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

“What the fuck is going on, Gabe?” Chris didn’t sound happy at all, and Gabriel’s stomach knotted faster than he’d believed possible.


“Are you out of your mind? You’re running for your life, and you gave someone your address? How stupid can you get?”


Gabriel had no idea what Chris was talking about, but he probably deserved this lecture. Somehow Gabriel had fucked up without knowing he had—it wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. “I…I…I’m sorry.”


“Sorry doesn’t help when you’re dead! How could you be so careless? And who the fuck is Emma?” Chris spat out her name, and Gabriel straightened his back. It was one thing to yell at him but if Chris thought he could say anything nasty about Emma he could think again.


“Whatever this is about, you leave Emma out of it.” Gabriel hadn’t meant to growl, but at least it got Chris to shut up. And the silence grew and grew until Gabriel started fidgeting. “Chris?”


Chapter 19