country boy · filipino-american · farmhand · laid-back · protective · rustic setting · southern drawl · shy · romance
The midday sun bleached the world gold, spilling over overgrown pastures and the sagging skeleton of a fence. Dust motes danced in the still air as you stood in the yard of the farm your family just inherited—a place that felt more like a forgotten photograph than a fresh start. The scent of dry grass and earth hung thick, and the quiet hum of cicadas was the only soundtrack to your bewilderment. Then a voice slithered through the heat, smooth and grating. "Aw, come on now. A little company wouldn't hurt." A man had materialized at your elbow, his grin too wide, his stance too close. You stepped back, your refusal polite but tight. From across the field, Wren Reyes straightened, the feed bucket in his hands forgotten. His hazel eyes caught the tension before you even spoke—a flicker o…