Clara left her father and stepmother's home to be with her Uncle Hiram. They both worked with a railroad surveying team when they met the Coulter Family at their ranch.
The unexpected happened when Clara was asked to do the unthinkable. She had no choice as something terrible would happen if she didn't.
Clara wasn't used to such a strong and loving family. They worked together and lived quite close together. They had each other's back. She longed to have a family like this. And it wouldn't be that difficult for Miles, the youngest brother, to be that special someone in her life.
This book is part of a series (8 books in total)- Brothers of Sapphire Ranch. There will be one more story after this....sad. I loved them all. Each brother were quite handsome and sounded wonderful.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit to review.
About the Book
Book: Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret
Author: Misty M. Beller
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: January 28, 2025
In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, second chances…and a hidden fortune.
Miles is the youngest of six brothers, and he’s spent most of his life helping guard the family’s secret: a sapphire mine hidden deep within the Montana mountains. With threats from a past enemy looming, a survey team’s arrival stirs suspicion—until he meets Clara Pendleton, whose presence captivates him.
Clara Pendleton joins her uncle on a survey team tasked with mapping the coming railroad’s path, only to find herself entangled with the enigmatic Coulter family. When her uncle’s accident leads them to find refuge in the Coulter home, Clara is irresistibly drawn to Miles Coulter and his quiet strength. This feels like the haven she craves…until a series of mysterious attacks endanger everyone on the ranch.
As Christmas approaches, a sleigh ride through a snowy wonderland fans the growing spark between Clara and Miles into a flame, but a broken runner leads Clara to discover the family’s secret. Now she’s faced with an impossible choice: betray the man she’s coming to love or risk the lives of his entire family—and her own uncle.
From a USA Today bestselling author comes a mountain saga filled with high-stakes adventure, forced proximity, a Christmas surprise, and love that heals wounded hearts.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author with over 1 million books old. She writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.
Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.
More from Misty
Surveying the Wild West: How Surveyors Mapped the Frontier in the 1870s
One of the things I love about writing historical romance is the detail I get to research for each book. So much of my research doesn’t make it into the story, but I still love to learn it!
In Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret, our heroine and her uncle are working with a group of surveyors to map out potential routes for the coming railroad.
Surveying back then was no walk in the park. These brave folks had to trek through some seriously rough terrain, lugging around heavy equipment like compasses, levels, and surveyor’s chains. The chains were a whopping 66 feet long, with 100 links! Surveyors would stretch them out to measure distances, and let me tell you, it was no easy feat.
One of the surveyor’s secret weapons was triangulation. By measuring angles between distant points and doing some fancy math, they could figure out exactly where landmarks were and create a grid of reference points across the land. This technique was a game-changer, allowing for more accurate maps that covered bigger areas.
In my story, the surveying was done for the railroad. But history tells us that later in 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey stepped onto the scene with a larger mission: to create detailed maps of the entire country, including the wild, wild West. Surveyors working for this agency had their work cut out for them. They battled through dense forests, climbed steep mountains, and crossed dangerous rivers, all to gather the data needed for these maps.
So the next time you look at a map of the American West, give a nod to those early surveyors. These hardworking folks played a huge role in shaping the frontier, giving settlers the information they needed to build new lives and communities. Without their dedication and skill, the West might have remained a mystery forever!
I pray you enjoy Miles and Clara’s story in Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret!
Blessings!
Misty
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 22
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 23
Books You Can Feel Good About, February 23
Melissa’s Bookshelf, February 24
Madi’s Musings, February 25
Lighthouse Academy Blog, February 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 26
For Him and My Family, February 26
Life on Chickadee Lane, February 27
Betti Mace, February 27
Texas Book-aholic, February 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 1
Jeanette’s Thoughts , March 1
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 2
Cover Lover Book Review, March 3
Mary Hake, March 3
Devoted To Hope, March 4
An Author’s Take, March 5
Holly’s Book Corner, March 5
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 6
Blossoms and Blessings, March 6
lakesidelivingsite, March 7
Pause for Tales, March 7
Giveaway
.jpg)
