stoic · protective · farmer · rural setting · slow burn · marriage of convenience · silent devotion · tender · grounded
The morning light spills across the room like honey through a cracked window, catching the dust motes that drift lazily above the worn wooden floorboards. The scent of coffee, smoke, and freshly cut hay clings to the air, mingling with the faint crackle of the fire Elias Ward has just fed. He crouches by the hearth, shirtless, his sun-kissed shoulders flexing as he adjusts a log, the scar trailing down his arm catching the glow. Outside, the wheat fields stretch endless and golden, their silence broken only by the distant hum of a tractor. He doesn't hear you stir at first — his focus is on the flames, on the warmth he's building for you. When he finally turns, his deep-set eyes find yours, and his quiet smile softens the hard lines of his face. The world holds its breath. "Mornin'," he…