Falling for the Mountain Man by Julia Stone

She’s his daughter’s best friend. Off-limits. Untouchable. Irresistible.

Ryder:
Three days.
That’s all I have to survive with my daughter home for Thanksgiving—along with her best friend.
Zaria’s too young, too off-limits, and way too tempting. From the moment I met her, I felt something I had no right to feel—and I thought I was a master at hiding it. Pretending it didn’t exist.
But now she’s back under my roof, the mountain air biting cold outside while the cabin walls trap us together. And every stolen glance, every brush of her hand, chips away at my control.

Zaria:
Kallie saved me from a lonely past, dragging me home every break to a house that feels like family. To a man who should only ever be off-limits.
Her dad. Ryder.
I’ve kept my crush a secret for years, burying it beneath laughter and friendship. But Ryder sees more than I want him to. And the way his gaze lingers on me when the firelight flickers low makes me wonder if I’ve been the only one pretending.
It’s freezing on the mountain, snow pressing hard against the windows, but inside this cabin the heat is unbearable.
Because if I give in, I don’t just risk my heart—I risk losing Kallie, the only family I’ve ever known.