Justin O'Dwyer is 19. Four days ago, his mother died of a drug overdose, and now Justin is back in Enterprise, Oregon, trying to figure out how to raise the younger siblings he's afraid of losing to the foster system. Justin is completely out of his depth. Harper is six, and hates him. Wyatt is four and doesn't remember him. And baby Scarlett, at fourteen months, has never even met her big brother before. When Scarlett gets sick and won't stop screaming, and when Harper runs off in the middle of the night, Justin is at the end of his tether. In desperation, he knocks on a neighbor's door begging for help.<br><br>Del Abbot is 38, and living in his grandparents' old place in Enterprise after his marriage broke down and he lost his restaurant in the divorce. He's a chef, even had his own show on cable for a while, but now he's looking for a new start, if he could just figure out what exactly that entails. When the O'Dwyer family barrels into his life one night, Del can't refuse to help. What begins as a trip to the hospital becomes a regular child-minding gig while Justin struggles to find his feet. And the more time Del spends with Justin, the more they both want more than friendship. But small town life comes with its own bigotry, and, in Justin's case, that bigotry has always been close to home.<br><br>When an act of violence threatens to destroy the small family they've built, both Justin and Del need to put aside their pasts and reach for their future together.

Family Recipe

“Morning. Happy birthday,” she said and hugged Harper quickly. She wasn’t much for hugs, so Harper knew she really meant this one.


“Thanks, Lettie. How’s the pack?”


“They’re great. I think I can put them up for adoption soon.” When a large mutt whined in the middle of the still sitting pack of dogs, Lettie chuckled. “Except you, Poncho, you aren’t going anywhere.”


The dog wagged his tail faster, making them all laugh.


They left the dogs outside and Lettie went to wash her hands and change, while Harper and Dad went to the kitchen where Wy and Justin were fixing breakfast.


“There you guys are,” Justin said and came to hug Harper.


She remembered being small and angry at him, and she understood her child self. But she also counted her blessings when it came to the relationship she had with her big brother now. It hadn’t always been smooth sailing, not by a stretch, but they were great now, and that was all that mattered.


Chapter 79