Home in His Eyes [Cade Creek 15] (The Stormy Glenn ManLove Collection) Read online

  Cade Creek 15

  Home in His Eyes

  Adam Bozeman’s world ended when he was informed his lover had been killed in a shooting. Unable to get over his heartache, he decides to go home to Cade Creek. But his misery only grows worse when he discovers his lover alive and well and living in his hometown. Before he can deal with the betrayal he feels at being lied to, he has to make sure Mike stays alive.

  DEA Agent Mike Ryan spent months in Cade Creek recovering from a bullet wound from a botched mission and a broken heart from being dumped by his lover. Coming face to face with Adam changes the betrayal he feels into confusion. Someone is trying desperately to keep them apart, and Mike is determined to find the culprit.

  Learning to trust each other again seems simple compared to trying to keep each other alive when the bullets start flying. But Cade Creek is a close-knit community, and they don’t take kindly to someone going after one of their own. When trouble arrives, Adam and Mike learn they have the support of more people than they thought.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 35,139 words

  HOME IN HIS EYES

  Cade Creek 15

  Stormy Glenn

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  HOME IN HIS EYES

  Copyright © 2017 by Stormy Glenn

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-650-5

  First Publication: August 2017

  Cover design by Jess Buffett

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

  You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com.

  For all titles by Stormy Glenn, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/stormyglenn

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Landmarks

  Cover

  HOME IN HIS EYES

  Cade Creek 15

  STORMY GLENN

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Adam Bozeman sighed as he pulled up in front of his brother’s place. He turned off the engine and just sat there and stared up at the big white farmhouse he had spent so much time in growing up. He had expected to feel the same comfort he always got when he came home for a visit, but it wasn’t there, not this time.

  Home had a different meaning to him now, and it was one of the reasons he had come back to Cade Creek. The home he had found in the city had been ripped away from him, painfully, horribly. He had come home to regroup and try to move on with his life.

  Adam’s eyes watered as he realized it wasn’t going to work. Adam wondered if coming home had been such a good idea. He didn’t think he would find the answers he had been looking for here. He was starting to doubt he ever would. There seemed to be no place on earth that would tell him why good people got taken and bad ones got to stay.

  Adam pressed his hand to the twin rings hanging from a gold chain around his neck. He drew in a shaky breath and then blew it out. The number of coping mechanisms he had learned over the last few months were astronomical. That not a damn one of them actually worked was even more amazing to him.

  He knew that was why he had come home. Nothing was working back in the city. He was slowly fracturing. It was becoming harder and harder to pull himself out of bed each morning. Adam was terrified if something didn’t give, he would.

  Coming back to Cade Creek had seemed like his only option. His family was here. His friends were here. The town he had grown up in was here. Maybe, if he was really lucky, he could find himself here, as well.

  Adam smiled when he saw the porch light come on right before the front door opened and Russ stepped out, a hot cup of coffee in his hands. Adam could see the steam coming off of it. Russ was the only person Adam knew who liked his coffee lava hot.

  Adam opened the door of his truck and climbed out. He pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans as he walked around the front of the vehicle and made his way across the driveway to the porch.

  “Russ.”

  “Adam.” Russ nodded to him as he held up his cup. “Coffee?”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.”

  Russ turned without another word and walked back inside the farmhouse. Adam climbed the steps and followed his brother into the house, making sure he closed the door firmly behind him. There was a nip in the air, and Adam knew there were small children in the house. Keeping them happy and healthy was important.

  As early as it was—the sun hadn’t even come up yet—Adam was a little surprised to see Jonny in the kitchen making breakfast. He figured the man would still be in bed sleeping.

  “Hey, Adam.” Jonny smiled at him before flipping the eggs he was cooking. “Hungry?”

  “Naw, man, but thanks. I’m just going to do some coffee.”

  “Well, you know where it’s at.”

  He did. Adam walked over to the red coffee pot plugged into the wall. While the color and brand had changed over the years, the placement had not. There had been a coffee pot in the corner of the countertop for as long as Adam could remember.

  He poured himself a cup, keeping it black. He really didn’t need the sugar right now, no matter how much he liked his coffee sweet. He probably didn’t need the caffeine either, but he had to do something with his hands. Holding a coffee cup was as good as anything.

  Adam swallowed tightly when the room went silent. He glanced up. Jonny was cooking, but Russ was sitting at the small kitchen table, staring at him between sips of coffee. He was waiting, and Adam knew it.

  “I need to come home for a little while, and staying with Mom and Dad won’t work. I love them, but I just can’t deal with the questions right now.”

  “All right.”

  That was Russ, a man of few words.

  “Can I stay here?” Adam
asked. “It won’t be for long, a few days, maybe a week. I just…I need someplace to get my head screwed back on straight.”

  “You in trouble?”

  “No.” Adam wished it were that easy. “Some things happened back in the city, things I’m not ready to talk about yet. I need to get away for a little while.”

  Like forever.

  “What about that veterinarian internship you were getting set to take?”

  Adam dropped his eyes to stare down into his coffee. He drew in a shaky breath and then released it slowly. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to take it now, but that was another thing he wasn’t ready to discuss. Not yet. He knew he wouldn’t be able to put Russ off forever, not to mention their parents. But for now, they would just have to accept that he needed time.

  “It’s been postponed for a while.”

  He could give Russ that much.

  “All right.”

  Adam smiled as he glanced up. “So, can I stay?”

  Russ’s eyebrows shot up. “You have to ask?”

  Adam shrugged. “It’s the polite thing to do. You bought this farm with Mitch. I’d think you’d need to discuss it with him as well before saying yes.”

  “Has the city fried your brain?”

  Adam chuckled as he brought his cup up to his lips. Leave it to his brother to put things into perspective. “No, but I didn’t want to presume.”

  Russ’s eyes rolled. “Presume, jackass.”

  “The second bedroom at the top of the stairs is free,” Jonny said as he set a plate down in front of Russ. “Why don’t you go get your stuff and put it away? I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee for you.”

  Adam nodded as he took another sip of his coffee and then set the cup down on the counter. He knew Russ had to get to work pretty soon, which meant Jonny was going to want a few minutes alone with him. Adam was good with that. He just didn’t want to see it.

  It hurt too much.

  “If you need anything, Adam,” Jonny called out as Adam headed for the door, “we’re here.”

  Adam gave a sharp nod of his head without turning around. Maybe coming home hadn’t been a good idea. He was still having trouble coming to terms with the new direction his life had taken. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share that, but more that he didn’t know how to put it into words.

  How did he explain that one moment in time had destroyed his entire world?

  Adam grabbed his bags out of the truck and carried them into the house. He could hear Jonny and Russ talking in low tones in the kitchen and knew they were talking about him when they suddenly stopped.

  He’d expected it. Knowing Jonny, he was telling Russ that he needed to man up as Adam’s big brother and talk to him. Knowing Russ, he was grunting and looking for a flat surface to ravage Jonny.

  Adam almost smiled at that thought. He was happy for his brother. Jonny adored Russ and Russ was obsessed with Jonny. It worked well for both of them. Russ had been happier the last two years with Jonny than Adam had ever seen him.

  Adam knew there was no way he could ever thank Jonny for that. Russ had been so rigid for so long. Jonny made him smile and laugh, gave Russ an outlet for his intense emotions. He gave Russ a home, something Adam knew he would never find, not now.

  Adam walked into the bedroom Jonny had indicated—which strangely enough was the same room he had stayed in as a kid when he used to spend the night with the Walker family—and dropped his bags down on the bed. He sat down beside them and buried his face in his hands.

  Even being home wasn’t bringing him the relief he usually felt. Coming home for a visit, leaving the city behind him, had always made him feel better. It usually started as he came over the mountains and spotted the lights of Cade Creek down in the valley below.

  He had felt none of that this time.

  Adam wasn’t sure what he was going to do now. He had been depending on being home giving him some respite from his misery. It just wasn’t happening. He didn’t feel the same joy he usually did when he drove into the valley.

  If anything, he felt worse.

  Adam rubbed his face and then sat up. It was early morning. He had left the city before the sun had come up. He knew Russ was getting ready to go out and work the farm. Maybe he could help? A little hard labor might get his brain off the shit his life had become. If anything, he might be too tired to think by the time he went to bed.

  With that thought—and hope—in mind, Adam changed his clothes into something a little more appropriate for heavy outdoor work, and then went downstairs.

  He was surprised to find Russ still at the table. He would have thought his brother would be out on the tractor by now. Russ liked the early morning hours when he could have a little time to himself. Considering the way the man’s eyes were following Jonny around the kitchen, that might have changed.

  “You need some help out in the fields today?”

  Russ glanced up, his eyebrows raised as if surprised. “Don’t take much to plow a field, Adam. You should know that.”

  Adam’s shoulders slumped.

  “But, if you’ve a mind to, the Blaecleahs have a few mares ready to drop. You might drive over there and see if they need a hand.”

  Adam nodded. He could do that. His bag was still in the back of his truck. He didn’t really go anywhere without it. “I think I’ll do that.”

  “You should stop by Kapheri’s Koffee Korner on your way through town,” Jonny said. “Chester started dropping off pastries that are to die for, but you have to get there early before they’re all gone.”

  Adam grinned. “I think I’ll do that, too.”

  Jonny grinned back. “Dinner is at six.”

  “I’ll be here.” Strangely enough, just that small amount of banter made Adam feel a little better. Maybe coming home had been the right decision.

  Adam ran upstairs and grabbed a light jacket before heading for his truck. He had no idea how late he might be and it never hurt to be prepared. He also had no idea if the Blaecleahs even needed help, but it never hurt to offer, especially since he needed something to occupy his time.

  The drive to town was soothing. This was where he grew up. Where he had discovered boys, not girls, and where he had his first kiss, his first crush. It had been in second grade and the boy he’d liked had liked girls. He had been heartbroken.

  Just not nearly as heartbroken as he was now.

  Still, by the time he reached the town limits, he was smiling. The sight of the school, the library, even the park in the center of town, all brought back memories. Good ones. Maybe, if he was lucky, some of the good memories would replace the bad ones.

  Adam was surprised to find Kapheri’s Koffee Korner pretty busy considering it was just after six o’clock in the morning. A quick glance at the sign on the door told him why. The place had opened over an hour ago.

  Adam found a place to park halfway down the block and then got out and walked toward the corner coffee shop. He nodded at the people who passed, not recognizing a single one of them. He had only been gone from Cade Creek for a few years. It seemed strange that there were so many strangers in town.

  A car drove by as Adam grabbed the door handle of the coffee shop. It normally wouldn’t have caught his interest except for the jet-black hair. Michael had had jet-black hair. Adam had loved running his fingers through the silky strands.

  For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. His heart felt as if it was failing to pump, like it might stop altogether. Except he knew he wasn’t that lucky. He would go on living with the knowledge that the man he loved, the man he had been planning to spend the rest of his life with, had been killed in a senseless drive-by shooting.

  Adam dragged himself into the house with enough time to shower before dinner. He couldn’t say he hadn’t had a full day, because he had. Between the calves that needed to be checked over and vaccinated, and the mares getting ready to drop, he’d seen more bodily fluids and manure than he’d seen in a long while.

  He’d almost for
gotten what it was like to work a farm. There wasn’t a lot of call for knowledge of farm animals in the city. Most of what he saw at the clinic were cats and dogs and the occasional pet rabbit.

  Still, there were some thing a person never forgot. How to stick your hand up a horse’s caboose and pull a foal out was one of them. Of course now, Adam stunk to high heaven. He was in serious need of a shower.

  He was also exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. There was a sense of satisfaction about the hard work he had done, something he hadn’t felt in the city treating Fluffy for hangnails.

  Adam took a quick shower and changed his clothes. He was ravenous and wanted to make sure he got down to dinner before all of the food was gone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hungry. He had to have dropped at least twenty pounds in the last six months, maybe more. Russ was sure to notice.

  That would be a fun conversation.

  Adam smiled as he took the stairs two at a time. He was actually looking forward to a dinner spent with his family. He missed them. Granted, the city wasn’t that far away, but his study and work schedule was such that he didn’t get much time off. It wasn’t often that he could come home.

  With the way his life had been going the last six months, there had been no time at all. Now that he was here, though, Adam wasn’t sure he wanted to go back. One day and he was already starting to smile.

  Granted, his heart still felt as if it was broken in two, shredded by sorrow, but he was starting to breathe again, and all he was getting was clean, fresh country air.

  Adam walked into the kitchen and then stopped, glancing around. “Is there anything I can help with?”

  “Adam?”

  “Hey, Elliot.” He hadn’t seen his ex-college roommate in ages. “How’s family life?”

  Elliot’s grin spread all the way across his face. “It’s good.”

  Adam couldn’t be more thrilled for his friend. After the crap he had dealt with, it was nice to know sometimes happy ever after really did happen.