Peach Tree Family (Gay Romance) E-Book

Trina Solet

• Herausgeber: Trina Solet
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Running away from his oppressive home town, the last thing Seth wants is to end up in another small town, but he's about to find out that Peach Tree is different.
At the end of his rope, hungry and out of money, Seth comes across a house that's been abandoned for years. It doesn't stay that way.
Theo and his little brother, Ace, need a home, and they show up to claim their inheritance, the house outside of Peach Tree.
The three newcomers grudgingly share the shelter they found. But as different as they are, Seth and Theo have a lot in common, mostly their dire circumstances. They lean on each other and try to fight a growing attraction.
Theo has doubts about Seth since he has never been with anyone else. That doesn't mean he can resist the sweet hunk.
Seth doesn't have a lot of confidence, but he is sure of one thing -- Theo is the only one he wants. He just has to convince Theo to let his guard down and listen to his heart.

Leseprobe

Peach Tree Family (Gay Romance) By Trina Solet

Copyright © 2020 by Trina Solet

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locales or actual events is entirely coincidental.

All sexual activity takes place between persons eighteen years of age or older.

This novel contains material intended for mature readers.

Cover image is only for illustrative purposes. Any person depicted is a model.

Peach Tree Family

Gay Romance

Trina Solet

Chapter 1

Shifting his duffel bag from shoulder to shoulder, Seth walked on the side of the road and watched his shadow get longer. At every step the damp and the chill reached deeper inside him. He was tired, cold, hungry and thirsty, but there was no place for him to stop, just bare trees and underbrush on one side and empty fields on the other. He had seen a sign for a town called Peach Tree, but he couldn't see anything except a hill up ahead.

Even if he reached the town before night fell, he had no hope of sleeping indoors. Not with the little money he had on him. The nagging of his empty stomach told him to save what little money he had for food.

While he was trying to figure out what to do, he noticed that some people in passing cars were eying him and not in a friendly way. The next car might be a sheriff looking to hassle him. Seth moved off the side of the road and started making his way through the wooded area and tried his best not to get lost.

As tired as he was, it wasn't easy keeping his mind clear. After days of walking, he had run out of food, his feet hurt and his head was pounding. He was almost desperate enough to hitchhike but never stuck his thumb out. People still offered him rides a few times, but every time someone stopped for him, he got a bad vibe and just kept walking.

He wouldn't be much better off dragging himself through these woods once it got dark. Going around a thick tangle of bushes had taken him away from the road. That was a good way to get lost and it was likely to rain too.

Looking up at the gray sky and listening for the noise of cars, Seth hit a deep puddle on his next step. As both his feet sank in, cold water flooded his shoes and he cursed. Dead leaves covered the puddle so he couldn't tell it was there. Now he had two sopping wet sneakers and his jeans had soaked up water too.

Like he needed to be sloshing around in wet shoes in this cold weather. Looking for someplace to sit and take his shoes off, maybe get some of the rainwater out, Seth glimpsed a little bit of a roofline and a chimney. A few steps later he could see a porch and a boarded up window. By the look of it, the house wasn't a wreck but no one was living there. The front door had a padlock on it. A No Trespassing sign was posted on the door.

He might be able to get inside, and if not, he could at least huddle up on the porch, that way if it rained tonight he wouldn't be out there with no shelter.

Maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all.

***

"Are we hobos, Theo?" Ace asked as they left the roadside and started making their way through the woods.

"No. And we aren't homeless. We have a house. We just have to get there," Theo told his little brother as he picked the safest path for them to follow. As they set out on this trip, one of Theo's friends had joked that they were going to be hobos, now Ace was fixated on the idea.

"I don't see a house," Ace said. He hadn't been doubting Theo this much when they were on the bus, but he had only just turned seven. After being on one bus or another for most of the day, they were hiking through dry brush among bare trees in the bitter cold and the little guy's spirits were flagging.

"The house is out here. We just can't see it yet." Theo scanned the ground to make sure they didn't fall in or get tripped up. At the same time, he peered ahead of them, telling himself they couldn't see the house because of the trees and brush. But most of the branches were bare. They should have seen the house already.

It was late in the afternoon, and it had been cloudy all day making for cold and clammy weather. If they didn't find the old place before they lost the light, Theo didn't know what they would do.

Camping out in the brush in this weather would be miserable even if he was alone, but it was out of the question for his little brother to spend a cold, winter night outdoors. Ace was twelve years his junior, and Theo was now finally taking full responsibility for him, taking over from their aunt. But Ace had been scared about where they would live ever since their aunt said she never wanted to see them again and they could go live on the streets for all she cared.

That was the first time Ace had asked, "Are we homeless?"

The truth was that they were. Since he turned eighteen, Theo had been staying with different friends. He wasn't ready to take care of Ace yet, but he couldn't tell him that. He clutched at the only straw they had, and he put some steel in his voice as he told Ace. "We're not homeless. You know our dad left us that house in Peach Tree. Our own house. Doesn't that sound good?"

Theo felt like that was a lie he was trying to turn into the truth, but he had a tiny hope that maybe it wasn't. Maybe the house wasn't in bad shape and they could live there. At least it would take them far away from their aunt's boyfriend and his threats.

While Theo was considering what to do if they didn't find the house soon, Ace pointed up ahead. "Theo, Theo, Theo! I see a house!"

In his excitement, he was ready to run closer, but Theo grabbed the backpack Ace was carrying and stopped him. "You know I have to check it out first," Theo reminded him. Ace already knew the plan but he wasn't so good at following directions when curiosity got the better of him.

They made a slow approach and saw a one-story house with a porch and its windows boarded up. Everything was silent and still except for the two of them and their footsteps. There was no sign that anyone else was around.

As they circled the house, Theo saw the most likely place to get them inside. They didn't have a key, but they did have every right to be there even if Theo had to break in.

Next he picked a hiding spot for Ace. That's where he would wait with all their stuff.

Setting down the huge rucksack he carried, Theo went over the plan one more time. "Here's the phone. You stay here, and I go in and check the place out. If I'm not out every five minutes to wave at you from the side door, you call 911."

"I know, but..." Ace had already made the argument that he should go in to back him up, and Theo didn't need to hear it again.

"No, you can't go with me. I need backup out here, not in there. Now let's do this." He put out his hand for a fist bump.

Ace nodded and bumped his fist. "I'm ready." He was also scared, but this was the best plan Theo had.

He rubbed the baseball cap on top of his little brother's head and moved off as quietly and as cautiously as he could. In his hand, he had a heavy flashlight. If he had to, he could use it as a weapon.

The front door was padlocked and all the windows big enough to climb through were boarded up. The weak spot was a side door that also had a padlock on it, but the padlock was broken.

Going closer, Theo pushed the door open just a crack then stopped. Before opening the door any further, Theo looked in and saw a disused kitchen. He shone the flashlight inside and saw no sign of anyone using the place.

Ready to go in now, Theo took a deep breath and waved at Ace. A small hand went up to wave then gave a thumbs up. That made Theo smile even as his heart raced.

He gave the door a firm push. When it creaked, he stopped. He waited and listened. Nothing.

He went into the kitchen where the fridge stood open as did some of the drawers and cabinets. After a quick glance, Theo went through then stopped in the doorway to the living room. He held his breath.

Unlike the kitchen, the living room wasn't empty. There was a guy in there. Sleeping on the floor, the guy was covered with layers of clothes, resting his head on a duffel bag. He had dark hair and looked like he was about Theo's age or a little older, his early twenties maybe.

Theo gripped his flashlight tighter. He hadn't turned it on, but he noticed there was some light anyway. It came through a row of three narrow, horizontal windows that hadn't been boarded up probably because no one could have climbed in through there.

Theo wasn't sure how long he stood there frozen, figuring out what do about this guy, when he remembered he had to wave at Ace. Turning to go back out through the kitchen, he forgot about the open cabinet doors. His jacket caught on one of them and it slammed shut.

The noise was too loud to be ignored. Theo turned just in time to see the guy jump awake. Breathing hard, he looked around. He spotted Theo and narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" he asked as he cast his eyes around like he wanted to know if Theo was alone.

Theo knew he had to stand his ground. He squared his shoulders and stood in the kitchen doorway. "You're going to need to clear out," he said, making sure to keep his voice steady and strong.

"I don't want any trouble," the guy said as he stared at Theo and tried to get his breathing under control.

"Then you shouldn't have trespassed on my property," Theo told him evenly.

The guy scoffed. "No one lives here."

"That doesn't make it free for the taking," Theo informed him. "I'm here to check the house and make sure no one is spreading their trash all over the place."

"That's not trash. That's my stuff," the guy said angrily. He was about to get up, but seeing Theo tense, he stopped and leaned back against his duffel bag. "I don't want any trouble. I just need someplace to stay the night."

As Theo gave him a hard-eyed glare, the guy stayed on the floor like he was staking his claim to it. He had angular features and a good body. His dark blue eyes were sharp, but for just a second shifted to an uncertain look, like he couldn't take a proper measure of Theo. That was fine by Theo since he had to bluff his way through if he wanted to get rid of this guy.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable, but you're going to have to pack up and leave if you don't want me to call Sheriff Jackson." Theo dropped the sheriff's name and hoped that would make his threat more convincing. The truth was he couldn't afford to get the sheriff involved. His aunt still had legal custody of Ace. Theo planned to change that and this house was a key part of his plan. He wasn't about to let this interloper mess things up for him.

But just as the other guy's shoulders slumped and he sighed like he was about to give up, Ace rushed into the room.

"Ace!" Theo snapped at him.

"It's raining and I heard a noise and you didn't come out, and then I came over and heard you talking in here," Ace said rapid-fire, piling on excuses one on top of the other. Then he looked over at the guy sitting on the floor. "Is that a hobo?"

"Hobo?" the guy said. He was a little unkempt, but he didn't look like someone who had been living rough for long.

"He was just leaving," Theo told him and took his phone from Ace.

"Was he sleeping here, Theo?" Ace asked.

"He was, but he's not any more." Theo tried for a sound of finality, but he knew he had lost a lot of ground with Ace running in like that.

"I'm just crashing here for the night, just passing through," the guy said to answer Ace and to assert that he was staying.

"You are trespassing on private property. You need to leave," Theo told him.

"I should just go on your say-so?" the guy said. "You don't own this place any more than I do."

They were staring each other down, but Ace had his say too. "We do too. This is our house."

"Ace, you need to be quiet," Theo told him, but Ace was distracted by staring at the intruder.

"Look, Theo. Look at all his stuff. He's homeless. Can we let him stay? Can we?"

"I'm not homeless, just moving for work. My name is Seth," the intruder said with a grin.

"Don't talk to him," Theo warned the guy. "Get your stuff together and go."

"So what are the chances you're gonna call the sheriff on me?" Seth challenged him and eyed the phone pointedly, the phone Theo didn't have until Ace came in.

Theo didn't answer which was the same as admitting that the guy was right.

"All I want is to crash here until morning. I'll stay out of your way," Seth said.

"Is there room for everybody?" Ace asked, distracting Theo from trying to figure out how to get rid of this guy. "If there's room, he can stay here too and not have to sleep outside. It's cold and raining."

"It's only drizzling," Theo said.

"Theo, he doesn't even have pants on," Ace said and he pointed at a pair of jeans that were hanging from a nail on the wall.

"I have pants on. I just took those off because they got wet from the puddle." Seth uncovered his legs to prove it. He was wearing jeans and a beat up brown, leather jacket, but had covered himself with another jacket and some sweatshirts and a sweater. He had no shoes on though. "I stepped into a puddle. It was covered with leaves, and I didn't see it. My sneakers got wet too. They're drying over there."

"Theo, he can't go outside in wet sneakers," Ace pleaded.

"He can go, or I can call the sheriff and have her sort it out," Theo threatened.

"Her?" Seth said.

"Sheriff Sheila Jackson," Theo told him, but Ace was still pleading the guy's case.

"No, Theo, don't call the sheriff on him."

"I won't if he leaves," Theo told him, but didn't take his eyes off the intruder.

"You're bluffing," Seth said.

"Are you, Theo?" Ace wanted to know, and the guy let out a quick laugh until Theo glared at him.

"What if he's armed?" Theo asked Ace to make him realized that this was serious.

Seth frowned and looked taken aback, almost offended. "I ain't armed. I just want to get some sleep."

Theo was about to tell him to leave again when Ace pointed toward three sets of doors in the back. "What's over there?"

The guy told him about it. "There's a bathroom that's best avoided altogether. Two bedrooms with nothing in them. One has a broken window with boards over it."

"Are we sleeping in there?" Ace asked, giving away that they would be staying in the house and weren't just there to check it like Theo claimed.

"I don't know yet," Theo told him. First he had to get rid of this guy.

"I'm Ace. This is my brother, Theo," Ace said while peering around at a short hallway where the front door was.

"Nice to meet you, Ace. Theo," Seth said and raised an eyebrow at Theo's scowl.

"You really need to leave," Theo told him, but Ace just kept advocating for the guy.

"He already fell in a puddle. We have to help him."

"Ace. How about you let me handle this," Theo told him.

"OK. Can I look over there?" Ace asked and tried to go toward the back.

"No," Theo told him sharply and held onto his arm.

"Those two rooms don't have any light," Seth said in a much kinder voice. "We can all just stay out here. Me on this side. You guys..."

Theo didn't let him finish. "This is our house. You don't get to invite yourself to any part of it."

"I was just suggesting a solution," Seth said.

Theo took a deep breath. He had no way of making him leave. He couldn't call the sheriff unless he wanted to bring trouble to himself. He had no cards to play. "You're gone in the morning," Theo said, capitulating.

Ace was happy and Seth looked relieved. Theo was far from happy. He couldn't believe the position he found himself in. He hoped this wasn't an indication of the kind of luck he could expect.

Resigned to their unwelcome guest, Theo now took a good look at the living room. It was sizable with a fireplace in the center of one wall. Under the narrow windows there was a built in bookshelf. Theo could picture it lined with all of his grandfather's books, but there wasn't even one book left there now.

"Let's go look at those rooms," Theo said and Ace came along eagerly.

It was like Seth said. Theo had to use a flashlight to have a look at two empty rooms that had to be bedrooms. In one bedroom, the window was broken and boarded up tight. So far they only came across old signs of people crashing there. Unfortunately, the bathroom was so dirty it was unusable.

They would have to relieve themselves outdoors and sleep in the living room, sharing the space with a stranger. Of course Theo had no intention of closing his eyes even for a moment, much less sleeping. He just wished he had gotten some sleep on the bus.

He and Ace got their stuff from outside, and Theo got out the peanut butter switches he packed and a juice box for Ace.

"What if Seth is hungry?" Ace asked.

"I'm all right," Seth said but Theo didn't believe him. He noticed the corners of his mouth turn down miserably. The guy was hungry.

"We can spare a few of these," Theo told him as he got out two packages of crackers sandwiched with orange cheese and threw them to Seth.

Catching them, Seth thanked him then ate them slowly like he wanted to make them last. He had an old, banged up thermos and drank from it. "Just water," he said to Ace who did look like he was wondering what was in there.

"I thought it was hot chocolate," Ace admitted.

"You can put other things in a thermos, not just hot chocolate," Theo told him, but Ace clearly thought that was wrong.

It was getting dark now, and Theo switched on the camping lantern he had brought with them. Ace was warm in his sleeping bag, so Theo turned his attention to Seth. "How did you get here? Hitched?"

"No. It's dangerous," Ace objected before Seth could answer.

"I didn't hitch," Seth told him. "I got a ride from this lady I know who sells at the farmer's market then I walked. I only stumbled on this place by accident. And the padlock was already broken. I didn't do that."

Theo didn't know why, but he actually believed him.

Ace shared with him his version of how they got there. "We walked a long, long way through a forest."

"We just walked from the bus stop up the road," Theo said.

"I cut across this way to get off the road. I was getting some funny looks," Seth said. "When I saw the house, it looked abandoned so I...?

"It's not abandoned. It's our house," Ace said.

"Time for you to go to sleep," Theo told him.

As Theo was getting him settled in his sleeping bag, Ace complained, "I have a sleeping bag, but no one else has a sleeping bag."

"That's OK, You're a kid," Theo told him but Ace still wasn't happy.

"It's not fair."

Theo eyed Seth and warned him, "You'll need to stick to that side of the room, and I don't want to see you up for any reason."

"I'll stay put," Seth told him. He only looked a little offended, but also like he understood.

"The light stays on," Theo said, and he turned down the camping lantern to make sure it lasted.

"It won't keep me up," Seth said and that turned out to be the truth. He was asleep almost as fast as Ace. That left Theo to watch over Ace and watch Seth.

Alert for even a hint of trouble from him, Theo did his best not to see any beauty in the sleeping man, not to admire the angular lines of his face or to wonder what it would be like to kiss his mouth.

Chapter 2

Seth woke up with a grunt, feeling the hard floor under him. He was cold and stiff and the brothers were nowhere to be seen. He blinked remembering those serious eyes of the older brother and the way his voice softened any time he spoke to his little brother.

When it came to Seth, Theo was watchful, ready at every second to deal with him if he should step out of line or try to pull anything. Seth tried not to take it personally. Theo did have a little brother to look out for. He had to think of Ace and protect him.

Seth would have been the same way if he had a little brother or sister of his own. Seeing the bond between the brothers gave Seth a pang of envy. He didn't have anything like that in his life. No one was left for him back home, and he might never find anyone who would care about him in that way.

As he got himself off the floor, Seth heard the brothers outside. For the most part it was Ace he heard. Theo only said a few words now and then.

After packing all the extra clothes into the duffel bag, Seth got his sneakers on. They weren't dry all the way, but there was no helping that.

Going outside through the kitchen door, he looked around. He could hear Theo and Ace, but still couldn't see them. They were somewhere in front of the house.

By the look of it, it was pretty early. The sun was still low. The air was cold and there was a lot of mist between the bare trees.

Rounding the corner, Seth saw Ace on the porch. He was saying. "I can test them out. I'll jump on them."

"No," Theo said sharply. "You'll fall through and get hurt. Get off that porch."

"I wasn't gonna fall in," Ace whined then he saw Seth. "Seth is up!"

"Good morning," Seth said as he and Theo eyed each other. The tension from yesterday was still there. Theo probably just wanted him to leave already.

Ace was friendlier though. "You have to go in the bushes. The bathroom is no good."

"Yeah. I'll just..." Seth pointed his thumb then went off and watered a bare bush then went back to where the guys were poking around and checking out the outside of the house. Ace was leaning down to look under the porch, and Theo was tapping the posts like he wanted to see if they were solid.

Seth noticed that Theo had on a backpack, but not the big camping one from before. That was still inside, in a corner of the living room.

"Are you guys heading out?" Seth asked.

Theo looked at him over his shoulder, but Ace jumped in to answer. "We're going on an expedition!"

"We need to find the well that's somewhere on this property," Theo explained.

Ace jumped in again. "Then we can flush the toilet."

"After all this time, that might be all the well water is good for," Theo said, but they didn't go off just yet. Theo led the way inside and into the kitchen.

He had a galvanized bucked that he handed to Ace and also a collapsible bucket. "I found this pot we can fill too," he said and hefted a huge enameled pot.

"If you want some help, I can take the pot," Seth offered and then noticed Ace frowning up at him.

"Did you have breakfast?" Ace asked. Seth didn't answer right away, and from that Ace knew the answer. Shaking his head, he turned to his big brother. "No breakfast."

"I'm good," Seth told him. "Don't worry about me."

"If you're helping, we can at least feed you," Theo said and got out two breakfast bars. "Strawberry OK?"

"You don't have to," Seth was saying, but Theo was already pushing the bars into his hand.

"Strawberry isn't bad, but peanut butter is better," Ace said.

"Alright, thank you," Seth said but he didn't start eating yet. "Do you have enough?" He looked over at Ace.

"We're going into town afterward. We'll do some shopping," Theo said curtly.

"I'll be going too," Seth said, not that he could stay behind.

"You said you were moving for work?" Theo said as they set off with Ace a few steps ahead of them.

"Wherever I find a job, that's where I'll stay. The only thing keeping me back home was my grandpa, and he passed." Seth thought about the old man and his long silences and empty eyes. "Small town life just isn't for me."

"So you'll go right past Peach Tree? It is a small town," Theo said and he sounded like he wouldn't regret never seeing him again.

"I won't turn down work wherever I find it," Seth said. "I don't want to end up right back in the same kind of place I started from, but work is work. Can't afford to be picky."

"I'm looking for a job too. So you'll have some competition," Theo warned him.

They had covered the area north of the house without finding anything, and now they were going a little more east. Ace was always trying to rush ahead, but Theo didn't let him go too far.

"Ace, you stay where I can see you and watch where you're going," he told his little brother. "A well is a hole in the ground, the last thing we need is you falling in."

"I won't fall in," Ace said automatically.

"You know Seth fell into a puddle."

"Yes, please remind me. It's not like my shoes are all the way dry. And I didn't fall in. I stepped in," Seth corrected Theo. "I was real graceful about it. Like a ballerina."

That made Ace laugh, but Theo didn't even crack a smile.

It turned out the well wasn't that easy to fall into. There was a stone wall around it, and it was covered with a manhole cover that had a large stone placed on top of it.

"We have to work to uncover it and we still don't know if there's any water there," Theo said as they approached.

"Only one way to find out," Seth said and he tried to get the stone off by himself, like he wanted to show off or something.

"I want to do it," Ace said and tried to help Seth lift it.

"Pick one more your size," Theo told him and took his place helping Seth. It took both of them to get the stone off.

They lifted up the cover and Theo shined a flashlight down.

"All right, we have water. Now let's see how clean it is." Theo opened up his backpack.

"And you have rope too," Seth said seeing him getting it out and tying it to the handle of the galvanized bucket.

"How else would we lower the bucket down there?" Theo dropped the bucket down and brought it up mostly full.

"It looks clean," Ace said.

"Looks can be deceiving, but it's good enough to flush with," Theo decided and he transferred the water to the collapsible bucket. He lowered the empty bucket back down into the well. "That pot is going to be heavy when it's full of water." Theo sounded like he doubted that Seth could carry it.

Seth stood up a little straighter. "I can manage."

Using the galvanized bucket, they filled up the big pot, covered the well again and then headed back. Ace wasn't happy that Theo didn't let him carry either bucket now that they were full. Seth carried the pot balanced on one shoulder and did his best to make it look easy.

But why was he showing off? Hell if he knew, but he didn't want Theo thinking he was anything but plenty strong. He might not be as sure of himself as Theo, but at least Seth had a little more muscle on him.

Not that Seth was measuring himself against him, but he did find Theo a little intimidating, maybe because he seemed to know what he was doing and how to go about it. Next to him, Seth felt like something that got cast aside, his only aim any job that would keep him fed, any place that wasn't where he came from.

"It is too heavy," Theo said while frowning at him. "Let me have a turn."

"No. I got it. I was just thinking heavy thoughts." Seth gave him a lopsided smile and Theo shook his head.

"Just don't spill it."

Theo had his hands full carrying both buckets and Ace was still pouting because he only got to carry the rope.

"I'm strong too," Ace said looking from Seth to Theo.

"Your big bro just wants to show off," Seth told him though he was the one who was doing that.

Ace still wasn't satisfied, so he kept flexing all the way back to the house. Once they got there, Theo put his buckets on the kitchen floor and helped Seth get the huge pot off his shoulder.

"Didn't want you to get drenched," Theo said, and Seth shivered when their arms crossed over each other.

"Now we flush?" Ace asked as they went into the bathroom.

"Everyone cross your fingers that it's not clogged," Theo said as he tipped a bucketful of water into the toilet.

By some miracle, it did flush.

"Yuck!" Ace said since the toilet was still filthy even after the second bucket of water went in.

"We have to do some serious cleaning in here," Theo said.

"When it's clean, we don't have to go in the bushes any more," Ace said.

"Right, we're one step closer to civilization," Theo told him and Seth saw him smile. The smile didn't last very long, but it was nice to see. But once again Theo turned serious and practical. "We don't have time to do anything about it. We need to go into town. You're going too, right?" Theo eyed Seth, but it wasn't much of a question. Seth got one night there, now he was out on his ass.

"I'm putting in the padlock before we leave. You want a breakfast bar?" Theo asked Ace.

"Peanut butter?"

"All right. Here you go," Theo said, but as soon as Ace got it, he turned to Seth.

"You want half?"

"He can have a whole one," Theo told him.

"No, I'm all right," Seth said since Theo wasn't having any.

"You get peanut butter since you helped us out," Theo told him and pushed one into his hand. "Thanks for your help with the water."

"I owed you for letting me stay here last night," Seth told him though he knew he hadn't given him much choice.

Theo looked like he didn't want to be reminded of that. "You snore," he told Seth.

"Theo, you snore too," Ace said.

"I didn't get a chance to last night," Theo told him as he went to the big backpack in the living room and got out a screwdriver, a padlock and two metal brackets. Seth couldn't believe he brought things like that with him. Then Theo went to the side door, and Seth and Ace went with him.

"This house belonged to our great-grandparents," Theo said. "Our granddad lived here for a little while. Now the house is ours. Unfortunately, the keys got lost."

Ace watched closely as his big brother screwed in the metal brackets. Seth was looking at Theo more than what he was doing. He was very focused but he looked dead tired too.

"You didn't really stay awake all night, did you?" Seth asked, but Theo only took his eyes off his work to glare at him. "Damn. Sorry about that. But I'll be moving on. I just need to grab my duffel bag, and I'm gone."

"Oh, no. Where are you going?" Ace asked.

"Looking for work. Next place where I'm going to try is Peach Tree," Seth told him.

"That's where we're going too," Ace told him.

Theo was standing in the doorway and screwing in the other bracket now, so Seth couldn't go in yet to get his bag. Then he watched as Theo tested the padlock. Now only someone very determined would be able to get in. Seth found that he was relieved to know the brothers would be a little bit safer here.

Going in, Seth picked up his bag and Theo looked at it disapprovingly and how one side of it was held together by duct tape. "You're going to look for work while carrying that?"

"I don't have much choice," Seth said and turned it around so the duct tape was less noticeable. "It's my grandpa's old bag. The only other bag was his big, blue suitcase or a trash bag."

Theo sighed. "You'll make a better impression without it. If you don't mind coming back for it, you can leave the bag here. As you see, I can lock up now."

Seth was so surprised at the offer he didn't answer right away. "Yeah. I can leave it," he finally said.

"Are we going together?" Ace asked looking between them eagerly.

"We're going to the same place, so we might as well," Theo said.

They went out and headed for the road with Theo showing Ace where the dirt driveway was. It was a little overgrown, but it wouldn't take much to clear it again. Picturing Theo having to do the work himself, Seth thought it was too bad he wouldn't be there to lend a hand. He didn't know why he was thinking that way.

For a while they walked along the road and Ace kept saying, "I don't see it." He couldn't catch sight of the town, but then something did come into view. "I see something," Ace announced.

It was two well-dressed men coming toward them, and Seth noticed that one of them walked with a limp. With them was a good size black and white collie.

"Look, a dog," Ace said excitedly.

"Just don't try to pet him," Theo warned him.

As they got closer, the dog barked but not in a way that was too unfriendly.

"Settle down, Huey," one of the men said to the dog.

"Huey? Is that his name?" Ace asked.

"It is," the man said. He looked like he was hiding plenty of muscle under his coat while the other guy was slimmer and looked kind of snobbish.

"I'm Ace," Ace said like he was introducing himself to the dog. "This is my brother, Theo, and that's our friend, Seth. He's a new friend."

"It's nice to meet you," the snobby guy said sounding all formal. "I'm Andy and this is Leo."

"Nice to meet you as well," Theo said sounding just as formal. "I hope you don't mind if I ask. Are you Andy Brighton, the owner of Stone Creek Inn?"

"I am," the guy named Andy said cautiously.

"I was doing some research about businesses in this area," Theo explained. "I came across your inn and saw some photos of you. And I know the new manager of the inn is Leo Copland." He looked at the guy named Leo, who confirmed he had it right.

"I am Leo Copeland."

"My brother and I just moved here and I'm looking for a job," Theo said.

"We do have an opening. We haven't had time to advertise for it yet. It's an entry level position and you would train on the job," Copeland said.

Theo nodded then looked at Seth. "He's looking for work as well."

"You can both apply. Ask to speak to Mrs. Tamil," Copeland told them.

"Some computer skills wouldn't hurt," Brighton threw in.

Seth didn't like the sound of that. Computers weren't his thing.

"Thank you," Theo said with a smile.

"It was good meeting you," Copeland said and they moved off.

"Wasn't that lucky," Seth said though he didn't think he stood much of a chance at that job.

"It was," Theo said. He had been very businesslike, but now he looked anxious like he wanted to rush off and apply for the job that very minute.

"It's funny that they were both out here walking together," Seth said, and Theo gave him a sharp, sideways look, but he didn't know why. It made him nervous so he just kept talking. "But meeting up with them wouldn't have done you much good if you didn't know who they were."

"You don't think I moved us here without doing some research," Theo said.

"Guess not," Seth said, not that research occurred to him even as a possibility. He figured he'd just keep moving until he found work and a place to live and that would be that.

"A job at Stone Creek Inn would be a really good fit," Theo said.

"You like hotel work or something?" Seth asked.

"It's not the work so much. It's the location. I can walk there from the house. I'm hoping twenty minutes tops. I just have to get Ace enrolled in school. That's within walking distance too."

Seth looked at him. It was like Theo was always planning, calculating. But Ace didn't like some of his plans.

"School," he grumbled.

It wasn't long before they reached Peach Tree Elementary School and Theo announced, "Let's get you enrolled."

"Nooo," Ace said as he dragged his feet then turned to Seth. "You coming too, Seth?"

"I'm finished with school, thank you very much." Seth was just going to wait for them, but Theo thought he was going on without them.

"Maybe we'll see you in town," Theo said, but Ace wouldn't leave it at that.

"Noooooo. You can't go."

"All right. I'll come with," Seth told him with a smile. He did it because Theo was too quick to think he was bailing on them.

Now Ace sidled up to Seth and whispered, "Tell them I'm a bad kid so they won't take me."

"No sabotage," Theo told him.

In the end the whole thing wasn't too painful and Ace would be starting the next day. Hearing the news, his frown was intense and he kicked some rocks once they got outside. But the town was already in sight, and Ace got excited again.

Seth wasn't. Another small town wasn't where he wanted to be, but as they walked on Main Street and had a look around, he was surprised. Peach Tree might have been a small town, but it was nothing like where he came from.

This place wasn't dead, far from it. Practically every storefront was taken and open for business. The people walking around seemed lively and some of them were nicely dressed, like people ready to spend money.

"Tourist season hasn't started yet. That's why it's so dead," Theo said. "Things pick up when the peach trees are in bloom."

Seth just stared at him. If this was dead, what did this place look like when business picked up?

"You must have visited here a lot," Seth said to Theo and Ace.

"I didn't," Ace said and he looked sad.

Theo gave his brother a small smile. "I did only a few times, and I don't remember the place well. That's why I did research."

"Right," Seth said. He had set out from home blindly, trusting luck though he never had any. All that he knew was that he had to get away from Waterfield before he ended up in jail or worse.

Not Theo. He knew what needed doing and he was ready and able to take care of it. But Seth did wonder how far that went. Theo was out here with only his brother, and he didn't call the sheriff on him when he should have. Seth was reminded of that as the sheriff's office came into view.

Seth didn't like the sight of the place as gut-twisting memories came back to him, but Theo didn't either. He pointedly stared straight ahead as they passed it.

But there were other things Seth noticed as he eyed him, like how his hair moved when he walked and how his eyes were hard like he was daring anyone to get in his way. If Seth had walked around with a look like that back in Waterfield, it would have invited so many beatings. That's why he schooled himself to walk with his head down, his expression neutral. The look in his eyes, his posture, everything about him saying only one thing – I'm not looking for any trouble.

Chapter 3

As they walked through Peach Tree, Seth was looking for Help Wanted signs but didn't see any yet. He knew Theo must be doing the same thing.

Ace was sightseeing, calling out different things he saw. He nudged Theo and pointed toward a boy he spotted just ahead of them. He was a few years older than Ace with a book bag on one shoulder. He was with a girl who was maybe a little younger than Seth and Theo.

"He's going to school," Ace said. He meant to whisper but his whispering was pretty loud.

"Yes, he is," the girl confirmed turning to eye each of them. "He's off to school with a bunch of his friends. There they are. Hurry it up." She pushed the boy and he went to join a girl and a boy the same age.

"You know if anyone around here is hiring?" Seth asked the girl.

"Right here," she said. She pointed her thumb at the Peach Tree Café, which was right on the corner then she practically dragged Seth through the door yelling, "Hey, Rico. I found Magda's replacement." As she shouted, heads turned and Seth was so embarrassed.

"Pipe down, Hannah," a good-looking young guy with dark hair and hazel eyes told her. He then looked at Seth. "It's only temporary, a few weeks maybe. You still want to apply?"

"What apply?" Hannah scoffed. "Mrs. Del Rio will take one look and he'll be hired."

"You're not wrong," the guy told her grudgingly. "But she's not here and I go by the book."

Hannah scoffed again.

The guy introduced himself as Enrico Del Rio and motioned Seth to an empty table in the back. "Go have a seat and we'll get you an application."

Seth looked behind him to see where Theo and Ace had got to. Ace was holding the café door open, but Theo was not coming in.

"It smells good in there," Ace said.

"We can't afford to eat out, remember," Theo told him.

"I'm Hannah, by the way. You two with him?" the girl asked and Ace nodded, but Theo didn't. "You better come in. Your friend is going to need moral support while Rico here grills him."

"Hey," Rico said then followed it up with a sigh. "But once again you're not wrong." He then turned to Ace. "This guy might need you to vouch for him. Can you give him a good reference? Is he a good guy?"

Ace was ready to vouch for him. "Seth is a good guy."

"All I needed to hear," Rico said. Seth introduced them and Rico led them all to the table. "Have a seat. I'll get the application for you to fill out."

"You should apply too, Theo," Seth said and Rico heard him.

"Two applications coming up."

He left them alone and then Hannah brought over the applications before she went to man the counter. Seth looked around and noticed that the walls had pictures of showgirls all over them.

"It smells too good in here, Theo," Ace said and Theo frowned. He must have felt bad that they couldn't afford to eat there.

The smell of food was waking up Seth's hunger too and not gently, it was giving it a good smacking around. If Theo hadn't given him food, he wouldn't have the presence of mind to read the application much less fill it out.

They were both looking over the papers when Rico brought over a stack of dollar pancakes for Ace and a glass of milk. "I already poured the maple syrup," Rico said. "In my experience kids cannot be trusted with a pitcher of syrup."

Ace looked at Theo helplessly.

"It's OK. We can manage it," Theo said with a smile though he didn't order it.

"It's on the house. We don't make people pay for food they didn't even order," Rico said then he walked away.

"Theo, is it charity?" Ace asked. He looked like he wouldn't be able to eat the pancakes if Theo told him it was.

"No. Rico is just being nice and we'll leave a good tip. A really good tip," Theo assured him.

Now Ace smiled and split the stack into three sections.

"What are you doing?" Theo asked him.

"Sharing," Ace said and pushed the plate toward them.

"Thanks, Ace, But I can't eat. I'm too nervous about filling this out," Seth told him.

Theo gave his own reason. "And I need to make sure not to get this application all sticky."

"But it's selfish," Ace complained.

"It's not. You'll owe me," Seth told him. "Next time you have some really good candy, you can give me some. I'm partial to the sour gummy worms."

Ace agreed and they got serious about filling out the forms.

"They don't really need to have a phone number, do they?" Seth asked. He was seeing way too many things he didn't have.

"You don't have a cell phone?" Theo said, surprised. "Put down mine."

"And your address too?" Seth asked as Theo had him copy off his form.

"I guess so," Theo said.

"And I'll put Ace down as my reference." Seth then lowered his voice. "I got no other references. That's gonna hurt me."

"They don't have to be local. What about from back in your home town?" Theo asked.

Seth shook his head. He could feel his chances of getting this job slipping away.

"A teacher, a pastor, a neighbor," Theo listed.

"Old Moira next door, but she's kind of senile." That was the only person Seth could think of who might say a decent thing about him.

"Put her down. It's better than nothing," Theo told him.

"My previous experience is crap all," Seth said under his breath.

"You must have done something to make money," Theo said while he finished up his own application with no pause or hesitation.

"Washed cars by the rest stop," Seth said.

"Was that a job?"

"Nah, I wasn't supposed to even do it. The sheriff was always chasing me off, and last time he took me in for it. Didn't bother charging me though."

"Damn. Put it down anyway. Car maintenance services, self employed," Theo instructed him. He told him to put down landscaping for pulling some weeds in Moira's garden for which he got paid half a lemon pound cake.

In the end, Seth knew who he'd give the job to and he probably had no shot at that inn. It wasn't his decision though. Rico sat across from them and asked them questions. Theo had better answers every time.

Then Rico explained the deal. "One of our best waitresses had to go out of town. Her sister had twins and an unexpected C section. Magda went to help her out, but we don't know for how long. She will definitely be back. Now I don't mean to rush you... Or maybe I do. One of our other servers called in that she's coming in late today. Which one of you can start right now?"

Seth and Theo looked at each other. Rico stepped away when a customer waved him over, and the two of them got a chance to talk it out.

"You should take it," Seth said. "You need a job right here. I can find work anywhere."

Theo thought for a minute. "No. I want to go and apply at the inn, and I can't do that if I'm stuck here. This one is temporary anyway."

"I have no shot at that other one if they want computer skills," Seth said and made the decision. "Alright, I'll take this and good luck at the inn."

"I need the luck. We have no running water or electricity, and right now I can't afford to have them turned on," Theo said and Hannah overheard him from over at the next table.

"Where are you living?" she wanted to know.

"You know where the Atkins house is?" Theo asked her.

"I do, but it's all boarded up," she said.

"It won't be for long," Theo told her and he put money down on the table.

"Don't leave that. The owners grandson treated you," Hannah told him.

"I'm setting a good example for my little brother," Theo told her.

"All right then," she said. "It's appreciated."

Theo turned to Seth now. "We'll be buying school supplies and some other things then I'll go to the inn."

"Good luck with that. I hope you get it," Theo told him and put out his hand for a handshake.

Theo didn't do the same right away, but when he did, Seth found that he was holding his breath. Theo's grip was firm, his fingers long, and Seth felt heat rising in him. Why? He didn't know. It was like the warmth of another hand in his had given him a sudden fever.

Then Ace wanted to shake hands with him too, and Seth was feeling alright again as he returned his smile. "Thanks for the reference."

Once they left, Seth gave Rico their decision. "Good to have you with us. The hiring is provisional. The owner, also known as my grandma, still has to approve it, but don't worry about that."

Seth did worry though, and he was sorry to see Theo and Ace go. He reminded himself that they still had his duffel bag at their house so it wasn't like he would never see them again.

There was no time for moping. He had to jump right in, learning the ropes. He bussed tables and helped with some supplies that arrived. If he had a free minute, he was given the menu to memorize plus what was and wasn't in all the dishes.

At lunchtime, he got to wait tables with Hannah looking over his shoulder. She got assigned to train him, and she let him have all the easy customers.

Then just as the lunch rush was winding down, an older woman came in and half the cafe waved and greeted her. She waved at them and threw kisses like she was a celebrity.

"That's the owner, Mrs. Del Rio. She'll give you the final thumbs up or thumbs down. If she doesn't like you..." Hannah made a cutting motion across her throat.

Seth knew his hiring was provisional, but he hoped to have a little more time to prove himself.

The tall, older lady with big, blond hair went around the place chatting up the customers then talked to Rico while eyeing Seth. She did smile, but Seth was still sweating bullets as he got called over to talk to her.

"There he is. Seth Brewer," Rico said then he left them to it.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Dahlia Del Rio. So you're living out at the Atkins place," Mrs. Del Rio said and Seth hated that he had to start off with a lie.

"I... I'm staying there. These two brothers, Theo and Ace, they were kind enough to put me up," Seth stammered though there was some truth in that.

"I remember that Mike Atkins had a grandson," she said and Seth figured that must have been Theo.

"Ace, the younger brother, is just a little kid. He's never been here before," Seth told her. "The brothers are here to stay. Theo already has his little brother enrolled in school."

"That's real nice. That's a fine old house. I had my eye on it," Mrs. Del Rio said.

"What for?" Hannah asked, eavesdropping again.

"As a short term rental," Mrs. Del Rio said.

"Ah, for the tourists," Hannah said.

"That's right," Mrs. Del Rio confirmed. "The Atkins house has got some sweet rustic charm, but it's better that it stays in the family. I'm sure Mike's grandsons will take good care of it."

"They still don't have water or power turned on," Hannah said.

"We got some water from a well this morning," Seth said.

"I see. I'm sure that will get sorted," Mrs. Del Rio said. Then she gave her approval for Seth being hired and went into the back.

"I knew she'd approve," Hannah said. "She would have scooped up Theo too if she had seen him."

"Scooped him up?"

"Because he's a hottie. Don't tell me you haven't noticed," Hannah said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"I... Uhh..." Seth didn't know what to say to that so he just went to refill some water glasses.