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The Rancher's Guarded Heart: A Clean Small-Town Ranch Romance
Paperback
Series: Pine Ridge Hearts, Book 2
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Mar 16 2026
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.57
Height: 0.52 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
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.
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