While traveling in a storm, Glen Harper takes a wrong turn and crashes his car. Unhurt but cold and wet, he decides to get help. Using a distant light as a guide, Glen discovers an uninhabited cottage, where he lights a much needed fire. Glen quickly warms up but soon becomes aware of a presence in the room. Hank Waterford is the caretaker of the estate where Glen found refuge from the storm. They meet when Glen, thinking he’s alone in the cottage, jumps into Hank’s bed. Both men are strongly attracted to each other, but they have to overcome a hurdle Glen never anticipated: the spirit of Henry, the estate owner’s son, who committed suicide after his unrequited love for Hank became too much to bear. Together Glen and Hank must deal with Henry, who haunts the manor house as well as Hank’s cottage. Can they find a solution that will allow Henry’s spirit to finally come to rest? Will he accept Glen and Hank’s relationship, or will he become a malevolent presence in their lives?

The Haunted Caretaker

After a slight hesitation, I walked forward, across the lawn and climbed the broad stone steps leading up to the terrace. Going to the windows, I peered in. Behind the sheer curtains I could just make out furniture that was covered with white sheets. I tried the French doors without much hope, and found them locked. Then I went to both small side doors, but they were locked, too. Finally, I walked around the house to the front. Here the full grandeur of the estate was evident: a long, straight drive led from a black, cast-iron gate—closed—itself set in a stone wall that extended into the greenery in either direction.


Chapter 10