Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      Cactus, Texas.

      Gabe Dawson carefully pulled into a parking space on the town square. He didn’t want to have a wreck on his first day back in town. With memories pouring into his head, he feared he might be too distracted to drive.

      He’d grown up here, learning about life, sharing, hunting, camping, riding with his friends. Falling in love for the first time. Katie.

      “Gabe!”

      The man standing by his car door waited for him to acknowledge his presence. Gabe opened the door and got out. “Mac Gibbons!” he replied, grabbing one of his best childhood friends into a bear hug. “How did you know I was here?”

      “I’d been to see Cal. Your new Mercedes caught my eye. Nice car.”

      “Yeah, thanks.” The car was a result of his recent success. “I was on my way to see you.”

      “About your grandmother’s will?”

      Gabe nodded.

      Mac reached out and squeezed Gabe’s shoulder in silent sympathy. “Come on, let’s get it over with. Then we can visit.”

      Mac Gibbons knew Gabriel Dawson was in for a shock. He decided it would be better not to procrastinate. He hoped Gabe would take some time to think, not make a quick decision.

      He led his old friend into his offices. After introducing him to his secretary, an efficient middle-aged woman, he took him down the hall, stopping at the first door.

      “Alex, let me introduce an old friend, Gabe Dawson. Alexandra Langford is my partner.”

      “Langford?” Gabe repeated, a question in his voice.

      Mac nodded. “And Tuck’s wife.”

      Gabe smiled. “Tuck always was a lucky man. But I’ll admit, I never thought he’d marry.”

      Mac chuckled. “One look at Alex, and he was a goner.”

      Alexandra gave her partner a knowing look. “You don’t have room to talk, Mac.”

      “Yeah,” he agreed with a contented sigh.

      “You remarried?” Gabe asked, astounded. He’d been around when Mac had lived in Dallas. He knew how badly his friend had been hurt.

      “He married and is a daddy twice over,” Alex added.

      Mac’s grin only widened. “Never mind that. We’ll catch up later. First, we’ve got some business to conduct.”

      He led his friend into his office and shut the door.

      Before sitting down, he pulled a legal file from his file cabinet. “Your grandmother changed her will last year.”

      Gabe’s head snapped up. “Do you mean I’m not the heir?”

      It wasn’t that he needed his grandmother’s estate. As an attorney with a large firm in Dallas, he earned a more-than-healthy salary. Then he’d taken a risk on a personal injury case and had won big. Big enough that he’d never have to work again.

      But he’d loved his grandmother. He wouldn’t want to think he’d disappointed her.

      “You’re still the heir,” Mac assured him, “if you meet certain conditions.”

      “Certain conditions?” Foreboding filled Gabe. His grandmother had fussed about his lifestyle. Surely she hadn’t—

      “You know how amazed you were that Tuck and I were both married?”

      Gabe stared at his friend. What did their marriages have to do with anything? “Well, yeah, Tuck was determined never to marry and you, well, I was there when you went through your divorce. I remember how bitter and hurt you were.”

      Mac nodded. “Spence and Cal are married, too,” he added, naming two other friends. “It seems our mothers were frustrated that we hadn’t married, any of us, and made a bet to see who would get the first grandbaby. They were so successful, they inspired a lot of other mothers…and grandmothers.”

      “Are you telling me Gran changed her will to—to force me to marry?”

      Mac nodded. “Yeah. I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how hardheaded she was.” He lifted several papers and passed them to Gabe before sitting down behind his desk. “You might as well read it yourself.”

      Gabe took the will, his brows furrowing. He couldn’t believe Gran would try to force his hand. He’d been engaged once, but Gran hadn’t seemed too pleased with his choice. So why would she try to rush him into something?

      He quickly read the papers, noting the requirement that he return to Cactus for one year. Outrageous, but not impossible. It would take him that long to sell her house. In the meantime, he would live there.

      But it was the last requirement that had him leaping to his feet. “Marry Katherine? Was she crazy? Katie married over eight years ago. This is insane. When did she write this?”

      “About