Falling for My Grumpy Protector: A Second Chance Fake Engagement Romance

My brother sent me to a mountain lodge for a fresh start. He forgot to mention the owner is the best friend he hasn’t spoken to in eight years.

Cade Grant rescued me from a snowbank, carried my bag up a frozen trail, and told me not to touch his desk.

He’s rude. He’s impossible. He runs his lodge like a man who learned the hard way that people leave.

I should keep my distance. Instead I fix his inbox, name his coffee maker, and pick a fight over hot water.

He covers me with blankets when I fall asleep on his couch. He sets a glass of water beside me after my ex calls — and walks away without making it a thing.

Then the flour fight happens. His hands on my waist. My back against the counter. And the way he looks at me — like I’m a problem he’s done trying to solve.

I came here running from a divorce that shrank me down to nothing. He’s been running from a betrayal my own brother caused.

Now the man trying to destroy his lodge is already inside my divorce — and the lies tying our families together go deeper than either of us knew.

I’m not leaving this mountain. But the truth might be the one thing we can’t build around.