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

The sky was a gorgeous blue with the sun already shining down on the town he loved. He’d driven this route more times than he could count, but something made this day different. It was almost like he had a new pair of glasses and his vision had sharpened to finally see how beautiful everything was.


Even after the horror of last night, he knew the citizens of Ruby were good people. And with Lance by his side, he felt like he could conquer anything. He smiled at that. Lance was his fake husband. There’s been no true commitment between them. Yet, Wade knew. He knewLance would always have his back.


Whatever it was, the connection he’d always felt with Lance was growing stronger. And he was excited to explore it.


When they arrived at the station, they found Sheriff Hunter pacing in the empty lobby. He frowned and waved them back to his office, where he offered them coffee. When both men declined, Josh grabbed a manila folder off his desk.


Chapter 40