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

“And what are you doing with the cereal?” Chris frowned, but the smile stretching his lips didn’t waver.


“Nothing in particular.” Her chocolate-coloured eyes sparkled. “I was just waiting around to see what would happen.”


“Yeah. I wanted to see who’d be coming down to say goodbye.” She gave up the pretence of doing anything with the cornflakes.


“Say goodbye? Why would anyone say goodbye?” Chris’s gut tightened at the word. Soon, there would be a goodbye. There was nothing he could do to get Gabe to stay. Once Ward had found him somewhere more permanent to live, he’d be out of Chris’s life forever.


Chris blinked to clear his vision. “What do you mean?”


“You were all smiles and singing, and then it all shattered in a second.”


“It did, huh? It’s the way it is, I guess.” He grabbed the mop and started walking towards the storage.


“Chris?” Marge was watching him with a tilted head.


Chapter 25