Case needs a new life. Preferably one that he likes and one he chooses for himself. His trip to see his aunt doesn't start on a high note... How can it when his car dies and leaves him stranded on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain and no cell signal or battery to speak of? But not all is disaster, a stunning roadside savior gives him a lift to his temporary home. As Case gets to know Rawley the mixed signals give way to passion and have him wondering just how temporary his stay might be. It's when their budding romance is threatened by their pasts that they'll have to decide if they're willing to fight for a future where they're the only one for each other.

Case was a mess, but an honest one. I enjoyed his zest for life, his determination to live a better life, the way he owns everything he is. And when he is faced with his past he doesn't become bitter or revert to the selfish, callous jerk he once was, he tries to do the right thing for everyone as best he can.

It's Rawley who has the hair-triggered responses that hint at an uncertain future for them. His lack of communication shows up at almost every chapter and while I can tell he's a good man with quite a bit of emotional damage, I have doubts that he can be what Case truly needs. After his little trip to get his head and heart on the same page he's better in terms of knowing what he wants and we can see him finally growing into his potential.

Their reconciliation is good mostly because of Casey. The way he refuses to lash out in confusion, hurt, or to make Rawley jealous proves just how far he's come, just how good of a person he always was and with a healthy, happy environment that part of him is finally able to thrive.

Shortly after that very sweet scene, though, things go crazy. I don't really understand what the purpose of the accident was because it didn't add to the story, didn't make Rawley more in love or determined to be with Casey, didn't do anything to solve Casey's dilemma with his exes...it just didn't fit. If instead he finally made inroads with gaining closure with his past and used the drama unfolding via his texts to push for a dramatic event at the end that would have been much more organic, a way better fit for the flow of the story. Despite the consequences of the accident bringing reality into the story, I saw absolutely no value in the whole debacle. It ended very abruptly after that with no closure, no settling, no finality. Up to that point it was a really good story.

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Excerpt

Rawley had spent the past four days in his truck with his trusty radar gun, nailing speeders at various points across town. The past two days, he’d been sitting at the railroad crossing at the edge of town; a hot spot for teenagers speeding down the main road and over the tracks without looking. It had been a year since the last death occurred on these tracks and he intended to keep the streak going. He sighed loudly as he tore off the latest ticket and gave the seventeen-year-old boy behind the wheel his usual speech about safety. He’d given out half a dozen the past couple of days, but if it saved a life by making the kids think twice, it was worth the mind-numbing boredom.

Rawley climbed back into his truck, shut off the emergency lights, and drove back to his parking spot partially hidden by the wall of the feed store near the tracks. It had been the usual quiet on the crime front the past several days, which was typically a welcome occurrence for Rawley, but ever since Case Holden’s arrival, Rawley’s thoughts had been plagued by gray-blue eyes, dark hair, and a perfectly toned body. He spent his nights tossing and turning, imagining Case in any number of different scenarios, every one of them sexual. The whole situation was frustrating him. He took the edge off every night with his hand, but it didn’t satisfy the deep need he had for another man’s body—Case’s body in particular.

Rawley shifted on the bench seat and adjusted himself. He seriously needed to get a grip. The moment Case climbed into his truck, drenched from the rain, Rawley had suspected he was gay, but after running into each other several times around town the past few days, Rawley was now certain. The knowledge only worsened his predicament because he knew if he wanted Case badly enough, he could have him. The man didn’t even try to hide his sexuality or his attraction to Rawley. When they’d seen each other the day before at the general store, he’d been wearing a dark-blue T-shirt that had “Out and Proud” stamped across the chest in rainbow lettering.

They’d found themselves face-to-face in front of the dairy display — Rawley in his tan police uniform and Case looking like a model in his skintight T-shirt and painted-on jeans. Conversation had been polite but stilted. Rawley knew it was his fault because he was too busy noticing every little dip and curve of Case’s body to speak coherently.

Knowing Case was gay and that he wouldn’t make a play for the younger man had Rawley short-tempered and sniping at everyone. That was why he was sitting alone on the outskirts of town, doing traffic duty; no one wanted to be around him, including himself. Rawley stared into the distance, wondering what the hell he’d done in this life or a past one to earn him this level of torture, when a vehicle he would’ve been hard-pressed to miss caught his attention. The bright-gold Mustang roared past him, registering ten miles per hour over the speed limit.

“Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me,” Rawley muttered. He turned on the emergency lights and siren as he pulled onto the road.

There was only one person in Clover City who drove a Mustang. He caught up to Case quickly, and they pulled to the side of the road, Rawley coming to a stop a few car lengths behind Case. Rawley exited the truck and walked up to the driver’s side of the car to find Case had rolled down his window and held out his license and insurance card. Rawley took them, willing his body not to react to the beautiful smile Case offered him. Rawley couldn’t help but notice that Case wore a black shirt that made his hair seem even darker and those gray-blue eyes brighter.

“Get pulled over a lot, do you?” Rawley asked, averting his gaze to Case’s papers.

“My car tends to draw attention,” Case answered. Rawley rolled his eyes at Case’s nonchalant shrug.

“Your car draws attention,” Rawley muttered.

Everything about Case drew attention, or at least Rawley’s. He put his mind to the task at hand, making sure Case’s license and insurance were up-to-date before handing them back through the window.

“I didn’t get pulled over driving my aunt’s Jeep.”

“Did you speed in the Jeep?”

Case shrugged. “It was a manual with no oomph.”

“Slow down,” Rawley said as he turned on his heel to return to his truck.

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Meet Kay

Kay lives in Colorado with her husband and their animal children. Family is important to her, so there are weekly visits to her parents and frequent text messages with her brothers. She has a severe addiction to coffee and Mexican food. She loves to read and write and can easily become consumed by it for hours, much to the dismay of the husband and dogs. On occasion, she can be convinced to venture out into world of the living.