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

Insanity, he could always claim insanity, but he feared it was more than that.


It was Otho’s steady gaze, his quiet calm, the warmth. He didn’t look at Mason funny when Mason moved closer, didn’t comment about him leaning against him. Joel always had, had always found Mason needy and clingy. He was clinging to Otho now, the only difference was that Otho didn’t seem to mind.


But, then again, perhaps he was being nice because Mason had taken a swim outside his house. He sighed. What had he been thinking?


“Are you okay?” Otho searched his face with those blue eyes of his.


“Any time.” Otho smiled. “But what were you doing walking out on the ice?”


“It looked…tranquil. I needed to clear my mind, and it looked so undisturbed.”


“Because no one walks on the ice of a river. It never freezes solid with the currents—” Otho shook his head. “You could have died.” The arm around Mason’s shoulders tightened. It was nice.


Chapter 7