George's Turn [Brac Pack 8]
Brac Pack 8
George’s Turn
George has had enough of men and his old life. As a cowboy, he'd been run off enough ranches for being gay. In his new life as a diner cook, he's more than happy to play it straight. Ladies love his cowboy swagger, he loves his solitary job and his tiny apartment, and all seems to be going wel —until his eyes land on a gorgeous man so unlike anyone he’s ever seen.
Tank loves all the little mates running around the estate, but the gentle giant longs for his own mate to hold at night. The moment he meets the new cook, he’s smitten. But flowers and candlelight dinners don’t seem to be enough to convince George that giving himself to Tank doesn’t have to mean giving up his manhood.
When vampires attack George, Tank must help care for him. Will George finally see that the strongest love just might be between two strong men?
Note:
Each book in Lynn Hagen's Brac Pack collection features a different romantic couple. Each title stands alone and can be read in any order. However, we recommend reading the series in sequential order.
Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length:
25,306 words
GEORGE’S TURN
Brac Pack 8
Lynn Hagen
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove GEORGE’S TURN
Copyright © 2011 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-327-1
First E-book Publication: April 2011
Cover design by
Jinger Heaston
All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of
George’s Turn
by Lynn Hagen from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Lynn Hagen’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Hagen’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
DEDICATION
To all the Georges out there. May you find your Tank.
GEORGE’S TURN
Brac Pack 8
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
George pulled his truck into the space in front of the diner. He cut the engine and just sat there and stared. The diner was small as one would expect in a small town. There was a post office to the right of it. The building sat on the corner of a tiny strip of businesses.
“This is a far cry from Wyoming,” he muttered, wondering if he could do this. He was a damn cowboy. What business did he have coming out here to take a job as a cook in a small-town diner? His cousin Leon had called him about the opening, and George had jumped at the opportunity, but now that he was here, he was second-guessing his decision. He wasn’t so sure he could do this.
He had grown up on a ranch and worked on one since he was old enough to walk. George thought about the last ranch he worked on as a ranch hand. This made him think of Jesse. His heart clenched at the thought of his ex-lover. George had been kicked off of two previous ranches when the others found out he was gay. He thought he had finally found a home at the Triple R.
He had to sneak around for a year with the handsome cowboy, Jesse, who swore his undying love to George. His heart was ripped clean from his chest when the other hands had found out George’s sexual preference and confronted him. He expected Jesse to stand by
George’s Turn
9
his side. Instead, the man had faded into the shadows like a thief in the night with George’s heart.
George pushed the memory back as he opened the door to his truck, reaching over and grabbing his cowboy hat, slapping it on his thigh to rid it of the Wyoming dust that still clung to it. Placing it on his head, he sauntered over to the quaint little diner and headed in.
George sat at one of the stools at the counter, looking around the place. It seemed pretty empty. His cousin Leon knew he had a passion for cooking, so he figured this would be the perfect place for George to start a new life. A clean break. All he had to do was make sure nobody found out he was gay.
He wasn’t sure if he could stay stationary for so many hours behind a hot grill, though, after roping cattle and the day-to-day life of a hardworking ranch hand. This…this was the polar opposite.
“Can I help you?” A young woman smiled from behind the counter.
“I’m here to see Frank Thomas.” George mentally rolled his eyes when the waitress winked at him. She was nice enough looking for a female. Big, wide hips that probably gave birth to a few rug rats, large swollen breasts and way too much lipstick and makeup. Her eyes looked like she just stuck her face in the makeup case and shook it.
Without all the gunk, she was probably pretty.
He liked the body under him flat-chested and lean with muscles.
Unfortunately, he got this reaction everywhere he went. Women—and some men—threw themselves at him. Jesse had told him that he had the prettiest blue eyes and the softest blond hair. George’s lips thinned with anger as he thought of the man who still held his heart. No more.
He wasn’t going to play the fool for anyone anymore. Some said he was blessed with good looks, but George knew it to be a curse.
Jesse had sworn he loved him and would always be there for him.
George had trusted Jesse, gave him his heart, and the man had shredded it into a thousand pieces. Bastard.
George leaned his elbows onto the counter, pulling at the beard of
10
Lynn Hagen
his goatee while he waited on Frank to appear from wherever he was.
All he wanted was a warm place to lay his head and a steady job.
No drama, no confrontations, and definitely no more men. He felt old for his twenty-eight years, having been through too much in such a short time.
He had told his dad he wanted to be a chef then got his head slapped, his dad yelling at him that cooking was for females and he needed to get his ass outside and get the cow milked. His father was a big time homophobic. There was no
coming out
in Wyoming. Not if you wanted to survive after your declaration.
“You must be George Knight.” A stout man came from behind the chrome double doors with his hand extended.
“Yes, sir,” George shook his hand as he stood, “and you must be Mr. Thomas.”
“Call me Frank. I see you met Kitty.” Frank nodded toward the waitress.
“Yes, I’ve met her.” George ignored the lustful winks. With all that makeup on, she was probably just trying to dislodge the goop.
“Do you have any experience cooking? Leon wasn’t too clear on that.” Frank waved George to the back. He sidestepped the waitress, trying to keep his body parts away from her as she brushed her hand close to his rear end.
“Some. I like to cook. Cooked on the ranch and got pretty good at it.” George immediately took in the updated kitchen, with a twelve-burner stove and large ovens. There were wide sinks and a commercial-size refrigerator with three glass doors. Damn, this was nice.
“As you can see, everything has been updated. I recently renovated. Business isn’t that good, if that’s what you’re thinking.
Someone donated the money for the renovation.” Frank waved him into a small back office, then he handed George the necessary paperwork to fill out. He sat there and completed it as Frank continued to talk.
George’s Turn
11
“I have a studio apartment upstairs you can rent out. Leon tells me you come from Wyoming. Must be a culture shock going from a ranch to a small town. We aren’t as populated as the city, but we do get a lot of tourists who pass through.” Frank filed away his paperwork and took George back to the kitchen he’d be working in.
“Yeah, I reckon it’s very different from the backwoods of the Triple R.” George pushed his black Stetson hat back and scratched his head. He hoped it wasn’t too big of a shock. He wanted nothing but peace and quiet. No drama. It wasn’t that he was afraid. He’d fought his way out of many fights. At six three, he was no lightweight. He was just tired of having to fight.
“Well, I’ll let you get acquainted with your new kitchen. I’ll come get you around quitting time to show you the apartment. Get ready.
Lunch rush will be coming soon.” Frank slapped him on the back then left him alone.
George searched the kitchen for all the equipment he would need.
He set the skillets out onto the stove along with the big pots.
“Your first order, hon.” Kitty slid the order onto the counter, lingering just a bit as she watched George. He shrugged off her unwanted attention and grabbed the order, setting about cooking as the lunch rush got underway. Frank wasn’t kidding. The place was packed.