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

Then, as he went up to the roofs along the last alley, Darren spotted him. Rob was sitting with his back against a hut housing the rooftop exit from the building. One arm was in a sling, so Darren said as he approached him, “Using that scam again?”


As he got closer, Darren saw a fading bruise on Rob’s cheek and another on his forehead. “What the hell happened,” Darren asked, squatting beside his friend.


“I ran into a trio of punks who took umbrage with my trying to make an honest dollar,” Rob replied with a brief grin. “One of them had a baseball bat. When I tried to defend myself…” He tapped the sling. “Luckily for me, a couple of your guys showed up and the punks split before they could do more than fracture a bone in my arm.”


“Damn. Why didn’t someone tell me?”


Rob shook his head. “Tell you what? That there was another attack on a homeless person. It happens all the time, as I’m sure you know.”


Chapter 9