by Anne Barwell
“Hmm. So it’s probably not the end of the world as we know it, then?”
“Huh? What?”
“Something’s eating at you,” Ethan told him, “but if it was that, Cat and Tomas would have probably stuck around. So it’s something else. Something you don’t want them to know yet, although Cat at least knows something’s up, considering how fast he ushered Tomas out of the kitchen.” Ethan hated having to guess. “You do remember we agreed no secrets, right?” He still had to remind himself and Donovan of that at times.
“I’m fine,” Donovan said. “I just….” It wasn’t like him to be nervous like this. He usually came out and said what he thought about something.
“You’re having second thoughts about Mitchell and Vincent coming to stay this weekend?” Ethan tried another guess.
“No, of course not. They love it here, and they’re our friends.”
“More like part of our extended family, you mean. I heard Vincent tell Mitchell that the last time they were here.”
“Vincent also asked me when….” Donovan stopped. He blushed bright red.
Aha. Finally, Ethan was getting closer to the truth. As much as he enjoyed reading detective novels, he wasn’t a fan of having to apply those skills to his own life. Someone hiding something was never a good sign. Donovan hiding something was usually nothing short of impending disaster.
“Asked you what?” Ethan was beginning to lose patience. “Come on, love. You’re rambling. If I didn’t already know you were nervous, the fact you’re doing that confirms it. Just talk to me. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad, and if it is….” He shrugged. “We’ll deal with it together like we always have.”
Donovan cleared his throat and pushed back his chair. He got down on the floor on one knee.
“Umm, what are you doing? Did you drop something?” Ethan started to stand, but Donovan shook his head.
“Stay there, please. I want to do this properly.”
“Do what—” By now Ethan was convinced Donovan had lost his mind. He tried to ignore his growing panic. Something had happened. It must have.
“Ethan….” Donovan placed one hand on Ethan’s knee, holding him in place. He then fumbled around in his pocket and drew out a small black case.
Ethan’s eyes widened. He froze, moved his mouth, but the words refused to come out. Surely not. He couldn’t be…. Oh God.
Donovan cleared his throat again. “Ethan Leavitt, will you marry me?” He opened the case in his hand—an elegant gold band lay nestled inside it.
Ethan stared at him. He glanced at the ring and then back at Donovan.
“Ethan? Put me out of my misery here.” Donovan’s voice shook. He removed his hand from Ethan’s leg.
Ethan nodded. “Yes. Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.” He slid off the chair and onto the floor, pulling Donovan onto his lap. “How could you think I wouldn’t? I love you. I moved here because I want to be with you.”
“I didn’t want to presume….” Donovan grinned. “I love you too, Teach. Wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
“I didn’t think so,” Ethan said dryly.
Donovan laughed. “Guess we have a wedding to plan, then?”
“Unless you want to elope?” Ethan shook his head as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Yeah, like anyone around here would let that happen.” He kissed Donovan lightly. “Don’t worry, I’m just joking. I figure if we’re going to do this, we’ll do it properly.” He gestured toward the window. “Outside, in the meadow where the old oak used to stand. It’s how we do that stuff here, right?”
“Right.” Donovan leaned in for another kiss, this one sweet and lingering.
Ethan ran his fingers through Donovan’s hair. “I think we’re forgetting a couple of things,” he whispered once they’d broken the kiss. He looked into Donovan’s eyes and found himself blushing at what he saw there.
Love, desire, and raw need.
“What?”
Ethan held out his hand and wriggled his ring finger. “No point in a ring if you don’t wear it.”
“Oh right.” Donovan retrieved the case, took out the ring, and slid it onto Ethan’s finger. It fit perfectly, but that didn’t surprise Ethan. When Donovan decided to do something, he did it properly.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“And?” Donovan said. He glanced down at the ring on Ethan’s finger. Ethan would do something very soon about finding a matching one for him.
“Proposals need celebrating. Properly.” Ethan heard noises outside the kitchen door. So much for their housemates respecting privacy. He raised his voice. “And privately.” He helped Donovan to his feet. “Come on,” he said softly, slipping his hand into Donovan’s. “I want to show you how much I love you.”
“Only if I get to do the same.” Donovan had a twinkle in his eye.
Ethan bit back a moan. He knew what that look meant. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. But first,” he said, “we need to get a room.”
More from Anne Barwell
Hidden Places: Book One
Tomas Kemp has two successful novels to his name and the true belief that a successful sequel is only a matter of a little inspiration. When Tomas meets a mysterious stranger under the branches of an old oak tree, he feels compelled to tell him about a book he holds dear and the sequel he wants to read. But Cathal doesn’t share that deep belief that the sequel Tomas seeks ends happily. Cathal has seen enough of a world where stories are real to know that happy ever after is sometimes the dream that won’t come true.
But stories have never let Tomas down, and as he follows Cathal across the reality shift between their worlds, he learns that Cathal is right: Happy ever after is never just given—but sometimes, it can be fought for and won.
Sequel to Cat’s Quill
Hidden Places: Book Two
Tomas and Cathal have escaped from Naearu, Cathal’s mystical homeworld, but happily ever after is never as straightforward in real life as it is in books. Then again, most people don’t deal with the complication of a lover who’s magically bound to a tree or have an interfering cat for a cousin.
With Naearu’s police force, the Falcons, still after Cathal, he can’t go home. Now that he and Tomas have consummated their relationship, Cathal’s abilities are evolving and changing to the point that Tomas can sense them. And until the oak portal closes, Cathal—and his new life with Tomas—are in limbo, as Cathal can’t expect Tomas to stay with someone who can never venture past the property line. Will he and Tomas ever get to follow through on their engagement?
Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.
Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago. Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy façade. An earthquake, sex in the bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a slippery slope that just might land them in love.
The Sleepless City: Book One
A serial killer stalks the streets of Flint, Ohio. The victims are always found in pairs, one human and one vampire.
Simon Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years, and he has never seen anything like it. Neither have the other supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and the humans.
One meeting with Simon finds Ben Leyton falling f
or a man he knows is keeping secrets, but he can’t ignore the growing attraction between them. A recent arrival in Flint, Ben finds it very different from his native New Zealand, but something about Simon makes Ben feel as though he’s found a new home.
After a close friend falls victim to the killer, Simon is torn between revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away to avoid the reaction he fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent, either, or both of them, could be the killer’s next target.
Six years after meeting British soldier Aiden Foster during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Jochen Weber still finds himself thinking about Aiden, their shared conversation about literature, and Aiden’s beautiful singing voice. A visit to London gives Jochen the opportunity to search for Aiden, but he’s shocked at what he finds.
The uniform button Jochen gave him is the only thing Aiden has left of the past he’s lost. The war and its aftermath ripped everything away from him, including his family and his music. When Jochen reappears in his life, Aiden enjoys their growing friendship but knows he has nothing to offer. Not anymore.
Readers love the Hidden Places series by Anne Barwell
Cat’s Quill
“Transported to a quaint village on the outskirts of London, Anne vividly takes the reader on a fantastical and mysterious adventure through her imagination with an array of colorful, rich characters.”
—Top 2 Bottom Reviews
Magic’s Muse
“Her characters are as rich and complex as the story she is telling.”
—Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
“Overall this is a pleasant fantasy read, with engaging characters and a sweet romance at its heart.”
—Prism Book Alliance
ANNE BARWELL lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with two cats who are convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date it appears as though the cats may be winning.
In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher and a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.
She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts other authors, reviews for the GLBTQ Historical Site “Our Story” and Top2Bottom Reviews, and writes monthly blog posts for Authors Speak and Love Bytes.
Anne’s books have received honorable mentions four times and reached the finals three times in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.
Website: annebarwell.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1
Twitter: @annebarwell
Email: [email protected]
By Anne Barwell
A Knight to Remember
On Wings of Song
Slow Dreaming
With Lou Sylvre: Sunset at Pencarrow
HIDDEN PLACES
Cat’s Quill
Magic’s Muse
One Word
THE SLEEPLESS CITY
Shades of Sepia
By Elizabeth Noble: Electric Candle
Family and Reflection
By Elizabeth Noble: Shifting Chaos
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
One Word
© 2017 Anne Barwell.
Cover Art
© 2017 Anne Cain.
[email protected]
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63533-751-8
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-752-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017912374
Published November 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
