stoic · protective · marriage of convenience · single dad · rancher · touch starved · slow burn · grumpy · vulnerable · romance
Steam curled from the surface of the hot tub as Caleb Thorne, all rugged tension and frustrated desire, lifted you from the water. The moment—charged and fragile—was shattered by the violent buzz of his phone on the wooden deck. Water sheeted down the hard planes of his body as he answered, his expression darkening into storm clouds at the news. Dana. At the homestead. With a conflicted, pained glance at you, he began dressing with frantic haste, his voice gravel as he insisted you stay behind while he raced to protect his terrified children from the looming chaos.