The Rancher's Guarded Heart. A Clean Small-Town Ranch Romance (en Inglés) - Jefferson Cross

A woman with nowhere safe to go.
A rancher who's already lost too much.
And an unexpected pregnancy that changes everything.

Harper Sterling arrives in Pine Ridge, Wyoming with a plan: assess the ranch she's unexpectedly inherited, sell it quietly, and disappear before the past she's running from catches up.

She isn't looking for a new life.
She isn't looking for anyone.

She isn't expecting Cole Coleman.

A Marine Corps veteran rebuilding his uncle's ranch-and his life after loss-Cole keeps his world small, steady, and under control. He has no room for complications-especially not a Manhattan executive who challenges everything he's built.

But when Harper discovers she's pregnant and alone-and the corporate predators circling Pine Ridge set their sights on her inheritance-Cole makes the only offer that makes sense:

A marriage of protection.
Temporary. Practical. Nothing more.

Except Pine Ridge has a way of turning the practical into something permanent.

As Harper finds belonging in a community she never planned to join-and Cole discovers that the woman he meant to protect may be the only person who can reach the grief he's never faced-what began as a contract starts to feel like the truest thing either of them has ever chosen.

Then the past arrives-with lawyers, leverage, and a corporate campaign designed to take everything they've built.

And Cole must decide:

Protect the life he's rebuilt-
or risk everything for the woman who's already become part of it.

In Pine Ridge, family isn't always found.
Sometimes it's chosen.

The Rancher's Guarded Heart is a clean contemporary romance featuring:

• A protective military veteran hero rebuilding after loss
• A resilient heroine starting over in unexpected territory
• A marriage of convenience with real emotional stakes
• An unexpected pregnancy that forces impossible choices
• Found family, small-town solidarity, and Wyoming heart
• Clean romance with fade-to-black intimacy

Perfect for readers who love:
Protective hero romance · Military veterans rebuilding their lives · Small-town ranch settings · Marriage of convenience · Unexpected pregnancy stories · Found family and emotional healing · Clean contemporary romance

Welcome back to Pine Ridge-where stubborn hearts finally learn to trust.