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

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him as though she was searching for sarcasm. Then her expression softened and she shook her head, her red hair catching the light. “But I’m trying, I promise.”


“Hey, I know you are. Listen, it was a big deal, asking you to throw your lot in with us. I get that. But I think we’ve got a good chance of making this work.” He felt his chest swell as he looked at her and Lennox. “Out of everything in that town, in my childhood—you and Quinn are the only things worth keeping. Our friendship, that summer…it meant everything, Charlie, and I don’t want to throw that away without giving it a second chance.”


Charlie blinked, her eyes shining. She reached past Lennox and took Aaron’s hand. “Me too, Aaron. Me too.”


They drove into town after breakfast. White Deer Lake was only a small town, barely large enough for the police station that sat on its main street.


“You want us to wait for you?” Aaron asked as they dropped Quinn in the parking lot.


Chapter 71