Wade Dwyer's life is turned upside down when his father dies and he learns he must marry or he and his siblings will lose the ranch. One last jab of the knife from his father. On top of that, his father's only friend knows about the stipulation and is determined to own the property by any means necessary.<br><br>He's facing the very real possibility of being the reason his family loses their home when his brother's best friend, Lance Matthews, offers to walk down the aisle with him. A faux marriage to the man he's loved for years is a torture he isn't sure he can endure.<br><br>Can he keep the ranch ... and the man of his dreams, too?

The Twisted Oak

Sheriff Hunter looked at Wade. “What do you want me to do? Run him in?”


Wade glared at Milton, but knew it would be hard to prove he was the thief. He’d lived in town for too long and owned too much property, including a strip of land in Ruby just east of the sheriff’s office. Rumor had it that Milton had paid off more than one politician in the past, but looking at the state of his ranch now, that would be hard to believe. He blew out his breath and shook his head. “No. Just want our cattle.”


Charlie mounted his horse and told Jake to open the side doors and let the cattle out so they could guide them home.


“Hear you’re getting married,” the sheriff said. “That true, Wade?”


Milton’s eyes went wide as he listened.


“Yeah.” Wade glanced at the sky and saw the sun had gotten higher. Allyson was going to kill him if he didn’t get back in time. “Probably going to be late, too.”


Sheriff Hunter chuckled. “The life of a rancher, huh? Does Lance know what he’s getting into?”


Chapter 25