Renowned interior designer Fredi Zimmer is surprised when outdoorsman Max Greene, owner of Greene’s Outdoors, hires him to revamp Max’s rustic cabin in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Fredi is an out-and-proud Metro male whose contact with the outdoors is from his car to the doorway of the million-dollar homes he remodels, and to Fredi, Max is a typical straight man’s man. When Max blatantly and clumsily flirts with Fredi, Fredi’s stereotypical view of Max is shattered. Is this a build-up to a gay bashing? Cautiously believing Max is closeted and is trying to come out, Fredi decides he’s game to put a little spice into Max’s life, whether it’s in the colors and fixtures he’ll use to turn Max's dilapidated cabin into a showplace or over one of the many lunches and dinners they share talking about the remodel. Who can blame a guy for adding a little sensual pleasure as he retools Max’s life visually? Besides, Fredi has a backup plan if he’s wrong about Max’s intentions. Life would be all wine and roses if it weren’t for Max’s former friends and their conservative families. Alarmed with Max’s obvious infatuation, they make it their business to save him from sliding into hell. With the battle on, will Fredi and Max win the fight for a life of happiness together?

Redesigning Max

“Uh, it’s always, um, smelled like this.” Max shrugged and hung his head. “Tried everything I can think of to get rid of it.” Another shrug.


Oh. My. God. I’d stepped into a charnel house. I got out my hanky and pressed it to my nose. I’d have to have the Behr brothers come in and do a structural evaluation. There had to be termites, rodents, and other creepy-crawlies, right?


I looked up to tell Max to forget it, but got lost in the bleak look in the man’s eyes. Why was he so damned gorgeous? My buttons were again ready for business.


“Can we open some windows at least?”


Max jumped slightly. “Yeah, of course, yeah.”


While I stood there, Max moved from room to room slamming open windows. Fortunately a cool breeze moved through the rooms, not erasing but blunting the vile odor. One-handed, I folded my hanky and put it back in my pocket.


Chapter 6