**I came to town looking for a place where my ex would never find me. I never expected the sheriff to become the one man I wanted to stay for.**

Starting over with my daughter was supposed to be simple.

A new town. A new job. A locked door between us and the man I spent years learning to fear.

Then Sheriff Cole Mercer walks into my life.

He’s fifteen years older than me, broad-shouldered, steady, and far too good at noticing the things I try to hide. The way I check every parking lot twice. The way I freeze when an unknown number calls. The way I keep one hand on my daughter whenever a stranger gets too close.

Cole doesn’t push.

He asks.

He listens.

And when my past begins creeping into the life I’m trying to rebuild, he makes one thing painfully clear: protecting me does not mean controlling me.

That should make it easier to keep my distance.

Instead, every quiet look, every late-night conversation, and every moment I see how gentle this intimidating sheriff can be with my little girl makes staying away almost impossible.

For the first time in years, I want something for myself.

Him.

But wanting Cole means trusting a man with the parts of me my ex tried to destroy. And when the threats stop being memories and start showing up on my doorstep, I have to decide whether I’m ready to believe that love can feel safe without becoming another cage.

Because Cole may be willing to stand between me and the man hunting me.

But he can’t make the final choice for me.

**Protected from My Ex by the Sheriff** is a steamy, emotional small-town romance featuring a protective older sheriff, a resilient single mom, a fifteen-year age gap, instalove, forced proximity, found family, an obsessive ex, suspense, and a guaranteed happy-ever-after.