved and so fucking good, fingers dripping with his saliva and your own arousal, spreading his saliva across your cunt, rolling over your slick and swollen clit, clenching around nothing.
Every sweet sensation makes you gasp around his cock, growing more and more desperate, as Rhett pushes in and out of your mouth, spilling sweet and filthy words like a recitation.
"So fucking wet for me. So goddamn good."
"Come for me and my cock. Gonna come on your hand and swallow my cum, like a good little slut."
You imagine Rhett is the one touching you right now.
He is pinching at your clit, circling the bundle of nerves with thick and unrelenting fingers. He is parting you with knuckles covered in wet hair and stretching you out for him. He is giving you even a mere fraction of the rapt and devoted attention Rhett displayed earlier on stage, single-minded and focused on your pleasure.
And come with a muffled whine, eyes rolling back in your head.
Only seconds later, Rhett spurts down your throat with a near animalistic grunt, mouth falling open in pleasure. You swallow every drop.
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Awash in the red glow of the aftermath, Rhett studies you with an unreadable expression again. You are standing again now, smoothing down your clothes and brushing the gravel and dirt from your knees.
You're both breathing hard.
He crooks a finger. "C'mere."
You go without hesitation, and Rhett grabs your wrist again, slower and gentler now, and pulls your fingers into his mouth, sucking the arousal from your skin.
He lets out a reverent groan, eyes filled with amazement and wide blue awe, flooding back in like a dam that's been cracked down the middle.
A smile pulls at your mouth, and Rhett crushes you against him. You loop your arms around his strong neck, and Rhett buries his face in the hinge of your shoulder with a content sigh. 
"Missed you s'damn much, darlin'."
He murmurs the words against your forehead, smearing a kiss across your brow, stubble a pleasant and familiar prickle against your damp skin.
You melt against him, nudging your nose under his jaw and inhaling his scent, sweat and tobacco and mountain air and him. "Don't be gone for s'damn long then next time, rockstar."
"Come w'me next time."
He sounds almost drunk, mumbling and slurring against your bare skin, drunk on your proximity after nine long weeks apart from each other.
"Can't. Who else is supposed to write profiles on local up-and-coming bands? You should see the other writer that the Tribune hired. He's like... the med-iest of all the -ocres.” 
His laugh is a warm puff of breath against your neck, which after nothing but phone and video calls is almost enough to make you sniffle against his shoulder.
You've missed him so damn much.
"Ah, right. It'd be selfish of me to deprive the whole damn state of your brilliance." He pulls back and looks you right in the eye, a gentle nudge under your chin. "Was that... You're okay, right?"
You smile wide. "I'm perfect."
"Good." He grins, a full grin that Rhett had flashed you for the first time over good pancakes and bad coffee months ago. "Because goddamn, you're so incredible. That was somethin' else, darlin'."
You'd been the one to come up with the idea, a perfect welcome home for him at the end of the nine week tour, a call back to the confession you'd made around a month of dating.
You know all I wanted to do when I saw you play for the first time was follow you on your smoke break and suck your cock, but I had to be a professional...
"We can pretend to be strangers. You can see me across a crowded room, and I can follow you out on your smoke break and..."
"And what?"
"That'd be up to you, wouldn't it, rockstar? I'd be like... your groupie or something."
You let the idea sink in, smiling and on the other end of the phone, Rhett swore under his breath.
You grin at him now.
"You were pretty incredible yourself, but right now, I do kind of want my boyfriend to kiss me."
His eyes are warm, light. "Yeah? D'you miss him that much?"
"So very much."
He cups the nape of your neck and leans in for a kiss, a firm and aching and devouring and loving kiss.
You kiss and kiss until Bob Floyd comes out to grab him for the encore.
"You're wanted, rockstar."
He gives you a wide grin and plants a kiss on the center of your wrist, right on your racing pulse.
"See you after the show, m'love."
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You are sipping a water at the bar when Rhett comes back out on stage, all bright eyes and mussed hair and a bare scrap of red lace hanging out of his back pocket.
Impossible to miss.
You choke on your water, and Rhett winks.
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note: so... i saw this photo of lewis said, yeah, guitarist rhett on his knees for a solo, and all of the sudden, i was spending hours reading musician profiles and assembling a list of handsome gambler-ish songs. life moves pretty fast 🤠
i could probably be persuaded to write more about them if anyone is interested.
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vivwritesfics · 6 months ago
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Waiting For The Sun
Chapter One
Rhett Abbott has been hearing his soulmate in his head for ten years. She's the sweetest thing, nicknamed Muffin after her love of baking. Rhett doesn't know who Muffin is, doesn't know where she is, but hearing her voice always makes his day better. But then Trevor Tillerson is killed and Rhett's life is thrown into chaos. Through it all, Muffin in there for her soulmate. She wants nothing more than to find him, even through the chaos.
Soulmate AU Warnings: talks of religion
Series Masterlist
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She’d been hearing the same voice in her head since she was fourteen years old. It had been jarring at first, hearing someone else's commentary from a rodeo she wasn't even attending. Whoever this person was had some really strong opinions about the bull riders they had been watching.
So jarring, in fact, that she went running to her mother, terrified. "Momma!" She cried as she ran down the stairs of the family farmhouse. "I'm hearin' voices!"
Her mother said nothing as she folded her newspaper and looked across the room, looked to her husband. Fourteen years old was too young to be hearing the voice of your soulmate, they both thought. But they couldn't have been much older when the writing first appeared on their own arms.
Her sister laughed. "That's your soulmate speaking to you, idiot," she said as she looked up from her book for just a moment. Normally, her mother would have scolded her for such language, but there were bigger fish to fry.
"My... what?" She asked, still standing on the bottom step of the stairs.
Her mother shuffled over, creating some space for her on the couch. She patted the space between herself and her eldest daughter, signalling for her youngest to come and sit between them. "Sweetie, it's time somebody told you about soulmates," she said gently.
As her youngest sat, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing the raised skin her of own soulmate mark. It used to be a tattoo, the first words her soulmate would ever say to her marked on her skin in black ink. The mark was supposed to remain there for the rest of her life, but tattoos were something she was against, something she and her husband saw as a sin. She had the tattoo removed, leaving raised skin as the only races of what was. "What did it say?" Her youngest daughter asked as she hesitantly lifted her fingers to trace over the raised skin.
She sucked in a breath and read out the passage from the bible that her husband had used to win her over. "'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all'," she said and pulled her sleeve back down to cover up her past sins. "Those were the first words your father said to me, and that was how I knew he was my soulmate."
She looked across the room, at her husband. He was usually quiet, and this was no different. He said nothing as he watched them, so still his wife wondered if he was even listening.
"What has your soulmate said?" The eldest daughter asked. Her bookmark was in her book, which she placed down on the little round table beside the couch. "Has he at least said anything interesting?"
The youngest of the two shrugged her shoulders. "Nothin' too interestin' yet," she said and her mother gave her the side eye. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time pronouncing her G's. "I think he was at the rodeo," she mumbled and fiddled with her fingers. "Seemed to know a lot about bull ridin'."
Suddenly, her sister was sitting a little straighter. "A rodeo in Amelia County?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
Before the girls could continue with this conversation, their father cleared his throat, making his presence known. Well, his presence was always known in that house. "Time for bed, girls," he said in his usual gruff voice. "We've got church in the morning."
Both girls bowed their heads as they walked up the stairs and disappeared into their bedrooms.
***
That was ten years ago, the night her soulmate first spoke to her. She didn't speak back to him right away, didn't know how. As soon as her soulmate realised that someone else was there, trying to talk to him, he taught her how.
Neither of them had shut up since, it seemed.
Mornin', came the groggy voice of her soulmate.
The moment his voice filled her head, she couldn't help but smile. It had become a routine, waiting for him to wake up and then grinning when his voice filled her head. Morning, sleepyhead, she said, not looking up from her flowers. Are you aware that it's ten in the morning?
It is? Ah, shit.
Language, she scolded, but she knew he could hear her laugh. It was something he said every day, several times a day. Each time she scolded him, and each time he called her cute.
There was a break before he responded. She could see it in her mind, a faceless man rolling out of bed and pulling a shirt over his muscular chest. He'd place a Stetson on his head, a black on, pat his dog on the head, and go out to work on a ranch.
What is my Muffin doin' today? He asked as she used her trowel to dig a hole in her flower patch.
She looked up as her neighbour climbed out of his truck, where he'd undoubtedly slept. Rhett Abbott. There was a time, back when she was eighteen, that she thought Rhett was her soulmate. But those thoughts, that... hope, didn't last long. Not when she saw the way Rhett looked at Maria Olivares. There was no doubt in her mind that they, Rhett and Maria, were soulmates.
She didn't answer his question. What she was doing was boring and uninteresting. So, instead, she asked, Do you ever think about how it's been ten years and we haven't met yet? I mean, I don't even know if you're in-
But her soulmate didn't hear the rest of it, couldn't hear the rest of it. They'd figured out the rules quickly. they couldn't say names, places or any physical descriptions. Nothing that could aid them in finding each other. They'd meet when the universe was good and ready for it. That was God's plan, after all.
It wasn't the first time she'd said it to her soulmate. And, every time, he knew exactly what to say. Muffin, it's okay, he said to her. When we meet, I'll take you out for dinner. Breakfast for dinner, he promised.
She couldn't help but laugh. You always know just what to say, she said to him as she put her trowel down and pulled her gloves away from her fingers (it was so hot in Wyoming, she couldn't stand to wear her gardening gloves for very long. Not unless she wanted her hands to be all sweaty and pruney).
Go on, Muffin. Tell me what you're up to, he said, his voice sounding like a mumble in her head.
She held up the sunflower she had been growing for the last few weeks. Do you remember the sunflower growing competition I'm holding with the youth group? She asked and he let out a hum. Well, I'm planting my sunflower in my garden.
Holy fuck, he immediately said. You're so damn cute.
Language! But, again, she was laughing. But then the laughter stopped. Oh shoot! I got soil on my dress and now it's all dirty, she grumbled as she stood and brushed the dirty away from the blue skirt of her dress.
He let out another hum. Bet you still look great, he said in her mind.
It had been ten years. Ten year of them knowing each other without ever meeting. They'd learnt everything there was to know about each other, without knowing who the other was. And he knew exactly how to push her buttons, but in the best way. He knew exactly how to get her giggling like a school girl, not like the twenty four year old woman she was.
They talked through the morning, as they did every morning. When his employer had him counting cattle, she helped to keep track of the numbers. But then she was heading inside, grabbing the grocery list her mother had stuck on the fridge, grabbing her keys, and heading out.
You should get those cosmic brownie things you like, he said as she started her car.
It took a moment of turning the key before the engine came to life. Not on the list, she said as she began driving away from her family's property. You know how my mother gets.
I know, Muffin, he replied as she drove up the rode, drove past the Abbott Ranch. And there was Rhett Abbott, riding on his usual black horse. She gave him the polite smile and he tipped his hat, a sign of two acquaintances that barely knew each other.
As soon as Rhett had ridden off, her soulmate was back in her head. But you deserve a treat!
She let out a hum of her own, a habit she had picked up from him. I'm gonna make muffins for bible study later, she said as she drove into town.
Flavour? He asked as she pulled up outside of The Handsome Gambler. She'd never stepped a foot inside, might have been one of the only people in Wabang that hadn't .
A smile played on her lips as she walked into the store, reusable bag stuffed into the tote bag on her shoulder. Walking around the store, she had never felt so naked. All because of some damned stain left by soil. Muffin? You still there? He asked.
Shit, sorry.
That's my girl.
There was no point in trying to hide her smile. Blueberry, he said, answering his question from earlier.
Having her soulmate in her head while she was grocery shopping wasn't easy, not in the slightest. He threw out suggestions that had her damn near reaching for the stuff. Stuff that wasn't on her mothers list, stuff that would have had her mother angry.
Twenty Four year old and still scared of her parents. It was pathetic.
Not pathetic, Muffin. I don't wanna be hearin' that shit.
She couldn't help but apologise, even if he wouldn't hear it. How many times had he said 'my Muffin don't apologise for nothin'' over the years? When she wandered over to the checkout, he was quiet, let her count the cash in her purse. And then, as she loaded the groceries into the car, he was humming. It was a song she didn't recognise from the tune alone. But it was sweet and it was comforting.
It was him.
If you enjoyed this, please feel free to buy me a coffee
Rhett Abbott Taglist (OPEN): @writtingrose
WFTS Taglist (OPEN): @finnydraws (you don't get a choice)
@nurse-sainz (you don't get a choice)
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hederasgarden · 5 months ago
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Practical Magic AU | Rhett Abbott x Witch!Reader
“Sometimes I feel like there's a hole inside of me, an emptiness that at times seems to burn. I think if you lifted my heart to your ear, you could probably hear the ocean. I have this dream of being whole. Of not going to sleep each night, wanting. But still sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing... I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for. I just want someone to love me. I want to be seen."
Thank you @ryebecca for all your help and expertise. It was invaluable for creating my fist moodboard!
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bobfloydsbabe · 5 months ago
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arranged marriage au | rhett abbott x oc | sneak peek
Author's Note: This story it set at the turn of the 20th century, somewhere around 1899-1901. I haven't quite decided yet, but it's important context for this story. Women did not have a lot of autonomy at this time, which is reflected in Rhett and Lou's conversation in this sneak peek. Is the timeline right in a historical context? Probably not, but it's fiction, so I can do what I want. Enjoy!
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Release Date: Unclear
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“Louisa.”
“What?” Her face is all hard lines and thundering eyes. Something twists inside him at the sight of her ire.
“I don’t want to own you,” he says and steps closer, dirt crunching under his worn boots. “Your life is your own, even after we marry.”
She shakes her head, tears pooling in her dark eyes, making his chest feel tight. He yearns to move even closer, wrap his arms around her, and assure her that he doesn’t mean her any harm. Despite not having a choice, he wants to marry her. He wants to build a life and have a family with her.
He’s halfway in love with her already. He hopes one day she’ll love him too.
“You say that now,” she says, tears in her voice as she speaks. “But then I’ll argue or refuse to listen, and you’ll remind me you’re the man and you get the final say. You may not want to, but you will own me.”
Now he shakes his head, disbelief coursing through his veins. It’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard, and he hates that she thinks that way about him.
“Louisa,” he breathes, her name like a prayer on his lips as he closes the distance between them. “You belong to you. Not your father or to me or to anyone, and I’ll do what I can to prove it to you.”
She meets his gaze, bottom lip wobbling as she tries to hold back sobs. “You swear?”
He nods, lifts his hands and tentatively cups her cheeks. “I swear.”
Tension hangs heavy in the air between them, and without thinking, Rhett bends his head down towards hers. His heart thunders in his chest as their breaths mix, and heat blooms under his palms as Louisa’s cheeks grow red.
Their lips are a hair’s breadth from touching when a horse neighs, making her pull back and Rhett’s hands fall back at his side.
“I should get you home.”
He offers the crook of his arm, and she weaves her hand into it, letting him lead her to their horses. Their boots drag across the dirt, and Rhett helps her up on Sally, the reddish brown mare that belongs to his almost wife.
He settles on Blazer, and they begin the ride back to the Kinney Ranch.
“Rhett?”
If her scent didn’t linger, he might’ve forgotten she was even there. He looks to his right and finds her watching him, maybe even with a smile at the corner of her mouth.
“The house is lovely,” she tells him, tone shy and withdrawn for the first time since he’s known her.
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likes are nice, but reblogs and comments are golden
TAGLIST: @bobgasm, @attapullman, @cherrycola27, @bradshawsbaby, @kmc1989, @keyrani
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nurse-floyd · 6 months ago
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After a horrific crash and weeks in the hospital, you’re almost back on your feet. You’re out for the rest of the season but your physio and trainer suggest equine assisted therapy for you to get your strength back and your head back on straight for the next season. You didn’t expect to fall for the handsome ranch and programme owner.
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versipellesh · 1 month ago
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"𝐀𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧
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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧"
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TLOU! Rhett for In The Pines Verse.....
tags: @rhettmotel @lewmagoo @delopsia @mearslot @sebsxphia
divider credit
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callsign-joyride · 2 years ago
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Mad World Chapter 1 | Rhett Abbott
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Despite the mood board suggesting otherwise, my fics are POC and size inclusive.
Summary: "Apocalypse" wasn't on anyone's yearly bingo card. Nationwide evacuations of major cities forced you and your best friend out of central Indiana, and you were told to get to Wabang. You made it, but not without having to overcome obstacles. Staying with the Abbotts proved to be the only option, but Rhett Abbott and all of his problems were the last things you expected to run into, much less spend time with.
Pairing: Rhett Abbott x fem!reader
Content warnings: Angst, two people die, gun violence, stabbing, blood loss, murder. I don't think any biters are killed in this chapter but let me know if I missed anything. For the fic - this is a zombie apocalypse AU. There will be dark themes and descriptions. Gore, violence, death, angst, enemies-to-lovers, eventual smut.
Word count: 2.5k
Taglist | Playlist | Series Masterlist | Prologue | Next Chapter
“Survival is the ability to swim in strange water.” - Dune, Frank Herbert
You made it pretty far in the Jeep. Off-roading had been the scariest part because there was almost no way for either of you to know which way you were going. And it wasn’t like you really wanted to stop for any reason, either. The risks far outweighed the benefits. You were lucky that you made it as far as you did without needing to stop for any reason. At least you were in the state of Wyoming before you had to ditch the Jeep altogether. It was kind of an old model, anyways, but the engine was overheating and it probably wasn’t meant to go off of the road for extended amounts of time, anyways.
“All right, the biters shouldn’t get this far out. We’ll sleep in two-hour shifts and start hiking when the sun rises. We’re only stopping to eat and piss,” you said as you and Noah finished setting up the tent.
“That sounds good. Do you want to sleep first?”
“Yep. Uh, shake the tent and yell if something happens. I’m gonna have my bow right next to me.”
You grabbed the Walkman and one of the books on tape before getting in the tent and using a folded-up sweatshirt as a pillow. You needed a book that was the complete opposite of what the world was going through, so you picked The Great Gatsby. With the tape playing at a low level, you were able to get your two hours of sleep before Noah came in and woke you up. The rotating shifts took some getting used to, but it was what kept you alive. 
“We’re getting close,” you said as the sun started to set.
“Yeah? How do you know?” Noah asked.
“Because we’re in Crowheart and the map says it’s right next to Wabang. We should be there in a day or two. Rick gave me a map of the town so it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.”
You didn’t need to camp that night. There were a bunch of closed-down businesses and you settled on a boutique. You changed into semi-clean clothes and went up the stairs roped off with a sign that said, “Employees only,” in large black font. Even though you knew the place was empty, you still had to make sure that there wasn’t anyone (or anything) hiding somewhere. After closing the door to the upstairs rooms, you and Noah pushed a few pieces of furniture in front of it to barricade yourselves in.
“I don’t think anyone knows we’re here. I’m not taking any chances, though. Don’t turn your flashlight on or anything stupid like that.”
Being able to be inside for an extended amount of time was a luxury. You and Noah told each other stories over cold cans of SpaghettiOs and stale potato chips. If someone had told you a month ago that this was going to be your life, you wouldn’t have believed them. Not even for a second. And it was crazy because this was the first time since everything really kicked off that you were able to breathe and laugh.
Both of you were up before the sun. It didn’t take long for you to pack everything up and get ready to leave. You had a bad feeling about something, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. You grabbed a few things from a small convenience store that had been heavily picked over and started to leave the town.
“What do you think Meryl Streep is doing right now?” Noah asked as you walked through the woods. It was a game that you liked to play with each other. 
“Well, maybe there’s a timeline where this isn’t happening, so I feel like she’d be living it up in her multi-million dollar mansion hopefully talking with her publicist about the possibility of a third Mamma Mia movie.”
“That’s great.”
The trek through the woods was long and eerily quiet, but you couldn’t really talk to each other because you had to have your weapons at the ready in case a biter or a person came along and tried to attack you. Noah was walking a few paces behind you.
“Hey, you ever just-,” Noah started to say. There was a distant bang in the distance and he stopped speaking.
“Well, I don’t know what you’re trying to say so I don’t think so,” you said. Normally, Noah would’ve chuckled and continued from where he left off. Things were different this time. You couldn’t hear his reaction. In any other situation, you would’ve kept on doing what you were doing. At first, you thought that a biter had somehow found you and that Noah was too scared to say anything. And then you turned around. Noah was on the ground with blood coming out of his abdomen.
“It hit my back first. You’re pretty close, okay? You’ll make it.”
“But I can’t just-,”
“Leave me here? Yes, you can. There’s no point in trying to get me there. I probably couldn’t even make it ten feet without bleeding out.”
“No, I need to at least stay until… You need a nice burial,” you were on the brink of sobbing at that point.
“It’s not worth it. You have to go.”
You nodded your head and took all of his weapons off of him. If anyone was going to come by and take things from his body, the weapons were going to be the first to go. You took the tent that Noah carried on his back and slung it over your shoulder before starting to walk away for good. It was something that you tried not to talk about as you walked through the woods alone. Stopping for food wasn’t something that you wanted to do. Not anymore, at least. But you knew you had to because there was no telling how long the rest of the walk would be. With your bow in your lap, you sat on a tree stump and ate a can of Chef Boyardee. You were almost at the bottom of the can when the sound of rapid footsteps got your attention. You stood up with your bow ready, and the guy tried to fire his gun but the barrel must’ve been empty because it only clicked.
“Did you kill my friend a couple hundred yards back?” You asked.
“I needed supplies. Please, I’m all alone out here,” he pleaded.
“That sounds more like a you problem, bud. Stop walking.”
He didn’t stop, because of course he didn’t. There weren’t many men who were willing and able to listen anymore.
“Look, I know you’re trying to get somewhere, so just let me go with you. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
“Have you been following me?” You asked.
“Since you and your friend got in the woods.”
He just wouldn’t stop walking closer to you. You fired a warning shot, and the arrow grazed his shoulder. Something about him was making you feel nervous, and tensions were only getting higher. Everything came to a head when he got close enough to you to try and take your bow. You knew better than to just let him have it, so you hit him in the head with it instead. Something animalistic took over you at that moment. The bow had been knocked to the ground so you took the knife that was on your waist and you started swinging. Killing him wasn’t part of the plan, you really just wanted to get him to leave you alone long enough for you to get out of the woods. (Literally.) But it was also pretty obvious that he wasn’t going to win. He was surprised when you stabbed him in the abdomen, and you were surprised that it actually took a bit of force to take the knife out. In the back of your head, Rick was telling you that it wasn’t going to be over until you knew for sure that he was dead. There wasn’t time to think. 
You took the knife and drove it right through his neck. The curdling of blood almost made you gag, but you moved on. You took the knife out and wiped it on your shirt before putting it back in the holster and picking up your bow. Slinging it over your shoulder, you looked at the dead guy once more.
“You were gonna die anyways,” you said.
You practically jumped with glee when you exited the woods and saw a sign that said “Wabang” on it. It had been deserted, but it still wasn’t time to let your guard down. The sun was starting to get low, but you figured that you had a good hour left of light by the looks of it. There were a few cars parked along the side of the road, and you were careful as you looked around and decided to get in the car. Your bags were in the backseat, but your bow and the map were in the passenger seat. It was a crappy car, but it was still able to run and you knew that it would take you to the ranch. 
By the time you got there, you almost weren’t sure if it was the right place. But you ditched the car a little way down the road in case anyone had been following you. You figured that you were in the right place, but the ten-foot fence with barbed wire on the top made you nervous. You almost considered cutting through it until you got closer and could hear the faint buzzing of electricity.
“Hey! Who are you?!” An older man yelled. You told him your name and put your crossbow down at your feet as a sign of surrender.
“Are you Royal?” You asked.
“Who wants to know?”
“A friend of yours from Indiana sent me. I was supposed to bring his son but uh… The blood on my hands isn’t mine.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve got a lot of friends from Indiana so you’re gonna need to be more specific than that.”
“Fine! Rick Jones! His name is Rick Jones!”
“Have you been bitten or scratched?”
Once you told him no, you heard the gate buzz and start to open. He walked over to you and said that he was going to give you a place to stay for as long as you needed. He only asked about the blood once, and when you looked at the ground and took a deep breath, he decided that he wasn’t going to mention it again. To him, it didn’t matter whether or not the blood was human because you did what needed to be done in order to survive. You didn’t know what you were so nervous about. If Rick said that he was a good person to go to, he was. And you could tell that he had a family, so he definitely wouldn’t have let you in if he didn’t trust you enough to be around them. 
“You can put your weapons in the barn over there if you’re comfortable. I’ve got a little girl inside and I don’t want her to hurt herself.”
“No problem,” you said. You cautiously approached the barn and slowly opened it. The dusk light was just enough for you to not need to turn on a light switch or anything. One of the walls was lined with hunting equipment while the other was lined with toolboxes. 
“We keep all of our ammo inside if that’s what you were wondering,” a male said. You just about jumped out of your skin when you heard his voice. It was surprising that you didn’t hear any footsteps because you were always listening for them.
“Jesus Christ! You scared the shit out of me!” You exclaimed.
“Sorry ‘bout that. I’m Perry, one of Royal’s kids. Where are you from?”
“Uh, central Indiana. My friend and I were forced to leave the city and we haven’t been able to look back. His dad sent us here but uh, he didn’t make it. Neither of them did.”
You turned your back so that you weren’t looking at Perry, but he could see the way your shoulders trembled as you started to cry. You sniffled and wiped your tears with the sleeves of your shirt. Perry told you that no one comes this far out, and you felt better about leaving your bow and arrows in the barn. You kept your knife on you and let Perry walk you inside the house. The whole family was in the kitchen, but there was something about the way the younger guy glared at you and nudged your shoulder as he practically stormed out of the house that pissed you off.
“That’s Rhett. Who pissed in his Cheerios?”
Royal’s wife stood up and introduced herself. You followed her upstairs as she showed you around. She handed you a clean set of clothes and told you that you could put your stuff in the room across the hall and three doors down. She showed you where the bathroom was and handed you a fresh towel as well.
“You’re welcome to use whatever you want, but if you’re gonna take a hot shower, don’t take too long. Royal’s pretty stingy about the hot water,” she whispered. You giggled and thanked her before taking the clothes with you into the bathroom. The sound of running water was loud enough to block out the arguing that was going on downstairs.
“I don’t care, dad. I’m not letting her have my room. We don’t know who she is and I don’t want her near my stuff,” Rhett said.
“Well, I don’t care that you don’t care. She’s staying in your room… Indefinitely, and you’re letting her take the bed. Indefinitely. I know it’s hard to trust people right now, but she’s friends with one of my buddies and we don’t know what all she went through to get here. I don’t want anyone asking her any questions about it, either.”
“Okay, but why can’t she be the one to sleep on the couch?”
“We raised you better than that. She’s our guest, and she’s getting a bed. Now, if you’re really that upset about it, I can make you sleep outside. In front of the fence.”
That was enough to make Rhett shut his mouth. You didn’t realize how tired you were until you got out of the shower and put your pajamas on. When you walked downstairs, Rhett still looked mad but you brushed it off. Asking him why he was mad probably wasn’t worth it, and it definitely wasn’t going to end well. You talked with Royal and Cecelia for a while. Royal poured you a drink and, as weird as it sounded, you actually missed the taste and the feeling of alcohol even though you hated it. Royal was always the last person to go to bed, at least that was what Cecelia told you. So it didn’t surprise you when you went upstairs to see Rhett putting a pillow and blanket on the carpeted floor by his bed. You put your bag against the nearest wall and climbed into the bed with your Walkman. Rhett turned off the lamp and you tried to get comfortable while picking up where you left off on your Great Gatsby tape.
“Hey, Rhett?” You asked.
“What?” He snapped.
“I just wanted to say that you have a really nice bed.”
“Whatever.”
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bobby-r2d2-floyd · 2 years ago
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oh i can't wait for this to come out 👀👀👀
🌹
oooo okay let's seee
i'll give you a sentence from my Outer Range fic
which is a Trevor Tillerson x Abbott!Reader (and it's an AU so the hole doesn't exist and the tillerson's aren't a bunch of assholes)
“You’re such a naive child, Y/N. It’s fucking ridiculous,” your oldest brother scoffed. “The fuck you just say to me?” He laughed, “You seriously can’t see it? He’s just fuckin’ using you! You’ll only ever be a play thing to him. That’s all you ever been to him!”
okay i know that's more than one sentence but i just had to add a few more for context purposes
send me rose babes!
i'm gonna tag some people that might be interested in this
@sebsxphia @lovinglyeternal
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thiswaytwoinfinity · 6 months ago
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moonstruck • rhett abbott x fem!reader, perry abbott x fem!reader
I wrote this for @sorchathered’s birthday rom com celebration! Happy Belated Birthday! Thank you for letting me combine two of my favorite things: Lew and ‘Moonstruck’. I know it was your celebration but that was a gift to me 😉
Warnings: alcohol consumption, implied smut, impure thoughts about rhett abbott, being engaged to perry abbott (if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get it)
Note: I adore this movie with all my heart so I tried to fill this with lots of nods to the iconic moments. But it also means that characters might be a bit less true to their Outer Range selves in order to make the story work.
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Maybe it should have been a red flag that you hadn’t met Perry’s brother until after you were engaged.
But then again, the whole thing had been a bit of a whirlwind — and you had met Amy. Sweet, smart, beautiful Amy who had been the main reason you said “yes” when Perry had surprised you with a ring at dinner just a few months into your relationship.
“I can’t imagine anyone who’d be a better stepmother to Amy,” he’d said at the time and how was anyone supposed to say no to that?
And if you were a bit hesitant about the whole thing, your mother had done her best to reassure you over steaming mugs of tea at her weathered kitchen table. “You love his daughter, and that’s the important part,” she had said, rubbing her thumb gently over the back of your hand. “It’s better to be devoted to your family, rather than any man. Especially a cowboy.”
You sighed. “He’s not that kind of cowboy, Mama. He works with his dad on the family ranch.”
“Good,” she responded decisively, standing up to make some more tea. “Cowboys are nothing but heartbreak. They’ll always love the rodeo, the animals, the adventure, the life more than they’ll love you.”
And so that was that. You focused your energy on building a relationship with Amy, got to know Royal and Cecelia and went through the motions of starting to plan a simple, courthouse wedding.
Perry didn’t have strong feelings about the big day, having done the whole song and dance once before, but two weeks into planning, he surprised you with the announcement that he had to go away for a while on business — and he had one big favor to ask. 
“It’s been tearing me up inside,” he said, arm a little too tight around your waist as you sat on the couch, TV on mute in the background. “I just can’t get married without my brother standing up with me.”
“So why not just invite him?”
Perry scoffed. “Rhett is … real fucking stubborn. And he decided a long time ago that he didn’t care about anything I had to say.” He paused, tightening his rip just a fraction before letting you go and dramatically sighing, leaning back into the couch cushions. “But maybe if you were to ask him to come … explain that you want this to mark a fresh new start for all of us, as a family. As Amy’s family. Maybe he’d be willing to listen.”
It was the promise of being Amy’s family, of giving her the happy ending that had seemingly been ripped away from her when her mother disappeared that brought you to the Abbott ranch, eyes squinting against the harsh sunlight as you approached Rhett Abbott to ask for forgiveness on behalf of his brother.
Now this is a cowboy, you thought to yourself as you watched his broad shoulders flex under his tee shirt as he worked on repairing a broken section of fencing. The back of his neck was turning pink and the ends of his hair curled with sweat under his cap, but he seemed unbothered as he continued working, big hands moving quickly and competently.
“Rhett? Rhett Abbott?” you asked, and when he wheeled around and those blue eyes landed on yours, it felt like your heart stopped for a second.
“Can I help ya?” he drawled, pulling his baseball cap off his head and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his muscled forearm. He was all golden skin and sharp cheekbones, cheeks flushed pike from the heat and exertion and a smirk that was designed to give women the naughtiest of thoughts.
Stop it. You’re engaged. To his brother. Behave yourself.
You must have taken longer than you realized to reply, because that smirk turned into a grin as Rhett leaned forward and offered out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Now, what can I do for a beautiful woman such as yourself?”
Your face felt like it was on fire as you shook his hand, warm and calloused and completely dwarfing yours. When he didn’t seem to recognize your name after you introduced yourself, you continued, “I’m uh … Perry’s … fiancée, I guess.”
“You’re engaged to Perry?” he asked, arms crossing in front of his chest and you weren’t sure if he was insulting you with his tone of shock.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty recent. The whole thing’s been kind of … fast. But we’re planning the wedding and he wants you to stand there with him, be his best man —“
“And why isn’t he out here askin’ me this?” Rhett interrupted sharply, eyes stormy under the brim of his cap.
“He, um, he’s out of town right now … and anyway he said …” you paused, somehow sensing that the truth — he said you’d be more likely to say ‘yes’ if I asked — wouldn’t go over well. “And well, I wanted to meet you and everything. Get to know the whole family before I become a part of it.”
“Well, we’ve met now. Congratulations on the wedding.”
With that, he turned his back on you, returning to the fence and summarily dismissing you. Once again, you weren’t sure if you should be offended by his actions, but clearly you had accidentally stumbled into some kind of family tension that Perry had not warned you about. 
“So that’s it?” You asked, taking a step closer to him. Rhett grunted as he continued working on the fence. “What, you’re just going to brush off your brother’s request? Shouldn’t a wedding bring family together and not tear them apart?” 
“You don’t know anythin’ about me and Perry,” the cowboy said, his voice cold and his eyes not even looking up for a second.
“So tell me,” you pleaded, making your way closer to him and oh, that might have been a mistake. You could smell him at this distance, the faintest hint of his woodsy body wash, the scent of sun on skin, the tang of sweat.
It almost made you salivate with want — your body had never reacted this way to a man before, and you quickly stepped back and put some space between you two. A safe, platonic distance. “Is … is there something I should know before I marry him? Don’t you think it’s only right that I know the man I’m marrying?”
Finally, Rhett huffed out a sigh and turned around and you were struck again by how blue his eyes were underneath that hint of annoyance.
“Look, you really should be askin’ Perry all this, not me,” he bit out. “I’m not staying here much longer anyway, so you don’t even need to get to know me. You’ll only ever see me at holidays and shit like that.”
“Where are you going?”
“Rodeo circuit,” Rhett responded, a hint of pride in his voice. “Got a spot on a semi-pro tour, so I’ll be on the road soon enough.” 
You congratulated him faintly, images of this gruff, gorgeous man on the back of a bull filling your brain and making you a bit weak in the knees.
“Yeah, so it’s all good. I’ll be outta your way soon enough and you and Perry can have your wedding with no issues,” Rhett concluded.
He started to turn back to his work and you felt a surge of panic run through you, like if you didn’t manage to convince him to stick around right this second, you’d never have the chance again. (And you could unpack why, exactly, it was so vital for you to have your fiancé’s brother around as much as possible later, in the shaming quiet of your bedroom.)
“Well, how about this then,” you start, enjoying the way Rhett’s brows lifted under the brim of his cap, his eyes dancing with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Spend some time with me and Amy before you go — just to help me get to know her better. I want to build a strong relationship with her, she’s my number one priority in all this. And I know she adores her Uncle Rhett. So maybe you can just … help us bond?”
The cowboy hesitated a moment, his eyes roaming all over your face in a way that made your cheeks heat up. He must have found what he was searching for because he ultimately pulled off his work glove once more and held out a big, calloused hand.
“For Amy,” he said and you felt your face split open with a bright grin.
“For Amy,” you agreed, grasping his hand. And yet, despite the warmth of his hand engulfing yours, despite the fact that you managed to convince him to give you a chance, despite the fact that you should have been pleased with yourself, you felt a sinking feeling in your stomach.
Oh, I’m in trouble.
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That sinking feeling only got worse the more time you spent with Rhett, the more you got to feel the full weight of his attention on you, the more you saw the way he lit up around Amy, always willing to go out of his way to make her happy.
Unfortunately for you, what would make her happy right now was to go for a ride with Uncle Rhett and you — a Wyoming native who had, shockingly, never been on the back of a horse before.
“How did you grow up here without ever ridin’ a horse?” Rhett asked you incredulously when you confessed your lack of experience after Amy dragged you to meet him in the stables, all wide, pleading eyes. “It makes no sense.”
You shrug uncomfortably, staring at the horses relaxing in the stables with a critical eye. “My dad was a cowboy but he died when I was little. My mama grew up Cheyenne, so we moved back there for a long time and only came to Wabang when my granddaddy left her the bakery. So I just … never learned.”
You wrapped your arms around your torso as you spoke, curling in on yourself in embarrassment, eyes self-consciously locked on the far wall so you could avoid seeing the judgement on Rhett’s face. It was why you startled slightly when you felt Amy’s little arms hug you out of nowhere, the feeling of her tight squeeze making you let out a deep breath of relief.
“Don’t worry! Uncle Rhett can teach you, he and dad taught me and he’s really good!” she assured you and you laughed softly.
“Thanks, Ames,” you said, softly brushing some of the hair that escaped her braid back from her face. You cast a tentative look up at Rhett, who was smiling softly at you. “Whaddya say, Uncle Rhett? Willing to take on a new student?”
The cowboy said nothing, though his eyes were bright with amusement as he made his way over to one of the stalls to start getting one of the horses ready for you, Amy bounding behind him.
You couldn’t stop smiling as the 9-year-old narrated everything her uncle was doing, beaming brightly when he praised her for remembering certain tidbits that he had shared with her over the years. Her enthusiasm went a long way towards making you more comfortable, as did the teasing words and glances that Rhett shot your way the whole time.
But that smile was wiped right off your face, when he held out his hand and beckoned you over. “C’mere, I’ll help you get into the saddle,” he said softly and you felt all of your blood rush into your face.
“Aren’t there like, stairs or something I could use?” You asked, knowing that the second you put your hand in his, all of the tempting thoughts about him that you’d successfully shoved down would come rushing back into your head. His blue eyes shone as he shook his head, explaining that they put it away somewhere and it would take too long to find right now.
“I won’t let ya fall,” he said, those beautiful eyes locked on yours. “Promise.”
As Amy urged you along from the back of her own horse, you tentatively reached forward and took Rhett’s big hand in yours. It was like you could hear your heart beating in your ears as he tugged you over and instructed you to put one foot in the stirrups and your free hand on the saddle horn.
“I can give you a boost if ya need,” he added, his voice low and grumbly and far, far too close. You must have nodded absently, because the next thing you knew, Rhett placed your second hand on the saddle horn and moved around to lightly grasp your waist.
Your skin burned where you felt those hands on you and even though he kept them in a perfectly respectable place — perfectly polite for someone who was engaged to his brother — you couldn’t help but imagine the heat of them in other, less savory places on your body. The way those calloused palms would feel brushing over your lower back, how his hands would span the entire distance of your neck, how those long fingers would feel filling up your —
“Ready?” he asked, hot breath against the back of your neck.
“I think so,” you responded weakly, and you felt him chuckle. He murmured a low countdown and at the number “three” you hoisted yourself up and swung one leg over to the other side of the saddle, feeling a little lightheaded at his little grunt of effort as he helped lift you up off the ground.
Once you were in and settled, you expected him to back away, but instead, Rhett leaned over your lap to gather up the reins and hand them to you.
“There ya go. You’re a natural,” he said, voice still gritty enough to feel like a gut-punch when it was paired with the heat of his gaze on your face. He was so close and so beautiful and you could catch the faintest whiff of that intoxicating, woodsy scent if you just leaned a little closer —
“Let’s goooooo,” Amy called, wiggling a little impatiently in her saddle and effectively startling your out of our fantasies.
You’ve gotta stop this. You’re engaged, for chrissakes.
“We’re comin’, we’re comin’,” Rhett grumbled, heading over to his own horse and swinging into the saddle with grace. “You gonna be late for some cartoons or somethin’?”
The pair set out, with you slightly behind them, head still swimming with shameful thoughts of your fiancé’s brother and face still burning. It took a while for you to let the pair’s teasing distract you from the feeling of guilt that had made a home in your stomach since the day you met Rhett, but eventually you were able to let go and enjoy your time on the trail.
And if you stared at the ceiling later that night, mind replaying the way Rhett’s eyes darkened and his lips turned up into a little smirk when he helped you down off the horse at the end of your outing, well, nobody needed to know about that.
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The air at the rodeo was electric, the excitement infectious and the smell of fried food making everyone salivate as they made their way to the stands. You hadn’t been to the rodeo since high school, more interested in chatting with your friends or trying to spot your crush than in the actual events, but this night was making you regret all of those years you ignored its presence.
It helped that Amy was practically vibrating with excitement, tugging you around by the hand as she babbled on and on about her favorite food stalls and rattling off stats about the various bull riders. Of course, none of them compared to Uncle Rhett in her mind, but her knowledge of the sport was truly impressive.
“— but the bull they gave Uncle Rhett that time was a bad one, everyone knew it, and anyway he got another shot and that time he came in first place because he’s the best —“
“Amy, Amy, slow down,” you chuckled, head spinning as you tried to both keep up with the conversation and keep her from crashing into anyone at the same time.
“Come on, we have to get popcorn before the bull riding starts, I’m always in the stand for Uncle Rhett,” she powered on, not even pausing for a second as she continued on her mission, a crisp five dollar bill in her hand, courtesy of Cecilia. “There! Come on, come on!”
You could feel the heels of your shoes practically skid in the dirt as she took off towards the line and you had to stop short when she finally, abruptly stopped walking to join in. You took a deep breath, relieved to be able to pause for a second and take in the atmosphere, when you hear her shriek beside you.
Your heart stopped for a second as you wheeled around to spot her, only for it to skip a beat for a completely different reason when you realized that Rhett had snuck up behind her.
His grin was blinding as he picked her up and swung her around in a tight circle, her delighted squeals flying through the air. It only got wider and more brilliant when she began playfully hitting his chest after her put her down, and he pretended that her blows were about to knock him down.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” he got out between laughs, and you couldn’t stop your own smile from breaking out across your face.
“I almost had a heart attack when she screamed like that,” you admitted and his cobalt eyes moved from Amy to meet yours.
“My apologies, ma’am,” he said with an exaggerated drawl, playfully tipping his cowboy hat at you in mock apology. You had to fight the urge to duck your head as you felt your face heat up at his actions.
What was this effect that he had on you? You had never been the type to giggle and blush at any guy before Rhett, but there was something about him that just made you feel like a teenager with her first crush all over again.
“Apology accepted, cowboy,” you managed to get out and his eyes danced with mischief. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your big ride?”
“I was, I just had to come say hi to my favorite lady,” Rhett said, giving a gentle tug to the end of Amy’s ponytail. She looked up at him with a giant smile, clearly pleased to hear that she was her uncle’s “favorite,” and your heart melted at the sight. He gently pushed her along when it was her turn to order popcorn, and you stepped out of the line as she made her way up.
“So, you’re sticking around for my ride?” he asked.
“Of course,” you responded, a little surprised that he thought you weren’t here to watch him alongside his family. “Wouldn’t miss it. I haven’t even been to the rodeo in years, it’s really exciting to know one of the competitors.”
“Well, hopefully I manage to make your return to the rodeo an exciting one,” he said, hands settling on his waist, right next to his big, silver belt buckle.
You were grateful that Amy bounded back over to the two of you then, effectively preventing you from all of the dirty thoughts that you were about to have about what might rest behind that gaudy buckle. Rhett gave his niece another hug — and sent a wink your way that you were definitely not going to spend the night thinking about — before you went your separate ways.
By the time you made it back to the Abbotts in the stands, you were just as excited for Rhett’s ride as Amy was.
Your heart was in your throat for the entirety of the bull riding competition, because of course, Wabang’s hometown hero had to go last. When it was finally his turn, Amy gripped your arm tightly as you both watched, unblinking, for them to open the gate and begin his ride. You weren’t sure you took a single breath for the entirety of his time, those 8 seconds feeling like an eternity as you watched Rhett hold onto that bull for dear life.
When the buzzer finally sounded and he was back on his feet, it was like all of the blood in your body came rushing back into your veins, heartbeat thumping in your ears.
And then, there it was, right at the top of the leaderboard: R. Abbott.
Amy’s excited cheer was more like a shriek as the four of you jumped up and down in the stands, popcorn trampled below your feet as you celebrated with his family. With your new family.
And if you wanted to believe that Rhett was looking at you, in particular, as he pounded his chest with pride, well, you allowed yourself that one, tiny indulgence.
You were still breathless as you made your way out of the stands a little while later, following Royal, Cecelia and Amy as they made their way to find and congratulate Rhett in person. The four of you were almost at the riders’ entrance when you heard someone call your name from the crowd.
“Evening,” Royal said, tipping his hat at Joy Hawk after she managed to get everyone’s attention.
“Hi there Royal, Cecelia,” she said, nodding at them both in turn before turning to Amy. “Hi Amy. How’re you doing, sweetie?”
The 9-year-old excitedly told her all about Rhett’s ride as she smiled and agreed that it had been “one heck of a ride.” After a minute, she turned to you and said you name again. “Could I speak to you for just a moment? One-on-one?”
“O-okay,” you agreed, confused as to what she could possibly want.
After giving you a look that you translated to “we’re here if you need us,” Cecelia explained that they would go and wait for Rhett while you chatted with the deputy sheriff. “I’m sure you’ll just be a moment,” she added, before taking Amy by the hand and leading her away with one last look.
“Is … is everything okay?” you asked tentatively as Joy sighed deeply.
“I would have preferred not to be the one to tell you this, but, well, I can’t seem to get ahold of Perry —“
“He’s out of town,” you said quickly. “Is he okay?”
“Far as I know he is,” she reassured you before taking another deep breath. “I saw you two had filed for a marriage license and well, the thing is, he’s still married. To Rebecca.”
“But she … left. She’s not part of their lives anymore. Not part of Amy’s life,” you said, not quite following what she was telling you.
“Right, right. She’s a missing person. But see, the thing is, as long as she’s a missing person — and we don’t know that she died, god forbid — Perry is still legally married to her. Their marriage is still valid until either they manage to file for divorce or she’s declared … dead.”
“Oh.”
The news hit you like a ton of bricks. What did this mean for you? For your relationship? You had been planning a wedding and this whole time, Perry was still married? So what was the point of all of it?
“Now, you two can still have a wedding, I’m not gonna stop you from that,” Joy continued, her tone soft and comforting. “Y’all just won’t be legally married until this all gets sorted out.”
“And … how long would that take?”
Joy sighed heavily, her hands coming to rest on her hips. “I don’t know. Depends on whether or not Rebecca … comes back.”
You nodded absently, feeling your whole world tilt on its axis. You hadn’t even considered the possibility that Rebecca would be found or return of her own volition. If that happened would you just be pushed out of the family again? Would you still be able to see Amy?
Did that mean that the best case scenario for you was that this precious little girl’s mother was dead? How could you hope for something like that?
“I’m real sorry to break the news to you like this. Like I said, I’ve been trying to get ahold of Perry, but he and I can go over everything when he gets back,” the deputy sheriff said, patting you kindly on the arm.
You murmured your thanks before spinning around and making your way over to the Abbotts, head still swimming with questions.
By the time you made it there, they were chatting with a grinning Rhett, who was carrying Amy on his back. His smile faltered when he saw you and the dazed look on your face and you did your best to paste on a smile of your own. It must not have been totally convincing, though, because he let his niece slide down off his back as Royal and Cecelia exchanged looks.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Rhett said, his blunt words making you huff out a laugh. “I’m going to celebrate at the Handsome Gambler — come with me.”
The last thing you needed to do was be alone with Rhett Abbott, especially if alcohol was involved. But the world had just thrown a huge wrench in your plans, so you weren’t even thinking about it being a bad idea when you agreed.
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“You ready to tell me what’s got you so spooked?” Rhett asked, leaning across the table so you could hear him over the music. You were both a few beers in — though Rhett had also enjoyed a handful of celebratory tequila shots that some of the locals had bought for him — and his cheeks were flushed pink from laughter and booze.
You contemplated telling him for a second, letting all of your frustrations and anxieties spill out (it turns out that Perry is still legally married so this whole engagement is more of a farce than it seems and if she comes back she’s probably not going to let me see Amy which is the main reason I said yes in the first place) before you remembered that he and Perry still had a complicated relationship.
As torn up as you were, you didn’t want to do anything to damage that bond even more.
“It’s nothing,” you said, shaking your head and taking a swig of your beer as if you swallow your words back down. “Anyway, we’re not done talking about that amazing ride of yours, cowboy.”
You attempt at distraction clearly didn’t work; Rhett just leaned further across the table, those damn blue eyes roaming all over your face.
“Somethin’s clearly up. Is it Perry’s fault?”
“Why do you assume it’s something Perry did?” you fire back, less out of a need to protect your fiancé’s feelings than to try and get Rhett off the track.
“Perry’s always doing something,” he replied, shaking his head. He stared hard at you for a moment longer, setting off a wave of butterflies in your gut, before grinning and sitting back down in the booth. “Okay, clearly we need another beer and then you’ll talk.”
“Rhett —“ you began, but you cut yourself off with a laugh as you watched him make a goofy, exaggerated motion to the bar’s sole waitress. “You think you can just get me drunk and I’ll spill all my secrets?”
“Oh, so you have secrets, do you?” He asked, raising one eyebrow in mocking curiosity. “Tell me a secret.”
“No,” you responded, but you were laughing still. “You don’t get to demand a secret.”
“What if I’m just so charming you can’t help but tell me?” You snorted and took a sip of your beer to cover up the fact that you did, in fact, find him charming. “Here, I’ll make you a deal: I’ll tell you a secret if you tell me one. Something you’ve never told anyone else,” he said, smiling slyly at you.
I like you so much. I can’t stop thinking about you. It makes me feel so guilty.
The words came to your brain before you could stop them. You definitely weren’t going to say them out loud — you weren’t sure you had even admitted them to yourself before this moment. But you knew, deep in your gut, that they were true.
That realization was almost more shocking than learning that your fiancé was still legally married.
“I gotta —“ you began, jumping up from the table and almost bumping into the waitress as she dropped off two new beers. “Bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
You rushed off before Rhett could stop you, weaving your way through the crowd at the bar and a few dancing couples before you found the blissfully empty bathroom. After locking the door behind you, you landed against the sink, taking a few deep, steadying breaths as the bass from the music echoed through the wall. You stared at yourself in the mirror, a long, hard look.
I like him.
I like Rhett.
I have feelings for him.
He’s my fiancé’s brother.
I’m crazy about him.
You shook your head, as if you cast those thoughts out of your brain. “Snap out of it,” you muttered to yourself. “You gotta snap out of it.”
Frantically, you turned on the water, yanking the faucet all the way to cold and ran your wrists under the stream of freezing water in an attempt to shock your system. You let out a long, slow exhale, allowing the cold to bring you back to yourself.
You’d just go back to the table, tell Rhett that you were tired and go home. Perry would be home in a couple of days and you could put the whole thing out of your mind and just focus on him and Amy. And then Rhett would be on the road soon.
Ignoring the small pang of of sadness that passed through you at the thought, you turned off the faucet and dried off your hands. Taking a moment to swipe away any mascara that had smudged under your eyes, you braced yourself and exited the bathroom determined to stay as far away from Rhett as possible.
So naturally, you barreled right into him as you turned the corner to make your way back to the table.
“Hey, hey, sorry about that,” he said, big, rough hands holding you steady. “I didn’t mean to walk right into ya, I was just coming to see if you were okay. You took off kinda quick.”
Did he know his thumbs were gently rubbing against the bare skin of your forearms? Because you did. It was all you could think about.
“I- I’m fine. Thank you,” you said, and even though you knew you should pull away from him, you made no move to do so. “Just needed some quiet for a second.”
“Alright, as long as you’re okay,” he said, giving your arms a brief squeeze before letting go. You immediately missed the warmth of his hands on your skin. “You thinkin’ ya wanna head out?”
You nodded absently and he smiled before turning around to lead you out the door. Just as you started to take a few steps, though, the song changed, an old Linda Ronstadt song that your mother used to sing along to as you both cleaned the house on a Sunday morning.
“Oh, I love this song,” you said, not realizing it was loud enough for Rhett to hear until he turned around with a smile.
“Yeah? I think my mama used to play this one in the truck sometimes,” he said, before taking a step back and holding a hand out toward you. “Dance with me? Just for this one song and then we can go. Seems a shame not to since you love it so much.”
You couldn’t resist. His eyes were shining too brightly, his smile revealing small little dimples that you had never noticed before, Linda’s voice calling for you to spin away on the dance floor. You took Rhett’s outstretched hand and his smile widened, brilliant and completely intoxicating.
The pair of you kept a respectful distance even as he spun you around, though he kept your hand in his the whole time. He laughed as you sang along to the song and then the next one and the next.
You lost track of how long the two of you had been dancing until he tugged you a little closer when a ballad came on, Hank Williams crooning low and slow as you breathlessly wrapped one arm around his shoulders.
Your actions seemed to embolden Rhett, who dropped a hand to your waist and pulled you in even more.
You could see every freckle on his face, every shade of blue in his eyes, how the pupils dilated as the two of you swayed together, lost in the moment. You licked you lips unconsciously and you watched his gaze dart down to your mouth before he purposefully looked back up, into your eyes.
“I like having you ‘round, you know?” he murmured and your heart began pounding erratically. “You make things brighter. And I like seein’ Amy so happy.”
“I like being around you, too. All of you,” you said, feeling a little dizzy as his words echoed around your brain. “Feels like I … fit. I’m not used to that feeling.”
Rhett smiled at that, so you continued. “And I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in a long time. With Amy, with you …”
“Happy to be of service,” he chucked. “You have a great smile. Real pretty."
Your face felt so warm, it had to be obvious to everyone in this bar just how much this cowboy was making you melt. “You’re not too bad yourself, Rhett Abbott.”
He dropped your hand for a second to tilt his cowboy hat up so you could see his face more clearly, before sliding it back around you, warm and possessive against your lower back.
“It’s a real shame Perry met you before I did,” he murmured. “Kinda wish it was the other way ‘round.”
Oh.
Oh, no. That was the wrong thing for him to say to you. This was only going to make your little crush on him worse. Because sometimes you felt the exact same way.
Because sometimes as you drifted off to sleep, you imagined what would have happened if you did meet Rhett first, if you were engaged to him instead of his brother.
Your shock — and maybe guilt — must have shown on your face because Rhett quickly let go of you and stepped back.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. Shouldn’t have said that,” he said quickly. “I’ve been drinking — let’s just blame it on the tequila, okay? I say dumb shit when I’m drunk.”
“It’s fine, it’s okay,” you reassured him. “We’ve both been drinking. It’s fine.”
“Lemme — we can just head home, okay? We’ll just get out of here and forget about it,” he continued, already making his way back to the entrance.
But you weren’t sure you’d ever be able to forget it, even if you wanted to. The low, soft way he spoke, the way his eyes were locked on your face, the shape his lips made as he said it. I wish it was the other way ‘round.
It was everything you wanted to hear. It was the absolute worst thing he could have said.
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You kept your distance from the Abbott ranch in the days after the rodeo, buried in work, in cleaning your little apartment, in helping your mother around her house, at the bakery, anything to keep yourself from thinking about Rhett’s words.
By the time Perry was home from his trip, the guilt was eating you up inside.
You couldn’t even bring yourself to be excited as you drove over to meet him and Amy for dinner, stomach churning with doubt and confusion and guilt. How could you sit down with this man — this man that you were engaged to for chrissakes — when you couldn’t stop thinking about his brother? How could you pretend that you were a happy family when you wanted to play house with Rhett instead?
Your thoughts were swirling like the dust under your tires as you pulled up to the Abbott ranch to see Perry sitting on the porch. He smiled an waved as you parked the car and pulled you into a hug as you stepped up to meet him.
“How was your trip?” You asked, swallowing around the lump in your throat.
“It was … good. Yeah, it was good. I needed it,” he said.
“Your … business trip?”
He shrugged a little sheepishly, before gesturing to the rocking chairs on the porch. “Yeah. Yeah, lemme — let’s talk for a second.”
He knows. Rhett told him.
Fighting the urge to puke over the porch railing, you gingerly sat down next to Perry, who pulled your hand in his and absentmindedly rubbed his thumb along the back of it as it spoke. You didn’t want to admit it, but it felt wrong when he did it, as opposed to the thrill that ran through you when Rhett touched you.
“Is everything okay, Perry?” you asked softly.
“Yeah, yeah. Look, I should — I wasn’t totally honest with you before I left. I didn’t go on a business trip. I went to … well, I went to try and find Rebecca one last time.” He grimaced slightly as you gasped softly. This was not what you expected when he asked you to talk. “I couldn’t stop thinking of this one place we used to go before Amy was born, this little hiking trail out east. We’d stay in these cabins for the weekend, just the two of us.”
“Oh…kay?” you said, confusion evident in your voice and on your face. Perry took a deep breath, and when he let it out he looked … tired. A little defeated, a little sad.
“She wasn’t there, obviously. But when I was there I realized … I realized I’m never going to stop waiting for her to come home,” he said, the last bit coming out in a rush. “I’m not over her. I thought I was ready to move on, move forward, for Amy’s sake but I just … I’m not there.”
Though he hadn’t made eye contact with you the whole time he was speaking, he gave your hand a gentle squeeze and turned to look you in the eye. You could see the discomfort, the heartbreak swirling in his eyes. “It’s not fair to you. To be married to someone who’s always going to be waiting for someone else. And then when Deputy Sheriff Hawk called me —“
“To tell you about the license?” You asked and he nodded, looking uncomfortable.
“I promise, I didn’t know about it before then. It didn’t even occur to me that Rebecca would have to be … well, you know, before our marriage would be dissolved. I wouldn’t have proposed if I knew. Hell, I wouldn’t have even asked you out that first time.”
Perry sighed again, before continuing, “It just made me realize that I’m still married to her in my heart as well. And I just can’t do that to you. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
You nodded absently, letting his words wash over you. “What about Amy, though? She and I have gotten so close —“
“You can still see Amy! Of course you can, she adores you. And I know how much you care about her,” he reassured you.
You felt a rush of relief. Amy was the reason you said yes to his proposal in the first place; it was almost as if the knowledge that you could still spend time with this brilliant, special little girl that you had come to consider family had outweighed any potential heartbreak from Perry ending the engagement.
But then again, maybe ending the engagement was exactly what you had been hoping for since the moment you laid eyes on Rhett.
You have to tell him. It’s only fair.
“I understand, Perry,” you said and you could see the relief visibly wash over him. “I do, I completely understand. Thank you for being honest with me.”
Before he could speak, you continued, wanting to rush the words out as quickly as possible, “I guess … I guess if I’m going to be honest with you too, I’ve been having second thoughts myself. I … I started to have feelings. For someone else. And I felt terrible about it, the guilt has been eating me up.”
Perry swallowed hard. “Did you — while I was away did anything —“
“No!” you rushed to explain. “No, nothing happened. I didn’t do anything with anyone else I just … just having feelings for someone else made me feel guilty enough. I couldn’t do that to you. But I think it’s clear we’re just … not ‘the one’ for each other.”
He surprised you by standing up abruptly and pulling you to your feet as well, before giving you a tight hug. It felt good, like a fitting end to your amicable relationship to part ways amicably.
Of course things got a little less amicable later that evening when, after you handed back the ring and enjoyed a pleasant dinner, you both sat down with Amy to break the news. She seemed a little confused at first, but brightened when she learned that you would still be around for her.
“Okay,” she said after a minute, when you had explained the situation as best as you could to the 9-year-old. “That’s okay. You can date Uncle Rhett instead! I think he likes you.”
Perry’s face turned a bright shade of red. “What?!”
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Despite Amy’s permission, you didn’t start dating Rhett after that.
In fact, you were continuing to avoid him, maybe out of lingering guilt or maybe out of a fear that he didn’t actually mean those words he said that night at the Handsome Gambler.
It had been nearly two weeks since you had laid eyes on that handsome cowboy when you suddenly had a knock on your door on a late, sunny Sunday morning. You turned down the music you had been playing while you cleaned — Linda Ronstadt, of course — and opened the door, only to come face to face with the man you had been trying you best not to think about.
“Hi,” Rhett said, a little shy as he ran his fingers nervously through his hair. You could see his ball cap tucked into one of his back pockets and a small bouquet of wildflowers in his other hands and butterflies erupted in your stomach at the sweet, gentlemanly gestures.
“Hi,” you responded, a smile growing across your face before you could contain it. “It’s good to see you, Rhett. Do you … do you wanna come in?” He grinned at your words; clearly he was a little nervous that you wouldn’t be as excited to see him on your doorstep as you hoped.
He pressed the flowers into your hands as he made his way into your apartment, his big hands wrapping around yours and his shoulders taking up almost the entire doorway. After you closed the door and turned to face him, you both stood there, smiling a little giddily at one another, though neither of you moved. The tension was broken when you both tried to speak at the same time, tripping over your words as you both tried to break the awkward silence.
Laughing, you gently placed the flowers down on your coffee table and took a step closer to Rhett. His big blue eyes were fixed on your face, bright and shining and hopeful. You gestured towards your couch, silently inviting him to make himself at home, but he just ran his hands through his hair again and continued standing.
“I know it hasn’t been very long since you and Perry … ended things,” he began and your stomach swooped like you were on a roller coaster. “But well, I talked to him a bit, and he’s not the biggest fan of the idea, but I think he’ll come around and … listen. What I’m trying to say. Can I take you to dinner?”
“What?” You asked, a little incredulous that Rhett Abbott, the guys of your dreams, was standing in your living room and asking you on a date.
“Let me take you to dinner. I can’t — I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m crazy about ya,” he said, grinning as he watched a small smile break out across your face. “We can take it slow if you want but I just — I meant what I said. I wish I had met you before Perry. That I had a chance to ask you out first. But asking you out now is the next best thing.”
“I’d love to go to dinner with you, Rhett,” you said softly, smile growing bigger and brighter as you watched his eyes light up with excitement.
“Yeah?” he asked, hopeful and puppy-like.
“Yeah,” you breathed, taking a step closer to him and breathing in the scent of his body wash, taking in the freckles across his nose and the dimples hiding next to his smile. “I’m crazy about you too. You remember when you asked me to tell you a secret?”
He nodded, one gorgeous, beefy forearm wrapping around your waist and tugging you even closer.
“That was my secret. That I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” you ran your hands up Rhett’s broad chest, feeling the muscles that lay under his soft tee shirt. “I still can’t stop thinking about you. I … I’ve never felt like this before, about anyone. Just you.”
Rhett didn’t respond. Instead, he held you close, slid his free hand up to cup your face and kissed you. And you there your arms around his neck and kissed him back.
It was like every moment, every bump in the road, every teasing glance, every little joke, every whispered confession was leading to this kiss. Rhett held you like you were precious and kissed you like it was the last time he’d ever get to do so.
But it wasn’t the last time. It was far, far from the last time if you had anything to say about it.
You felt his tongue brush against your lips and you opened your mouth to let him in, head swimming as he gripped you tighter, breathed a little heavier, kissed you a little dirtier. A little more passionate, a little more intense — a little more like you had dreamed about all those late nights when you were still pretending that your feelings for him didn’t exist.
After he pulled away, chuckling softly as your lips chased his for a moment, Rhett rubbed his thumb against your cheek, sparking a wave of goosebumps down your arms. He grinned, panting a little, those blue eyes bright and staring right back at you in adoration.
“Wait a second,” you said, a little breathlessly as one more thought occurred to you. “Aren’t you leaving soon? You have a spot on a tour.”
Rhett shrugged like it was no big deal, but a feeling almost like panic was starting to grip you. “I have a couple of weeks. We can see where this goes and maybe if you want … you could come with me?” he asked tentatively.
You didn’t respond; you just pulled him back in for another heart stopping, mind melting kiss.
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Much later — after the hours of kissing in your living room, after a first date where you spent so long talking and laughing at the diner that you were practically chased out by the staff, after a night of stargazing in the back of his truck, after those blissful first weeks of a relationship, a month of painful long distance and three more of you joining him on the road, after you both settled back in Wabang with another tour on the horizon, after Perry finally came around to the idea of you two being together — you sat in your mother’s kitchen with Rhett by your side and his grandmother’s engagement ring on your finger.
She had just broken out the old bottle of whiskey she kept on top of the fridge for special occasions, when she asked you the same question she had asked a little over a year prior, when you were talking about your engagement to Perry.
“Baby, do you love him?”
You looked at Rhett, took in his beautiful face, his beaming smile, his hair, a little mussed up because he couldn’t stop running his hands through it on your way over here, and the way those blue eyes always made you feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.
“Yes, mama. I love him awful.”
.
.
55 notes · View notes
a-reader-and-a-writer · 26 days ago
Text
Animal Instinct
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AI-Less Whumptober 2024: Day 21. "This will make you feel better, okay?"
Fandom: Outer Range, Rhett Abbott, f!reader
Summary: When Rhett goes out hunting the wolf that has been killing the Abbott's livestock, he discovers more than he bargained for.
Word Count: 2405
TW: Werewolf AU, Reader is a Werewolf, Hurt/Comfort, Mauled by an Animal, Blood, Choking, Dead Animal, Reader is Naked, Detailed Transformation
Notes: For @ailesswhumptober's whumptober event
Whumptober 2024 Masterlist
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Rhett swore under his breath as he climbed out of his truck, grabbed his rifle off the seat next to him, and slammed the door shut. He stood there for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, then he headed off into the night. Of course, he was once again the one sent out to deal with the jobs no one else wanted to do. 
At dinner, his dad announced another one of their cattle had been killed by a wild animal a few nights before and someone needed to deal with it before it got yet another one of their livestock. Perry immediately claimed he promised to help Amy with her homework that night, which everyone knew was a load of bull considering Perry didn’t even remember what grade his daughter was in most of the time. Yet, predictably, Rhett was the one who now found himself in the back pasture in the middle of the night hunting who knows what.
Not that he was scared. Rhett had been going hunting with his dad and brother for as long as he could remember and he learned to fire a gun almost as soon as he learned to walk. But there was still that slight unknown of what he might come across that had him on edge. He had seen what was left of one of the cows from last week and whatever had managed to do that was not something he looked forward to confronting, especially in the dark.
He continued walking for another ten minutes or so, tracking the path a few of the cattle had taken after their nightly feeding. Suddenly, he froze as he heard the faint sound of snarling and growling just ahead. Sliding his gun off his shoulder, he held it in his hands as he crept forward. Then, there in the light of the almost full moon, he saw another of the cows dead on the ground with a massive creature tearing into it.
It was one of the biggest wolves Rhett had ever seen. It had to be as long as Rhett was tall and even with its head ducked down devouring its meal, it stood taller than his waist. It lifted one of its massive paws and placed it on top of the cow’s side, its razor-like claws piercing deep into the cattle’s flesh. Slowly, Rhett raised his rifle and took aim. 
But as he cocked his gun, the wolf’s head snapped up. Its yellow eyes settled onto Rhett and its mouth pulled back into a snarl, large fangs glinting in the moonlight. Dark blood stained its maw and the surrounding grey fur, matting it into a gory mess. It raised its hackles as it lowered itself into a defensive stance. Rhett could tell it was ready to leap at him at any moment.
Rhett fired. 
The bullet hit the wolf in the shoulder, just to the left of its throat. Instead of retreating or howling in pain as Rhett expected, the beast roared and charged at him. Panicked, Rhett reloaded and shot again and again, each time striking the wolf in critical places. However, it barely even slowed its attack and it was on Rhett before he could fire a fourth time. 
The wolf pounced, crashing into him and knocking him onto his back. With powerful jaws and dagger-sharp teeth, the wolf snapped at his face but Rhett managed to jam the side of the rifle into its mouth to protect himself. However, he could still feel the hot, putrid breath on his face and he nearly gagged. He tried to wriggle his way free, but the wolf’s front paws pressed on his chest holding him down. He screamed as its claws dug into him and he could feel his own blood soaking his flannel shirt. 
With one powerful snap of its head, the wolf tore the gun out of Rhett’s hands and flung it to the side. Now there was nothing between Rhett and the beast’s mighty fangs. With a snarl, it ripped into the side of Rhett’s throat, tearing through flesh and muscle like it were paper. Rhett immediately fell limp as all of his energy shifted into trying to breathe out of his ruined windpipe. And the agony…He had been trampled, thrown off of, and gored by bulls on numerous occasions, yet nothing came close to comparing to the feeling of having his throat torn out.
Even the claws ripping into his chest, shredding his skin, paled in comparison to how much his throat hurt. He was about to die and he couldn’t even scream for help.
Yet, suddenly, everything stopped and the wolf disappeared from on top of him. Rhett wanted to look around and see when it went, to prepare if another attack was coming, but he couldn’t even lift his head. All he could do was struggle to breath. 
“Oh, my god…Oh my god! Oh, Rhett, no!”
A person appeared looming over him. Even in his dire circumstances, Rhett wasn’t sure what caught him more off guard: the fact you were standing over him soaked in blood that stained your mouth and spilled down your chest, or the fact you were butt ass naked. 
You lived in a remote cabin deep in the woods that bordered the Abbott’s property. Regarded as a bit of a recluse and “an odd one” by most of the people in town, Rhett had always found himself drawn to you whenever your paths crossed. You were shy but always had a smile or kind words for him when he’d approach you. He even managed to talk you into getting drinks with him once or twice and had hoped to eventually coax you into something more. 
But right now, asking you out was the furthest concern on his mind.
He tried to speak, to warn you about the wolf and the danger you both were in, but he couldn’t get a single word to pass from his lips. The only sound he could make was a strangled gurgling as blood bubbled in his throat. Yet you ignored the sounds he was making as you knelt next to him and pressed your hands to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. 
With tears streaming down your bloody face, you cried, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize it was you. I was just trying to scare off whoever it was but then you shot me and I just…I acted on instinct. Self-preservation. I never meant—Oh god.” 
You gently touched his jaw with one hand and Rhett felt the sticky warmth of his own blood stain his face. Nothing you were saying made any sense but he assumed it was from the pain and blood loss affecting his mental functions. 
“We don’t have much time before…” You trailed off as you looked around frantically. “I have to get you to my cabin. I have some things there that will help. But it’s going to hurt…you know, even more than it already…oh god, I’m so sorry.”
Suddenly, Rhett felt as if he was being lifted off the ground. But that wasn’t possible. There was no way you could carry him. However, any concerns over what was happening disappeared as fresh waves of pain flowed through him. Every time his body shifted the slightest bit, he would try to scream out in agony but all his throat could manage was more gurgling. Thankfully, he slipped into unconsciousness after only a few steps.
He wasn’t sure what happened next or how long he was out. But when he opened his eyes next, he was lying on a table in the middle of a dining room or kitchen. The walls and ceiling around him were all wooden and he could hear a fire crackling somewhere in a nearby room. He must be in your cabin, though he still has no idea how you managed to get him here. 
You hurried into the room carrying a clay jar, still wearing nothing but the blood that coated your face and chest. Rhett tried to lift his head, but the pain in his chest and throat almost made him black out again.
He felt you place your hand on his shoulder. “Shhh. Lie still. I’m gonna help you.” You held up the jar. “This will make you feel better, okay? It’ll help you heal faster and…” You hesitated, your hand hovering over his ruined throat. Then, with your face twisted into a mournful pout, you ran your fingers gently across his forehead, pushing back the strands of hair that were stuck to his face by blood and sweat. In a soft murmur, you continued, “And it’ll help dull the pain of what comes next.”
Rhett had never seen you like this. Usually, you were so withdrawn, keeping to yourself, eyes locked on the ground. But now you had an aura of confidence and strength around you as you hurried throughout the cabin, seemingly unconcerned with the fact you still weren’t wearing any clothes. 
He had so many questions to ask you, yet even if he could speak, he didn’t know where to start. So, he just watched as you reached into the jar and scooped out a handful of a greyish, clay-looking substance. As gently as possible, you began to spread it on his torn-open throat and shredded chest. Your touch hurt like hell, but as soon as the substance smeared against his skin, Rhett felt a tingling numbness leeching into his wounds. It didn’t take away all the pain, but it felt like cold water soothing a burn. He felt his muscles relax and he found he was starting to breathe a little easier.
However, the concerned look on your face didn’t ease. In fact, you seemed to grow more distressed by the minute. Rhett finally felt strong enough to move and he raised his hand towards you—just as a fresh stab of pain shot through his spine.
Arching back, a raspy cry fell from his lips—the first true sound he had made since he was attacked. More pain began to radiate from his back to other parts of his body. His arms and legs jerked and twisted into unnatural shapes, his hands tensing as his fingers contracted. He let out another scream as liquid fire burned through his veins.
A hand gently caressed his cheek and he heard a voice coo, “It’s okay. It’ll be over soon. And I’ll be right here with you the entire time. You’re not alone anymore, Rhett. From now on, we’ll have each other and no one can take that bond from us.”
He tried to ask what the fuck you were talking about but another spasm passed through him and he tumbled off the table onto the floor. 
As he pushed himself up to his hands and knees, he felt a strange stretching in his spine. Almost as if it were growing longer. His hips ached and popped as his legs shifted in his sockets and the muscles in his calves tightened. Suddenly, he realized his boots were much too tight on his feet and the pressure was growing by the second. Then, with a loud ripping sound, the boots tore apart. 
His face began to tingle, and he could feel a slight fuzz sprouting across his skin. It almost felt like that winter he let his beard grow out but not just localized to the bottom half of his face. Then, his nose and jaw began to stretch as if someone had grabbed him by the nose and lips and were pulling them, reshaping them like they were putty. His teeth began digging into his lips and he opened his mouth only for his tongue to loll out, hanging lower than should be possible. 
But then again, none of this should be possible.
With one final crack, he felt all of his bones snap into their new place with a last wave of pain that went through him from head to toe. Rhett squeezed his eyes closed and prayed for this hell to end…and it did.
As the pain subsided and his body settled into its new configuration, Rhett opened his eyes. The world around him looked different. The colors were more muted yet everything seemed sharper, more in focus. His sense of smell and hearing also seemed different. He picked up on things he hadn’t before, but that had to be because he was so focused on the pain before…right?
He thought, “What the fuck happened to me?”
“Your first transformation.” 
Another voice responded in his mind. Rhett jerked his head around, trying to see where the sound came from. Then, his eyes widened as the grey wolf from before—the one that attacked him—stepped out from behind the table. He started to retreat backward, but tripped over his own feet and ran into the wall. 
Frozen, he waited for the wolf to attack. Instead, it softly padded over to him and nuzzled its muzzle against his face. Rhett was stunned. What the fuck was happening? But then he looked into the wolf’s yellow eyes. Even though they were still so animal and as terrifying as they had been out in the field, there was something else behind that stare. And as he looked, he felt it. Though nothing changed in the wolf’s outward appearance, he sensed the truth hiding beneath the surface.
He was staring at you. You were the wolf.
If a wolf could smile, you did at that moment. And once again, Rhett heard your voice inside his head. “I truly am sorry. I never wanted this to happen but there’s no changing it or going back. You’re like me now, Rhett. A shifter. A werewolf.”
Your wolf nodded towards a mirror hanging across from him near the front door. As he looked, any last lingering hopes and denials he had been holding onto about his fate vanished.
Reflected in the mirror was the grey wolf and, standing beside it—you—was another chestnut brown wolf with an injured throat. He stepped forward and so did the brown wolf. Rhett let out a terrified scream and watched as the wolf opened its mouth, releasing a loud howl.
As he fell silent, a tear rolled down both his and the wolf’s face. Your wolf pressed her head against his and he heard your voice in his mind once more.
“Welcome to the pack.”
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