Bride by necessity

Jonathan Lambrick has no plans to wed again, but when he opens his home at Kent Park to an orphan whose father once worked his land, he discovers the girl has become a striking young woman. A relative with predatory intentions then sets his sights on her, and Jonathan sees that a marriage may be the only shield against a dreadful fate.

Payton Whittard knows the union is a matter of safety rather than affection. Yet as they live under this arrangement, feelings take root that are anything but safe. She finds herself willing to place her very life in her protector's hands, and she begins to wonder whether he might also claim her heart.