To some who know him, Jax -- under the name Jackson Martin -- is a reputable restorer of antiquarian books. To others, in various guises, he's a man who double-crosses thieves, relieving them of what wasn't theirs to begin with ... although he doesn't return the stolen goods to their original owners. That isn't his thing.<br><br>When he's hired by Donovan, a book collector, to restore a damaged atlas, Jax meets the young man who runs Donovan's side interest, a no-kill animal shelter. Noel is wary of Jackson for reasons he can't explain. It doesn't stop him from finding Jax interesting ... an interest Jax returns despite knowing it will go nowhere.<br><br>Then Keegan, Jax's mortal enemy, appears bent on killing him. Will Jax be able to stop him before that happens? And will what he and Noel learn about each other end their budding relationship before it can become something more?

A Man of Many Parts

Jax had gone out of town to talk to a client who wanted him to restore an old bible the man had inherited from his father. As often happened in such cases, the bible had been well-used and needed some major repairs as well as several minor ones. With the man’s permission, Jax had brought it home with him to work on in his shop where he had what he needed on hand.


He spent what turned out to be a long day cleaning the bible’s pages, which had suffered normal damage from frequent handling. Repairing two major tears and rehinging the pages would take at least another week.


Chapter 38