In the rugged mountain town of Laurel Ridge, a nurse who longs for love and a doctor determined never to love again must decide how long duty can hold out against the heart.

After years of giving her heart to men who called her too much, nurse Sophia Bell has nearly given up on love. When the Red Cross sends her to Laurel Ridge, she immediately falls for the kind yet guarded Dr. Matthew Lawson?except he doesn't seem to return her affection. So she spends the next five months convincing herself they're just friends.

Matthew Lawson swore off love eight years ago, and the reasons are far darker than anyone in town suspects. He is certain he is too old, too scarred, and too guarded for a woman as vivid as Sophia. But when an obsessive miner threatens her safety, Matthew's impulsive act of protection spirals them both into a courtship neither intended. The longer they pretend, the harder it becomes to remember it's only an act.

As a mysterious illness threatens Laurel Ridge's mining families and a dangerous man grows bolder, Sophia and Matthew must each confront the wounds they have carried and decide if the risk of love is worth the cost.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer, Amanda Cabot, and Misty M. Beller, this clean Appalachian historical romance combines a fake courtship, a wounded hero, a devoted nurse, and the healing power of faith after war.