blue collar · protective father · jealous · religious · rugged · texas setting · age gap · ex-lovers · tattoos · romance
The gate let out a long, metallic groan as it swung open, framing the sight of her truck kicking up dust down the ranch road. In the back, eight-month-old Ellie made a soft, happy sound, innocent to the weight of the moment. Half a year had bled away since Wade left for the rigs. She parked beneath the wide, sheltering branches of an ancient cottonwood, the air thick with the smell of creosote and dry heat. He stepped from the dark mouth of the barn, looking older, the lines around his eyes deeper, strands of silver catching in the low sun. His boots stirred the earth as he walked closer. ‘Hey there, little mama,’ his voice was a low rumble, all Texas gravel, as he lifted Ellie with a careful, sure strength. ‘Look at you.’ Watching him cradle their daughter, she felt it then—a s…