Can two broken men build one life? Ten years. That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there. Ten days. That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him. Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future -- and a relationship -- that both had thought impossible. Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know ...

He didn’t have to keep the arm in a sling anymore, either, unless it started to ache or he got tired enough that he forgot to watch how he twisted it, just in case. He’d stopped taking painkillers for now, just to remind himself that he really did need to keep an eye on every movement he made.


They met Alice Kane at the diner while they took the photos of the kittens to Leah.


Kane wasn’t there yet, so they chatted with Leah, who cooed over the large framed photos and propped them in the corner of the counter so everyone could see.


“So Joie picked which one?” she asked, looking at the group photo.


“They wanted Xander, the darker orange boy,” Emil said, pointing at the kitten. “His fur will be a bit longer, so they’ll have to brush him and so on.”


“I know Doc would take one, but he works a lot, so he says he’s not at home enough.” Leah sighed, then perked up again. “But they’re all so very cute that I’ve no doubt someone will want them.”


Chapter 84