Dillon Fitzgerald is a famous singer. He’s also exhausted. Too many shows in a too busy schedule have left too little time for him to write or relax. He feels like the music is being strangled out of him. Some time is just what the doctor ordered, so when his friend offers him a week on a cruise, Dillon gets right on board. All he has to do is grow a little beard and hope no one recognizes him.
Financial advisor Tio Smythe-Barrett has been friends with Dillon forever. When the latest in a long string of girlfriends turns out to be a cheater, Tio offers her spot on what would have been a romantic vacation to Dillon instead. After all, why wouldn’t he want to spend a week with his best friend?
As Tio and Dillon share close quarters, the boundaries in their friendship shift like the ocean currents. Spending time with Tio has Dillon’s creative muse singing, and he can no longer deny that his feelings for Tio go beyond friendship. His heart soars when Tio responds to his flirting—but is he willing to risk what they have for the chance at true love?
When cantankerous firefighter Dirk Krause gets injured on the job, no one at his firehouse cares enough to visit, so new guy Lee Stockton gets saddled with the task of bringing him a sympathy bouquet. Dirk figures it won’t take much to get Lee to hate him too, but Lee sees right through his attempt to push everyone away and picks his own battle—getting Dirk to stop being a jerk.
Good thing they’re firefighters, because the chemistry between them is explosive. Together they face burning buildings, budget cuts, professional failures, and family drama. If their relationship can survive that, it can survive anything. Right?
Bonus story: Traffic cop Justin Briggs keeps a cool head on the job, but put him in front of a hot guy and it all goes up in smoke. Firefighter Rock Sparks happens to be the hot guy in question. Teasing Justin for being tongue-tied is fun, but when Justin gets injured, everything turns serious. Can Rock get Justin to open up about his past so they can explore a future together?
This anthology contains the following previously published novellas: Redemption by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press May 2012), Strengthened by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press August 2012), Burnished by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press October 2012), and Heat Under Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press March 2013).
Weddings, Christmas, and Such
Welcome back to the world of Granby, where the yarn is soft, the knitting is fine, and the critters are never far off....
After the happy ever after of Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair, Jeremy and Aiden continued to be fan favorites, and author Amy Lane visited them from time to time in a series of whimsical shorts that were posted on her blog and Patreon. Those shorts, together with a brand-new, never before seen Christmas novel featuring the entire Granby family, are gathered here in Weddings, Christmas, and Such, a collection of stories that show the good times in the bad, and the hope even in the darkness. Welcome back to the world of Granby—Jeremy, Aiden, Craw, Ben, Stanley, Johnny, Ariadne, Rory, and baby Persephone are all happy to see you again!
In This Collection:
The Gift of a Birthday: The folks at Craw's mill and shop have always knitted for each other's big holidays, but one person in their midst hasn't been entirely honest about his own birthday...
Bunnies: Ariadne and Rory are going off on a much-needed vacation--are Jeremy and Aiden prepared for full-time childcare and all the hard questions it might entail?
And the Mountains Should Crumble: Hard times have come to Granby--can Craw and his small patchwork family survive fire in the pandemic, and find something to be thankful for on the other side?
Weddings and Such: After all the troubles and some years of peace, it really is time for everybody to get married. Has Jeremy come far enough along from his rabbit days to be the center of attention while his boy makes an honest man out of him?
Crocheting Hawks and Knitting Christmas Angels: Gideon Haze and Pippen Madison commit a near-tragic mistake, and everybody's favorite bunny is laid up for Christmas! Can the bodyguard and his vulnerable charge find a way to atone for their lapse in judgment and grow into the men who can make themselves and their new Granby family safe from Pippen's dangerous father?
Fisher Moreland wurde von seiner Familie verstoßen, nachdem sie nicht länger mit seinen Problemen umgehen konnte. Fisher ist bipolar, lebt von Tag zu Tag und versucht, mit seiner Erkrankung zurechtzukommen, doch er hatte nicht immer allzu viel Kontrolle über sein Leben und musste sich mit allem, was er finden konnte, so gut wie möglich selbst helfen.
JD Burnsides‘ Familie hat wegen eines Skandals an seinem Heimatort den Kontakt zu ihm abgebrochen. Er ist nach Carlisle gezogen, hat aber Charme und Wärme des Südens mitgebracht. Als er Fisher an einem Winterabend auf einer Parkbank entdeckt, lädt er ihn zu einem späten Abendessen mit sich und seinen Freunden ein.
Anfangs weiß Fisher nicht, was er von ihm halten soll, kommt jedoch allmählich aus sich heraus. Und als Fishers Arbeitsplatz wegen eines Brandes in Gefahr gerät, ist JDs Unterstützung und Sorge mehr, als er je erwartet hätte. Doch als Menschen aus Fishers Vergangenheit inmitten einer wiederauflebenden Drogenepidemie auftauchen, ist Fisher klar, dass sie seine aufkeimende Beziehung zu JD sabotieren könnten.
Killian Thornton likes his downtown life, tending bar, and enjoying time with his friends and community. He'd given up on passion long ago—he wasn't cut out for grand romance or dramatic gestures. Then one night, in a characteristic act of kindness, Killian offers his couch to help a friend's little brother find his feet in a new city, and everything Killian thought he knew about himself and his little life gets turned upside down.
Lewis Bernard, the funny, quirky guy happy to find a spot on Killian's couch, can’t believe his luck. After being forced to flee his parents’ house, he was afraid of what came next, but Sacramento seems to be treating him just fine. The stunningly handsome bartender who lives downstairs from his brother offers Lewis his couch and doesn’t even balk when Lewis discovers two abandoned kittens in a vacant lot as they walk home.
Vet bills, cat food bills, litter boxes—none of it was on Killian's Christmas agenda, but he jumps in gamely to help because all the shelters seem to be full, and that's just the kind of guy Killian is. But kittens can multiply faster than rabbits, and Killian and Lewis accidentally rescue more and more cats.
Lewis starts to panic. He really wants to know Killian better, but with each act of kindness, Lewis falls further in love while ruining Killian's life. How can Killian find time to fall in love with Lewis and ask him to stay if they’re inundated with destructive furry poop-machines who all seem to need a home before Christmas?
The rules of dreidel are simple—unless the hot new rabbi your friends have been wanting you to meet turns out to be your childhood crush. Now Zach Kravitz is playing for more than bragging rights as the dreidel champion—he’s playing for his heart.
Hanukkah parties with the Kravitz family were some of Garrett Fitzpatrick’s favorite childhood memories. Now that Garrett has a chance to reconnect with Zach, the quiet, artistic young man he has yearned after for years, he’s ready to put a new spin on an old game. Garrett has eight nights to show Zach the spark between them can turn into a lasting flame that will stay bright long after Hanukkah ends.
Shy web designer Kyle Zigler is resigned to living a solitary life as a single dad raising two gifted kids…until a sexy artist at a holiday market gives him a gift with delightful and unexpected consequences. Is he brave enough to open his heart again?
Charming holiday vendor Vic Burgess has spent his entire life on the move, drifting wherever the wind blows to sell his handmade creations, when he meets a hunky young father who makes him feel like staying put. What will it take to make him stay?
Two lonely lives colliding at Christmas…. Can a festive fling turn into something more? Find out in this heartwarming story of gay apparel, found family, and the magic of unexpected meetings.
Secret Guncle
Veterinary student Dutton Glenroth isn’t on speaking terms with his sister, Mary, but he isn’t about to let his niece and nephew suffer because of it. He knows they have very little, so for the holidays, he makes up a basket of gifts for them and leaves it outside their door.
But the kids are getting older, and this year Dutton finds it difficult to pick out their gifts. When he asks for help at Foster’s Toys, he runs into Randy Grant, his high school crush, who even volunteers to wrap and deliver the gifts with Dutton. Suddenly Dutton’s normally lonely holiday has a spark of Christmas cheer. Will this be the year he gets the holiday he’s always longed for?
CEO Gordon Wyckoff lives for work and certainly has no interest in Christmas. When a blizzard runs him off the road, he ends up stranded in a picturesque mountain town that is the polar opposite of his fast-paced world. The Snowed Inn is the definition of the Christmas kitsch he hates.
Innkeeper Elliot Osterman can barely keep his quaint B&B afloat but has never been able to say no to a guest. One snowy night, he makes room for a stranded executive who knocks him out of his comfortable rut.
As the holidays take hold, the magic of the little town begins to restore their spark and unlock their hearts. Together these two mismatched men might be able to build a future, if they can just dig through all the history that's kept them frozen in place.
Jake lost his Christmas spirit when his husband left him on December 26. This year, when a friend offers him her reservation at a resort in Florida, he jumps at the chance to get away. No snow, no Christmas trees, no problems.
Except the resort does a Christmas Golf Cart parade every year, and Alex, the man in the neighboring cabin, wants Jake’s help with his.
Jake just wants to be left alone… until he spies Alex’s design. Maybe working together won’t be so bad. Can an unexpected friendship reawaken more than Jake’s holiday spirit?
Emmett McElroy is the cowboy horses hate. When his heir apparent brother dies and his father has a heart attack, he does his duty and steps up as head of the family ranch, but he wishes things were different and his life choices were his own. Just when he begins to get his legs under him, he arrives home to find his high school crush has been hired as ranch foreman.
Ex-rodeo cowboy Nathaniel Zachary desperately needs work. When Mrs. McElroy offers him a job while her husband recovers, he jumps at it. The only issue is Emmett… because Nathaniel has never been able to get his best friend’s brother out of his mind.
Tensions only increase when, after drowning his sorrows, Emmett foolishly agrees to enter a bucking bronc contest at the local rodeo. The attraction that grows as Nathaniel helps prepare Emmett for the contest is something neither of them expected, but as Emmett's father's health improves, the happiness they've built may break faster than a cowboy thrown from the meanest bronc.
Actor Tucker Crawford is having the worst summer ever. Thanks to a viral video of him trying to swim, he’s the laughingstock of Hollywood and his role in a hit TV series is in jeopardy. The only bright spot is Tucker’s sexy new swim coach, Reed Oliver, but even that has its problems—because Tucker is deep in the closet and has never been with a guy.
Reed Oliver is having the best summer ever. He’s just scored a high-paying freelance gig teaching a Hollywood actor how to swim. The two of them have the run of a deserted summer camp, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool. But when cocky playboy Reed meets shy, virgin Tucker, sparks fly and Reed’s walk-in-the-park coaching job becomes a minefield of temptation. Once they kiss for the first time, there’s no way to overcome their mutual passion and no looking back. But after two weeks of secluded intimacy, can they keep their romance alive in the real world?
Fire and Ermine
When Prince Reynard escapes his gilded cage, he runs as fast as he can in search of a taste of freedom. Predictably, he gets pulled over.
State Trooper Fisher Bronson doesn’t know the handsome stranger in the rental car, but he does know the guy was driving way too fast. Still, Fisher takes to protect and serve seriously, so he helps Reynard find a hotel for the night.
Then the hotel catches fire.
Apparently Reynard hasn’t covered his tracks as well as he thought. But is it paparazzi on his tail, or someone much more deadly? Either way, when Fisher offers him a room for the night, he’s grateful for the refuge.
Reynard is generous and kind, but Fisher knows he’s hiding something. Finally Reynard confesses the truth: as prince of Veronia, his life is structured and ordered for him, but as Reynard, in Carlisle with Fisher, he has the freedom to become a person he actually likes. To Reynard's surprise, Fisher likes him back—not for his title, but for the man he is. But duty, family expectations, and whoever is after Reynard could spell the end of their relationship before they get past once upon a traffic stop.
When Mason gets caught in a blizzard on his way home for Christmas and ends up in a snowdrift, the outlook is grim—until a handsome trucker appears, offering shelter, companionship, and a tow in the morning.
Tate has never been anyone’s idea of a hero. He’s been on the road most of his adult life, with few ties to people and even fewer to any particular place. Now, after one steamy night in the cab of his truck, all that changes. Suddenly he has a sweet, intelligent guy who can’t get enough of him, who invites him to spend New Year’s with his family… who already feels like home. But Tate’s job keeps him on the road for weeks at a time. Can he really build something permanent?
Portions of this novella appeared in the short stories Weathering the Storm, Coming Home, and Tying the Knot, published by Dreamspinner Press in 2009.
Sheriff Aaron George hat vor zehn Jahren seine Frau verloren. In der Hoffnung, dass es für seine Kinder besser wäre, in einer Kleinstadt aufzuwachsen, zog er nach Colton. Mittlerweile kennt er jeden in der Stadt, einschließlich Mr. Larkin, den quirligen, amüsanten Naturwissenschaftslehrer. Seit ‚Larx’ fast wider Willen zum Rektor der örtlichen Highschool befördert wurde, fehlt ihm die Zeit, die Leichtathletik-Mannschaft zu coachen, und er beginnt stattdessen mit dem Joggen. Aaron dachte bislang, dass sich sein restliches Leben nur noch um die Kinder drehen würde, aber ein Rektor, der mit nacktem Oberkörper an einer gefährlichen Straße entlang joggt, belehrt ihn eines Besseren.
Auch Larx lebt nur für seine Kinder und für die Schüler und Schülerinnen der Colton High. Aarons Interesse bemerkt er zuerst gar nicht. Dann fangen sie an, gemeinsam zu joggen, und er lernt den Polizeibeamten für seine Verlässlichkeit, seinen Humor und sein volles Verständnis für seine Prioritäten zu schätzen: Kinder an erster, Job an zweiter und die eigenen Interessen leider an allerletzter Stelle.
Schon nach einem Kuss fühlen sich die beiden Endvierziger wie verliebte Teenager, trotz der großen Verantwortung, die auf ihren Schultern lastet. Dann wird die aufkeimende Romanze von einem Gewaltverbrechen überschattet und die beiden Männer müssen verhindern, dass die kleine Stadt im Chaos versinkt. Als sich die Ereignisse zuspitzen, erkennen sie, dass es ihre neu zusammenwachsende Familie ist, die verhindert, dass ihre Welt aus den Fugen gerät.
Through the Flames
Kyle Wilson hasn’t had it easy. His insecurities and nasty home life made him lash out as a kid, and when he finally came out as gay, his family disowned him. Then, just when he’s pulled his life together and gotten his construction company running, he’s caught in a fire and forced to take costly time off.
When firefighter Hayden Walters rescues a man from a burning building, he’s just doing his job. He doesn’t expect it to turn his life upside-down, but the man is none other than Hayden’s high school bully.
He definitely doesn’t expect Kyle to come to the station to thank him in person.
With awkward apologies out of the way, Kyle and Hayden realize they have a lot in common. And when it turns out someone set the fire at Kyle’s construction site to target him, they find they can solve each other’s problems too: Hayden needs a place to stay while his apartment is renovated, and Kyle doesn’t want to be alone in case the firebug strikes again. Things between the two of them quickly heat up—but so does the arsonist’s agenda. Can they track down the would-be killer before it’s too late?
Feu et pluie
Depuis la mort de leur mère, Josten Applewhite fait ce qu’il faut pour s’occuper de son petit frère et préserver la cohésion de leur petite famille. Mais, en un instant, un coup de malchance détruit le petit foyer qu’il a réussi à construire, et Jos et Isaac se retrouvent à la rue.
C’est là que l’agent Kip Rogers les trouve et, même s’il sait qu’il doit laisser les autorités compétentes s’occuper de la situation, il n’arrive pas à trouver le courage de les repousser, allant même jusqu’à les inviter à rester chez lui jusqu’à ce qu’ils se remettent sur pied. Avec l’aide de Kip et de ses amis, Jos commence à reconstruire sa vie. Mais l’expérience lui a appris que rien n’est gratuit, et la générosité semble trop belle pour être vraie, comme tout ce qui concerne Kip.
Kip a le béguin pour Jos et il aime la façon dont Jos et Isaac font de sa grande maison un foyer. Mais leur arrangement ne peut pas être permanent, pas avec Jos qui veut tracer son propre chemin. C’est alors que surgit un parent éloigné, déterminé à détruire la famille de Jos. Kip sait que Jos a besoin de lui, même s’il n’est pas prêt à l’admettre.