Available from Dreamspinner Press on 1 May 2013
After
a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to
negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him
behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling
from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him
to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper.
Charlie
seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them
into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not
boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the
most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a
chance on love.
EXCERPT:
“IT’S going to
be fun, Josh, trust me,” Greg said, his tone filled with conviction as he
curled his fingers around Josh’s to help him.
“Yeah, a week
with the lovebirds. I can’t wait,” Josh replied teasingly, easing himself to
the edge of the seat and then standing up when he felt the ground beneath him.
“Don’t forget, just ’cause I can’t see, don’t mean I can’t hear the two of you
sucking each other’s faces off. So try to keep the smooching down to a
minimum.”
“Very funny,”
Mario scoffed as he hauled their cases out of the truck bed. “’Cause it was so
much fun spending most of college listening to you pant and groan your way
through half of the football team.”
Chuckling and
stretching his arms over his head to loosen his muscles after the long drive,
Josh groaned as his knees popped. Being almost six and a half feet in his socks
did not make for comfortable long journeys in the back seat. Considering
neither Greg nor Mario were over six feet, it was a mystery to Josh as to why
he didn’t get to ride shotgun—other than Mario’s need to constantly check his
hair in the mirror. He shook his head at Mario’s tease and countered with one
of his own. “Yeah, but at least you got to watch too. I can’t even sneak a peek
now.”
“There is so
much wrong with that statement that I ain’t going anywhere near it,” Greg said
with disdain. Josh grinned widely as Greg cupped his elbow and gently guided
him along the dirt path. The gift of sight was not exactly necessary to “see”
the expression on Greg’s face; it was there in his tone. He only hoped his
smile was convincing as Greg added, “This is going to be great. A week camping
in the woods of Virginia with my two favorite guys. And it’ll be good for you,
Josh. You’re out of that damned apartment. That’s all that matters.”
The three of
them fell silent as they walked across the uneven ground, and Josh knew his
friends were thinking about the accident. Not that he remembered much about the
early days, what with him being in a coma. But he remembered waking up in the
darkness and calling Alec’s name. Josh’s accident eight months ago had changed
their lives irrevocably. His recovery had been long and arduous, with Greg and
Mario beside him every step of the way.
Always an avid
sportsman, Josh had been talked into trying some white water rafting by his
boyfriend, Alec. Eager to accept any challenge that was tossed at him, Josh had
thrown himself into it just like he did everything, with gusto and complete
commitment. His first two runs down the rapids were a success. Josh had never
felt more alive in his entire life, the adrenaline coursing through his body
giving him a rush like nothing he had experienced before.
Alec, however,
after a few beers, had managed to talk Josh into having another try, in the dark
no less. The two men had taken the kayaks out, and Josh had hit a rock before
they even got to the rapids, tipping his kayak over and him out into the
swirling water. He’d hit his head, and Alec had made his way back to the
rafting station screaming for help with an unconscious Josh draped over the
front of Alec’s kayak. When Josh had woken up forty-eight hours later, it
became apparent that the damage was permanent. He was blind and Alec was gone.
Alec’s loss was
the worst part: waking up in total darkness to find the one person who was
supposed to love you unconditionally… didn’t, and that he wasn’t prepared to
spend his life with damaged goods. He’d been grateful for Mario’s arms, holding
him tight on those dark nights when he’d cried himself to sleep, but it wasn’t
the same. He’d wanted Alec. He’d even fooled himself into believing if he
worked really hard and showed Alec how well he’d adapted to the dark, then Alec
would be able to adapt as well. He could show him he wasn’t an invalid, that he
didn’t need to be cared for 24/7, that things could go back to the way they
were… before. But not even he could defend the unreturned phone calls or the
key to his apartment pushed through the mailbox.
Of course, Mario
and Greg were worried about him. He wasn’t stupid. It was true that, in his
effort to show Alec he could cope, Josh had adapted to his disability a lot
quicker than anyone had anticipated—including Josh. But when he’d realized Alec
wasn’t coming back, Josh had shut himself off emotionally, erected walls, and
apart from the people he already knew, wouldn’t let anyone else in. Josh knew
what this weekend was about. Mario and Greg were hoping he would finally meet
some new people and unwind a little.
Greg had found
the camp on the Internet. It was a weekend retreat in Virginia where the
partially sighted or blind could come and commune with nature. There were
specially constructed trails through the woods, with ropes and fences, to allow
the clients to feel that they could do just as much as everyone else. There
were even horse trails, which had made Josh’s ears prick up. He hadn’t been on
a horse for years and was quite excited by the prospect. Mario and Greg had
come with him because he had to have a sighted partner, and they thought they
could make a mini vacation of it. Josh knew Mario was just glad he would be out
of the apartment and have the opportunity to meet people dealing with the same
issues as him. If he made some new friends along the way, even better.
“Good morning,
gentlemen,” a woman’s voice said brightly when the door swung shut behind them.
“I’m Maggie, welcome to Camp Crystal Lake.”
“Maggie!”
Josh tilted his
head toward the sound of the other voice. He felt something warm unfurl in his
belly as he let the tone and timbre wash over him. Josh had always thought it
was an old wives’ tale, you know, the old saying that when you lose one of your
senses, the others become heightened to compensate—but it was true. Scents, the
way something felt beneath his fingertips, and how things tasted had all
changed for him—and sounds? They had seemed to develop a vivid energy all their
own. And the voice he had just heard? That voice sounded like the slow burn of
whiskey rolling across his tongue and sliding down his throat before the warmth
of it settled in his stomach and expanded in his chest.
“Sorry, guys,
she thinks she’s funny,” the voice said, the soft rumble of a chuckle evident
to even those without heightened senses. “Welcome to Camp Aisling. You must be
Greg, Mario, and Josh. I’m Charlie Cooper, owner and founder of the camp.”
“Nice to meet
you, Charlie.” Josh listened as Mario introduced them. In his mind’s eye, he
could see Mario shaking the man’s hand. “I’m Mario Tavella, this is my partner,
Greg Watts, and this great big waste of space is Josh Donald.”
“You’ll have to
forgive Mario, Charlie,” Greg said, and Josh could hear the chuckle in his
voice. “We don’t usually get him out on more than a day pass.”
Charlie’s
laughter was rich and deep, sending a wave of warmth flooding through Josh’s
belly. “He should get on real well with Maggie, then. So… Josh? Welcome. I hope
you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m sure it’ll
be a blast,” Josh drawled, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what
I’m looking forward to more, listening to these two smooch all week, or seeing
how long it takes me to fall down a ravine and break my neck.”
“Josh!” Mario
reprimanded.
“That’s okay,”
Charlie replied, obviously unfazed by the sarcasm in Josh’s voice. “I can
assure you, Josh, in the five years since we opened, we’ve never lost a camper.
In fact, the worst we’ve had to deal with is a few cases of poison ivy and some
bee stings. So if you do take a swan dive into a ravine, it’ll be because you
were too stupid to follow the guide’s instructions, or… you were pushed.”
“Oh, I like
you,” Mario said, nudging Josh’s shoulder with his own.
Josh felt the
flush of warmth in his cheeks, but it wasn’t embarrassment. He was impressed.
Not everyone knew how to take his sense of humor, and far too many people
pussyfooted around the “poor blind boy.” Finding someone who quite clearly gave
as good as he got was refreshing.
“If you
gentlemen wouldn’t mind filling in the registration form,” Maggie said, her
voice breaking into the slightly pregnant pause. “Then we can get you set up in
your cabin before the welcome meeting at the main house.”
“I can do that,”
Mario replied, and Josh listened to his footsteps on the wooden boards as he
walked away.
“Greg?” Josh
lifted his hand, and Greg gripped his fingers. “What do you see?”
Greg placed
Josh’s hand on his elbow and led him across the room. “Well, it’s what you’d
imagine a camp reception area to look like. It’s a wooden cabin. I don’t know
what wood it’s made out of, but it’s like this burnt orange color, and you can
see the knots in the wood, here….” Greg placed Josh’s hand against the wall so
he could feel the shape and texture of the grain.
“What else?”
Josh prodded as he felt the cool wood, its texture roughened by years of wear.
“There are
pictures all around the walls. Beautiful photographs of the woods and the lakes
around here. There are also some photographs of the reception cabin, with
Maggie and Charlie and someone else standing outside, huge smiles on their
faces. Plus there are dozens of what must be campers, doing all the nature
trails and the pony-trekking and swimming on the lake—ranging from kids to
adults, to even the elderly, Josh. This place is really cool. You’re gonna love
it, man.” Greg pulled Josh’s head toward him and kissed his cheek softly. “It’s
perfect… exactly what you need.”
Josh’s lips
curved into a smile, and he patted Greg gently on the cheek. “You are such a
sap, dude, it’s embarrassing.”
“Okay, guys,
that’s it,” Maggie said, and Josh heard the rustling of papers. “You’re in
cabin seven. It’s about five hundred yards into the woods, but it’s all
signposted for both the seeing and the nonseeing.” She opened and closed a
drawer. “Here’s the welcome pack. It’s your lifeline for this week. There are
instructions in Braille too, of course, and there are also three pagers inside,
which we ask you to wear at all times. They are for your protection if you do
happen to get lost from your group at any time. All you have to do is hit 911,
stay where you are, and someone will find you. Anything else you wanted to add,
boss?”
“I think you’ve
pretty much covered everything,” Charlie countered, his voice sending another
shiver down Josh’s spine. “The first introduction meeting is at three. There
are ten campers this week, along with their partners, and we’re going to get
together and go through the rules and the events for the week. Then there’s a
barbecue and a good old-fashioned sit around the campfire so everyone can get
to know each other. You’ll also meet the other guides. Here are your keys, so
if you want to go get settled in, we’ll see you at the main house at three.”
“Thanks,
Charlie, Maggie,” Greg said, curling his fingers around Josh’s elbow. “We’ll
see you later.”
MAGGIE watched
the three men leave, closed the door behind them, and then cleared her throat
loudly. She grinned widely as Charlie rolled his eyes and mumbled beneath his
breath. Not that she expected anything less. “Hello tall, dark, and muscles,”
she murmured, her gaze narrowing as she carefully studied Charlie’s face for
any changes in his expression. Of course, there were none. Charlie was far too
adept at schooling his features, despite what might be going on behind those
beautiful green eyes.
Charlie
shrugged. “Didn’t notice. The light’s not too good in here today.” He
completely ignored Maggie’s heartfelt raspberry and pushed his sunglasses
farther onto the bridge of his nose. “Don’t.” His voice held a note of warning.
“Don’t what?”
she asked innocently.
“You know what,”
Charlie replied. “Just don’t, okay? The guy’s come here for a week to relax and
meet new people, not for you to measure him up for his wedding suit. You did
the same to me when we first met.”
Maggie scoffed
and lifted her hand to pat Charlie on the cheek. “True, but only for the first
five minutes until I realized I had far too much breastage for you. Besides, my
boobs would be a problem for him too. Your equipment would be much more to his
liking.”
“Jesus. I am not
discussing my equipment with you, and I repeat… don’t, you matchmaking midget.
I’m happy on my own,” Charlie said firmly, and Maggie sighed heavily. “It’s
better that way.”
“Charlie,” she
soothed, hugging herself into his side. “Not every man is like Brian.” She
immediately regretted the words when she felt her friend stiffen against her.
“Charlie, you have to trust someone sometime.” Maggie’s stomach knotted with
the undeniable urge to beat the crap out of the man who’d left Charlie broken
and alone.
“Well, as
uplifting as your pep talks on my pathetic existence are, I have some work to
do at the house before the meeting,” Charlie said, effectively terminating the
conversation, and Maggie knew when she should leave well enough alone… for now.
He dropped a light kiss on the top of her head, his way of letting her know he
wasn’t mad… not really… at least not at her.
Maggie studied
him from beneath lowered lashes as he slid his arms into his jacket. “It’s a
good thing I love you so damn much, otherwise I’d be tempted to beat some sense
into that stubborn head of yours. That gorgeous guy who was in here was just
about perfect for you, but you won’t even allow yourself to see it.”
Charlie snatched
up his keys from off the counter, then unfolded the white stick he had pulled
from his jacket pocket, and said, his tone flat as he walked to the door,
“Well, I tend to see less and less these days.”
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