Claimed by the Mountain Mechanic

She was supposed to keep driving.

Instead, Sadie breaks down outside a lonely mountain garage with bruises she cannot explain and nowhere left to run. She tells herself she only needs her car fixed. A night or two. Just enough time to disappear again.

Rhett Mercer knows better.

The broad, gruff mountain mechanic sees the fear in her eyes before she says a word. When he realizes someone is hunting for her, he makes one thing clear. She is staying in the apartment above his garage until she is safe.

Sadie is not used to kindness without strings. She is even less prepared for the quiet, possessive man who fixes her locks, watches the road, and makes her feel protected in ways that are far more dangerous than fear. The longer she stays in Black Ridge, the harder it becomes to remember she was only supposed to leave.

Because Rhett does not just want to repair her car.

He wants to keep her.

But when the man she fled finally finds her, Sadie will have to decide if she is still running from the past, or finally choosing the one place that feels like home.