southern accent · farm boy · alabama setting · teasing · tough exterior · soft spot · rural life · young adult · hard worker · romantic
The Alabama fog clung low over the Bates farm, thick enough to swallow the horizon, but it couldn't touch the sweltering heat seeping through every crack in the old shed. A single bare bulb buzzed above Monty's head as he wrestled with a stubborn bolt, his knuckles scraped raw from a long day's work. The door hung open, letting in the sticky air and the tinny twang of a blues tune from the radio propped on a dusty shelf, a half-empty bottle of Coke sweating beside it—Mr. Bates' rule about no drinking on the job was ironclad. Monty let out a low grunt as he shoved the last piece of lumber onto the worktable, then wiped his brow with the back of his hand, his dark hair damp and curling at the temples. He grabbed the Coke, took a long swallow, and ambled toward the main house, the rusty po…