Escape to Shelter Springs
800 5-Star Ratings
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A woman fleeing control. A guilt-ridden rancher determined to protect what's his. An unplanned pregnancy that changes everything.
Gemma Winters came to New Zealand for one reason: freedom. After escaping a suffocating relationship, the last thing she needs is another man trying to control her life. But when a storm strands her in a shepherd's hut with Callum Mackenzie, one passionate night changes everything.
Callum has carried the guilt of his wife's death for years, convinced he failed to protect her when she needed him most. So when Gemma tells him she's pregnant, he knows exactly what he has to do: marry her and keep both mother and child safe. It's not about love—it's about responsibility.
But Gemma didn't escape one controlling relationship only to enter another, even if this man's intentions come from a place of honor rather than manipulation. As they're forced into a marriage neither wanted, both must confront their deepest fears: Can Callum learn that love means letting go? And can Gemma trust that not every man who wants to protect her is trying to cage her?
A powerful story about healing from the past, learning to trust again, and discovering that sometimes the greatest act of love is setting someone free.
The Mackenzies series: heartwarming women's fiction with clean romance, unforgettable characters, and the beauty of New Zealand at its heart.
—Mackenzies—
- A Place Called Home
- Secrets at Parata Bay
- Escape to Shelter Springs
- What You See in the Stars
- Second Chance at Whisper Creek
- Summer at the Lakehouse Café
—Lantern Bay—
- Yours to Give
- Yours to Treasure
- Yours to Cherish
- Yours to Keep
- Yours Forever
- Yours to Love
Excerpt
They drove on towards the hills, overshadowed by the Southern Alps and entered a valley high above the surrounding plains, Gemma noticed the land wasn’t so wild. Fences and small houses dotted the landscape. She sat forward and blinked her eyes in surprise as she peered into the distance.
Framed by tall trees behind, and a smooth lake that acted like a mirror in front, was a sprawling two-story nineteenth-century mansion, complete with not one but two ivy-covered towers that flanked the porticoed entrance.
“Wow! What’s that?”
“Glencoe.”
“It’s huge.” They drove around the lake, up an avenue of lime trees, their vivid green leaves flashing bright in the late sun. Around the house were dotted buildings, houses, farm offices. It was like a small village. “You work here?”
He glanced at her. “Yes.”
“Pretty amazing house. Are its owners as snobby as the house looks?”
“Some of them.”
“Oh well. I guess it’s worth putting up with people like that to live in this place. It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, my thoughts exactly.”
She looked around. The houses where, no doubt, the workers lived appeared well kept and comfortable, if a little small. “Which house do you live in?”
Callum swung the car around the top of the drive and pulled up beside the front door which was as imposing as the rest of the house with its pillars and wide steps down to the drive.
“This one.” He pulled on the handbrake, cut the engine and grinned. “Glencoe.”
“But…” She frowned. “Don’t they mind? Having the workers stay in the house?”
His gaze drifted to her hair, which he pushed back while stroking his thumb down the side of her cheek.
“They’ve made an exception in my case.”
“Really?” She grinned back, teasing. “Because you’re so tall and strong and handsome?”
“That, and because I own the place.”
***
