A warm-hearted rich man's son, Richard Gardener needs to overcome three obstacles: find a way the family business can run without him, help his mother cope with grief, and stop butting heads -- and other parts of his anatomy -- with the gardener.<br><br>Ethan Fields has worked for the Gardener family for many years. He’s struggling with debt and the desire to leave, and has loved Richard far longer than the man would believe. Ethan can cope with most things, but his anger with Richard’s mother won’t fade. Until that and his feelings for Richard are resolved, he feels trapped and, alas, the idea that sex will get Richard out of his system isn’t working.<br><br>To make the situation worse, both men assume too much and don’t say the right words, and Ethan’s offer of ‘just sex’ grows more complicated by the day. Can Richard and Ethan stop getting their wires crossed before their paths diverge?

Flowers for the Gardener

“Let’s put the rest of my clothes outside, dump these towels, and turn up the heat. I think we need tenor fifteen minutes using this sauna for what it’s intended.”


Mired in his own thoughts, Rich needed a few seconds to catch the meaning of his mother’s question. Therattle of the newspaper—she studied the financials so it was permissible—caught his attention more.


The bearing in her gaze screamed contempt. If he didn’t know better, he swore she knew the last lot of eggy bread lay buried in the garden.


“Who wants the same breakfast each day?”


“I have the same breakfast every day.”


True. Porridge so thick a spoon remained vertical in it. How beneficial was that for the old digestive tract? At weekends, she included a round of toast. For once, he wished she would eat some fruit.


“We’re not, every one of us, creatures of habit.”


Chapter 20