When they were teenagers, Quinn MacGregor and Aaron Larsen fell in love over the course of one magical summer. It ended in bloodshed and tragedy. Now, ten years later, Quinn is back in Spruce Creek, Nevada, to inherit his family’s criminal cartel. His cousin Jimmy has been making friends -- and enemies -- in dangerous places, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy to hand over leadership to Quinn. And Jimmy might not be the only one who wants Quinn out of the way for good, especially if Quinn’s secret comes out. Aaron Larsen is back in Spruce Creek to sell his former family home. Aaron lost a leg in Afghanistan, and he’s drinking too much and battling depression and PTSD. The last thing he needs is for Quinn MacGregor to drop back into his miserable life. But when Quinn is shaken by the news that he left more behind in Spruce Creek than his bad memories, he turns to Aaron like it’s old times, and Aaron doesn’t know how to say no. The events of ten years ago cast a long shadow, and in a town where they can’t trust anyone else, Quinn and Aaron just might have to learn to trust each other again.

A Desperate Man

“Aaron fucking Larsen,” the woman said.


“Charlie,” he said, staring at her face. She was still pretty, but she’d lost that fresh-faced look she’d had in high school. Her face was thinner now. A woman’s face, instead of a girl’s. “Holy shit. Charlie.”


She stepped forward and embraced him. Her red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She smelled like fryer oil and greasy food. “I just found out you were back in town, you ass. Why the hell didn’t you come find me?”


He’d never been able to lie to Charlie. “Because I’m a fucking mess.”


“Oh, trust me,” she said, “there is nothing going on in my life that puts me in any position to judge.” She stepped past him, a plastic bag swinging from her hand.


Chapter 7