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

They drove in silence for  a couple of minutes before Mason began drumming his thumb on his thigh. “Do they have a bank in Northfield?”


Otho nodded. “Don’t know if it’s open today since it’s Christmas tomorrow, but we can check.”


Mason pursed his lips. “I need a new bank account, a new car, a place to stay, and a story that my mother will believe.”


A flush spread on Mason’s cheeks. “Oh, she’ll believe the truth and then she’ll tear up heaven and earth demanding justice.”


Otho thought that would be all right. If Mason’s ex had done him wrong, who wouldn’t want justice? “Why is that bad?” If Otho had a mother who’d cared about his wellbeing, he’d consider himself a lucky man. Though he had Joslyn, and that was just as good.


“Because I was stupid. No one in my family liked Joel, my brother even begged me to end it, but I was stubborn.”


Chapter 11