Two men with nothing in common except friendship. One man is Darren Cameron, a cop who patrols the streets nightly. After his divorce -- because he revealed to his wife he was gay -- he gained full custody of his son, Jesse. Jesse is now twenty-one, living with his girlfriend, and trying to play matchmaker between his landlord, Malcom, and Darren. The other is Rob, a homeless war veteran living on the streets, who has adamantly resists all Darren's efforts to help him start his life over. When Rob is attacked, Darren finally has what he needs to help his friend get off the streets. Despite Rob's wariness, he moves into Darren’s home under the guise of protective custody ... much to Jesse's dismay. Can Darren and Rob handle what comes next, including their growing attraction for each other? Or will Rob ultimately reject Darren's help and return to his former life?

Lonesome Men

“You’re off today. Right?” Jesse said when he walked into the kitchen to find Darren fixing lunch early Monday afternoon—his first meal of the day, since he’d slept until noon after arriving home at four-thirty from his Sunday shift.


Darren chuckled. “Depends why you want to know.”


“We signed the lease on an apartment on Saturday and I’m going to move Leah’s things over there and could use a hand. She’ll help too but not until she gets off work.”


“Sure, why not. But not until I’ve eaten. By the way, how did you do on your mid-terms?”


“Great. I knew you would. Okay, set the table and let’s get this show on the road.”


After lunch, the pair drove over to Leah’s to pack her things into Jesse’s truck and the trunk of Darren’s car. That accomplished, Jesse called to let Malcom know they were on their way, since at this point Leah had their only set of keys to the building and the apartment.


Chapter 6