Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Planting Dream Series (Book 2)
Genre: M/M
Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Press
Release Date: June 8 2017
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Love can grow in even the harshest conditions.
Life has been a struggle for Lachlan Buttar ever since his
mother passed away and left him unprepared to take care of himself. He goes
from homeless to staying with a local minister—but it soon becomes clear he
will be better off, and safer, on his own. Fortunately Foster and Javi
encounter the young man and offer him a real home on their dairy farm.
It’s there that Lachlan meets another of the workers, local
farmer Abe Armitage. Though the attraction between them is instant, Abe refuses
to act on it until Lachlan comes of age. By then, strong feelings have taken
root, and a passionate romance quickly blossoms. But both men carry baggage
that could crush any chance of happiness together, particularly since Lachlan
witnessed a crime, and there are those who will do anything to make sure he
cannot reveal what he’s seen.
“But what do they want from me?” Lachlan asked, his voice
touched with fear.
“Nothing. You’ll have chores you need to do, but that’s
all.” Abe narrowed his eyes. “Why? Did someone try to hurt you or something?”
Lachlan stiffened but didn’t answer. Instead he went to his
dresser, pulled open a drawer, and took out a couple pair of worn tan pants and
a few pairs of jeans. Abe folded them and added them to the small pile of
clothing. He watched as Lachlan moved stiffly around the room, keeping his back
to Abe if at all possible.
Fear welled inside Abe. Something was very wrong. Sure,
Lachlan was hurting, but the way he was shutting out Abe was telling. He wasn’t
sure he was going to get anything out of Lachlan by questioning him, at least
not at the moment, so he took the duffel bag lying in a heap on the bed and
neatly put the folded clothes inside. “Is there more?”
Lachlan came around the side of the bed and opened the top
drawer to add socks and underwear. “I guess not….” He scanned the room and
sighed. “There isn’t anything else here.”
“What about the kitchen or other rooms?” Abe took the bag
and set it next to the suitcase at the top of the stairs. “Is the television
yours?” It looks ancient.
“No.” Lachlan ambled into the kitchen and returned with a
small box of things. “All our stuff fit in the trunk of my mom’s car.”
“Where is that right now?”
“It broke down just after Mom died and I didn’t have the
money to fix it, so it’s sitting at the garage down the street. They said
they’d put it out back for a while, but I don’t know how long, and….” The
abject misery was back, and Abe wished he knew what to do to try to help him.
“Do you know what’s wrong with it?”
Lachlan shook his head.
Abe walked over to him and guided him to one of the tattered
living room chairs. He sat down, and Abe got him a glass of water from the
kitchen and handed it to him, sitting in the chair across from him. “Try to
take things one step at a time. We’ll get your things out of here so the
landlord can’t take them. Foster has plenty of room to store what you need him
to.”
“But why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a good guy, and so is Javi.” Abe took
Lachlan’s hand, not wanting him to feel alone, and as soon as he did, a little
jolt of energy shot through him. Even miserable, Lachlan was beautiful, and Abe
was willing to bet that with a smile on his face, Lachlan would be radiant. Abe
was determined to somehow be the one to help him smile again. “What happened to
you?” He gazed into Lachlan’s big, sad eyes. The sad part didn’t surprise him,
but the fear he saw as well was nearly overwhelming.
Heavy footsteps on the stairs caught his attention. He
released Lachlan’s hands and turned toward the sound.
“Who’s up there?” a deep, gruff voice barked.
“Mr. Hanson?” Lachlan asked, on the edge of tears once
again.
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“Lachlan.”
“I thought you were gone already.” The footsteps continued,
echoing through the space. “I was coming to clean things out. I have a new
renter.” Mr. Hanson entered the room, his hands on his hips. “You need to go
now. This isn’t your apartment anymore.”
Abe jumped to his feet. “We know. He and I are getting his
things, and we’ll be gone in a few minutes.”
“You have no right to be here. I should have changed the
locks when I first kicked you out.” He glared at Lachlan, and Abe saw red.
“I said we’d be gone in a little while. He’s getting his
clothes and personal things. Nothing more.” Abe stood toe to toe with the
bigger man. “You can give a few minutes and we’ll be out of here.”
“How do I know you won’t try to steal anything?”
Abe growled. “Like what? The television that’s been around
since the stone age? Give us a break. He just lost his mother, and all you can
think about is how quickly you can rent the place?” He shook his head. “Just go
and we’ll be out of here soon.” The man was a piece of shit and smelled worse
than the barn after milking.
Mr. Hanson’s gaze flicked over to Lachlan and then back to
him. Abe had no intention of giving an inch. Lachlan needed someone to stand up
for him and Abe would do it all day if he had to. “Fine. I’ll give you an hour
and then I’m coming in to clean the place out.” He turned and stomped down the
stairs.
“Are you okay?” Abe said. Lachlan was as white as a sheet.
“He looked like he might hit you.”
“The guy’s a blowhard. He likes to think he’s a big, tough
guy. But the strongest thing about him is his smell.” Abe waved his hand in
front of his face, and a ghost of a smile curled at the edge of Lachlan’s lips.
“Let’s get anything else you want out of here before he comes back.”
Character Profile for Lachlan
Full
Name: Lachlan Buttar
Age: 18
General
physical description: Tall, lanky
Hometown: He’s moved around quite a bit.
Type
of home/ neighborhood: Rented house that
he’s unable to keep
Relationship
status: Single
Current
family: None. Mother died of cancer
Family
background (parents, previous marriages, etc.):
It was only him and his mother and with her gone, he’s on his own.
Friends: None to speak of. He’s new in town.
Other
close relationships: None
Relationship
with men: None
Relationship
with women: None
Job: Looking for one
Dress
style: What few things he has on his back.
Religion: Christian
Attitude
to religion: Fear. Ministers haven’t been good to him.
Favorite
pastimes: Reading, video games, videos
Hobbies: None to speak of
Favorite
sports: None to speak of.
Favorite
foods: Pie and ice cream
Strongest
positive personality trait: Strong and
doesn’t give up
Strongest
negative personality trait: Quiet and
gets hurt easily
Sense
of humor: Either laugh or he’d cry.
Temper: Definitely
Consideration
for others: He cares for everyone.
How
other people see him/her: As a down on
his luck kid.
Opinion
of him/herself: Has a hard time seeing
himself as worthy.
Other
traits, especially those to be brought out in story: Confidence that develops as well as strength
to stand up for himself in the end.
Ambitions: Maybe college
Philosophy
of life: One day at a time
Most
important thing to know about this character:
That he comes to realize that he has a home and family of his own
making.
Will
readers like or dislike this character, and why? Hopefully they will love him. He is wonderful and through all his trials,
he hold onto hope.
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