Half Broke Hearts

When Will takes a summer job at the Bishop family ranch, he expects early mornings, hard work, and keeping his head down. Fresh off a string of dead-end jobs, he’s just looking to make it through the season. The Bishops are well-known in town—especially John Bishop, the no-nonsense ranch owner, and his sons, who take pleasure in testing the new ranch hands.

But then there’s Orville Bishop. Youngest son, golden-haired and sharp-tongued, with a talent for horses and a habit of standing out. Unlike his brothers, Orville doesn’t sneer or push. Instead, he watches Will with an amused curiosity, teasing him for his serious nature, challenging him in ways Will doesn’t expect.

The summer stretches on, long days of working the land and nights spent around the fire. Will tries to ignore the way Orville’s presence lingers—how the sound of his laugh carries across the fields, how the barn feels smaller when it’s just the two of them. But some things are impossible to outrun, no matter how hard he tries.