Spenser - Rover

After losing his partner of seven years, Patrick is moving back to Houston to find a new life. Sean is younger, but no less in need of a fresh start. He's trying to finish college and get back on track after a series of bad mistakes. The two men get along famously, and their physical attraction is intense, but Patrick may be too afraid to love again. He doesn't want to let himself be open to the kind of pain that comes from losing someone. Sean, who is far more open to his feelings for Patrick, also has a problem.

His ex-boyfriend is popping up all over, in unexpected places. The ex even shows up when Sean and Patrick go on vacation together. All of their problems conspire to keep Patrick and Sean from becoming a real couple, and Sean finally decides that Patrick will never really return his feelings. Can Patrick learn to let himself care again? Find out in this precursor to Mel Spenser's popular novel Miss Me? Rover - 1 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Rover TOP SHELF An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers PO Box 2545 Round Rock, TX 78680 Copyright 2009 by Mel Spenser Cover illustration by Alessia Brio Published with permission ISBN: 978-1-60370-675-9, 1-60370-675-5 www.torquerepress.com All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680. First Torquere Press Printing: April 2009 Printed in the USA Rover - 2

For my brother Barry. Again.

Special thanks to LeRoy for his expertise on cars; Lisa for her creative texting skills; and to Sherrill for reading it when it was really rough. Rover - 3

"Patrick." He looked around when he heard his name. "Over here." Patrick squinted, looking out into the dusk from the porch. "Douglas?" Patrick could just make out a shape standing at the edge of the clearing. "Hey, baby," the shape said. "Why don't you come closer?" "I can't, Patrick.

I'm here now." "I don't understand." "Remember, baby? Remember the accident?" Douglas asked. "What are you talking about? Why did you leave me?" "Oh, baby. I didn't want to." Patrick was confused. Why was Douglas was behaving this way? Rover - 4 "Listen, sweetheart," Douglas said. "I need you to do something important for me." "What is it? Come up to the porch so we can talk." "Patrick. I need for you to move on now.

I need for you to be happy." "What are you saying, Douglas? Don't you want to be with me anymore? Did you stop loving me?" "Of course I love you. I always will," Douglas said. "But listen to me, baby. You've got to move on now. I want you to be happy again. You need to find someone else to love." "But I want you," Patrick said.

Douglas didn't say anything more. He turned and walked into the woods. Then he was gone. Patrick woke with a start, tangled in his blankets. He wasn't at their vacation cabin. He was in his apartment in Austin.

Jack, his golden retriever, was lying on the bed next to him. A dream, he thought. Douglas wasn't here. He was gone. Killed by a drunk driver over a year ago. Patrick couldn't sleep now.

He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Jack lifted his head and looked at him. When Patrick went to the kitchen instead of coming back to bed, he heard Jack get up and follow him down the hall. Patrick got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, then went to his office and turned on the computer. When Patrick sat down, Jack walked over and laid his head on Patrick's knee. "Oh, Jack. "Oh, Jack.

What am I going to do?" Jack thumped his tail on the floor at the sound of his name. When Patrick started typing, Jack lay down next to the chair and went to sleep. What was it that Douglas had said? The dream was fading fast and Patrick tried to remember. It was something about moving on and being happy. Patrick gave a bitter laugh. He had been happy once.

Then, one night, it was over. Douglas went to go put gas in the car and never came back. Instead, the police had come to Patrick's door to let him know that his lover and partner of seven years was dead. Rover - 5 Somehow, with the help of his brother and sisters, he had made it through the funeral. After some time off, he had returned to work. And work he did.

He worked ten-hour days and then came home to sleep. Then he would do it all over again the next day. After a while, his and Douglas' friends had drifted away. He couldn't blame them, really. Patrick turned down invitations to the point where they had finally stopped asking. He looked at the picture on his desk.

It was of him and Douglas on a sailboat. They had been on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and had asked one of the other tourists onboard to take their picture. It was one of Patrick's favorites. They were sitting next to each other on the deck. Douglas had said something funny and they turned to look at each other, laughing right as the picture had been taken. God, Patrick missed him so much it hurt.

What was it that Douglas had said in the dream? "You've got to move on"? Patrick went to a job search website. His brother and sisters still lived in Houston. He had only moved to Austin because Douglas had taught at the university. Since Patrick had alienated all of their friends, there was really no reason to stay. He still had their vacation cabin in Hill Country. But he had sold their house and was living in a furnished apartment.

He could move with very little effort, if needed. He did a search in the Houston area for petroleum companies needing chemical engineers. Several jobs came up. He scrolled through them and narrowed it down to five. He filled out the applications for them, attached a cover letter and his rsum, and submitted them. Since he still couldn't sleep, he searched for property in Houston.

He limited his search to the Montrose area, as it was known for being the main gay community within the city. He scanned the listings. He didn't want to do the whole house thing again, since it was just him and Jack. He didn't want an apartment. He limited his search to two bedroom lofts and townhouses. He figured that he'd need a second bedroom for an office.

He printed the listings that he found interesting. He noticed it was almost three in the morning. Deciding that he had done enough for one night, he shut down his computer. Standing, he said, "Come on, Jack. Let's go back to bed." Rover - 6

"Hi, Sean. How's it going?" "Hi, Mallory." Sean walked around the counter of the coffee shop where he worked.

He went back in the small workroom and dropped off his book bag. He got his apron, then headed out to the counter. There was a line when he came out. He got behind the register and started taking orders as Mallory made coffees. When the first rush of morning customers was over, Sean sat on the stool behind the counter. "So, are you all registered? Did you get the classes you needed? "Yeah," he said. "I'm taking a full load." "Which means you're going to be busy for the next few months. "I want to finish my Bachelor's by next spring," Sean said. "Then it will be over and I can relax. "Then it will be over and I can relax.