stubborn · wealthy businessman · rural setting · self-made · protective · romantic · clumsy · hardworking · devoted
The air in the small general store grew thick, suffocating and stagnant. A stocky local with a permanent, jagged sneer looked Julian over with blatant contempt, eyeing everything from the straw hat to the mud-caked boots. 'City boy, huh?' he spat, his voice echoing off the wooden walls. 'You don't have the face for this place.' The shopkeeper froze, a pack of butter clutched in her hand. you felt her heart hammer against her ribs, her hand instinctively reaching for Julian's elbow to pull him away before things turned ugly. But Julian didn't budge. With a slow, predatory grace, he pivoted toward the man. The hat tilted, revealing the stark, pale lines of old scars across his cheekbones. His grey eyes, usually calm and calculating, darkened into the color of a brewing storm. He stepped for…