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

“Oh, nothing.” He shrugged, defusing further probing by saying, “Now, what did you need my help with?”


“Umm, getting dinner on the table?”


They took the food into the dining room, Jesse topped off everyone’s wine glasses, and they sat down to eat. The conversation was general, with Malcom telling them about the plans he had for improvements on the apartment building and Jesse talking about how he was doing, working for his uncle’s architectural firm. When Malcom asked, Darren told a couple of stories about his job, keeping it light in deference to the fact he didn’t think any of them wanted to know the darker side of being a police officer.


After dinner, they settled in the living room with coffees in hand.


“You have a dog,” Darren said to Malcom. “Did you get him from a shelter?”


Chapter 12