Crossroads

By Julie Lynn Hayes

Crossroads: a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences

Clete Deveraux is a little old Southern boy a long way from home, drifting the highways with his abusive boyfriend, Vern. Tal Clark is newly graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, but his plans for a carefree summer have just been derailed and he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Things happen for a reason...

Clete and Tal’s lives intersect at a rest stop in central Missouri, but sometimes first impressions aren’t the best. And finding the right path isn’t always easy.

Clete and Tal have reached a crossroads... and now they have to decide which way they want to go. And who they want to go with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Apr 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781487402495

Julie Lynn Hayes

Julie Lynn Hayes was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, and still calls that city home. She first began to write over fifty years ago, and doesn’t see that stopping anytime soon. She likes to write in different genres, to stretch herself in order to see what is possible. When someone tells her something can’t be done, she feels compelled to do it. Much of her writing is in the m/m romance category.When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!

Book preview

When you feel as though you’ve lost everything, you have everything to gain.

Crossroads: a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences

Clete Deveraux is a little old Southern boy a long way from home, drifting the highways with his abusive boyfriend, Vern. Tal Clark is newly graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, but his plans for a carefree summer have just been derailed and he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Things happen for a reason...

Clete and Tal’s lives intersect at a rest stop in central Missouri, but sometimes first impressions aren’t the best. And finding the right path isn’t always easy.

Clete and Tal have reached a crossroads... and now they have to decide which way they want to go. And who they want to go with.

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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.

Crossroads

Copyright © 2014 Julie Lynn Hayes

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0249-5

Cover art by Latrisha 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 Inc or

Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

Look for us online at:

www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

Smashwords Edition

Crossroads

By

Julie Lynn Hayes

Dedication

To Sarah, with love

Crossroads

No one in the world could make biscuits and gravy like a Southern cook. There was just something special about those flaky bits of baked dough smothered in thick, creamy sausage gravy that could not be duplicated, although many had tried. And while Clete Devereaux appreciated their efforts, it just wasn’t the same.

On the other hand, he wasn’t in the South anymore—he and Vern were in the state of Missouri. The long drive north through Illinois had been fairly boring. Not much to see but endless miles of flat farmland, with occasional oil wells, steadily pumping in and out of the ground. He’d wondered what they were at first. And when Vern told him, Clete was surprised. Not what he’d expected at all. Rather ordinary looking, actually. He was more impressed with the large cross they passed along the side of the highway. It was a ginormous silver cross, biggest he’d ever seen. Vern didn’t seem overly interested in it, and refused to take the exit so he could get a closer look.

Just showin’ off, Vern muttered as they drove by. Don’t have time for that shit. Clete didn’t argue with him—he never did ‘cause it never ended well. Instead, he contorted himself in the front passenger seat and craned his neck to stare behind them at the huge metal structure until it was no longer visible. He was impressed, even if Vern wasn’t.

Some people claimed Missouri was actually a Southern state. Mainly because many of the residents had owned slaves during the war between the North and South.