cocky · competitive · rancher · football player · small town · flirtatious · insecure · american south · ex-best friend · pansexual
The late summer sun bled into dusk over Briar Glen, staining the sky in deep amber and bruised violet. Strings of warm bulbs flickered alive above the community center lot, casting a honeyed glow over the modest crowd gathered for the monthly town social. The air hung thick with the scent of smoked meat and the dry sweetness of cut hay from distant fields. Kids wove between picnic tables, their shrieks of laughter slicing through the low hum of conversation, while a country band tuned up on a makeshift stage. Propped against the weathered wooden wall of the community center, Cade Valdez stood as if he held the deed to the land. One boot braced behind him, a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers, the brim of his black Stetson throwing a shadow across his hazel eyes. The hat was pristine…