Thomas Durling escaped his small-town upbringing for over ten years, until a single phone call drew him back. Told his mother has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, he returns to the small northern Michigan town he once called home to find a mute stranger taking care of her in his stead.<br><br>On the surface, Andre seems harmless enough, but Thomas has enough problems trying to deal with his mother’s illness. He doesn’t need a gorgeous young man to distract him, especially in a town that drove him away once already with its homophobia.<br><br>But Andre has nowhere else to go. A wolf without a pack, he’s been on the run since witnessing his father’s murder, always looking over his shoulder, never looking ahead. Taking care of Thomas’s mother has given him a welcome sanctuary, as well as a place he can call home for a couple months. He wants to stay, but more importantly, he wants to help, even if Thomas isn’t ready to accept that they could actually be friends ...

Moon-Touched

“You haven’t asked me about where I was last night.” Though he pitched his voice low to keep from pulling her into the conversation, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep this to himself. Sooner or later, she would need to be told.


Andre lifted a single shoulder in an uninterested shrug, the first gesture of the day to suggest he wasn’t as entirely relaxed as he could be. His notepad rested nearby, but he made no move to pick it up.


Thomas gritted his teeth in frustration. “We need to talk about this, damn it. It’s about you, too.”


Shit, his tone had hardened and caught Mom’s attention. She’d been sharp ever since finding them on the front porch greeting the sunrise, like the mother he’d always known. He knew it was temporary, that her memory could slip on her at any moment, but if he had to discuss the matter of their future, perhaps it was better to do it when she’d understand all the ramifications of what he had to say.


Chapter 40