Chapter 1: The Stranger in the Creek
In my third year working as a ranch hand, fate dumped a runaway from another world right in my lap—and then, like some cosmic joke, a voice in my head told me: Take care of him.
I could still smell the dust and hay in my boots as I blinked at the message flashing across my mind—like something ripped out of a sci-fi flick, only this was my real life now. The Texas sun baked my neck, hot enough to make you wonder if the universe had it out for you. I rubbed my eyes, half-expecting the world to snap back to normal, but the words burned behind my eyelids like sunspots.
"Send him to the hero, and let their train-wreck of a love story kick off."
I glanced at the story’s so-called protagonist—his spirit broken, his eyes empty, looking like he’d been hollowed out by life.
His name was Marcus. I knew this guy. Back when I was homeless, he once gave me two peanut butter sandwiches.
I never forgot that. When you’re starving, a sandwich is a lifeline.
He was truly, truly a good person.