Marcus was just passing through Texas when he met Kent. In his cowboy hat, low-riding jeans, and black boots, Kent looks like the type of guy Marcus desperately wants to love.<br><br>But two years later, he's discovered Kent is cold and distant, the quintessential American cowboy, and spends more time drunk than sober. Marcus can never predict his mood and blames himself for the flailing relationship.<br><br>Then, one day when Kent rides into town, Marcus finds a young runaway hiding in their barn. Luke is warm, loving, and quick to please ... everything Kent is not. Though the answer seems obvious, Marcus finds himself torn between the boy who demands his love and the man whose love he craves.

Cowboy

Breakfast, then.” When he looks at my offered hand and doesn’t take


it immediately, I whisper, “I’m just as scared as you, kid, trust


Now he laughs, and his smile is everything I


thought it would be, wide and beautiful, and his laughter fills the


barn until the bats above flap their wings in disgust. “I did!” I


laugh, too, and he lets me take his elbow, help him to his feet.


His arm feels thin and strong in my hand, delicate like an eagle’s


wing. “I found a possum in here once,” I tell him, just to fill the


silence between us. “And I saw your legs and was like oh please


Jesus, don’t let him be dead, you know? The last thing I need is a


dead body in the barn and Kent in town. What the hell would I do


Luke lets me lead him to the door and the


bright sunshine beyond. “He your partner or something?” he asks,


holding his sneakers close to his chest. I notice the gravel


doesn’t seem to bother him as we cross the yard and head for the


Chapter 11