Hard Country

Lena Rourke has one rule left: never owe a dangerous man for protection.

Widowed, cornered, and raising a little girl on a ranch full of men who want her quiet, Lena finds the proof that could save Rourke Creek. It could also make her the easiest woman in Bitter Creek to blame.

Luke Blackwell is the last man she should run to. He is a wounded cowboy with a sharp mouth, a dangerous reputation, and a family name Lena was raised to hate. But when fire takes the ranch office and the law starts treating Lena like the criminal, Luke's cabin becomes the only place left for Lena, her daughter, and the evidence everyone wants buried.

One roof. One bed too close. A little girl sleeping upstairs while danger circles the pines.

Lena cannot afford protection that turns into ownership. Luke cannot protect her by taking over. But the longer the storm traps them together, the harder it is to tell whether trusting him will ruin her life...

Or save it.

Hard Country is Bitter Creek, Book 2: a spicy neo-western romantic suspense with a wounded cowboy, single mom, rival families, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers heat, touch-her-and-die protection, ranch-dynasty danger, and a guaranteed HEA. Complete romance. No cheating. No cliffhanger. Adult. 18+.