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

Christopher hustled Henry off into their bedroom. He was speaking quietly in his son’s ear as they walked, and Henry was listening intently. I was humiliated to know they had heard Emil’s poisonous words. I felt diminished, and now the symptoms of a panic attack were curling around my chest.


In the meantime, as I fought the attack, trying desperately to breathe deeply and keep my mind clear, I felt Christopher’s hand on my back.


“Okay, Frank, let’s take a walk. One step at a time. Slowly. Deliberately. And breathe. I’ve been reading up on this. I know what to do.”


I listened, latching on to his every word, and felt his hand rubbing circles on my back. He was throwing me a lifeline, and I grabbed on to it greedily. I wasn’t going to let Emil drag me down and drown me. I wasn’t that Frank anymore.


Chapter 25