Chris Hart owns the only grocery shop in Nortown, but he isn't exactly overrun by customers. Some days he wonders why he bothers to open the doors at all. Spending his days smiling at the few people trickling in and his nights alone in bed isn't the most interesting life a man could lead. But when Chris suddenly gets the excitement he's been craving, it may be more than he bargained for.<br><br>Gabriel Miller loves his life. He's close to his sister, has a job he adores and is the proud owner of one and a half cats. But all of it is taken away when he witnesses a murder. To keep him safe, the police place him in Nortown, of all possible locations.<br><br>Chris can't believe they're letting someone live in his gran's old cabin in the middle of the winter. It's too cold. When the poor man shows up in his shop looking to buy clothes, Chris's heart melts, despite the freezing temperature. Gabriel notices the way the shopkeeper looks at him, but it can't be right. No one looks at a heavyset man with heat in their eyes. Do they?

Pet Delivery

The wind roared outside, and despite the lit fire, the air still ghosted around him as he exhaled. He should stay to make sure Gabe didn’t freeze to death. “The wind’s getting worse.”


“I…yeah…I guess.” Gabe still hadn’t moved and even though the fire made the room a little brighter it was still hard to make out his facial expression.


“What do you say about some food? I think I can dig something up.” Chris got to his feet and headed for the kitchen area of the cabin. It was in good condition—some parts had been updated a couple of years ago—but big it was not. “Did Troy leave any groceries?”


Chris turned on the light over the stove and opened the freezer while he waited for Gabe to answer. There was hardly anything in there: a little venison, a few trout he’d left there the last time he’d gone fishing. He grabbed the trout and looked up as Gabe came a little closer.


“No groceries. We came here in a hurry. There wasn’t time to figure much stuff out.”


Chapter 9