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

“Your temper got the best of you, you said.”


“Yeah. It still does sometimes, but not near as bad as back then. Anyway, get your ass upstairs so I can cook in peace.”


Darren laughed, and did. By the time he’d showered and put on jeans and a T-shirt he could smell something delicious wafting up the stairs. It made his mouth water.


“Whatever you’re cooking is making me drool,” Darren said when he walked into the kitchen.


“Hamburger Stroganoff. Amazingly, you had everything I needed, including sour cream and cream cheese.”


“I did? I mean, yeah, I guess. The sour cream was for baked potatoes. The cream cheese? Hell if I remember.”


“Well, it hadn’t gone past the ‘sell-by’ date, so it’s still good.” Rob stirred the mixture in the pan, then checked the noodles. Deeming them ready, he dumped them into a large serving bowl and poured the Stroganoff over them. While he was doing that, Darren set the table.


“Do you ever eat in the dining room?” Rob asked.


Chapter 17