Chapter One

 

Eight years later

 

Leia heard the screech of tires against the pavement before her pre-coffee eyes could even soak in the sight of the calamity.

Leia Bellamy had never been much of a morning person.

Only a half-second before the ear-splitting crunch of steel against the sturdy trunk of an oak, she’d swung open the door for a quick dog walk before she had to open her coffeehouse just before the break of dawn.

She’d felt the usual brush of Ranger’s furry body against her bare calf as he slipped past her. But just as the leash reached full extension, it drooped again, slapping against her leg as Ranger bolted freely across Maryland Avenue.

At 5 a.m., a broken leash normally wouldn’t have been a problem. No one ventured down her quaint side street at this early hour. But apparently the driver of the silver car who just veered into a tree to spare Ranger’s life didn’t get that memo.

“Oh my God!” Lunging toward the car, Leia saw Ranger turn his head toward her, apparently not phased with his near-death experience as he trotted to her side. Grabbing his collar, her eyes searched in the dim light for signs of life in the driver’s seat of the car. “Are you all right?” she called out, headed in the car’s direction.

The door opened halfway, making a crunch noise as it did. “You might want to put your dog on a leash,” the voice said.

“I’m so, so sorry. He was on a leash, but it broke at the clasp.”

Another creak of steel as the door pushed open a bit further and a foot stepped out.

Dammit. Her stomach roiled at the flash of the man’s half grin as their eyes met.

“If you were trying to kill me, Leia, there are more efficient ways of doing it.”

Her initial thought of Thank God, he’s all right quickly shifted to Why him?

Aidan MacDermott’s smile settled on her, showcased spectacularly by the streetlamp lit above him.

Her gaze rested on a face so familiar to her, even though she’d scarcely seen it over the past eight years. Aidan had virtually disappeared from her life after their quickie marriage had “disappeared from the books,” as her father had put it.

“You’re okay?” she asked again. She told herself that she didn’t care—shouldn’t care. This was the same man who had sat her down the day after their shotgun wedding at the Justice of the Peace and tried to convince her that they’d made a mistake. Tried… and failed.

But even though she was committed to despising Aidan, she couldn’t avoid him either, since he’d become part owner of the ice cream shop next door to her coffeehouse.

“It takes more than a little crash to get rid of me.”

No kidding, she thought. In truth, when she’d first learned that he had invested in the neighboring shop, Tribute Ice Cream, Leia had briefly considered shuttering her coffeehouse that she’d slaved and saved for since those first days after he left her.

But Leia was made of sterner stuff than that.

This was her town. Not his. And if he wanted to dabble in a little business venture while he was still on active duty with the SEALs, that was fine with her. After all, he was stationed an entire continent away in San Diego and was barely ever in Annapolis.

So what in the Sam-hell are you doing here now?

It wasn’t until his eyebrows arched that she realized she had asked that question out loud.

“I’m in town for Captain Shey’s promotion ceremony next week. And I took some extra leave so that I could learn the ice cream business a little. You know, so I can pinch-hit for Maddox or Becca when they’re away on vacations.” He tilted his head. “Didn’t they tell you I was coming to town?”

Her lips formed a tight frown at the sound of the names of his business partners, Becca and Maddox. She’d become good friends with both of them since they opened their shop next to hers. Maddox also married Leia’s closest friend, Bridget, who owned a bed-and-breakfast inn a couple blocks away.

She was grateful for their friendship, but when Aidan was in town, it all became a little too cozy for Leia. “Guess it slipped their minds,” she finally replied through her teeth.

“I’m staying on Maddox’s sailboat,” he volunteered.

She didn’t reply—didn’t want to let him think she had any care where he slept. Or with whom.

“His and Bridget’s B&B is booked solid this week, so—” He cut himself off, probably noticing the look of indifference on her face. Giving a quick nod, he glanced down at Ranger. “Is your dog all right?”

“Fine. I’m sorry about your car.”

He shrugged. “It’s barely a scratch. The air bag didn’t even deploy. Doesn’t even qualify for sympathy.”

She looked at the dent in the left side of his front end. It was more than a scratch. And certainly not the added expense she needed right now. But she opened her mouth anyway. “Just tell me what it costs to fix it. I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t have to do that. It’s a rental, anyway. I’ll just let my insurance work it out with them. I’m the one who hit the tree.”

“Avoiding my dog.” The last two words slipped from her mouth too easily, and she immediately felt remorse for them. Ranger wasn’t her dog. And eventually, she’d have to say goodbye to him.

Funny how she always had to say goodbye to the things she loved.

“When did you get a dog?” he asked.

Her breath caught a little at his conversational tone. The last time they’d spoken, at Bridget and Maddox’s wedding, the tone had been more confrontational. Well, on her end it was confrontational. On his, it was sheer defense.

“Late last fall,” she finally responded, somehow tugging herself out of the memory of him in his full dress uniform standing across the aisle from her as they both played their roles in the wedding party. “He’s not mine. I’m just taking care of him for someone while he’s deployed.”

Aidan’s smile dwindled slightly. “That’s nice of you. Navy guy?”

“Army.”

He glanced at the dog. “What’s his name?”

“The dog or the owner?”

He chuckled. “The dog. The owner isn’t my business.” That last sentence hinted of remorse; Leia could almost swear it.

Damn right it’s not your business. “Ranger.”

“Good name for a Soldier’s dog. Well, you might want to get a better leash for him though. You know… Rangers lead the way.”

“Huh?”

“The Ranger’s motto. Rangers lead the way. And he’s leading you… aw, forget it. It was a pun, Leia.”

“Oh.” A bad one.

“You never did get my jokes, did you?” His gaze softened, as though lost in a memory, just as Leia’s hardened.

“Only the joke that was our twenty-four-hour marriage.” She cast him a deadly glare before glancing again at the battered front end. She backed away toward her building’s door. “Just let me know what I owe you for that damage.”

“I think with all the damage I’ve caused you, maybe we’ll call it even.”

Damage. Is that how he looked at it? He thought he’d just caused her a little damage eight years ago when he’d told her that they’d made a mistake eloping to the Justice of the Peace. That he should go his way—off to sea—and she should go on with the life she’d planned for herself, which included a degree from Georgetown, an MBA from Harvard, and a successful chain of coffeehouses designed for addicts like herself. And then, daring to tell her that he’d wanted to stay in touch, as though she could snap her fingers and forget that she’d vowed to love him forever?

She’d had her phone number and email address changed before the sun had set the next day.

We’re not nearly even, she thought, scowling as she reached for her door. And just to make the point, she’d write a check to fix his car and have Becca deliver it to him.

Just as soon as she had enough money in the bank for it to clear.

Which might be a while.

She pulled her eyes from him (a harder feat than she’d ever admit) and tugged Ranger by the collar as they headed toward the door. When she reached for the antique brass knob, she stopped at the sound of his voice again.

“Leia?”

“What?” She tried to make her voice sound detached, but the one word revealed the raw emotion that scratched at her soul every time he was near.

Bitter. Party of one.

“Does this mean we’re actually talking again?” When he asked her, his eyes glimmered with a hint of that boyish flair she’d fallen for so many years ago.

Inwardly, she cursed herself for even daring to look at him. The image of him at this early hour was a sucker punch to her gut, a reminder of the sight she’d dreamed of waking to every morning so many years ago. He’d always been such a morning person, with clear, bright eyes and a clean-shaven face to greet her when she awakened.

She wondered if he still carried the faint smell of soap and shampoo. Inhaling, she found herself longing for it now, standing ten feet away from him and unable to tell. If she were alone, she’d shut her eyes right now and remember the feel of him that morning so long ago...

“Let’s do this,” he had said, his smile greeting her that sunny day. His eyes had been so sure of himself and of their future together, that she could only ride the wave of his certainty, feeling confident their destinies were locked together.

Until the next day when he’d shattered her heart.

“Leia?” Aidan’s voice broke through a memory so sharp she’d swear it was unfolding in front of her.

As her eyes snapped to his, they were shaded with years of experience and heartache.

“What?” Her voice, breathless, was barely a whisper.

“I asked if this means we’re talking again?” There was a note of hope in his voice.

She wanted to find some forgiveness in her heart for him. Or at the very least, some measure of dignity by saying something like, “I’m too busy for resentment” or “Grudges are for children, not adults.” But still, the hurt was raw.

Steeling herself, she lifted her chin as she looked at him.

“No.” She hadn’t intended to say the word, and certainly not so decisively. Yet it slipped from her mouth before she could think the better of it.

Tearing her eyes from his, she led Ranger through her door.

 In the narrow staircase that led to her apartment above her coffeehouse, silence greeted her as she let go of Ranger’s collar and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. The dog’s wet nose touched her fingertips and he made a soft whimper as though he knew the real weight of the brief conversation between Leia and Aidan, as though Ranger had been there for every tear that had fallen from her eyes because of that man.

Lord, how she adored this dog.

As he leaned against her protectively, the feel of his fur on her skin strengthened her enough to walk up the staircase, the ages-old wood plank floor creaking beneath her feet.

She turned the key to her lock and stepped inside, letting the smell of the coffee that had brewed on her countertop soothe her. Ranger must have sensed the lightening of her mood, and padded to his well-loved dog bed beneath the front window.

“What am I going to do with you, boy?” she muttered, watching him lift a raccoon stuffed animal into his mouth as automatically as taking a breath. She followed him to his dog bed and detached the broken end of the leash from his collar.

“Lousy leash.” A smile touched her lips. “Next one I’m buying will be in pink just so Trevor will have to walk you in a pink leash when he gets back from the Middle East.” Her smile broadened, picturing the Army guy walking his dog with a girlie leash, maybe even something with sparkles or fake gems.

She’d miss this dog when Trevor returned stateside and Ranger followed him to wherever the Army would send him next.

She’d miss Ranger a lot more than she’d miss Trevor, truth be told. He was a great guy, and the handful of dates they’d enjoyed had been more than passable. He was just nice enough that she couldn’t say no to him when he asked if she’d take his dog while he was deployed, seeing as she and the furry guy developed an immediate affinity for each other.

Trevor was meant for someone else, no matter how endearing his smile or tempting his muscles. There wasn’t that sense of completion when she’d first touched him in a casual handshake. No feeling like her second half had been found.

She’d felt that once, knew the intensity of it, like a high she desperately needed to seek out even if the last time she’d felt it had resulted in her ruination.

It was a burden finding true love at the age of twenty simply because nothing in the eight years that followed ever seemed to match it.

“Of all the cars on all the roads in all the world, you had to run in front of his,” Leia mumbled, recalling her favorite line in Casablanca, even though, in truth, she’d never seen the film.

Ranger’s wise eyes bore into her, as though trying to send her a message:

There are no coincidences. Only destiny.

Shaking her head, she sensed the words she’d said to her friends so many times before.

This was different.

After pressing a kiss to the top of Ranger’s head, she departed on her short commute downstairs to the coffeehouse she loved like life itself.

This was her safe haven. And she felt its arms wrap around her like a warm hug as she heard the door chimes jingle when she passed through the entryway.

Crabby Before Coffee, her business, was her sanctuary, and she wouldn’t let the image of Aidan slip into the confines of this space even if he was only a matter of steps away in the ice cream shop next door, looking…

…fiercely divine.

A sigh escaped her at the thought until she shook it off. No, not here. She might let Aidan involuntarily slip into her fantasies from time to time—along with the standard issue SEAL physique he’d gained these past years. She was only human.

But here in her coffeehouse, the man’s image was banned from her subconscious.

This place had been her goal since she’d been a junior in high school and had gotten her first weekend job at The Buzz, Annapolis’ premiere coffeehouse at the base of Main Street in Annapolis.

She hadn’t needed the money back then when she’d first proudly worn the apron of a coffee barista—not being the daughter of a wealthy senator, with their house perched up on a hillside overlooking the Bay in the most expensive neighborhood in Annapolis. And she might have even been grateful to her father for forcing her into the job, if he’d done it so that his daughter could learn the value of hard work.

But the senator had only made her take the job because it would look good to voters, giving them the impression that their well-heeled family was somehow in touch with the hard-working people of Maryland.

Senator Louis Bellamy had always been into appearances.

What he hadn’t known was how addicted Leia would get to that smell of fresh-brewed coffee in the morning at The Buzz, and those grateful looks she’d receive from customers when she’d hand them their cups in the morning.

It was silly, really. Leia knew she wasn’t saving the world or doing something of philanthropic value by handing someone a steaming hot cup of coffee. Yet she’d felt that way—enjoyed the sense of community she had with them every time she’d greeted them with a smile and pulled them out of the haze of fatigue in the morning.

A couple years ago, she opened Crabby Before Coffee on Maryland Avenue, far enough away from The Buzz that she thought she might have a chance of survival. There would be no competing with the quintessential Annapolis coffeehouse any closer to the touristy area near City Dock.

On Maryland Avenue, in Leia’s slice of the city, she hoped to attract government workers from the nearby Maryland State House.

Her plan was working—in a modest capacity. Or at least it had been working until The Buzz started parking a coffee food truck at the State House, stealing her clientele of government workers by saving them the short walk to Crabby Before Coffee.

Survival was slipping from her fingers.

No, now was certainly not the time to let herself get distracted by the guy scooping ice cream next door while he was visiting her friends. Especially not when he’d already shattered her life once before.

Besides, she had coffee to brew.