The Twisted Oak by Sarah Hadley Brook 💕 Behind the Scenes, Book Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (M/M Western Romance)

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Wade Dwyer's life is turned upside down when his father dies and he learns he must marry or he and his siblings will lose the ranch. One last jab of the knife from his father. On top of that, his father's only friend knows about the stipulation and is determined to own the property by any means necessary.

He's facing the very real possibility of being the reason his family loses their home when his brother's best friend, Lance Matthews, offers to walk down the aisle with him. A faux marriage to the man he's loved for years is a torture he isn't sure he can endure.

Can he keep the ranch ... and the man of his dreams, too?

I’ve always wanted to write a western romance, but it wasn’t until the character of Wade Dwyer came to me that I began to write The Twisted Oak in earnest. It’s funny, because after waiting so long to write it, the story just fell into place for me.
I still spent over a year creating the characters, learning about the cattle industry, and building the fictional town of Ruby, Wyoming. I feel closer to the characters in this book than any other story I’ve written, which is why I’m now working on a sequel.
Pinterest is an important step in the writing process for me, as I’m a very visual person. When writing, I create a board with pictures that inspire me and while working on The Twisted Oak, I went a little “Pin Happy”, pinning a lot more pictures than usual. Wyoming is beautiful and I couldn’t help myself. Of course, there were plenty of hot cowboys, as well!
I became slightly obsessed with cabin-style homes and spent way too much time online looking at them and wishing I could live in one. I even looked into some of the companies that sell log cabin floorplans—with sizes ranging from a single room A-frame cabin to log home mansions. Their rustic look can often belie the luxury inside—all the modern conveniences you can ask for.
While I never did get my own log cabin, spending a week or so in one is definitely on my bucket list. Possibly even a retreat at a ranch. Either way, I have a lot to look forward to, including finishing the sequel.

Wade glanced over this shoulder, his eyes widening upon seeing Lance. Lance pulled up next to Wade, leaving several feet between them, and nodded, not quite sure what to say now that he was there.

Wade looked ashen, his eyelashes wet as he continued to stare at Lance. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you. And your brother wants you back at the house.”

Wade rolled his eyes. “Casey can wait a little while. I just…needed to clear my head.”

Lance nodded as Jasper grew impatient with the wind. “I know. Heading to the twisted oak, right?”

“How the hell did you know that?” Wade narrowed his eyes at him.

“Seriously? I’ve known you since we were kids.”

Stardust began to prance in place and Wade pulled on the reins. “She can feel the tension in me and she wants to run.”

“Want to race back to the house?” They’d done that as children too many times to count. Wade almost always won. He was a natural on a horse.

Wade shook his head and patted Stardust. “Good girl.”

Lance watched him reassure his horse, his heart twisting. This was a good man and he’d been dealt a pretty horrific hand. “I know it’s hard to take it all in, Wade.”

Wade looked at him, his eyes a little wild as the wind whipped his chestnut hair. He leaned forward, his hands on his thighs as his breath came out in ragged pants. “I can’t…can’t lose my family, Lance. And I can’t be the reason they lose the ranch.”

As he watched the reality of what was happening hit Wade in the gut, he turned Jasper and moved closer until their horses stood side-by-side facing opposite directions, allowing the men to look at each other. Lance found himself studying those beautiful brown eyes that could bring him to his knees. Eyes that he’d never been able to forget. Wade’s breathing leveled out as they stared at each other and finally he was able to take a long, deep breath without coughing.

When Lance patted his arm, Wade didn’t pull away like he had back at the house, but he turned his gaze to the horizon.

“Hey…Wade? Look at me. That’s not going to happen. You’re not going to lose anyone. And nobody’s going to lose the ranch. Your family will get through this. You will get through this.”

Wade shook his head and raised his face to the sky as a smattering of tiny raindrops began to fall. He wiped at his face, brushing away the tears as well as the rain before he looked back at Lance.

“Can you just trust me?” Please trust me. Raindrops blew across his skin as Lance held his breath, waiting for Wade to reply. When the guy finally nodded, Lance’s heart swelled and he fought the urge to raise his fist in the air.

    

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Sarah Hadley Brook lives smack-dab in the middle of the Heartland and is the mother of two wonderful young men, as well as two cats. During the day, she works in the non-profit world, but reserves evenings for her hobby-turned-passion of writing, letting the characters she conjures up in her mind take the lead and show her where the story will go. When not working or writing, she can be found reading, working on dollhouses, trying her hand at new recipes, or watching old movies and musicals. In her ideal world, Christmas would come at least twice a year, Rock Hudson and Doris Day would have co-starred in more than three movies, and chocolate would be a daily necessity to live. She dreams of traveling to Scotland some day and visiting the places her ancestors lived. Sarah believes in “Happily Ever After” and strives to ensure her characters find their own happiness in love and life.

    

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