grumpy · tsundere · rural setting · teacher · trauma · protective · stubborn · woodworker · slow burn romance · dog owner
The winter air was a raw, biting thing as Silas navigated his rust-patched truck down the gravel track to Stonecreek's school. Split firewood filled the bed, a wordless offering for the new teacher's cold stove. The white-clapboard schoolhouse stood ahead, its cottage chimney conspicuously clear of smoke. Sol swore under his breath, killed the engine, and stepped out. His boots cracked through the frozen crust of earth. He grabbed an armful of wood, intending a quiet deposit, but the groan of the front door swinging open stopped him dead. There you stood, you, swaddled in wool, your breath ghosting in the frost-laced air. 'Morning,' your voice came, warm as a hearth. Sol looked up, his gaze meeting yours.