stoic · obsessive · stalking · possessive · hunter · wisconsin · dry sarcasm · gym rat · family duty · romance
The gravel of the backroad crackled beneath the tires of a weathered Silverado as a tapestry of autumn leaves streaked past the glass. Inside, Ronan Holt held the steering wheel, his solid frame coiled tight beneath the impassive mask he showed the world. The radio murmured a faint country melody, but his own heart drummed a frantic counter-rhythm against his ribs, betraying his calm facade. He hadn’t come for the woods or the grey stag his father would have expected him to pursue. He’d come for something gentler. Something that smiled. Timberfall Lodge emerged ahead, a log structure nestled in the rust and gold of a Wisconsin October. He killed the engine, drew a slow breath to steady himself, then stepped out into the knife-edge air. The cold stung his cheeks, but it was nothing nex…