The Rancher's Return — Jillian Hart

Hank Callahan didn't intend to murder anyone, but when he left his house to investigate a potential theft, he accidentally shot his friend, Richard, leaving the man's widow and child to struggle on their own. After being run out of town, Hank returns years later to attend his own father's funeral and finds vengeful neighbors waiting for him. Beaten to the point of helplessness, the only caring face he sees is that of Nettie Pickering, Richard's widowed wife.

Bound by kindness, Nettie knows she needs to care for Hank's injuries. Believing that he is a thief and a murderer, no one else in town will lift a hand to help, including Hank's own mother. Despite his guilt and her anger over her husband's death, Nettie can't help feeling drawn to the haunted man. But can she find it in her heart to forgive the man who denied her son the chance to know his father. And can they prove Hank's innocence and find the real thief before Hank is punished for a crime he didn't commit.