Close to the Heart by Suzanne Ferrell

During a state-wide blizzard, Westen sheriff’s deputy Daniel Löwe finds a little girl named Lexie abandoned, freezing and terrified. He takes her—undernourished, dressed in thread-bare clothes—to the only available place in the small town, the Westen House for at-risk teens. Daniel’s protective instincts compel him to check in frequently to assure the girl’s safety. A man who gave up all hope of a family, Daniel enjoys spending more and more time at Westen House with Lexie and the four teen boys who live there. But it’s the new housemother, Melissa Davis that drives his heart faster.

After surviving an abusive ex-husband, a wiser, less-trusting Melissa is forging a new life for herself. The moment Lexie arrives bundled in a quilt and asleep in the handsome deputy’s arms, Melissa’s fierce maternal impulses rouse and she fears Lexie’s drug-addicted mother will find and claim her. As Daniel helps track Lexie’s mom and still finds time to teach the little girl how to play baseball, Melissa realizes that Daniel’s a good man who keeps his promises, no matter how big or small, and the walls around Melissa’s heart start to crumble.

Their newly forged hope shatters when multiple bodies are discovered in abandoned drug dens and Daniel realizes Lexie’s in real danger from her mother’s dealer. Fearing for the little girl’s safety, Daniel and Melissa must lean on each other if they want to prevent the monster from stealing Lexie’s life.