Love, Again

By H.D. Nels

Dan Holstrom is a middle-aged widower who spent the past year wallowing in grief. His daughter is determined to get him out and socializing again, and to that end, she enlists her boyfriend, Bruce, a personal trainer at a gym, to coach her father. Bruce decides to involve his own father, Luke Fraser, to get Dan back among the living.

Luke Fraser is a gay man, a gym aficionado, and an all-around nice guy. When his son Bruce explains he has a new client who is a non-active bisexual man who withdrew socially after the death of his wife, Luke is intrigued and willing to help.

An attraction grows between Luke and Dan which slowly morphs into something more. However, Dan’s insecurities cause the budding relationship to cool, and Luke is seen out and about with another man. Reluctantly Dan agrees to accompany Luke to Calgary, where the mystery man in Luke’s life reappears.

Dan’s ready to give up and go back to his semi-reclusive life. When a misunderstanding jeopardizes their relationship, is it too late to rebuild things between the two men?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Mar 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781634869201

H.D. Nels

H.D. Nels was born and raised near the ocean but now live in another type of paradise, with the Rockies just west, prairie to the east, the world’s largest assortment of dinosaur fossils only an hour away, and cowboys all around. This provides plenty of inspiration for stories. For more information, visit twitter.com/hdnels.

Book preview

Love, Again

By H.D. Nels

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2019 H.D. Nels

ISBN 9781634869201

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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A Keltic Warrior, An Awesome Trainer, A man with orange hands. (You know who you are and how they got that way).

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Love, Again

By H.D. Nels

Chapter 1

Did you call me an asshole? The trainer folded his well-muscled arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes briefly. Keep up with such comments, buster, and you’ll be pushing extra time on the treadmill after enough crunches to make you cry.

I bit my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. I could tell from the sparkle in Bruce’s eyes he wasn’t serious.

I believe I said ‘frigging asshole’ after you didn’t even bother to stifle your chuckle when you took my weight and measurements. For the record, I’m not looking to become a senior citizen bodybuilder. It surprised me that my once 32-inch waist, 34-inch inseam had morphed into 36/34. I’d seldom looked at sizes when buying new pants. And your height-scale might be defective. I’m sure I don’t weigh one ninety and for most of my adult life, I stood at six foot two. Now you’re telling me I shrank in height and bulged at the seams. I nodded when Bruce pointed out that the data doesn’t lie.

Bruce stood and clapped his hands together. Up and at it, mister, we’re taking a tour of Full-On Fitness. I will show you the cardio section, the free weights, and resistance machines you’ll be using. Your daughter mentioned your preference for solitude and you might be…um, crotchety, I believe was the word she used.

He held his hands out in surrender when I glared.

Dan, I haven’t known you long enough to form my opinion. Let’s get a workout routine planned. I’ll show you the technical details of each but, when you come in, you’re on your own unless you ask for my help. Julia said you were independent and preferred meeting challenges by yourself. He grabbed a blank form and filled in the columns for the exercise, reps, frequency, and he made it a point to show where the date and staff’s initials go. I plan to watch it just to be sure you’re keeping with the routine that your lovely daughter thinks important.

He laughed when I grumbled that I should have sold the kid for medical experiments while I had the chance. A thought occurred. Bruce, how well do you know Julia? How did she rope you into this impossible mission? I could hear her voice in my head as I spoke. My father needs to have an attitude adjustment and stop moping around the rest of his life. What did she tell you about me?

Bruce glanced at the workout log sheet before speaking. She told me you’ve been almost a recluse since your wife passed away a year or so ago. He met my eyes before continuing. She’s worried that you’re not socialising and you’re avoiding new friendships.

I knew she’d said more from the way Bruce chewed on his lower lip. Spit it out, trainer. What else did she blab? That dang kid used to be my favourite daughter before now. My stomach knotted while I wondered how much she felt it necessary to tell. My wife of thirty-four years passed away over a year ago. She and the kids knew of my orientation. I’d been honest and faithful despite my urges, so now I wondered if she included that tidbit in the dossier she gave to this relative stranger.

Bruce chuckled. "She’s your only daughter, Dan, so