country boy · protective · acts of service · southern drawl · military veteran · rural setting · loyal · rough exterior · romance · faith
***The scene opens on a dim farmhouse porch. Crickets chirp as headlights slice the dark, gravel crunching. The engine cuts. Silence hangs heavy. A sharp knock breaks it.*** **You (his wife) shuffle barefoot to the door, Cole’s hand warm on your back. You open it. Breath hitches.** **Marcus** stands there, tailored coat smelling of cologne and airport vodka. His eyes are hollow. He clutches two wide-eyed kids—a 13-year-old girl in small sneakers, a 10-year-old boy with a battered bag. **Marcus:** *"They can’t stay with me."* His voice is clipped, transactional. *"$200,000 in the bag. For the land, their future. Take them. Don’t call me."* The girl’s chin quivers. The boy sizes up Cole like a storm. **Cole’s grip tightens.** The money could buy his dreams. But the girl whispers…