For Otho Newcomer, the small village of Snowmelt is a haven from his old life. If he isn’t exactly a changed man, he at least hopes to keep his distance from all those easy romances, and the inevitable heartache and disappointment that always follow. Mason Dager is an idiot. His ex has cleared out his bank account, sold his car, and got him thrown out of his apartment. And he has no one to blame but himself. But what better way to celebrate a new chapter in his life -- one that includes homelessness and the humiliation of telling his family they were right all along -- than to spend Christmas at a swanky winter resort like River Cove? It’s already paid for, after all. When a very drunk Mason makes yet another dumb decision, Otho comes to the rescue, throwing the men together during the most magical time of the year. What should be the wrong choice for both of them might be exactly what they need. They’ll just have to survive a nosy best friend, an asshole of an ex, and the scars of their pasts if they hope to find something together.

Turning Wood

“I’m not sleeping with you. I’m in a relationship.”


Otho forced his mouth shut as he once again turned to Mason. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Otho stared. He had a naked man in his bed, and he hadn’t had a naked man in his bed in a long, long time—not that it mattered. Mason was here because he’d almost died, not because he wanted to be in Otho’s bed.


He put on dry clothes and went through his closet for a pair of warm checked flannel pajama bottoms and a sweater for Mason. “Here.” He walked up to the bed and handed the clothes to Mason, but when he tried to hold onto them, they dropped from his hands.


“Because you took a swim in the river.” Otho pulled the sweater over his head. “The ambulance should be here any second.”


“I fell through!” Mason began shaking more than before.


“You did. I tried calling you before the ice broke, but you didn’t hear me.”


Chapter 5