Gideon Monahan is a man dedicated to what he does -- recovering stolen art -- to the exclusion of anything else, including a personal life. There's a reason for that, something that happened in his past that he can't forget.<br><br>Cole Newell is an archaeologist with a problem. He needs to find out who looted a dig he worked the previous summer, after one of the artifacts shows up at his gallery. Cole calls on Gideon to lend his expertise, which, much against his better judgment, Gideon does.<br><br>When one of the looters is murdered, they set out to find answers, with the help of Detective Quint Hawk. In the process, Cole realizes he's attracted to Gideon, even though he's certain the man is straight. After he helps Gideon open up about -- and accept -- his past, can the two men become more than friends? Both Gideon and Cole hope so, once they overcome the myriad problems facing them.

It Takes an Archaeologist

He did wonder why Cole was still single and living alone—something that was readily apparent from his tour of Cole’s home. Well, that he lives alone. I really have no idea if he has someone in his life. He only told me he wasn’t married, not that he wasn’t seeing another man. Still, I have the feeling he’s not.


“It doesn’t matter,” he said aloud, earning him a startled look from the middle-aged woman sitting next to him. He smiled at her and shrugged. “I tend to talk to myself when I’m tense,” he explained.


“You don’t like flying?” she asked.


Gideon prevaricated, saying, “It’s not my favorite mode of travel, but a lot faster than driving halfway across the country.”


“I love flying. I’m on my way to visit my daughter. I’m about to become a grandmother.”


“Yes.” She positively beamed. “Do you have any grandchildren?”


She grinned. “Tell your kids to hurry up and give you some.”


Chapter 11