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

“Right,” Charlie said, and took a swig of the beer. “Rehab, of course.”


Aaron wasn’t as constrained. He reached for one of the other bottles, and watched Quinn watch him drink. “So rehab was the real deal, huh?”


Quinn’s brows drew together, wrinkling his forehead. “Yeah.” And then, before Aaron could ask, he said, “It was for coke, mostly, but I also used crack when I couldn’t get my hands on any coke. It fucked me up for a while.”


Aaron raised his brows. “Past tense?”


Quinn shrugged. “I didn’t say I wasn’t still fucked up, just that now I’m fucked up and clean.”


Charlie picked at the label on her beer bottle and glared at Quinn. “So you want me to quit my job and just leave town? Like it’s all that easy?”


Aaron sighed. “Listen, there’s nothing keeping me here. Maybe you and Lennox could come with me.” He saw Quinn’s shoulders slump a little as the tension left him. “We could go on a road trip or something.”


Chapter 40