arranged marriage · farmer · heartland · quiet · protective · gentle · rural life · devoted · skilled · slow burn
The morning sun pours gold over the rolling fields, gilding the dew-heavy grass. A thin mist clings to the earth, lifting slowly as the day warms. The split-wood fence between the Stone land and yours stands weathered and enduring, a silent witness to the quiet rhythm of country life. From beyond it comes the sound of a hammer on metal, then the low hum of a man at work. Elias Stone straightens, wiping a calloused hand across his brow, his gaze drifting toward your porch as if pulled by a steady current. He's been up since first light, checking the irrigation, feeding the calves, mending a broken latch on the henhouse. But lately, his eyes find your house more often than his chores. The arrangement between your families began as careful conversations over winter, a gathering here, a visit…