Rainbow Snippets*--More Squirrel Tales

It's been a slow writing week-- I think too much time was spent taking care of Peanut. He appeared to be using his back legs more, but we couldn't get a good feel for it since the "medi hutch" consisted of two bird cages that we wired together. But with a little elbow grease and some scrap lumber, the husband built a squirrel house and we crossed our fingers and released Peanut from his make-shift hospital. He's moved right in. He scampers up and down the tree, albeit with a slightly awkward gait. We take him treats and there's a water bowl on "the deck". He's quite pampered... 

...and happy!

This week's snippet is from Embers and Flame (book 1 of the Campfire Stories series). The setting is a campground where Ben stopped after having trouble with his motorcycle. He's spent the week with Cherry, the man camping in the next site, and the two have grown close. These are Ben's thoughts as he contemplates leaving:

The coffee was ready by the time I finished my chores, and I perched on the edge of the table after pouring myself a cup, studying the surroundings. I grasped at the moment and memorized everything as I admitted to myself that I hated leaving, not just the place, but the man I’d spent the last few days with.  Mom’s unexpected heart-attack and death had hit me hard and for a month, I’d scrutinized maps and read visitor’s guides, planning the two-week journey mile by mile, researching the best places to stop for the night and the places I wanted to explore. Time on my own would help center me again, I’d believed. Yet now, after this unforeseen delay, I almost dreaded it. Maybe it wasn’t time alone that I needed, but a companion to remind me that life went on.

Embers and Flame Blurb:

After an amicable breakup, Charles “Cherry” Andrews’ ex left him the couch, the bed, and the camping equipment. Replacing the noises of St. Louis with crickets and birdsong at his favorite campground feels like the perfect vacation. He’d hoped to prove to himself that he’s fine on his own, but instead of finding inner-peace, he’s simply bored. His evening becomes instantly more interesting when a gorgeous guy with a loud motorcycle pulls into the neighboring campsite. 
Ben Torres hopes that a cross-country motorcycle tour will help him find his own peace after his mother’s recent death, but a faulty tailpipe curtails his plans within hours of leaving home. Luckily for him, the cute redhead in the next camp spot happily shares his fishing equipment as well as offering taxi service during a week-long search for parts.

An unexpected kiss on their last day together leads to an afternoon of discovery that turns into a summer romance that in turn becomes a long distance relationship in the fall. Everything would be wonderful if they could spend the rest of their lives in a tent by a lake. But Cherry’s overly involved ex-boyfriend sticks his nose where it isn’t wanted and Ben’s 17-year-old son has a hard time accepting his father’s bisexuality. Two-hundred miles may be the least of the challenges they face.

  

*Rainbow Snippets is a (Facebook) group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers who gather once a week to share snippets from a work of fiction–-a WIP or a finished work or even a book recommendation. If you're interested in following a diverse group of authors, check it out here.