I don't do soft. I do threats. Risk. Control. So when she walks into Valor Security asking for protection, I already know she's trouble. Clara Hayes smiles too easily. Trusts too fast. And she has no idea how close the danger really is. I tell myself it's just a job. I'm lying. I move her into my cabin. Lock down the perimeter. Take every shift myself. Because if something happens to her, it's on me. She thinks I'm protecting her. What she doesn't know is I'm guarding my own heart, too. Guarded by the Mountain Man is a steamy small-town romance featuring a grumpy ex-Green Beret, forced proximity, rising danger, and a protector who doesn't back down.