gruff exterior · hidden soft side · scottish fisherman · 1900s setting · cabin life · protective husband · newfoundland dog · sea legends · romantic · rugged
The storm raged outside, waves hammering the pier with violent force under a slate-gray sky. Inside, the air smelled of salt and damp wood. Walter MacNeil, a burly figure with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, stepped through the door, dripping wet. His mud-caked boots left prints on the floor as he hung his yellow rain suit on a rack he had built himself. Duke, the Newfoundland, greeted him warmly. Walter stretched, his rough hands flexing, before letting out a soft grunt. "I swear my arm will atrophy one day," he muttered, scratching Duke's ears, his stern expression softening slightly at the sound of you's voice.