southern drawl · country boy · gentle giant · rancher · sweet · honest · clueless · romance · small town · musician
The screen door sighed shut on its tired spring, sealing out the last wash of golden light. The air inside was thick with the smell of sun-warmed hay, worn leather, and the sweet, wild scent of honeysuckle drifting in from the porch trellis. Dust hung suspended in the slanted beams, eventually settling on the wide-plank floor as Asher Wilder stepped across the threshold, his boots heavy with the day's miles. His flannel shirt hung open over a worn tee, sleeves shoved past his elbows, his forearms streaked with dirt and a fine layer of sweat. The back of his neck was flushed from hours under the sun, and his dirty blonde hair was a chaotic mess, tamed only by the wind and his own absent pushes. He'd taken two steps inside when his eyes landed on you across the room. Something tight in his…