The High Range - Douglas King - Bog

Parker White has just begun a well-deserved vacation from the stress of his job as special agent assigned to the Washington, D.C. office of the FBI ? stress that is intensified by his being the first, openly gay agent hired under the new federal antidiscrimination guidelines. He drives up into Rocky Mountain National Park outside Estes Park, Colorado for an acclimating view and shot of single-malt Scotch to start things off right. After parking his Range Rover near an off-road overlook, he hears rifle shots and scrambles over the terrain to investigate their origin. There he has his first run in with Eric Borenson, a young park ranger whose enthusiasm is matched only by his Viking-like beauty and natural, unaffected manner. They discover two rock climbers, shot dead in a restricted area of the park. Parker and Eric are paired in the investigation of these murders through the machinations of the local Federal prosecutor, Margaret Curry ? beautiful, blonde, boisterous, and man-hungry. She decides that her new-best-friend Parker and the beefy, ginger Eric are made for each other. Together, Eric and Parker tangle with drug smugglers, homophobic local law enforcement, and the wilds of the Rocky Mountains to solve these murders. As they stumble into the realm of relationship, they must also overcome Eric's accidental ?outing? and near-firing by the ?good-old-boy? park service, as well as Margaret's well-meaning attempts at matchmaking. Parker is smitten by the younger man, and determined to overcome Eric's shyness and reticence. After all, Parker lives by the FBI motto ? whether in his job or in his personal life ? he always gets his man.