When unlikely attraction blossoms between a twentysomething genderqueer tattoo artist and an older, small-town veterinarian, both are forced to face their pasts for a chance at a loving future. Four years ago Padraig Donovan lost his husband, the only man he’d ever been with. Now his life consists of the work he loves, a big empty house, and the possibility of a lonely future. Kaos’s experiments with makeup landed him in the hospital at the hands of his disapproving ex. With nowhere else to turn, he flees to Acker, Wisconsin ... and runs into a sexy widower and the kindest man he’s ever met. Padraig and Kaos know there’s something worth exploring between them, and as they raise a puppy and deal with the ups and downs of their respective jobs, they fit into each other’s lives in ways they never expected. Being with Kaos -- who is so different than the guys he’s always been attracted to -- opens up an exciting new world for Padraig. But can he convince Kaos to trust another man with his body ... let alone his heart?

Four

“Oh trust me, it does. Not that I’ve experienced it yet, but Emil says he wants to make an ice-skating rink on the lake when it freezes over properly. Apparently, once upon a time, he used to love skating and wants to teach Joie too. Jason—that’s the deputy who dates Joie’s mom—used to play hockey. I feel like there will be matches on the lake sooner rather than later.”


They stopped at the edge of the yard where it started to slope down to the lake.


“This is so fucking pretty.” Kaos breathed out the words. Sure, he’d enjoyed the nature while driving up the state, but this looked just so… peaceful. “And it’s so quiet,” he marveled.


“Yeah. That’s Lotte and Joie’s house.” Makai pointed across the lake to where a two-story house sat a bit away from shore. Kaos couldn’t tell any details from this distance, but it seemed nice.


“They’re your closest neighbors?”


Chapter 5