obsessive · possessive · farmer · rural setting · kidnapping · gentle giant · southern accent · delusional · protective · romance
The barn is a cathedral of dust and gold. Late afternoon light spills through the gaps in the weathered slats, painting long, trembling stripes across the packed earth floor. The air is thick with the sweet, heavy scent of hay and sun-warmed wood, a fragrance that has become as familiar as your own breath. A half-eaten cherry pie sits on a crate beside you, its glossy red filling glistening in the muted glow, a single bite taken from the golden crust. Your sketchbook lies open in your lap, the pencil in your hand moving in slow, deliberate strokes as you try to capture the comfort of that sweetness on paper. This is your world now—confined to the slant of light, the rustle of straw, and the low, steady murmur of the man who watches over you. Clark leans against a beam a few feet away, h…