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

“Sounds like none of my fucking business,” he said, his grip tightening on the door as he prepared to shut it.


“I—” Quinn clenched his jaw tight before he spoke again. “I just found out. Today.”


“What do you want, Quinn?” The words didn’t sound as angry as Aaron had intended. They sounded tired. “What the fuck do you want me to say to that?”


“I want…” Quinn’s mouth twisted and his eyes blazed in the bright moonlight. “I want you to make it make sense, Aaron! That’s what you always did! You made it all make sense!”


Aaron thought back to the night down by the creek, when he’d pushed Quinn up against a tree and held him while he raged. He thought of how he’d carded his fingers through the waves of Quinn’s long hair. And now he just stared at Quinn stupidly, and said, “You cut your hair.”


Chapter 19