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

Padraig stepped aside, and Kaos brushed past him to drop the bags at the bottom of the stairs. Then he went back out, and they walked down to the Toyota. He had to fiddle with the lock—the mechanism was a bit messed up—but once he got it to pop open, he caught a glimpse of Padraig’s expression.


“Hey, I know it’s not much, but it’s all I have,” Kaos said, aiming at playfully scolding.


Padraig ducked his head and flushed pink, his gray stubble doing very little to hide the blushing. “Sorry, I’m—”


“It’s fine. I’m teasing you.” They each took two boxes, and Kaos slammed the hatch closed with a well-aimed yet awkward elbow. “Honestly, this is all that’s left that I wanted to take with me when I left Missouri. After my grandma died, the landlord sold everything my friends or the neighbor couldn’t save. There was nobody who could do a thing.”


“That’s horrible,” Padraig said with obvious feeling. “Did you guys have a lot of stuff?”


Chapter 27