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

“Well, if you want to join in whenever we talk, that’s okay. I’m in your house, so you should probably know too. We all know how much in the not-my-story-to-tell camp Makai here is,” Kaos said teasingly.


Emil laughed. “Yeah, okay. That works.”


Spike chose that moment to jump onto Kaos’s lap and soon had orange hairs all over his black skirt. He decided to concede defeat right then. This was where he was staying for now, and the cats were here first. Their hair was part of the package.


Padraig rubbed his face and tried to concentrate on the lab results of one of his dog patients. Somehow the young man from the diner, Kaos, kept appearing in his thoughts. Padraig wasn’t sure why. Sure, Kaos had lovely bone structure, and his blond hair and lightly tanned skin were appealing, but Padraig had noticed men before without it meaning anything.


Chapter 6