Big, burly CEO Abe Behr is furious to discover someone -- probably a relative -- is embezzling from Behr Construction, a family-run business in the Sierra Nevada foothills outside Lake Tahoe. To confirm his suspicions, Abe takes the unprecedented step of hiring a non-family accountant, handsome Jeff Mason, to go over the books and help find the culprit. As they talk to Behr relatives and visit construction sites, Abe and Jeff are drawn to each other, bringing out new, softer emotions in workaholic Abe. Since he has sacrificed romance all his life to build the construction business, Abe’s surprised by his feelings for the handsome Jeff. He’s even more shocked when they come face to face with homophobia in the small foothills community where generations of Behrs have called home. Abe had always thought Stone Acres was a live-and-let-live kind of town. As he and Jeff get closer, he finds out how wrong he is when he comes out to both family and a community who think he’s making a big mistake. Will being the head of a large, powerful family and a pillar of the community be enough to win Abe his happily ever after with Jeff?

Behr Facts

“You were wonderful,” she gushed, pushing herself a few inches away from me. She absently swiped at my hair, which was getting a little longer. “Now Stu and I have some other jobs for you boys to do around the house. We’re thinking of remodeling.”


Stu blinked in surprise. Evidently, she was using the royal “we.”


“Have you talked to Fredi Zimmer about it?” I managed to ask.


“No. Do you think we should?” She looked puzzled. “I thought he only designed buildings.”


I saw Fredi standing with Max on the periphery of our little cluster.


“Hey, Fredi!” I yelled, making Mrs. W step a little farther back from me. “Mrs. Winter would like to talk to you.”


As Fredi minced up, I kind of shoved Mrs. W his way and looked around to find Jeff or Ben or Connor, somebody to help me escape.


What I found was Sheriff Campbell looking up at me.


Chapter 36