Truce

Everyone dreams of a distant relative leaving them a fortune in their will, right?

At twenty-five, Lake White lives in New York City with his best friend and their roommate. He works at a bookstore, feeling content, but never quite happy. He's vowed he'll never return to Illinois where his parents disowned him for wanting to live his life authentically.

Then, one visit from a lawyer changes everything. Not only does it reveal that one of Lake's favorite authors was actually his late aunt Ruth, but that she'd left him Twin Star Rescue, her life's work. There are caveats, because of course there are. Lake can't just decide whether to keep or sell the rescue right away. The book rights, those are squarely his, but there's also the question of her last manuscript that's unfinished. Could Lake finish writing it?

Twin Star Rescue's foreman, Theo Fenton, isn't the easiest guy to understand or get along with. Having just lost his best friend and boss Ruth, Theo is trying to protect everything Ruth represented to him and the others in their circle. Some city kid with his two friends coming to mess everything up doesn't seem like a good idea.

At couple of years short of forty, Theo has cultivated his life into what he wants it to be. Sure, he has trouble making romantic connections with people, but he has great friends, a job he loves, and the best dog he could ask for. What else does a guy need?

Together, Lake and Theo navigate the various tasks of the rescue, the animals that need their help, all their friends and found family, and their mutual animosity turning into something more positive. The universe never stops giving them more surprises along the way, because where would the fun be in that?