My Books

Shifting Gears

Cover by Reese Dante

 

M/M Paranormal Romance
Novella (33,000 words/149 pages)

Buy from Silver Publishing

Kenton Palmer finds an injured dog on the road and takes him to the nearest vet only to discover it’s actually a wolf. He decides to nurse the injured animal following the necessary surgery. The handsome vet who treated the wolf offers his own brand of animal attraction, making it clear he’s interested in Kenton.

Gray Fowler is a wolf shifter. Stuck in wolf form after Kenton rescues him, he still falls hard for Kenton. It starts out as jealousy but Gray soon discovers that Kenton’s new love interest, veterinarian Will Barclay, has sinister plans. How are Will’s shady activities linked to the men who injured Gray, and can he expose the scheme before Kenton gets too involved with Will?

EXCERPT

Kenton blinked a few times to stay awake, grateful he had only ten miles left in his journey. He was exhausted after a long day of cycling with his youth group and the drive home. Pouring rain for the last fifty miles made driving even more of a challenge and he worried he’d doze off if he kept the heat on, so he was shivering slightly.

The rain had come early this year to his Northern California town, not far from Eureka in the far north of the state, home of redwoods, rocky coasts, and plenty of pot farmers–licensed by the state but under fire from the federal government. It kept local politics interesting.

Maybe I’ll listen to a ballgame. He fiddled with the dial while trying to keep his gaze on the road. Up ahead he saw a flash of wide-set headlights and heard tires screeching as a large, dark vehicle veered into his lane. Reflexes in action, he swerved onto the muddy shoulder and stopped his SUV to let his nerves calm down from the near miss. The other vehicle stopped behind him, and for a moment he wondered if they’d run him off the road with the intent to rob or carjack him. Glancing back, he had the vague impression that the vehicle was a Hummer from its general outline and placement of the lights. Anyone who could afford that monstrosity certainly didn’t need to carjack a Toyota Highlander Hybrid, unless they were trying to cut down on their gasoline expenditures.

Should I go check and see if the other driver is okay? The vehicle stayed on the opposite shoulder, but it was impossible to tell if the driver was injured or not. There hadn’t been an actual collision, so the chance of that was slim, but perhaps the driver was ill and that accounted for the near miss.

The rain continued to thud against the roof and windshield, blurring his range of vision. Kenton had only taken one step out of his SUV when the other vehicle suddenly peeled out and drove off. What the fuck? Kenton shrugged and climbed back in his own vehicle.

He was about to drive away when up ahead in the hazy beams of his own headlights Kenton thought he saw someone moving on the surface of the road. Or something. He wasn’t sure if he was still in the County Preserve or not, but he thought twice about getting closer to whatever it was. There were plenty of wild animals here and the local farmers complained loudly enough if one roamed out of the protected area to feast on cows or sheep. Kenton certainly didn’t want to end up as dinner for any predators, but now he was sure he saw someone–a vague outline of a man–on the surface of the road.

Kenton was not about to leave anyone out in this weather, especially if the man might be injured, so he zipped up his jacket again and slowly opened his door. Sure enough, even from fifteen or so feet away, he could see something lying in the middle of the road, but it wasn’t a man. It was a dog.

Eyes playing tricks on me again. I have to get home to sleep soon. But despite his exhaustion and frustration about the crazy-ass driver who ran him off the road, Kenton didn’t have the heart to leave even a dog on the road tonight. He got out of the car, digging his hands into his pockets against the weather, and headed toward the animal. It had unusually luminous gray-blue eyes–obvious despite the darkness–and it whimpered softly. The rain couldn’t wash away the blood that poured out of a gash on the animal’s hind leg, and from the unnatural angle Kenton was certain it was broken.

“Hey, boy, looks like that crazy Hummer clipped you.” He reached out tentatively, and when the animal didn’t appear threatening, Kenton smoothed the wet fur on the dog’s head, barely noticing the rain dripping down his hair and face and under his jacket. “Let me open up the back and I’ll get you out of the rain in just a minute.”

Kenton rushed to the rear of his SUV, opened the cargo area and pushed his overnight-bag and bicycle far enough out of the way so he could clear a space for the dog. He found a few towels and spread them out, then returned to the wounded animal, which watched his actions, clearly not afraid of him. He considered moving the vehicle closer, but was worried that might frighten the animal, so he steeled himself for the effort.

“Damn, you’re heavy!” Kenton grunted as he lifted the dog and carried him to the SUV, then settled him onto the dry towels. The dog looked sad as well as cold and Kenton found himself rambling words of comfort and explanation as he tried to dry the animal, while it stared up at him with an expression he could only describe as grateful.

“I’ll find a vet and we’ll get you fixed up. We’ll figure out who owns you and get you home. How does that sound?” Kenton realized how ridiculous it was to expect a reply from the dog. He grabbed blankets from the backseat and covered the animal, then after carefully shutting the cargo area door, he got back behind the wheel and drove off. This time he turned the heat up, hoping to keep both himself and the injured dog warm until he could find a vet that would be open this time of night.