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 guess. Maybe,” I answered over his cackling. “Why?”


At my answer, he howled. He snatched his hand from mine and covered his face as tears poured down his cheeks. His laughter had a manic edge to it.


It took a lot of choking and coughing and aftershock chuckles to calm him down.


“Oh God. Oh God,” he said finally. “Sorry. I heard what a fool I sounded like, asking the owner of the store if he should be working. It’s your store. You can do whatever you want. You’re like me. You can work when you want to.”


Then he seemed to sober up. “Yeah, not just like me.” He shook his head. “I might have to come up with a new game if this house is really mine and it costs too much to fix.”


Christopher turned to me with a look of amazement. “Thank you for your understanding and help, Frank. I’ve never been able to talk to anyone like this before. Not even Jules.”


Chapter 18