When Zeph Met Kess — S.K. Epperson

Former coach and teacher Zeph Grafton has no intention of giving in to the manipulation of others, not from those who attempt to bully him, and not from those who profess to love him. When he meets guarded mail carrier Kess, the attraction between them is undeniable and hard to ignore in spite of complications posed by his soon to be ex-wife and Kess's insidious stalker, a man who has hunted her relentlessly. Zeph and Kess develop a bond and share feelings they cannot put words to, but fate has more in store for them than a few quick passionate encounters. There's a bigger, older picture taking shape on their canvas, made up of past misdeeds, noisy misconceptions and a lot of assumptions in need of correction. Luckily for them, Zeph's father Ike, a casino blackjack dealer, and his friend Buck Justice, a six-foot-seven culinary artist, are in their corner and doing their best to help put all the barking dogs to bed.