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 nodded slowly. “I remember that. Growing up in spurts, I mean. Always had secondhand clothes or ones our mom made. Dad worked at the sawmill—it’s long closed by now—and Mom was a seamstress. It wasn’t big money, not with five kids.”


“Francis, come make yourself a mug of tea,” Kaos called toward the couch.


Each of them fixed their mugs to their preferences, and then reconvened by the fire. Kaos wanted to sit on the floor, but hot tea and a puppy didn’t seem like a good combination. Instead, he was going to take the armchair, but Francis made it there first and smirked evilly at him. Kaos stuck out his tongue when Padraig wasn’t looking, and went to sit on the couch. It wasn’t like he and Padraig never sat on the same piece of furniture at the same time anyway.


“Did you crank up your thermostat?” Padraig asked him when they were all comfortable.


“Yeah, but I’ll grab a comforter just in case. I didn’t want to make it an oven, so I only turned it up a bit.”


Chapter 48