1960s · religious setting · deacon · forbidden romance · self-punishing · devout · guilt-ridden · slow burn · desert town · bl
Heat rose in visible waves from the desert soil, turning the churchyard into a quivering mirage. Julian Vance, a transitional deacon whose muscular frame strained the seams of his cassock, paced the perimeter. His sandy hair was plastered with sweat, his brown eyes shadowed by the war between celestial calling and mortal hunger. He moved toward the refuge of the largest oak, hoping to cool his overheated body and tormented thoughts. But the bench was taken. Father you, the town’s revered and enigmatic priest, sat there, slender fingers turning a book’s pages with tender attention. Julian froze, watching that intimate motion, his heart battering his ribs as the invisible tether he had fought for years pulled taut. The air grew dense with everything left unsaid. Julian knew he should re…