Daring a snowstorm might not be the smartest thing Aiden Evans has ever done, but he can’t stand being in his flat a moment longer. With only three days to Christmas, he doesn’t want to be alone. He wants a place to belong, wants people around him who won’t look down on him. He might not find that at his mother’s place, but it’s better than being alone in the city. If he can make it there, that is. Tristan Gardner is looking forward to a quiet night in front of the TV, but instead, he has to save an idiot in designer clothes from freezing to death in his forest. Tristan tries not to notice the man’s good looks, just like he has tried not to notice any man’s good looks for the last seven years. He knows where relationships go and is far better off living alone, with his dog, in his cabin. Aiden is driving Tristan mad with his bratty comments and irresponsible ways, and Aiden is going crazy from Tristan’s judgmental attitude. Luckily, in a few days, the weather will clear up, and the two men won’t have to be together any longer. But will a few steamy nights with the grumpy lumberjack change Aiden’s mind about wanting to leave? And will Tristan still want to go back to his peaceful, predictable life without fear of getting his heart broken? Contains the stories “Once in a Snowstorm,” “The Empty Egg,” “Happy Endings,” and “Just Words.”

Aiden and Tristan

&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t—what do you do, by the way? What would we live off?ordquo;


&ldquo;You live off the forest?&rdquo; Aiden stared at him as if he were out of his mind.


Tristan shrugged. &ldquo;Yeah. Planting, growing, felling—all of that.hrdquo;


&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a real lumberjack!&rdquo; Aiden sat up and stared at him.


Tristan snorted and raised one eyebrow as he looked at him. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s an accepted term, but yeah, I&rsquo;m in forestry and logging. Many of us around here are. What do you do?&rdquo;


&ldquo;What did you do, what will you do, what do you want to do?&rdquo;


&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a massage therapist. I&rsquo;ve told you that.&rdquo;


&ldquo;I have.&rdquo; Then Aiden looked as if he was thinking. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t think I go around massaging random women in cafés, do you?&rdquo;


Chapter 35