Eighteen years ago, Cole’s bigot father kicked him out of their Texas ranch for being gay, threatening to shoot him if he ever came back. Fortunately, Cole made his way north to the gay-friendly Seyda Ranch in Wyoming, where he eventually met Daniel. For the past six years, the two have been in a happy relationship with barely any contact with Cole’s family.<br><br>That is, until Cole’s father dies.<br><br>Though Cole won’t shed a single tear over his father’s passing, his siblings and their families invite him to the funeral so they can all be together for the first time in nearly two decades. With encouragement and support from Daniel, Cole accepts. The pair travel to the funeral together, but will Cole be able to face his past and move beyond the pain he left behind?

Cole in Distress

“Look who it is, everyone,” Jamison announced. “Cole, home after all these years. Who ever thought we’d see the day?”


Evelyn immediately got up from her seat to hug Cole, scooting around Butch to do so. There were nearly a dozen people gathered in the living room behind her. Most of them Cole only recognized from pictures on Facebook. The two faces he knew in person were his aunt Katherine, who had apparently traded her pack-a-day habit for a sleek electric cigarette which she held delicately between her thumb and forefinger as she exhaled plumes of peach-scented fog, and Owen, who was staring at Cole and Daniel like they were a pair of exotic animals at the zoo doing something that would require making sure nearby children weren’t watching.


Chapter 7