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

She came to investigate, her black nose twitching comically when she got close, and then those piercing blue eyes gave him a distinctly get-on-with-it-human look.


Laughing, he gave her a couple of the treats that felt a bit soft in his fingers, but luckily not icky. They didn’t smell too much either, which was also nice. “Okay, go on, then. Daddy will bring you toys in a bit,” Kaos said, then flushed red at the thought of the word “daddy” in context with Padraig.


He didn’t have a daddy-kink thing at all, but somehow….


The back door opened. “Here you two are. Come on, girl. Look at what I have here!”


Luckily Padraig was completely concentrated on the puppy and not Kaos, who couldn’t have looked him in the eye if he’d wanted to right then.


Instead, Kaos sat in one of the porch chairs and watched as Padraig and the puppy frolicked around the large backyard. The ground was frozen now, and there had been snow already. Luckily not much yet, but he expected to see more soon.


Chapter 36