Rainbow Courage

By Charlie Richards

Carter’s life is in upheaval. His ex-wife has passed away in a car accident, leaving him to care for his three year old son, Toby. This means a new home and a new job. Being attracted to Toby’s daycare owner, Peter, is not part of the plan. He’s listened to his father rant about queers for years, so Carter always figured coming out would cause more problems than it solved. But after sharing one passionate kiss with Peter, he can’t stop thinking about the man. Can Carter find the courage to face the drama caused by coming out, stand up to his family, and go after his man?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Oct 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781771112994

Book preview

Finding courage to face your fears and overcome adversity is worth the price.

Carter’s life is in upheaval. His ex-wife has passed away in a car accident, leaving him to care for his three year old son, Toby. This means a new home and a new job. Being attracted to Toby’s daycare owner, Peter, is not part of the plan. He’s listened to his father rant about queers for years, so Carter always figured coming out would cause more problems than it solved. But after sharing one passionate kiss with Peter, he can’t stop thinking about the man. Can Carter find the courage to face the drama caused by coming out, stand up to his family, and go after his man?

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

Rainbow Courage

Copyright © 2012 Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-299-4

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

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Smashwords Edition

Rainbow Courage

By

Charlie Richards

To all those who found the courage to face your fears and reaped the reward.

Chapter One

I’m going to need to see some ID.

Carter’s brows shot up. Really? Okay, he muttered, reaching for his wallet.

It’s standard procedure when we don’t know the person picking up the child, the woman behind the desk explained. Kristy, the nametag read.

He nodded, accepting the explanation. It was true. He’d never picked up his son from daycare before. There had never been a need. He passed in and out of his son’s life like a whirlwind. Carter would see Toby for a day or two when he was in town and then he’d go for a couple weeks before getting back to town long enough to spend time with him. He and Tabatha had decided two years ago that an hour here or a half hour there was too disruptive on both the boy’s and his ex-wife’s schedule.

Handing over his ID, he fought back a frown. That life was over now. Tabatha was gone, and Toby was his responsibility. He didn’t know what he would have done without his parents over the last three months. His ex-wife’s death had been hard on them all.

Okay, here you go, Kristy said.

Carter mentally jerked back to the present, getting his scattered thoughts under control. He needed to focus on the future now, on his son. Toby needed him. He took back his ID and slipped it into his wallet, vacantly returning the woman’s smile.

The daycare worker behind the counter waved to someone just out of Carter’s sight. Peter, Mr. Braiden is here to pick up Toby.

Mr. Braiden? a low tenor voice questioned. I see.

The sound of the disembodied voice sent a shiver of desire up Carter’s arms, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He wished he could see who had spoken. Carter wanted to know whose voice sounded like liquid sex. Just as quickly, he gave himself a mental slap. He couldn’t get involved with anyone right now. For one thing, only his ex-wife had known he was gay. The bigger issue, though, was that his life was in complete upheaval right now. He was starting a new job in less than a week, he was building a house, and he was learning how to be a father to his three-year-old son. Nope, he definitely had no time for any other drama.

A slender dark haired man appeared around the corner. His confident gait and warm smile belied the concern Carter noted in his brown eyes. His chocolate brown eyes that seemed to be staring into his own as if he could see every secret…

Well, fuck me! I must be way too tired.

Carter took the man’s offered hand, forcing his exhausted brain to focus on the handsome man’s words.

Hello, Mr. Braiden. I’m Peter Donaldson. I own End of the Rainbow Daycare. Can I please have a few minutes of your time before you head out with Toby?

He nodded. Of course. Carter should have expected this. Of course, they’d pick up on changes in a child’s behavior, and he knew Toby had become withdrawn.

Thank you, Peter replied. Please, come with me.

The man turned and headed down another hall that contained three doors. One had a label that read First Aid, the plaque on the second door read Employees Only, and the final door, the one Peter opened, was labeled Office.

As he followed the daycare owner, Carter found his gaze straying repeatedly to the

Reviews for Rainbow Courage

[jules0623 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute read. A little too much sex and not enough character/plot development for such a short read so it felt a little rushed but there was definitely chemistry between the MCs and the kid was adorable.

I can't stop wondering why on earth Peter would throw out soft toys after a child's illness instead of just washing them in hot water and disinfectant. In child care, you'd be tossing them out every week and it would be ridiculously expensive to constantly replace them. A tiny point, but as an ex-Director of a child care centre, it niggled at me.