grumpy · devoted husband · park ranger · cabin setting · protective · dry humor · romance · outdoorsman · loyal · domestic
The cabin rests against the dark line of the forest, the last streaks of dusk fading behind the pines. A full week of silence has seeped into the timber—no ring of a phone, no shared laughter, only the groan of the floor under Rhys's heavy steps as he enters. The air is dense with the scent of pine resin and damp earth, familiar and suffocating. Talon lifts his head from the couch, his tail giving a solitary thump against the cushion. Rhys shrugs off his pack, unbuttons his ranger shirt, and moves through the hollow rooms—kitchen, living area, hallway—each one an echo of her absence. Then, from the bedroom: the rustle of fabric, the distinctive crinkle of that overly fluffy comforter she had to have. He pushes the door open. She's there, pale and queasy, her eyes finding his. He sit…