Beyond the Thistles

<p><strong>He's a brooding bodyguard. She's a single mom on the run. And in a town this small they can't hide from their fierce attraction...</strong></p><p> </p><p>It's been a long time since Walker Ironside left behind Scotland and the memories that haunt him. Yet after years of traveling the world as a bodyguard Walker misses his homeland enough to return. To a village in the Scottish Highlands that plays host to an exclusive members-only club Ardnoch Estate. If not happy Walker is content working with the elite security at the club and maintaining his bachelor lifestyle. What he doesn't need is distraction in the form of the enticing but too-young newcomer single mother Sloane Harrow.</p><p> </p><p>Sloane never imagined she'd get pregnant at sixteen. Or that a decade later she'd escape from California with her daughter Callie to start over in the Scottish Highlands. Hidden and safe from Callie's dangerous father Sloane is satisfied with their new lives. Her daughter is happy. Sloane has a stable job a quaint cottage a passion for baking that might just be turning into a business and a huge crush on brooding security guard Walker Ironside. Unfortunately the grumpy Scot seems immune to Sloane's charm but she can't help but try to seduce him with cupcakes and baked treats whenever the opportunity arises.</p><p><br></p><p>However when someone arrives in Ardnoch intent on destroying Sloane's life Walker is the first to step forward to protect her and Callie. Even if it means giving into temptation and awakening his own demons. Because in doing so Walker faces failing not only to shield Sloane from her past but to safeguard her against his own.</p>