Everything about thirty-five-year-old Stone Acres hardware store owner Frank McCord is old-fashioned -- from his bow tie and overalls to the way he happily makes house calls. He dreams of lasting romance, true love, and marriage. Frank’s ancestors have run the store and been mainstays in the small California town for over a century. While genial Frank upholds tradition and earns the respect of friends and neighbors, he fears he’s too dull and old to attract a husband. Maybe it’s time to break out of his mold. Then handsome thirty-six-year-old electronic games designer Christopher Darling and his fifteen-year-old son, Henry, come into his life. Christopher has everything Frank could want in a potential partner: charm, kindness, and compatibility. Also, he’s a terrific father to Henry. When their Stone Acres home turns out to be uninhabitable, Frank offers the Darlings temporary lodging in his ancestral farmhouse, where he and his tenant Emil reside. Since Emil thinks Frank is his, sparks fly. Suddenly, Frank’s monotonous life promises to explode with love and change him forever.

Frank at Heart

I didn’t wish Emil ill while he was trying to get himself together. I just wanted him to be less needy and clingy around me.


As I shut the door behind him, I held back a sigh of relief and looked at the time. I had a little over an hour to eat and get back to the store.


When I glanced at Christopher and Henry, they were staring at me. Christopher had concern written all over his face, but Henry seemed like a normal fifteen-year-old.


“I’m hungry. Where are we going?” Henry might have picked up on the discord around him, but he wasn’t going to let a little uneasiness keep him from food.


We ended up at the newly refurbished Limelight Diner, once a bar and now a breakfast and lunch place. We found a table for three in the back corner, where we wouldn’t be jostled by the steady stream of people buying takeout sandwiches and chips.


Chapter 6