As Josh Tully returns home from running errands, he stumbles across a handsome man leaving his apartment complex. Distracted by the charming new stranger, Josh spills his groceries across the front stoop. As the new neighbor helps Josh pick up his belongings, a sudden surge of electricity sparks between the two young men. When Eddie returns to Josh’s apartment with a fresh gallon of milk, a chance meeting turns into mutual attraction. But a severe case of pneumonia lands Josh in the hospital and Eddie stays at his side, and their budding friendship deepens. Eddie is not the nesting type, and he does not stay in one place for long. But as days turn to weeks, something in Josh’s laid-back persona draws Eddie to the small Minnesota town of Gordonville and through the door of Josh’s heart. Will Eddie decide to stay this time ... and for how long?

A Door to the Heart

“What made you decide to get a tattoo?”


He shrugs. “I was curious, I guess. I find them attractive, especially on men’s bodies. When I noticed yours, I got excited. I wanted to show you mine, too, but—I don’t know.” The words escape him.


As he cocks his head to the side as if frozen in thought, Josh catches Eddie staring at him in the glass. Ashamed, Josh pulls his gaze away from Eddie’s bare torso and studies the two blue jays vying for space on a tree limb outside.


Eddie’s phone rings and jolts him out of his solitude. He turns and notices his cell on top of crumpled pants on the foot of the bed. He reaches for it, handing his mug to Josh.


After two beats, Eddie stops pacing the floor and collapses in the window chair. He draws his knees up to his chest and says into the mouthpiece, “Okay…Yeah…When?” He pauses, drops his head to his chest. “Yeah…Yeah…Okay…I—Thanks…Bye.” He hangs up.


After a few seconds, Josh asks, “What is it? What’s happened?”


Chapter 19