I had one reason for never going back to the small town I once called home, but I never guessed it would be the same one that made me want to stay… Brooks I grew up in the small town of Eden, Wyoming, but never really felt like I fit in. Until I met the one boy who changed all that. When we were kids, Xavier Price understood horses, but somehow, he got me too. He’d made me feel like I wasn’t just the overdressed, too sensitive fifteen-year-old geek who loved math and didn’t always say the right thing. But all that changed the night he threw my trust back in my face and betrayed my family in the worst kind of way. And while I’m back in Eden to make sure my uncle’s horse ranch is operating in the black, the one thing I know I won’t have to deal with is the man who’d been on the verge of stealing my heart ten years ago. Because Xavier Price is still in prison for what he did and even if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to show his face in Eden ever again. Right? Xavier Wrong. That’s what returning to Eden after ten years behind bars feels like. But it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of choices. And it wasn’t like I was going to be handed any decent job offers, let alone my dream one of working with horses. But that’s exactly what happened and now that I’m foreman of Black Hills Ranch, I’m not letting this job go for anything. Not even the spoiled little rich kid I’d thought was different when he’d glommed onto me ten years ago. I have no doubt Brooks Cunningham didn’t wait long to move on to bigger and better things the second my jail cell was locked behind me, and that’s just fine by me. I’d been wrong about the sweet, emotional boy who’d had a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve anyway. Except fate has decided to have another go at me by tossing Brooks right back into my sometimes too small world. Gone is the scrawny, stars-in-his-eyes nerd who used to do math problems just for fun. In his place is a gorgeous specimen of a man who thinks he can go toe to toe with me and once again destroy everything I’ve worked for. Not happening.

Jackson Everyone says what a lucky guy I am. I've got a great kid, an amicable relationship with my ex, and a job working cattle on one of the largest ranches in Eden, Wyoming. Only problem is that "everyone" has no clue that I'm living a half-life. Because the other half is a closeted gay man who's got it bad for the young ranch hand he works with day in and day out. But the very straight Travis isn't an option. And even if he were, my sexy co-worker isn't exactly committed to commitment. So it's time for a change and since gay guys aren't exactly falling off trees in Eden, I'm going to need a little help... Travis It was supposed to be a Friday night like any other. Me and my best friend heading into town to find some female company for a few hours. And even though Jackson usually goes home alone, he's still a great wingman. Unfortunately, between my impatience to get the night started and my bad habit of snooping, I've learned two things about Jackson in the space of five minutes that have left me all kinds of confused. Jackson's gay. And he's placed a classified ad to try and hook up with some guy he can't get his mind off after a brief run-in at a hardware store in the city. Now I can't get my mind off Jackson. Don't get me wrong, I like the ladies, but why can't I stop thinking about my good-looking best friend and the faceless stranger he's ready to start something new with? Jackson doesn't need some random guy right now. Not when he has me... Oh hell. Author's Note: Please note that this story was previously published as part of a charity anthology (Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology, Volume 3) so it was intended to be a certain length. Although it is a complete story with an HEA, if you don’t care for short stories, Jackson and Travis’s tale may not be for you.

Zander The quick stopover in the small ranching town of Eden, Wyoming was supposed to be the chance to close the door on a piece of my past. Unfortunately, my temperamental car has other ideas. The thing is, with my tattoos and piercings, a guy like me doesn't exactly fit in a town like Eden. Then I meet her. Sweet, innocent, single mom Jolene who does fit in Eden. At least on the outside. But after five minutes with the spirited beauty, I know she's like me... an outsider always looking in. Still, I need to remember to keep my hands to myself because Eden's just a dot on the map, a place I need to put in my rearview mirror sooner rather than later. Problem is, Jolene isn't the kind of woman you can just walk away from... Jolene It was the date from hell that turned into something I never saw coming. One minute I'm fending off the unwanted advances of a guy who looks picture-perfect on paper, the next I'm pointing the barrel of my gun at the mysterious stranger who's decided I look like I need a helping hand. Zander is all kinds of wrong for me and the conservative, insular town I've called home my entire life. But something about the kindhearted tough guy makes me wonder if a little bit of wrong is exactly what I need right now...

Jules I wasn’t sure what to expect when I entered the small town of Eden, Wyoming, but I can easily say that being accosted by a few thugs in a dirty alley because I had a modicum of fashion sense hadn’t been high on the list of possibilities. Growing up in Manhattan probably should have prepared me better, but it wasn’t like there was a sign posted outside of Eden warning me to ditch my Mongolian wool wrap and dark nail polish. Sure, I knew I’d get some looks of disgust, but I’d always had a snarky remark at the ready. Unfortunately, snarky only worked when you weren’t having the crap kicked out of you. Enter the kind of hot cowboy I’d been fantasizing about since, well, forever, and within seconds the ignorant bigots were stumbling out of the alley, and I was alone with my gorgeous savior. Only problem was that said savior was under the assumption that he’d been rescuing a damsel in distress. And I was definitely no damsel. A fact that Hot Cowboy didn’t realize until after he’d kissed me. Flynn Eden was supposed to be another small town just like all the others. A place to do some temporary work on one of the local ranches before moving on. It wasn’t a life for most people, but it’d been working for me. With the exception of my horse, I liked being alone. A dusty, garbage-filled alley changed all of that. Helping someone who was the victim of a serious beating wasn’t a big deal for me. The victim was a big deal. As soon as I locked eyes with the person I assumed was a woman based on the clothes and nail polish, I was a goner. As confused as I was about my attraction to her since I played for the other team, she kissed like a dream. Only she wasn’t a she at all. The young man in my arms did something to me with that kiss. I was both relieved and disappointed when the guy took off. In the long run, it would be good because the last thing I needed was an intense attraction to someone who clearly didn’t belong in Eden. Enter Black Hills Ranch and a familiar stranger who wasn’t very happy to see me. At all. Jules, a New York city boy, was an enigma but that didn’t matter. I wanted him. Even though we were like night and day, arguing with Jules was just as much fun as kissing him. It was also very dangerous. For him. For me. The last thing I could afford was to fall for a guy who’d never truly be mine. I had to let him go. It was the right thing to do. Then why did it feel so wrong?