Two little boys who decide their recently divorced dad “needs to get out more” is just too cute. After reassuring each other that mommy isn’t coming back, they set out to find a suitable man for Daddy to date. The guy they come up with is their biology teacher, and I loved seeing their scheming little minds at work. With the typical innocence of children, they see no obstacles, other than how to get them to meet, and proceed without any caution whatsoever.

Rowdy is a cowboy, and he loves his boys. But he’s seen through their antics, after having been talked to about the doctor, one of the boys’ teachers, and any other men they seem to think might interest him. Now that the boys are off to spend time with their mother, all he wants is a quiet night with his buddy Darren.

Darren is a great buddy, but it didn’t seem to me as though that was all he wanted to be. The way he asks about Rowdy’s dates, and some “weird silences” between the men told me all I needed to know. Rowdy takes a little longer to figure it out, but when he does? Wham! The heat is on.

If you like friends to lovers stories set in small towns, if two men who are made for each other finally getting the message seems like a good idea, and if you’re looking for a sweet read with quite some heat at the end, then you will probably like this short story. ( )