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

“Just him and Smokey,” he murmured as he unlocked the front door and went inside. Darren was nowhere in sight but Smokey was sprawled in the middle of the living room floor. The cat got up, coming over to rub against Rob’s legs in greeting. “Where’s your master?” Rob asked, petting him.


“I think he’s the master, not me,” Darren said, coming down the stairs. “He ran me ragged, playing fetch.”


“It was fun, up to a point,” Darren admitted. “How was your day?”


“More tiring than I expected. Probably because it’s been forever since I’ve had a job. Other than that, it was fine. She’s a nice woman to work for, at least so far.”


“She hired you, so she must be,” Darren replied. “Okay, that didn’t come out quite the way I meant it.”


Rob laughed. “I got what you were trying to say.” He started toward the stairs. “Give me a few minutes to shower and change, then we can figure out what we want for dinner, if you haven’t already.”


Chapter 33