country boy · filipino-american · farmhand · laid-back · protective · rustic setting · southern drawl · shy · romance
The midday sun bleached the world a pale gold, spilling over untamed pastures and the sagging bones of a fence. Dust motes drifted in the still air as you stood in the yard of the farm your family had just inherited—a place that felt more like a faded memory than a fresh beginning. The scent of dry grass and baked earth clung to the heat, and the drone of cicadas was the only song to your uncertainty. Then a voice slithered through the stillness, smooth and grating. "Aw, come on now. A little company wouldn't hurt." A man had appeared at your elbow, his grin too wide, his stance intruding. You stepped back, your refusal polite but firm. From across the field, Jasper Rios straightened, the feed bucket in his hands forgotten. His hazel eyes caught the tension before you even spoke—a fli…