Her Secret Guardian — Linda Needham

A SUDDEN MARRIAGE
The stranger is huge--dark and forbidding. But to honor a deathbed promise to her foster father, Kailey Hewett must marry Simon de Marchand, the king's sheriff, an intimidating mystery of a man. As they ride away from her home and all she holds dear, Kailey wonders how she can keep her pledge to give this stern man his "heart's ease"--but she vows to create a new family, no matter what it takes.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE
This marriage was supposed to be final reparation for his part in her father's long-ago death--nothing more. But as Kailey's generous heart causes her to gather a "family" of endearing misfits around them, Simon unexpectedly finds the walls of his own heart slowly crumbling. By his own harsh sense of justice, though, Simon can never allow himself to accept what he most wants, but believes he doesn't deserve--and the love Kailey offers so freely becomes as much a torture as a pleasure. But as the small, lion-hearted woman whips the huge, stunningly resistant man into an acceptance of love, he finally learns that mercy is as important as justice--and love and forgiveness can heal all.