Harlequin by Elizabeth N. Harris

They were childhood sweethearts who planned to grow old together. Until one day the unthinkable happened and they went in separate directions. It was something she never recovered from, allowing it to taint her future. For a decade she was bitter, haunted by the past and not trusting anyone apart from one person.
He hadn’t been able to tell her the truth. Bars and cuffs had been in his future, and he couldn’t drag her down with him. When his fate played out differently than what he’d expected it was too late, the damage had been done. For years he wandered through life with little purpose, until he found a brotherhood of men who gave him purpose.
She’d become what she’d dreamed of. A respected RN who could work anywhere. The one state she avoided was South Dakota; she’d no intention of returning. Until an accident brought her home and into his path again. Full of hate and determined to keep him far away, it appears fate had other plans for her.
He was shocked to see her again. She’d haunted his dreams and was now back. He wanted her back, but she had more prickles than a hedgehog. Until she walks into trouble and he’s there to defend her. Can they build a new future or is the past too much to overcome?