Sleepy Fox Hollow But you're perfect being yourself

Anselm’s expression cut to surprise. Etienne had already found her. 

The last of his outrage fizzled away. Anselm wanted to be annoyed that Etienne was too soft with interlopers — and in a way, he probably would always be irritated — but he recognized that softness was the only reason Etienne stayed by Anselm when he deserved better. 

Oh. Anselm said quietly, a little disappointed. But, the redeeming fact was Etienne had resecured their borders alongside him. Vell. That takes care of that.

He brushed his feet against the snow, rising to make his leave. And as much as he wanted to bask in the illuminating glow of the man that made his heart surprisingly tender, Anselm did not. There was still a reckoning inside of him that could not come to terms with its attraction to another man, and it was that ugliness that drove him to turn away from Etienne and finish marking elsewhere.