Running away from an arranged marriage was my choice. Stumbling into the arms of an irresistible sheriff was our fate. Gruff. My savior. The one who faced three guys and didn't bat an eye. Brad is all that and the man who makes my heart beat fast. Every glance is a sizzling invitation. Every touch sends a shiver down my spine. When he invites me to his home because I have nowhere to go, I hesitate. It's too soon. We just met; I don't fully know his intentions, and I'm still a bride on the run. Yet the moment he appears before me, wet from the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his torso? I'm spellbound. His entire body is absolute perfection, but the scars on his heart are deep, and they only draw me in more. Each kiss is a step toward the unknown. Yet, I'm unsure. Can I close my eyes, let go of my past and step forward? And am I okay with this man I met hours ago being my first? Claiming me as his? Protected by the Mountain Man is a short, sweet, and steamy small town instalove romance with a happy-ever-after. It can be read as a standalone or together with the rest of the books in the Curvy Wives of Silvervale Mountain.