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

They showed Kaos Birdcage and gave Hestia to Francis for the night for comfort, and the next morning, he seemed better.


Work picked up in the spring. The season meant new life, and that always showed in a veterinarian’s office.


Hestia and all her even-remotely local siblings had been spayed or neutered, so at least Padraig didn’t have to worry about her. There would be the mandatory lessons people learned the hard way, and puppies and kittens, along with other unwanted animal babies, the further into the spring they went.


Kaos was having fun at Pink Ink, but since Marcus’s former clinic had officially been licensed as a place where he could tattoo people, he was planning on opening a tattoo shop, along with the souvenir shop, in mid-April. He was staying with Christa until then, because her next guest artist wasn’t available before.


Chapter 74