Simon is a successful Las Vegas bar owner who built his empire from the ground up, starting with his beloved motorcycle bar. He owns several establishments across the city, each with its own unique identity. At six feet tall and muscular, he's a motorcycle enthusiast who'd rather pour drinks and connect with customers than deal with paperwork.

Though Simon describes himself as "hard, brash, and can be an asshole," he's actually fiercely protective with a heart of gold. He has zero tolerance for anyone who disrespects women. When he spots Autumn sitting alone at his bar, the instant attraction catches him completely off guard. At fifteen to twenty years her senior, he initially thinks she's too young and pure for a guy like him—but he can't stay away.

Simon hasn't been with anyone in six years, showing he doesn't do casual. When he falls, he falls completely—and he's determined to turn their fake relationship into something real, whether Autumn realizes it yet or not.

Sheriff Rick Hart is the dedicated sheriff of Evergreen Lakes, a widower who's spent years keeping the peace in his small town. With silver-threaded dark hair, storm-gray eyes with gold flecks, and a protective streak a mile wide, Rick has a reputation for quiet authority and steady competence. A devoted father to his daughter Eve, he's been alone since his wife's death—until thirty-two-year-old festival coordinator Briony Lennon arrives in town. Despite his grumpy attitude toward Halloween's "annual chaos," Rick can't help falling for the sunshine woman who turns motion-activated skeletons and teenage pranks into community magic. Beneath his professional sheriff exterior beats the heart of a passionate, tender man ready for his second chance at love.