The Hanged Man's Hero — Summer Devon

Condemned for murder, Dez Moore awaits the hangman's noose. Though he killed to defend a woman, the court shows no mercy, and, resigned, he attempts to make amends with his estranged sister. His letter bidding his sister good-bye falls into the wrong hands, and suddenly, he is facing another future -- one that may exist, thanks to a man he doesn't know.

Once a poor mudlark, Carl Reis is a powerful businessman with an erratic impulse to save desperate people. When Dez's letter comes to him, he takes an interest in the prisoner. But the charming and disruptive Dez Moore proves to be more attractive than any of his other rescues. He stirs urges Carl has long suppressed, and makes him yearn for a future even he could not foresee. One with the lively Mr. Moore by his side and in his bed.

Long used to doing for others -- some might say controlling them--while maintaining his solitary existence, Carl struggles to keep Dez from breaching his walls. But the tenacious Dez will do all it takes to capture his rescuer's heart.

This is an expanded version of The Scent of Hope, a goodreads free read.