Evan is one of the "nice guy" cops. He visits patients in the hospital often sitting with the family giving what comfort he can. This time he hits a home run with Russ Parker who has been sitting wit his comatose brother. A very short, sweet story. ( )

3.5 stars ( )

I'll admit to loving stories about tough men who are gruff on the outside but soft and loving once you get to know them. They make me all teary-eyed and I'm a sucker for them every time! Both Russ and Evan in this story have these qualities in spades, and the fact that Russ is ex-Army and Evan is a cop with a gentleman's farm (giving him just a touch of cowboy flavor) makes it even better. Add the dramatic way in which they meet, and this story makes me one happy camper.

Evan is a cop, and he gets to see a lot of drama in his job – mostly human drama and small-time stuff, since his small town hasn’t seen a murder in decades. But sometimes it's all about the little things! The impact on him when one of the rodeo cowboys has a serious accident and ends up in a coma is huge. He wants to know what happens to the man, even though he's never previously met him. And since the man's family comes to visit from faraway, he takes to sitting with them for company – as an act of kindness which, to him, feels entirely natural. That is where he meets Russ, the cowboy's brother, and from then on, as ashamed as it makes him feel, half the draw of going to the hospital is seeing Russ.

Russ sits with his brother every day or a few weeks, once his brother's wife delivers Russ and her baby and goes back home, and his mother needs a break. He is intrigued by the attractive cop, and jumps on the opportunity to have dinner with him when Evan invites him over after a long day. Things develop very quickly from there, and the heat between the men is incredible.

I think the simplicity of this story added to its emotional impact on me. The sheer suffering and dreadfulness of the circumstances in which Evan meets Russ is such a stark contrast to the sliver of hope and love that grows from it, that it increased the effect it had on me despite how short it was. If you like tough men with a soft interior, if you enjoy reading stories that will most likely make you cry before they allow you to sigh in relief at the happy ending, and if you're looking for a read that is as adorably cute as it is hot, then you will probably like this short story.



NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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