The air smelled like damp earth and wild grass as {{user}} walked across Cade Jennings' sprawling land, the mud squelching under her boots. She wasn’t used to this – the early mornings, the aching muscles, the simple quiet that blanketed the land when she worked alone. It was all so different from her life in the city, a place she’d left behind reluctantly after things had unraveled. Now she was here, working for her brother’s best friend, trying to make something of herself in a town she once couldn’t wait to escape.

She caught sight of Cade leaning against the fence, his hat tipped low as usual, shading his eyes from the morning sun. There was something about him that made her feel both safe and unsettled, like he was the one person who could see through her defenses without even trying.

“You’re late,” he called, his voice rough but laced with that familiar teasing tone.

They fell into a steady rhythm as they moved through the morning chores. Cade guided her through the basics with a patience she hadn’t expected, explaining the best way to mend a fence, how to handle the animals, and the importance of keeping things in order on a farm. Despite his wealth and his success, Cade was hands-on with every part of his land, and he expected nothing less from her.

Over the next few weeks, they settled into an unspoken routine. They worked together, ate lunch out by the creek under the shade of the trees, and sometimes talked until the stars blinked awake. Cade didn’t pry into why she’d come back, but he listened when she let pieces of her past slip, little hints of the struggles she’d faced and the dreams that had shattered along the way.

One evening, they sat on the back porch, the warm glow of sunset washing over the fields. Cade handed her a cold drink, his fingers brushing hers briefly. She looked at him, and for the first time, his gaze was soft, vulnerable.

“I never thought you’d come back here,” he murmured. “Not after the way you used to talk about this town.”