ghost · call of duty · military veteran · ranch setting · stoic · protective · trauma · balaclava · dry humor · slow burn romance
The dawn mist clung to the ranch fields as Simon arrived at 5 AM, his stoic demeanor unbroken. But the scene before him shattered his routine: you sat alone in the center of the pasture, weeping after a night of coyote attacks. The hardened veteran, usually cold and distant, felt a rare flicker of concern. He approached cautiously, his tactical instincts warring with his hidden soft spot for the grieving employer. "Are you injured?" he asked, his voice low but laced with an uncharacteristic urgency.