Chapter One
One
The cold, dark Montana night cast long shadows across Timber Falls Ranch as Gunner stood rooted to the spot, his heart hammering against his ribs.
The tips of his ears were frozen, his eyes were fixed on the silhouette of Aubrey, framed in the warm glow of the porch light, after the ranch’s annual Christmas Eve party.
The sight of her hit him like a physical blow, stirring up memories of their incredible week together that had haunted him for a couple years now.
His fingers twitched, aching for the familiar weight of a guitar to ground him that always got him through the nervousness of going on stage.
Instead, he clenched his fists, steeling himself for the confrontation ahead.
The warm glow of the light guided him forward as he took a hesitant step, feeling the ache in his leg—a constant reminder of the ATV accident that had derailed his life and career.
The injury that led to the painkillers that had soon become his only companion.
Once inside the house that belonged to his good friend—and Timber Falls Ranch owner—Jaxon, Gunner found Aubrey in the kitchen making herself another drink.
“Aubrey,” he called out, his voice rough with emotion. “We need to talk.”
She turned, her blond hair catching the light, and for a moment, Gunner forgot how to breathe. Those striking blue eyes widened in recognition before narrowing with suspicion. “Do you want a drink?” she asked, redirecting the conversation like she always did. Ever since she moved to Timber Falls.
“You know that’s not what I want to talk about,” he grumbled.
Only silence greeted him.
“Come on, Aubrey,” he said after a long-suffering sigh, “stop acting like you don’t remember our week together.
” He had confronted her three times since she had moved to town with her two best friends, Charly and Willow, and she kept playing the same game that she had never met him.
“Two years ago. Atlanta. That concert. Then the week that followed.”
“Not this again. Are you serious right now?” she retorted, finishing fixing her drink. “Gunner, whatever you think happened—”
He didn’t let her finish. “I know what I saw, what we did. It was you.”
“Wasn’t me,” Aubrey said over her shoulder, giving him a fine view of her incredible ass in her blue jeans that he could never have forgotten. “You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t even go to your concert.”
“Then who the hell was I with?” Gunner snapped.
“God knows!” she shot back. “But it wasn’t me!”
He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms and snorted. “That unforgettable week, your laugh, the way you moved, your goddamn moans—it’s all stuck in my head, Aubrey.”
“You are legit delusional,” Aubrey spat, turning toward him with a fiery stare. “You need to get over this.”
The denial stung, cutting deeper than Gunner had anticipated.
Her words were like a sucker punch, leaving him winded.
He’d known this wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t expected she’d hold out this long.
The old Gunner might have retreated, seeking solace in a handful of pills.
But he wasn’t that man anymore. He’d done the work, gotten sober and healed the parts of himself that had needed healing. He worked at that every single day.
“I know you must hate me,” he said, his voice intense, thinking back to how he’d left her naked in that hotel bed without another word from him, “but I’m not the same person I was back then. I’ve changed.”
For a fleeting moment, something flickered in Aubrey’s deep blue eyes—a hint of vulnerability that made his heart skip. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by a steely resolve.
“Listen, Gunner,” she said, her voice softening slightly. “I don’t know how many times I can say this for you to understand, but you need to drop this.”
He took another step closer, close enough now to catch the faint scent of her perfume.
It transported him back to that hot week together, where he swore he could still taste her on his lips.
“Is that really what you want me to do?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“For me to forget those days we had? To forget what we shared?”
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, Gunner thought he’d broken through her defenses. But then she squared her shoulders, her expression hardening once more.
“What I want,” she said firmly, “is for you to leave me alone.”
The finality in her tone left no room for argument. Gunner gave a final nod, swallowing the lump in his throat. As he turned to go, he caught one last glimpse of her face. Behind the mask of indifference, he saw a flicker of something else—regret, maybe. Or longing.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to kindle a spark of hope in his chest. He might have lost this battle, but the war was far from over.
Back outside, his boots crunched on the snow-covered gravel driveway as his breath fogged out in the frigid winter air.
The sting of Aubrey’s denial burned in his chest, mixing with the guilt that had always stayed on his mind since he’d left her in the hotel room.
He removed his cowboy hat and ran a hand through his blond hair, exhaling slowly, before sliding it back onto his head.
“Damn,” he muttered to himself, heading toward the campfire, cringing against the ache in his thigh from the two surgeries he’d endured after the ATV he’d been riding flipped and landed on his leg, breaking it in three places.
The pain there was a constant reminder of how far he’d fallen.
How he’d become a man he hated. A bad boy, a rebel, the tabloids had called him.
But the pain didn’t remind him of all he’d done wrong anymore.
The pain was a reminder of how much he’d risen back up.
As Gunner approached, Eli—his childhood friend and fellow Timber Falls Ranch cowboy—looked up, concern etched in his wise green eyes, his dark hair peeking out beneath his black cowboy hat. “Everything all right, man?” Eli asked.
Gunner took a seat on the log next to Eli, grateful for the warmth of the fire. “Yeah,” he lied, grabbing another beer from the cooler next to him.
Eli’s girlfriend, and one of Aubrey’s best friends, Willow, gave him a little smile that almost looked like pity.
Gunner cracked open his beer and took a long sip, trying to shake off the lingering tension, just as Jaxon called, “We’ve got some news.” His sandy blond hair stuck out beneath his own cowboy hat, his hazel eyes sharp.
Gunner looked up to see Jaxon approaching the campfire, with Charly, the other woman in Aubrey’s trio of best friends, striding next to him. The firelight danced across Charly’s warm brown eyes and caught the highlights in her brunette hair beneath her wool beanie.
“Jaxon and I have decided not to wait too long to get married,” Charly announced, her voice brimming with excitement. “We’re having a small wedding right here at the ranch in the spring.”
Gunner’s eyebrows shot up, a grin spreading across his face, aimed at Jaxon. “Smart plan. Lock her down before she can change her mind.”
Charly laughed, but Jaxon just grinned and gave Gunner a rude gesture with his finger, which made him chuckle.
Eli chimed in, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You know what this means, don’t you, Gunner? We’re at the lady’s beck and call now.”
Gunner laughed, tipping his cowboy hat toward Charly. “Whatever the bride needs, ma’am. Just say the word.”
Dead serious, Charly said, “Oh, you boys might regret that offer.”
Willow agreed with a firm nod. “Kiss your lazy Sundays goodbye.”
As the group chuckled, Gunner felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the fire.
This, he thought, was what it meant to belong somewhere.
To be part of something bigger than himself.
For a moment, his demons seemed far away, until Decker’s fingers found their home on the guitar strings.
The longtime Timber Falls Ranch cowboy caught Gunner’s eye, giving a subtle nod that spoke volumes. Gunner felt the familiar tug of music in his soul, something he never could resist.
Raising his beer bottle to his lips, Gunner took a long, slow sip. The cool liquid slid down his throat, removing the remainder of the tension. As he lowered the bottle, his gaze swept over the cowboys and good friends around the fire, and his breath caught.
Aubrey was making her way toward the group. His heart skipped a beat, his fingers tightening around the bottle. And holding her stare, he sang about losing himself to alcohol until love saved him.
* * *
A couple hours later, Aubrey slammed her bedroom door shut behind her, the sound echoing through the quiet farmhouse. She, Charly and Willow had renovated it after moving to Timber Falls to fulfill a dream of opening a cocktail lounge, The Naked Moose. A bar once owned by Jaxon.
A long sigh escaped her as she collapsed onto her queen-sized bed, the soft quilt a stark contrast to the turmoil raging inside her. The scent of woodsmoke clung to her hair, a lingering reminder of the campfire—and Gunner.
Her fingers curled into the fabric as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of his piercing blue eyes boring into her soul. Why couldn’t he just give up? More importantly, why did her traitorous body still react to him like a moth to a flame?
“Dammit,” she muttered, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling.
Before she could spiral further into her thoughts, the door burst open. Willow stood in the doorway, her strawberry blond hair wild and her green eyes blazing with concern.
“Alright, spill it,” Willow demanded, marching into the room. “What happened with Gunner?”
Aubrey propped herself up on her elbows, forcing a casual shrug. “Nothing happened. What are you talking about?”
Willow’s eyebrows shot up. “Lies. Eli and I were coming into the kitchen but stopped when we heard you and Gunner talking. I know you, Aubrey. I know all your tells. You lied to him. You two had a week together?”