Building Their Home by Tonya Burrows

Walker Nash has one Christmas wish: to build a sanctuary where broken veterans can heal.

When therapist Johanna Perrin arrives at a snow-covered Montana ranch on Christmas Eve, she’s only planning to help one troubled veteran—then leave. But Walker’s dream for Valor Ridge pulls her in deeper than she expects, and the connection between them feels dangerously like coming home.
Over ten years and four life-changing Christmases, Walker and Johanna build something neither of them dared hope for: a family forged not by blood, but by choice. From Boone and his loyal dog Bishop, to the mischievous River who hides his pain behind jokes, to Jonah searching for purpose after losing everything, each man who arrives brings his own scars—and his own shot at redemption.
But as Valor Ridge grows from an empty dream into a thriving community, Walker and Johanna must face the ghosts between them. Can they forgive themselves for the past they share? Can love built on patience and second chances survive when neither of them knows if they deserve it?

Building Their Home is a heartwarming story of found family, healing through purpose, and a love that refuses to give up—no matter how long it takes.

Author’s Note: While this prequel novel tells the origins of Valor Ridge, readers will get the richest emotional payoff by reading it between Books 2 and 3.