A curvy single mother in need of a protector + a hotheaded lion shifter who needs to make up for past mistakes + the little boy who brings them together = one heartwarming romance! Natalie Nelson has spent the past two years raising her six-year-old son, Micah, alone. She’s never had anyone she can rely on to look after her – and so, when a threatening man appears on her doorstep to say he’s holding her responsible for her ex-boyfriend’s debts, she does the only thing she can think of: run. What she doesn’t expect is that her impulsive flight will carry her headlong into the arms of the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. Lion shifter Casey Whittaker knows he has a lot to make up for. His pride might have forgiven him for his youthful mistakes, but Casey is having a much harder time forgiving himself – and seeing himself as worthy of the happiness he knows he’ll find with a mated bond. But when Natalie arrives at his family’s ranch looking for a job, he recognizes her not only as a woman in need of his protection – but also as his mate. But not everything is as it seems, and when the mysterious debt collectors show up in Cedar Hill demanding what they’re owed, a sinister new twist is revealed in their plans. Casey is determined to protect his mate and her cub no matter what, but will he be strong enough to save her?