Guarding Your Heart — Maryann Jordan

Sophie Bayles was devastated by grief when her beloved brother, a soldier, had been killed in action when she was a teenager. Guarding her heart, she left Baytown and the boy she had loved…her brother's best friend.

Callan Ward lucked out when he was assigned to the Coast Guard station in his hometown of Baytown. Back with the Baytown Boys and his family, the desire to leave again was no longer what he wanted. There was only one thing missing…Sophie. The girl who left, finding the memories in Baytown too painful.

Ten years after she left, Sophie is older, wiser, missing home, and jumps at the chance to return to Baytown for a temporary job. Reconnecting with the man she rejected after her brother's funeral was not on her agenda, but she discovered that in trying to guard her heart, she had only cut herself off from true love.

As she and Callan grow closer, discovering their feelings had not changed, she stumbles into suspicious activity near her work.
Having promised to guard her heart, Callan and his friends work to make sure Sophie is safe before someone decides to quiet her permanently.

Language and scenes are similar to what you would find in an R-rated movie. 18+ readers only.