Spring
Seasons of Love follows forty years in the lives of two men, Sidney Wilks and Grady Nash, from the Spring of their relationship when love is new and shiny through to the Winter of their partnership when thirty years of being a couple has begun to lose its sheen.
On the day of his mother's funeral, ten-year old Sidney Wilks is silently comforted by the presence of one man, ranch hand Grady Nash. Little did Sidney know that Nash would become the only stable figure in his life for the next forty years.
Years later, after an evening of typical college fun, Sidney is involved in a serious car wreck. It's Nash who once again steps in to rescue Sidney and nurse him back to health.
While trying to get close enough to Sidney to help him heal, Nash's feelings begin to change towards the twenty-one year old. For him, loving Sidney was nothing new, but when his body begins to desire the small man, Nash is forced to re-evaluate his protective instincts.
What kind of future could the two men possibly have? Nash's life is centred on horses and cattle, while Sidney has dreams of escaping the small-town Kansas life to build skyscrapers. Can two men who want opposite lifestyles come to a compromise, or will Nash be forced to allow Sidney to spread his wings without him?
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series as all four stories follow the lives of Sidney and Grady.
General Release Date: 27th June 2011
Spring
April 1974
Ten-year old Sidney Wilks poked a stick into the ant hill just to see the insects scatter. He dug the point of his pretend sword into one of the large-bodied ants and grinned. It wasn’t a nice thing to do, but he wasn’t feeling nice at the moment.
The front door opened and Sidney’s father, Jackson, stepped out onto the porch. “Get out of the dirt.”
“Yes, sir.” Sidney stood, before brushing the dust from his pants.
“If you’re gonna stay out here, sit on the porch,” Jackson ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Sidney sat on the end of the porch and let his feet dangle over the side. Good manners were a requirement in the Wilks’ house, but inside his head Sidney was busy giving his dad a piece of his mind. Sometimes he wished a big ole bug would crawl up his dad’s nose. The image almost drew a giggle from him. Almost.
If he’d had to lose a parent to cancer, why couldn’t it have been his father? Yeah, it was a hateful thing to think about, but Sidney had never got on well with his dad. His mom, on the other hand, had been his entire world.
Elizabeth Running Elk-Wilks had been one of the strongest people he’d ever known. She was like a superhero. Not because she wore a cape or anything. Heck, most of the time she’d worn a big plaid shirt with a floppy leather hat she called Old Ben.
Sidney had thought his mom was indestructible. “Damn cancer,” he cursed. Before the ovarian cancer had ravaged her already-thin frame, taking over the rest of her body, Beth had worked right alongside the men on the Running E Ranch. She was up at four in the morning and went to bed well after Sidney. Somehow, in between, she’d managed to make her son feel like the most special boy alive.
Sidney kicked back with his heel against the lattice that surrounded the porch. Now that she was gone, he knew he’d never again be special to anyone, certainly not his father. His dad always made him feel like a disappointment. His mom had understood that he wasn’t meant to be a rancher, but his father still hadn’t given up hope.
It wasn’t that his dad was out and out mean. He was just...hard on him. Sidney supposed his dad thought that would make him tough or something. He snorted to himself. Even at ten, he knew he’d never be like his dad.
He lay back on the porch and rested his head on his clasped hands. Staring up at the light blue painted ceiling, he wondered what the kids at school would say when he returned. His father had kept him home for the last week. There were things to be done, his dad had said. Sidney still didn’t know what those things were, though. The only job he’d been given was to box up his mom’s clothes. He still didn’t understand why he’d had to do it so soon after her death.
Actually, now that he thought about it, Sidney was glad he’d been assigned the chore. It had given him a chance to keep a few of his mom’s clothes. He hadn’t kept many things, but there were a few items he’d hidden in the back of his closet.
Sidney heard the screen door slap shut and tilted his head back. He looked at Mrs O’Dwyer. She looked upside down. Funny.
“Sidney, wouldn’t you like to have a nice plate of food?”
“No thank you, Ma’am.” There were too many people in his house. They all seemed to think a piece of cake or a chicken leg would make him feel better that his mom was down in the ground. They were a bunch of buttheads.
Mrs O’Dwyer made some kind of tsking noise and returned to the house to hang out with the other adults. Sidney’s dad had told him it said a lot about his mom that so many people wanted to pay their respects after the funeral. Sidney wasn’t really sure what it said. Maybe the restaurants in town were closed, because everyone who came seemed to be hungry.
Sidney rolled to his side. He knew his suit was getting all dirty but he doubted he’d ever wear it again. He noticed a small bubble in the grey paint of the old floorboard. Reaching out, he ran his short fingernail over the bubble until it popped free, leaving the weathered wood exposed. He wondered how old the board was. Had his grandpa, Harry Running-Elk, built it?
“I wish you were here, Grandpa,” he whispered.
A tear dripped across his nose and onto the porch. He quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his coat before glancing around to make sure no one was around. There were quite a few cowboys who lived on the ranch, and the last thing Sidney wanted was for someone to tell his dad.
An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. While writing her first novel, Branded by Gold, Carol fell in love with the M/M genre. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. With well over one hundred releases, one thing is certain, Carol loves to keep busy writing sexy cowboys, shifters, bodyguards, vampires and everything in between. Although series books are her passion, Carol enjoys penning the occasional stand-alone title.
As founder and President of GRL Retreat, Inc., Carol helps organize the annual GayRomLit Retreat. Now in its sixth year, GayRomLit is an annual retreat that brings together the people who create and celebrate LGBT romance for a one-of-a-kind, must-attend gathering of dynamic, informal, and diverse fun.
Carol loves to hear from her readers. You can take a look at her Website and follow her on Facebook. She also has a Website dedicated to her Cattle Valley Series.
Reviewed by Dark Diva Reviews
Spring does a more in depth investigation of the main and secondary characters and the plot is a true story line with twists and turns that are both unexpected and realistic. I am looking forward to...
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