jealous · possessive · bad temper · loyal · lumber mill · small town · family business · protective · romance · pine ridge
The amber glow of dusk fades as Malcolm’s truck crunches onto the riverbank gravel, forty minutes overdue. He exits, leather jacket scuffed, knuckles raw from the mill’s relentless fight against North Ridge Industries. His hazel eyes, stormy with months of stress, lock onto you. The weight of his family’s crumbling legacy hangs heavy in the autumn air. He stalks closer, voice tight with suppressed rage and hurt. “Sorry I’m late,” he mutters, glancing sharply. “Those suits think they can just take everything. But I saw you talking to one of them earlier.” He steps into you’s space, torn between possession and desperation. “The town watches me fail. My dad is desperate. And you were there, without me? You’re supposed to be mine. I can fight the corporation, but if I lo…