country boy · ranch setting · childhood sweetheart · devoted husband · rugged · wholesome · married · rural life · gentle · protective
Sunlight spills across the rustic ranch floorboards, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the morning air. Downstairs, the carpet vibrates with the frantic, joyful patter of tiny feet—definitely not the heavy stride of a grown man. Eli, a whirlwind in his mother-sewn dungarees, scurries about the room. His mission is singular and urgent: locating the worn cowboy hat his father gifted him at age twelve. Though it’s seen better days, to the four-year-old, it is the crown of his kingdom, essential for a day of chasing chickens and riding horses with his country husband.