Finding Home, page 1

Maple Grove 3
Finding Home
Life can throw curve balls, and Kenny knew all about them when he met Cyril’s handyman, Russell Hughes. The guy was what wet dreams were made of, until Kenny finds out Russell is a shifter. He doesn’t do furry. Not now. Not ever. Too bad Kenny is unable to stand by his convictions. With the dark Italian stud saying all the right words, Kenny is putty in the man’s calloused hands.
Russell is determined to make Kenny his. The little human plays hard to get, but Russell isn’t giving up on his only chance at happiness, even if Kenny has a killer after him and a “special” brother to look out for. But their mating isn’t easy, especially when Brad is after Kenny with a vengeance for ratting him out to the cops. It’s up to Russell to keep Kenny safe and to show the human that loving a shifter can be worth his while.
Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Shape-shifter
Length: 31,832
FINDING HOME
Maple Grove 3
Lynn Hagen

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
Finding Home
Copyright © 2019 by Lynn Hagen
ISBN: 978-1-64243-902-1
First Publication: July 2019
Cover design by Emma Nicole
All art and logo copyright © 2019 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.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FINDING HOME
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
FINDING HOME
Maple Grove 3
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2019
Chapter One
“You guys are slow,” Kenny complained as he waited by the front door with Cyril’s golden labs, Samson and Davidson, at his side. Kenny had been living with Cyril and Jeremy for the past two weeks, and now he worked for Cyril as a waiter at The Diner Train.
“I can’t help if you get up before the alarm,” Jeremy complained as he looked around the living room for his shoes. “We don’t have to leave for another ten minutes.”
“Oh my god,” Kenny moaned. “Fine, then I’m waiting outside. Ten minutes is an eternity.”
He flung the door open, and the dogs followed him out. Kenny wasn’t worried about them taking off. They were well behaved, and for some reason, they’d made Kenny their official best friend.
Kenny spotted a tennis ball in the grass and tossed it, watching as Davidson raced after the green and white ball just as a work truck pulled into the driveway. It was a white pickup truck with a toolbox in the back and some kind of framing over the bed that held bigger tools.
Samson rolled over in the grass as Davidson reversed course and ran toward the white truck. He stood next to Kenny and gave a low growl.
“Is he someone I should worry about?” Kenny whispered to Davidson, as though the dog could answer him. Davidson might not be able to answer, but Kenny knew to trust a dog’s instincts.
Well, except for Samson who was currently chewing on the tennis ball.
The stranger, who, by the way, was fine as fuck from what Kenny could see, rolled his window down and gave him a sexy grin. “Can you go get Cyril? Davidson isn’t my biggest fan.”
“And you are?” Kenny tucked his hands into his back pockets and rocked on his heels, falling in lust with this Italian-looking man with sinful dark gray eyes and a shadow of a beard on his jaw and upper lip.
“I’m Russell Hughes, Cyril’s handyman.”
Why hadn’t he seen Russell around town before? Kenny had grown up in Maple Grove and couldn’t recall seeing this stud anywhere. He would have remembered someone who looked as hot as Russell did.
“Hang on a second.” Kenny stared at Davidson for a split second. “Keep an eye on him. If he does anything suspicious, eat him.”
As if he understood Kenny, Davidson gave a slight growl.
Kenny smirked and headed inside, finding Cyril in the kitchen, bleary-eyed, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He yawned and stretched.
Kenny was grateful that Cyril and Jeremy had taken him in, and he’d never betray Jeremy’s trust, but damn, Cyril was all…and Kenny was all…yummy.
“There’s a dude in your driveway that Davidson wants to chomp on.”
Cyril glanced at his watch. “Russell is always on time.”
He set his cup on the counter and walked to the front door. Damn right Kenny followed. He wanted another eyeful of that sexy handyman. It had been a while since he’d drooled over someone.
Cyril didn’t count. He was off-limits. Raven, Kenny’s ex-boss, didn’t count either. He was a douche. Not technically a douche since he was nice, but he’d worked Kenny to death while paying him minimum wage, so that automatically made him one.
Kenny stepped outside, and Davidson joined him at his side. Samson was at Russell’s truck, his bushy tail wagging like he was waiting for Russell to pet him.
If that were the case, Kenny’s imaginary tail should have been wagging, too, because he wouldn’t mind a few strokes from the guy.
Cyril eyed Davidson. “Go in the house, buddy.”
Davidson looked up at Kenny with such sad eyes, as though Kenny could overrule Cyril. “Sorry, fella. He’s the boss.”
Davidson padded toward the front door but paused to look over his shoulder. One finger snap from Cyril and the dog trotted inside.
That was when Russell got out of his truck. Kenny’s gaze slid from his head to his…not his toes.
To his crotch. Yep, his mind had gone there.
Fuck, the guy was tall and lean, and if Kenny had really had a tail, it would have wagged right off. The guy was wearing a soft black T-shirt that showed off his tattooed forearms. His biceps bulged as he grabbed a tool belt from the seat before closing the door.
A small whimper escaped Kenny, and Russell looked his way, one brow hiked and the side of his gorgeous mouth tilted upward.
How had he heard that? Clearly Cyril had heard the noise, too, because he was looking at Kenny strangely. He knew why Cyril had heard it.
He was a black panther shifter. Kenny had recently learned Cyril’s kind existed, and he tried his best not to think about that fact.
But if Russell had heard him, did that mean he was nonhuman, too?
With that thought, Kenny spun on his heels and rushed inside, grabbing Jeremy’s upper arm. “Is the handyman a shifter?”
Please say no.
Jeremy looked as though he could lie on the couch and fall back to sleep. He had bags under his eyes and couldn’t stop yawning. “Cheetah shifter, why?”
Well, there went Kenny’s fantasy of hot, sweaty sex. He didn’t discriminate when it came to men. He’d screwed around with short, tall, slim, a bit on the heavy side, and different nationalities. But he drew the line at furry.
A small smile played at Jeremy’s lips. “He is hot, isn’t he?” He elbowed Kenny’s arm playfully. “But don’t tell Cyril I said that.”
“Meh, he’s okay.” Kenny played it off, disappointed that the hot Italian stud wasn’t even human.
Russell walked inside, and even though Kenny knew the stud wasn’t human, his dick didn’t care. It perked right up as Kenny hurried to the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.
Furry. Goddamn it. Why was Kenny’s luck always so shitty? He had been in the kitchen all of five seconds before Russell entered and set his tool belt on the table.
“Mind if I have a cup?”
Kenny waved at the coffeepot as his hormones betrayed him. Furry or not, fuck, he wanted a piece of that. Russell moved with a slight swagger to his step, and Kenny’s eyes zeroed in on his ass.
He bit his lower lip. What a nice fucking ass.
Russell stopped midstride and scented the air like the dogs did when they were outside and something caught their attention. He cocked his head to the side, inhaled a bit deeper, then his dark gray eyes were on Kenny.
One brow hiked, and god that was a sexy look, as Russell t
“Hey, ready to go?” Jeremy asked when he popped his head into the kitchen. He looked between them as Russell kept staring strangely at Kenny and Kenny couldn’t rip his gaze away from the guy.
Kenny was in lust. His dick was in lust, too, and his ass wanted to join the party. He was five seconds away from telling Jeremy that he was taking the day off so he could offer his body to this god.
Russell moved closer, his gaze sliding over him. “What’s your name?”
“That’s Kenny Dunkin,” Jeremy said.
Kenny glared at his friend. “I’m capable of answering for myself.”
“Well, excuse me.” Jeremy turned and stomped away. The guy needed to find a clue. When two men stared at each other the way Russell and Kenny were, it was obvious some sparks were flying and horniness was taking place.
Russell invaded his space, towering over him as his smile grew. “Do you live here, or are you just visiting?”
“Why should I tell you?” Kenny inhaled Russell’s masculine scent, wishing he could bathe in it. “I don’t know you. You could be some sort of psycho.”
Russell’s chuckle vibrated through him and down to his cock, which, by the way, was hard as fuck. “But isn’t that half the fun? Finding out if I’m sane or crazy?”
Kenny had always been drawn to bad boys. And Russell was right up his alley.
But he’s furry.
There was that, but at that moment, Kenny was willing to overlook that fact because it wasn’t the head on his shoulders that was doing all the thinking.
“Get your ass moving, Kenny,” Cyril shouted from the other room. “We don’t have all morning.”
Kenny matched Russell’s smirk as he took a step back. “Gotta go to work. Later, Mr. Crazy.”
The guy laughed and nodded. “I’ll be seeing you around, Kenny Dunkin.”
“Not if I can help it.” Kenny had to play hard to get. There was no fun in giving in so quickly. But damn, he wanted to give in because Kenny had never been this insanely attracted to anyone before.
And had he mentioned how smoking hot Russell was?
As he walked from the kitchen, his lust cooled and he remembered Russell was a cheetah shifter. The guy turned into a furry beast. After Kenny had witnessed Alan—Jeremy’s ex-brother-in-law—change into a hyena, he was cool on that kind of shit.
He still had nightmares that Alan had returned and killed him with his claws and sharp teeth.
“Everything okay?” Cyril asked as Kenny passed him by the front door.
Kenny threw up a peace sign as he walked to Cyril’s Charger. Jeremy was already in the passenger seat, his head resting against the window and his eyes closed.
Kenny looked at Russell’s work truck as he told himself that the handyman was now off-limits, too. No matter how crazy sexy the guy was, Kenny was not doing furry.
No way. No how. End of discussion.
* * * *
Kenny spent most of his workday thinking about Russell. No matter how many times he’d reminded himself that the handyman was off-limits, his thoughts turned dirty as he imagined every which way they could fuck.
By midafternoon, Kenny was sexually frustrated to the point that he wanted to walk to the nearest wall and bang his head against it. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about the sexy handyman? It was as if his brain was obsessed with the thoughts.
“What’s got your head all weirded out?” Moose asked when Kenny set the coffee carafe back on its burner. “You’ve been distracted all day.”
He liked Moose. The bear shifter was a giant, but he was such a sweet guy. Kenny always felt bad when he looked at Moose, because it had been Kenny’s roommate, Brad, who had shot the guy two weeks prior when he’d tried to rob the diner.
Jeremy had thought it had been Kenny who had been the culprit, because he’d been wearing Brad’s leather jacket. That was how he and Jeremy had met—Jeremy and the sheriff running Kenny down and the sheriff slamming him into the asphalt and giving him a bloody nose.
It had been the start of a beautiful friendship once Jeremy had tracked him down and apologized for the mix-up.
“Just got a lot on my mind,” Kenny said. A lot was pretty accurate. He wanted a lot of Russell in his hands as he groped the guy while Russell fucked him until he couldn’t walk straight.
Kenny groaned, wishing he could stop thinking about the stud.
“Don’t worry.” Moose’s features darkened just a bit. “The sheriff’ll find Brad, and then you can go back home.”
Kenny hadn’t thought about Brad in two days. That was how comfortable he’d gotten around everyone. He’d forgotten that he’d ratted Brad out as the gunman and now his ex-roommate was probably on the hunt for him while eluding the law.
If the sheriff hadn’t been trying to pin the crime on him, Kenny would have never told on Brad.
“Thanks, now I have even more on my mind.” Kenny knew Brad a little too well. He wouldn’t let it go that Kenny had snitched him out. The guy was in waiting. Kenny just knew it. It was only a matter of time before Brad got his payback.
“Aw, come on.” Moose tapped his arm. “It’s a gorgeous day, and I’m willing to bet Brad skipped town.”
Kenny gave Moose a doubtful look. “Tell me you believe that.”
“No, but I was just trying to cheer you up.” Moose winked as he walked from behind the counter and mingled with the customers. They seemed to love Moose about as much as Moose loved to eat.
Kenny picked the carafe back up when he noticed a lady at the counter needed a refill.
“What’s going on with you?” Jeremy asked when he exited the kitchen. “You’ve been scatterbrained all day.” He nodded toward the counter.
Kenny had been pouring the coffee, and now the cup was overflowing because he’d been thinking of Russell.
Correction. He’d been deeply absorbed in thoughts of the handyman and what he would look like naked.
“Shit, sorry!” Kenny grabbed a towel and wiped up the spill. “That cup is on me.”
The woman glared at him. “Actually, that cup is all over me.” She waved at the dark spot on her blouse.
“Your meal is free,” Jeremy said to her. “I’m so sorry about that.” Then he coaxed Kenny away from her. “What is going on? You’re normally not like this. What’s got your brain so fried?”
Kenny scowled when he saw Mr. Hawking stride into the diner. His shirt was one size too small, letting the bottom portion of his gut hang out, and he was wearing his dirty slippers. He appeared haggard as he walked to the counter, his feet slapping against the floor.
“I have a pick-up order,” he said as he scratched at his beer belly.
“One moment.” Jeremy walked away, and Kenny went to the other end of the counter. Mr. Hawking smelled ripe. Didn’t the guy believe in baths?
Then Kenny felt like a rank ass for judging the guy without knowing Mr. Hawking’s full story. Kenny knew how it felt to have people hate him because of things out of his control. He’d suffered that kind of treatment most of his life and felt bad for thinking so poorly of the guy.
Jeremy returned and handed Mr. Hawking a plastic bag. He rang the guy up, and Mr. Hawking walked out.
Kenny had been hoping Jeremy had forgotten about him, but he had no such luck. Jeremy came to him and glared at Kenny. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m just tired,” he lied. “I got to sleep late last night.”
“Yet you were up before everyone else.”
“Why are you watching my moves so closely?” Kenny set the carafe down and turned to the guy in front of him. “Can I get you anything to eat?”
“This isn’t over,” Jeremy grumbled as he headed back into the kitchen.
The customer gave Kenny his order, and Kenny was on his way to the order window to hand the ticket over when he heard the bell above the door jingle.
He’d just set the ticket down when he glanced over his shoulder.
Oh fuck. It was Russell. He strode into the diner like he owned the joint and took a seat at the counter. Russell hadn’t looked Kenny’s way yet. The guy just picked up his menu and looked it over as Kenny stood there stuck on stupid.
