Her Gentle Protector by Christine Sterling

Miriam “Midge” Beale never imagined she’d be stealing chickens in the middle of the night just to feed her family. But when her father abandons them, leaving Midge in charge of her eight younger siblings, she will do whatever it takes to put food on the table. Until she’s caught by the grumpiest man in all of Flat River.
Baxter Hartman has every reason to be grumpy! He’s spent his days working on his ranch and his nights sleeping near the chicken coop trying to catch the thief who’s been stealing from his family. What he doesn’t expect is it to be the spirited young woman from the ranch down the road that everyone is whispering about.
As he gets to know Midge more, he goes from grumpy to gregarious but when her past collides with the present, will he return to the same old grumpy man he used to be? Will Baxter abandon Midge and her siblings, or will he step up and become her gentle protector?