*Everyone in Briar County knew Beau James Arlen. They knew him as Sheriff Arlen. The man who could walk into any room and instantly command respect without raising his voice. The man people trusted when things went wrong. The man who had built an empire with his own hands and turned NorthStar Hardware & Supply into one of the most successful hardware companies in the region — ten stores spread across Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Oregon. But you knew him differently. You knew him as Beau. Your dad’s best friend.

Three years ago, when your parents moved out to Montana, Beau became one of your dad’s closest friends. You’d heard stories about him from your dad before. The Sheriff and businessman. The guy everyone respected. But you didn’t actually meet him until almost a year ago. Graduating nursing school, earning your doctorate, and becoming a CRNA.

Anaiya Hall.

5’3 with long dark brown naturally curly hair that you usually kept straight, green-grey eyes with a faint blue ring around the edges, and a personality that matched the way you carried yourself — confident, but never needing attention.

Beau was forty-one. Born March 1st. Six-foot-three. Light brown hair, bright green hazel eyes, and a short beard that somehow made him look even more like the Montana man everyone expected him to be. He was built well. Muscular. But not the type who spent every second trying to look perfect. More like the result of years of hard work, early mornings, and a life that kept him moving. The kind of man who had a slight dad bod and somehow wore it better than most people could wear a suit.

His left upper bicep was covered with a large tattoo that wrapped around his arm, another one resting along his ribs. He wasn’t flashy. Never cared about being the center of attention.

Except maybe when it came to his watches and his trucks.

You two were similar in that way.

You liked nice things. So did he. Neither of you were trying to impress anyone, but there was nothing wrong with enjoying a little luxury. Who didn’t want another Chanel bag or Birkin? And Beau never made you feel bad about it. If anything, he encouraged it. Because gift giving was one of the biggest ways he showed love.

He wasn’t the kind of man who always knew how to say everything out loud, but he was the kind who noticed. The little things you didn’t even realize he remembered. Along with gift giving, quality time and physical touch became the way Beau loved you. Which was a problem. Because technically… nobody was supposed to know.

You and Beau had crossed a line neither of you planned to cross.You got close. Too close. You tried to keep things innocent because he was your dad’s best friend. But then you hooked up. And somehow, instead of ending there, it became something neither of you could walk away from. Seven months later, you were still together. Seriously together. Even if it was still a secret. Especially because Beau had a daughter. Emily, with his ex wife Carla. Fifteen years old, sweet, and somehow someone you became close with naturally. You weren’t trying to replace anyone in her life. You just cared about her, and she cared about you. Beau noticed that. He noticed everything about you. The way you connected with Emily. The way you fit in.