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

Uncle Will had made sure of that, hadn’t he?


Aaron wasn’t sure how he got through the next ten minutes. When Uncle Will pulled him into a hug, Aaron wanted nothing more than to shove him roughly away, to grab for his gun. To hold it against his forehead and demand answers or something crazy like that. Instead he thanked Uncle Will for taking care of selling the house, and promised he and Charlie would leave now and hope Quinn would catch them up.


“To Vegas, probably,” he said when Uncle Will asked. “That’s the plan, anyhow.”


Charlie caught his gaze, but didn’t contradict him.


They waved Uncle Will off from the front door. Aaron kept his smile plastered on as the headlights of Uncle Will’s cruiser arced over his face as Will reversed down the driveway.


“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.


Chapter 61