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

Rob leaned his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. He opened them again when he felt Darren shake his shoulder and heard him say, “You aretired. Go up to bed.”


“I will,” Rob replied, getting up. “You be safe out there.”


“Planning on it,” Darren replied as he headed to the door. “See you in the morning.” 5


Saturday went pretty much as Friday had. While Darren slept, Rob went out to the same spots he had the previous day. There wasn’t a lunchtime crowd of office workers, but there were plenty of locals who chose to eat out before doing their weekly shopping or whatever else they had planned—or so Rob figured. He made enough by the time he quit to feel as if it had been time well spent. When he got back to the house, around five-thirty, he changed into a better pair of jeans and a T-shirt then went down to see what he could make for breakfast.


Chapter 21