Charles and Philip Barnett have settled down to raise their children, but their domesticity is disrupted when Philip's nephew Steve is delivered to their doorstep early one morning after being beaten senseless by his homophobic father.<br><br>So the family grows, but of course, that's the easy part. A rabidly fundamentalist sheriff and a gay-bashing incident leave Steve and his new boyfriend in legal hot water and at the mercy of the deputies' harassment, and Charles must once again take up the fight for justice for his loved ones.

Triumph

“I didn’t know you were acquainted with him,” I said.


“I MET HIM AT A fund-raiser or two while you were at Harvard. He positively salivates at the prospect of donations. Your father and your grandfather were on the board of trustees of the school, and I’m frequently invited to such functions. I haven’t been to one in several years, but I still receive the invitations. The next time I receive one, you can escort me. It’s inevitable that you’ll be asked to join the board at some point, particularly now that you have a child enrolled, so you might as well become acquainted with the members.”


“Just what I need,” I said. “Yet another commitment.”


“Charles Marks Barnett,” Gran said. “Shame on you. You have a position to maintain and a responsibility to serve where you can.”


Chapter 22