Gabe and I are the dynamic duo of Hunter's Creek and have been ever since we were kids. My bestie is not only sweet and loyal, but he's totally hot in that flannel-wearing lumberjack way of his. Not that I see him like that. Well, not since we kissed that one time back in high school. Thank goodness we have each other, because life in a small town can bore the socks right off you. At least that was true until Hollywood showed up, bringing along hottie Joe Turner. Joe has my head turning so swiftly, I might just earn a degree in neck gymnastics.

All I knew about life was anger and violence. Pain and suffering. Kill or be killed. I was a “fixer” for the Ruin - a syndicate for the Bratva, Cosa Nostra, Cartel, and any other organized crime faction that dealt in the darker, crueler aspects of humanity. I was a free agent who was called upon to do things weaker men didn’t have the stomach for. And when you surround yourself with death for long enough, soon you don’t remember what it felt like to be alive. And then I saw her.

Hope Barlowe is a vow away from a lakeside wedding to her high school sweetheart. Next, check off her follow-up dreams: two kids, a dog, a home, and a happy ever after. But suddenly, ever after seems like a very long time. Instead of saying I do, Hope thinks I can’t and bolts for the woods—right into the unpredictable life of a handsome tattooed hiker.

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens—certainly nothing to build a foundation on. But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they're thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces. LaRynn has the money, but in order to access her trust, she has to be married. Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds. A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.

What’s worse than being left at the altar? Becoming a meme because one of your nearest and dearest took a video of you running—and falling—down the aisle and made it internet famous.