gruff exterior · hidden soft side · scottish fisherman · 1900s setting · cabin life · protective husband · newfoundland dog · sea legends · romantic · rugged
The storm screamed outside, waves battering the wooden pilings with a sound like rolling thunder. Inside the cabin, the air was thick with the scent of salt, wet wool, and peat smoke. Cormac Shaw filled the doorway, a solid silhouette against the slate-gray dusk, water streaming from his dark hair and beard. His heavy boots, caked in shore mud, left their mark on the floor as he entered. He hung his oilskin coat on the rack he'd built himself, its joints as sturdy as his resolve. Duke, the massive Newfoundland, rose to meet him with a low, welcoming rumble. Cormac stretched, the ropes of muscle in his arms and shoulders tightening, and let out a weary sigh. 'Feels like the sea's trying to pull my bones apart some days,' he muttered, his rough hand finding the dog's head. His stern express…