Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,7

let me know.

I know how hard it is to keep secrets in a place like this. I’ve done it all my life. Sometimes, finding another person who understands can make all the difference.

Windsor

I read and reread the email a few times. Narrowing my focus, I examined each sentence, wondering if they held a deeper meaning. Did Windsor know the truth? Had he somehow read between the lines when we’d talked? Had I inadvertently given myself away?

What was he not saying in this message? Was he trying to tell me something, or was I attributing my own wants and desires to his message that weren’t really there?

Why was he contacting me?

The rush to finish cleaning my office and get home no longer mattered as I studied and pondered Windsor’s unexpected email.

We’d spent a great deal of time together when I’d been in Jasper a few weeks ago, but he hadn’t given me any signs, had he? He was professional and polite, but he hadn’t flirted or shown any indication he was interested in men, so far as I remembered. Or was I blind to it? Was I not seeing the forest for the trees? Had I been so worried about myself and my own exposure that I’d missed some subtle sign?

I know how hard it is to keep secrets in a town like this.

A place that didn’t discriminate.

What did that mean?

I should have ignored his message or responded with a polite Thanks for checking in, but I couldn’t help the niggling feeling that he was reaching out on purpose.

I was a fool.

Men like Windsor Elkhart weren’t gay.

Sighing, I leaned back in my desk chair, scanning his email again. For almost two decades, I’d toed the line and buried my own truth so deep no one would discover it. The only risk to me were the people of Jasper who’d been fed a seed of doubt a long time ago. It was why I’d moved away. It was why I never went back.

Was Windsor the same as me? He was unmarried and never dated, according to the rumor mill—not that I’d fished for answers. He was devoted to his job and lived alone somewhere in town.

What if…?

I couldn’t let this email go unanswered. If Windsor was trying to tell me something, I wanted to somehow let him know I felt the same way.

Being a severely closeted gay man had left me with a slew of failed relationships—if I could manage to form them at all. Most guys wanted nothing to do with closet cases. The ones that tried gave up fast when they realized I refused to come out for anyone.

If Windsor was as deeply closeted as me, perhaps this was his way of testing the waters.

I hit reply and formed my response carefully.

Windsor,

It’s good to hear from you. I admit to being a bit shocked when your email landed in my inbox. Shocked, but also pleasantly surprised. I too enjoyed our conversations. I appreciate how strongly you feel about Jasper and her residents, but to be honest, I lost all love for my home town many years ago. I’m not sure your goodwill could change my mind at this point. Jasper isn’t a place where a person can easily hide or live a private life. Perhaps you understand this struggle? I feel we might share a sense of camaraderie on this issue, although I’m hesitant to broach the subject openly just yet. Call me cautious.

How forthcoming should I be?

I stared at what I’d written, knowing it was a lot gutsier than I’d intended. In truth, I hadn’t come out and said anything too revealing, but the undertone was there. If Windsor hadn’t been hinting at my sexuality, then he likely wouldn’t piece it together. If he had been, then this was handing him the truth on a golden platter. What would he do with that truth? Was it possible he was subtly asking me?

I signed my name and was about to hit send when I stopped myself. His email had landed less than an hour ago. If I replied immediately, he might see it as desperate. Instead, I saved the email and shut down my laptop, rolling the possibilities around my head as I finished packing up my office.

Even if Windsor was interested, what would come of it? He was in Jasper, Alberta, and I was in Vancouver, British Columbia. He wasn’t about to uproot his whole life and hop provinces. He was an established Jasper resident, the chief of police,