A Fallen Heart (26 page)
“Good. That’s very good. And no one saw?”
“No. I disabled the security cameras before I went in and shot him with enough warfarin to take down a man three times his size and made sure the cuts were deep. He bled out in no time at all.”
“Greene was a liability from the beginning. I should have learned not to let emotions guide business decisions. I will not make the same mistake again. I’m very pleased he’s no longer a problem, Darrel. You’ve done well.”
Darrel soaked in the praise as he crossed the street, away from his squad car toward the community center.
“Thank you, sir. I am glad to be of service.”
“Wonderful. I’m hoping you’re able to find me a few new boys before the end of the week. I have several new clients with… very particular tastes.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Is there anything specific I should be looking for?”
“Young” came the reply.
Darrel peered down the block as a boy, maybe twelve or thirteen, walked toward him. His clothes were soiled, and his hair was weeks past needing a trim. It was starting to rain, and the boy had no jacket. No one had taken care of this child in a long time. There were no parents waiting for him to return from school. No one would miss him if he just disappeared….
“Blond would work?” Darrel asked.
“Perfect.”
Darrel hung up the phone and squared his shoulders, making sure his badge was visible and level as he walked toward the boy.
“Do you need some help?”
“You can help me?” the boy asked, looking up at him with wide blue eyes and tentative hope etched in his innocent expression.
A slow smile spread across Darrel’s face. “Of course. Come with me.”
Zero Hour: Book One
For paramedic Adam Carson, his world is lights and sirens and saving lives. Pressures at work keep him firmly in the closet, and life is too busy to contend with the complications that come with dating and relationships. When a familiar face from his past turns up where he least expects it, Adam starts to question whether or not there is room in his life for those complications.
The last person forensic pathologist Sam McKenna expects to see at pub night is Adam, the guy who made his life hell in high school. The attraction is instant, but Adam isn’t gay and Sam has no interest in pursuing him. Still, the leftover animosity from their teenage years isn’t enough to extinguish the lust growing between them. After both are called to the scene of a horrific murder, Adam admits he’s not as straight as he led Sam to believe and they seek comfort and distraction in each other’s arms. One night becomes many as the murder investigation intensifies, but when Adam is faced with losing Sam, he is forced to make a choice: to break his silence, or to give up everything for the job he loves.
Charlie has one passion in life: dancing. It’s his salvation when it feels like the world is swallowing him whole. When his mom secretly secures him a spot in the summer intensive at the Free Rein Dance Company in New York, he is thrilled. He knows that once the summer ends, he’ll have to return to Beacon to get a job and help support his family, but for those two months, he can spread his wings.
In New York he meets Max, a junior instructor who is everything Charlie wishes he could be. Bold and self-assured, Max radiates pride in who he is. As they spend time together, Max shows Charlie what life can be like past the walls of his closed-minded home town. But Charlie doesn’t know if he’s ready to show the world who he truly is when standing in the spotlight is the last thing he wants.
There’s nothing that can’t be solved over a glass of excellent wine.
Joseph “West” Weston has paid for his wealth and success with long hours at the office and no personal life to speak of. Meetings, conference calls, and paperwork dominate his waking hours and have kept him from honoring the promise he made to his late grandfather years before.
After leaving the Marines, Robert “Rush” Coeman returns to his hometown and settles in as a Christmas tree farmer. His life is quiet and simple, and he likes it that way. When West arrives in town and buys Rush’s parents’ vineyard on a whim, that simple life is turned upside down. The animosity between them is palpable, but Rush shelves his preconceived notions in order to protect his parents’ legacy. He agrees to help West learn how to run the vineyard, and Rush soon realizes that love doesn’t necessarily come in the package he expected.
All their lives, Finn and Nate have been inseparable, sharing everything, and when a childhood accident left Finn broken, Nate stood by his side as all his other friends left. After all their years together, there’s one secret Finn still hasn’t revealed: he has been in love with Nate since they were eight years old. Hiding his feelings for twenty-one years—terrified of what might happen if Nate ever found out—has been difficult, but losing his best friend would be worse than living with a bad case of unrequited love. Unfortunately for Finn, Nate doesn’t make it easy.
Nate believes there are some things that just have to be done before your thirtieth birthday. As a gift to Finn, he plans an adventure to check off a list of thirty things to experience before hitting that milestone. Starting in Crawfordsville, Indiana, they tour the country, trying new things and meeting interesting new people. Nate’s having the time of his life, but he can tell Finn is holding something back. As the days count down, navigating the back roads suddenly seems easier than figuring out where their relationship is heading.
One thing’s for certain. There will be no turning back.
Hope Cove: Book One
Oliver Parrish has been alone in the world since he was born. So when Sheriff Owen “Mack” Macklin shows up on his doorstep to deliver the news that Oliver’s sister has died, he’s beyond surprised. Still, Oliver returns with Mack to Hope Cove, Maine, hoping to get to know the sister he never knew he had. As he tries to snap these new elements into his solitary life, he’s not sure how they might fit.
His life is shaken up further as he falls in love with the irresistible town of Hope Cove, and with Mack, its equally irresistible sheriff. But when he receives devastating news about his sister’s cause of death, Oliver doesn’t know whether to stay and fight for love and a good life, or cut his losses and run.
“Ashwood skillfully manipulates a standard bumpy-road-to-romance narrative and invests it with two characters who, each in his own way, is a good man, dedicated to making the world a better place with his hard-won professional skills.”
—Prism Book Alliance
“This story pulled at my heart strings and fed the adrenaline junkie inside me too. So, if you love anything involving the medical profession, run out and buy this—you’ll love it.”
—Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews
“
A Forced Silence
is a gripping tale of love and struggle you won’t want to miss.”
—The Novel Approach
“
A Forced Silence
was an enjoyable book, with likable characters, and a well-developed plot.”
—QUEERcentric Books
“Check this book out for frenemies-to-lovers, lots of sexual tension and chemistry, a murder, an investigation, a claiming style climatic ending, and best of all there is more to come.”
—Joyfully Jay
“I absolutely loved this book.”
—Gay Book Reviews
CATE ASHWOOD
wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.
Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, her son, and their two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.
Cate loves to hear from readers. You can find her at:
Website: www.cateashwood.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cate.ashwood
Twitter: @cateashwood
With L.J. LaBarthe:
Brick by Brick
With Skylar M. Cates:
Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart
Piece Us Back Together (Multiple Author Anthology)
Riding the Board
The Storm Before the Calm
Tasting Notes
Thirty Things
HOPE COVE
Brokenhearted