Unexpected Love by Max Hudson

Lawrie was simply enjoying a day walking his dog on the North Yorkshire Moors, when he ran into Paul. Literally, or at least, his dog, Rufus did. Lawrie had seen Paul walking out on the Moors before, and knew that he recognized the quiet, shy man from somewhere. Instantly infatuated with the man’s mysterious ways, not to mention his blond curls and blue eyes, Lawrie goes back a few days later to try and find him again. Instead, he finds the man at the ruins of his village’s castle. Paul is injured and Lawrie’s plans for romance turn into a rescue operation. As he helps nurse Paul back to health, though, he quickly realizes that the man may have a darker reason for being so mysterious and aloof. Determined not to give up on his new crush, Lawrie slowly begins to chip away at Paul’s rough exterior. Just when it seems like Paul is about to return the affection, the subject of Lawrie’s work comes up. He’s an actor, and for some reason this causes terror in his new-found flame. Enlisting the help of his best friend, Sam, Lawrie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery in Paul’s past. What Lawrie finds there, though, threatens to tear apart the delicate, fledgling relationship he’s built with the man. Will Paul’s past be too much for Lawrie to handle? Will Paul ever be able to get over the events that led to his mysterious, sheltered life on the Moors?