reviews_and_ramblings | Excerpt: Love Means... No Shame by Andrew Grey

Love Means... No Shame by Andrew Grey
Release Date: 09/2009
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
ISBN-13: 978-1-61581-058-1
Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=167&products_id=1474

Amazon: Love Means No Shame

Blurb: Geoff is in the city, living the gay life to the hilt, when his father's death convinces him to return to the family farm. Discovering a young Amish man asleep in his barn, Geoff learns that Eli is spending a year away from the community before accepting baptism into the church. Despite their mutual attraction, Geoff is determined not to become involved with him, but Eli has discovered that Geoff shares his feelings and begins to court him, neatly capturing first Geoff's attention and then his heart. Their budding relationship is threatened by closed-minded, gossipy relatives and the society at large, a whole new world to Eli, and he must decide whether to return to the community, his family, and the world and future he knows or to stay with Geoff and have faith in the power of love.

Excerpt:

He'd never needed an alarm to get him up in the morning, well at least when he hadn't been drinking and this morning wasn't an exception. It was still dark and Geoff was out of bed, cleaned up, dressed, and in the kitchen grabbing a bite to eat before going to the barn for his morning ride. He heard a soft knock and opened the door to find Lumpy looking concerned, standing on the steps. "There's something in the barn that you have to see."

Geoff looked dubious, but followed Lumpy across the yard, into the barn, and down to the empty stall on the end where he saw a pair of black boots. Looking in the stall, he was surprised to see a pair of legs and peeking around the corner, the sleeping form of what looked like a young man. The barn was still largely dark with only the early morning light coming through the windows and open door, but it was enough for Geoff to see that this man was extraordinary. It was only after seeing his sleeping face that he noticed the black pants sticking out from under the black coat he was using as a blanket and the wide brimmed black hat that had been carefully set on the empty manger. What on earth was an Amish boy doing sleeping in his barn?

Geoff didn't get much time to contemplate the question because a few seconds later, the young man's eyes opened and immediately filled with fear. Suddenly he was on his feet and running like a jackrabbit out of the barn and into the yard. Lumpy looked at Geoff and took off after him, but Geoff called him back. "I'll go; you get started with your work." Lumpy nodded and Geoff picked up the hat and pair of boots, walking outside. Dawn was just starting to break and he could see the boy standing by the road, looking back at the barn.

Geoff walked slowly in his direction, treating the boy like a spooked horse, making no sudden movements. "You forgot your boots and hat." He held them out to him and when he didn't move forward, Geoff slowly bent down and set them on the ground. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." He stepped back and the boy moved forward, pulling on his boots and taking his hat. "Why were you sleeping in the barn? Where's your family?"

"Rumspringa."

The word sounded foreign to Geoff, "I don't know what that means."

The young man, he was definitely not a boy, stood back up again, those intense blue eyes boring into him, "It is my time away from the community."

Geoff nodded, not really understanding too much about Amish life other than what he'd heard second hand, but if he was supposed to live away from the community and he was sleeping in his barn, he obviously didn't have a place to stay. "Are you hungry?"

The young man stood stark still as if deciding to answer or bolt, listen to his fear or his stomach. "Yes."

Geoff smiled and extended his hand, "I'm Geoff and this is my farm."

The Amish youth looked around, his eyes traveling over the house and barns, his eyes filling with awe. "I'm Elijah, Elijah Henninger." He took Geoff's hand and shook it tentatively.

"All right Elijah, follow me and we'll get you some breakfast." Geoff turned and walked toward the house checking to see if Elijah was following. "It's okay, we're just going inside." He led them to the back door and into the kitchen. Elijah followed and immediately took off his hat when he came inside, unsure where to go or what to do.

The look of surprise on Len's face when he saw the young Amish man standing in the kitchen was hard to miss, but luckily Elijah was looking around and missed it. Geoff pretended he hadn't seen it and started talking as though there was nothing out of the ordinary, "Is breakfast almost ready?"

For a second, Len looked at him like he had three heads, but then remembered his manners, "About ten minutes."

"Good." Geoff motioned Elijah over, "Len, this is Elijah, he'll be joining us for breakfast. Elijah, this is Leonard, Len, he's the foreman here on the farm." There was no way that Geoff was going to try to explain their relationship and Len seemed to understand and followed his lead.

Geoff indicated a chair and Elijah sat down, placing his hat beneath, "Thank you, sir." Len finished dishing up the food, putting three plates at their places on the table while Geoff poured glasses of juice and set them at each place. "What's that?" Geoff looked and saw Elijah pointing at the glass.

Oh my god. what a realization. "It's orange juice, try it." Elijah looked dubious, but took a sip and smiled, tasting some more before putting the glass back down. He then started eating with gusto, the eggs, pancakes, and toasted bread disappearing quickly washed down by the juice. He was definitely hungry. Geoff watched out of the corner of his eyes as he ate his own breakfast and sipped his coffee. He'd poured Elijah a cup and he'd sipped it, shuddered, put the cup back without touching it again.

Len had been watching Elijah with a strange look on his face, "I know you." Then he remembered, "I see you at the bakery when I buy bread."

A banging outside startled all of them, with Elijah jumping a little in his chair, and then Fred hurried into in the kitchen, his eyes widening when he saw Elijah. "Len, it's Princess, she's struggling with the foal. I called the vet, but he's on another call. His office said he be here as soon as he can."

"Fuck and damn." Len leapt from his chair, grabbed his coat and was out the door followed by Fred. Geoff gulped the last of his coffee like he was downing a shot of whiskey and grabbed his coat as well.

He wasn't sure what he could do, but he was sure as hell not going to sit here while one of his horses was in trouble. "Come on!" He handed Elijah his coat and rushed out the door, Elijah right behind him.

Elijah called from behind him. "Do you know about birthing horses?"