by Sophie Moss
Sophie Moss
Thank you to my mom and dad for your support and encouragement. Thank you to all the men and women who have served in our military. I am so grateful for your sacrifice and for everything you do to keep this country safe. Thank you to my first readers—Martha Paley Francescato, Audra Trosper, Melissa Hladick Meyer, Patricia Paris, Hannah Steenbock, Christine Fitzner-LeBlanc, and Tracy Hewitt Meyer—for taking the time to read early drafts and provide valuable feedback. Lastly, thank you to my amazing design team, Blue Harvest Creative, for transforming the cover and layout of this story into a work of art.
Sophie Moss is a USA Today bestselling author of five full-length romance novels. She is known for her captivating Irish fantasy romances and heartwarming contemporary romances with realistic characters and unique island settings. As a former journalist, Sophie has been writing professionally for over ten years. She lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she’s working on her next novel. When she’s not writing, she’s testing out a new dessert recipe, exploring the Chesapeake Bay, or fiddling in her garden. Sophie loves to hear from readers. Email her at [email protected] or visit her website sophiemossauthor.com to sign up for her newsletter.
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Taylor,” Annie Malone whispered, reaching for her daughter’s hand. “Wake up.”
Taylor’s green eyes fluttered open. “Are we here?”
Annie nodded.
Taylor sat up slowly, gazing out the passenger side window. Crickets chirped in the tall grasses around their new home. The crisp autumn air carried the scent of the Chesapeake Bay. “It’s quiet.”
“I know,” Annie said softly. “But we’ll be safe here.”
Taylor’s free hand drifted to her broom—the broom she hadn’t stopped carrying since the day everything had changed three weeks ago. It was lodged between her seat and the door. She tugged it back into her lap.
“Come on.” Annie kept her tone upbeat as she stepped out of the car. The sooner they put the past behind them, the sooner Taylor could begin to heal. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”
Taylor clung to her broom as they walked up the overgrown path. Moonlight slanted through the beams of the wide, wrap-around porch. The steps creaked as they climbed them, and when a cool wind blew through the empty streets, the windowpanes rattled.
Taylor jumped.
Annie laid a comforting hand on her eight-year-old daughter’s shoulder. She didn’t know how long Taylor would be skittish around loud noises, but it was one of the reasons she’d wanted to move her away from the city.
Heron Island would give them a fresh start, a place where they could build new memories and escape the ones that still haunted them both at night.
Pushing open the door, Annie found the switch on the wall, flooding the first floor café with light.
“It’s pink,” Taylor said, surprised.
Annie smiled, guiding her inside and closing the door behind them. “It won’t be for long.”
Taylor stepped into the small dining room, with its simple black and white checkerboard floor, silver counters, and glass display case. “We can paint the walls?”
Annie nodded. They’d never been able to paint the walls in their previous apartment. The Washington D.C. building had maintained strict codes, mostly to keep the dilapidated structure from falling any further apart.
She’d been working double shifts ever since Taylor was born, putting away a small portion of her paycheck each week so that one day they could get their own place.
A rush of pride swept through her. This house was theirs; it belonged to them. They could do whatever they wanted with it. “You can help me pick out a new color after school tomorrow.”
Taylor’s small hands squeezed the handle of her broom. “I don’t want to go.”
“It’s only one day.” Annie knelt in front of her. “Then we have the whole weekend to spend together.”
The counselor had recommended Taylor start back to school on Friday. She’d said it would be easier for her to make it through one day rather than an entire week. Annie waited for her daughter’s haunted eyes to lift back to hers. “I’ll go with you, and I’ll stay as long as you need me.”
“You promise?” Taylor whispered.
Annie nodded, brushing Taylor’s red hair back from her face. She wished she had the resources to homeschool Taylor. She wished her daughter didn’t have to set foot in another school ever again. But she needed to work. She needed to get her restaurant up and running soon or she’d never be able to make the first mortgage payment.
They’d find a way to get through this together.
She stood, taking Taylor’s hand and leading her through the kitchen. The back door stuck, but it swung open after a few tugs. They walked out onto a lopsided deck overlooking a yard covered with weeds and wildflowers.
“It’ll take time,” Annie said, gazing out at the quiet cove where a flock of geese chattered on the water, “but once the renovations are done, we can plant a garden.”
Taylor looked up at her. “With flowers?”
Annie nodded. “Any kind you want.”
Taylor sent her a small smile and they walked back inside, through the kitchen and the dining room, to the worn wooden staircase that led to the apartment upstairs. Taylor paused at the top of the landing, peering in the doorway of the bedroom on the right. “Is this my room?”
Annie nodded.
Twinkle lights crisscrossed the low ceiling where several layers of cheerful yellow fabric gathered before draping around the bed like a tent. All her daughter’s stuffed animals were piled up around the pillows. Silver stars and sparkly ornaments hung from tiny hooks fastened into the material, twirling softly.
“Do you like it?” Annie asked nervously. It was a lot of changes all at once: a new town, a new school, a new home. She’d dropped Taylor off at a friend’s house earlier that day so she could meet the movers on the island alone. She’d spent most of the afternoon decorating Taylor’s room so it would look cozy.
Taylor walked over to the bed, parting the fabric and peering inside. “I love it.”
Annie let out a breath. “Do you want some hot chocolate? With marshmallows?”
Taylor nodded, crawling over the mattress and reaching for a large webbed circle with feathers hanging from it. “What’s this?”
“It’s a dream catcher,” Annie explained. “It’s supposed to catch bad dreams before they find you.”
Taylor played with the blue feathers dangling from the strings. “Do you have one, too?”
“No.” Annie shook her head.
The only dream she’d ever had was this—a home for her and Taylor. A place to call their own. A place where they could put down roots and get to know their neighbors.
A place where they could stay forever, if they wanted.
She didn’t need a dream catcher to remind her she’d waited her entire life for this. And no matter how hard she had to work to keep it, no one was going to take it away from her.
Will Dozier steered his rented SUV over the drawbridge connecting Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Heron Island. Moonlight reflected off the narrow slice of water below, where a row of workboats bobbed in the marina. He could hear the muted clang of a halyard striking the mast of a sailboat. The night air smelled of salt marshes, oyster flats, and home.
He hadn’t been back in over ten years, but he doubted much had changed. It was only nine o’clock and Main Street was already deserted. Cruising past the darkened windows of The Tackle Box—an island market that served as post office, bait shop, and liquor store—he scanned
the rest of the shops to see if anything was open. He probably should have picked up dinner on the road, but all the restaurants had been packed.
He had a thing about crowds now.
And lights, especially fluorescent ones.
Locust and magnolia trees lined the cracked cement sidewalks, where a few homes were nestled between the bookstore, ice cream parlor, and the island’s only clothing shop. Heron Island was a far cry from San Diego, where he’d been stationed for the past decade, and where he’d much rather be now than back home to settle his grandparents’ affairs. But his agent had already found a buyer for the place. In three days, he’d be boarding a plane to California, and he’d never have to set foot on this island again.
He tapped the brakes when he spotted a light on downstairs in the last building on the right side of the street. A faded sign advertising cupcakes hung from the roof, and the pale blue siding gave way to a wide porch with café tables. He’d never understood the cupcake craze, but at least they were open. If they served dessert, they might serve something else, something that could pass for dinner.
He pulled over to the curb and cut the engine. Stepping out of the SUV, he caught the faint chattering of Canada geese out on the cove and paused, just for a moment, to listen. He’d forgotten how much he missed that sound.
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he shut the door. He hadn’t come back to get nostalgic. He didn’t waste time thinking about the past, or wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t chosen a certain path or made a different decision.
That was what he did at night, in his dreams, when he relived the mission that had stolen the lives of two of his teammates, including his best friend, and blasted the leg off one of the SEALs finest snipers.
Fighting back the images he couldn’t seem to shake no matter how hard he tried, he walked up the path to the cupcake shop. Through the screen door, he saw a slim woman with long red hair surrounded by cardboard boxes and piles of crumpled newspaper. At the sound of his footsteps on the porch, she straightened, turning to face him, and cupcakes took on a whole new meaning.
Rich, fiery locks framed a striking female face with wide set green eyes and lips that were full and lush. A pair of close-fitting dark jeans and a stretchy black top hugged her curves and narrow waist. She was barefoot, and from what he could tell, all alone.
“May I help you?” she asked warily.
“I saw the light on. I thought you might still be serving.” His gaze swept over the boxes and newspapers. “I didn’t realize you were moving in.”
“I won’t be open for a few months.”
I, not we. She was definitely alone. He nodded to the stack of boxes. “Do you need a hand?”
Her gaze flickered to the stairwell that led to the apartment upstairs. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Hmm. Maybe she wasn’t alone after all.
He checked her left hand for a ring.
Nope. No ring. No husband.
But someone was definitely up there.
“If you’re hungry, you could try the market.” She lifted a stack of plates from one of the boxes and set them on the counter. “I’m not sure when it closes.”
“It closed a few hours ago.”
“There’s a grocery store in St. Michaels,” she suggested. “It’s only twenty minutes down the road.”
“I try to avoid grocery stores.”
She paused, watching him curiously. “Nobody likes grocery stores, but we still have to go to them when we need food.”
Will opened the door and stepped into the café. What he needed was to get laid.
Annie’s protective instincts kicked in as soon as the man stepped into the room. She positioned herself between him and the stairwell, her ear tuned for the sound of her daughter’s footsteps. The last thing she needed was for Taylor to wake up on her first night in their new home and find a strange man downstairs, especially one who looked like he could have been a member of the SWAT team that stormed into her school three weeks ago.
The man was nearly a foot taller than her own five-foot-four frame. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt over a faded cotton shirt that revealed a broad chest and strong shoulders. Worn jeans hugged his narrow hips and covered a pair of long legs that were as big and muscular as his upper body. Thick brown hair framed a rugged, strong-boned face and a thin scar cut a jagged edge through the dark stubble lining his jaw.
It was an attractive face, the kind of face that under different circumstances she might have taken a moment to admire. But when his dark eyes shifted to the piece of paper taped up on the door, she swore under her breath.
She’d forgotten to take the menu down.
The man leaned closer, trying to make out the tiny print covered in red wine and butter stains. “Is that…French?”
“It’s nothing,” she said, hurrying across the room. Several years ago, during a New Year’s Eve celebration at the restaurant where she’d been working in D.C., she’d been printing out menus for a special event the following day. After a second glass of champagne, she’d decided to create a menu for her own restaurant—her dream restaurant.
That night, she had vowed to make her dream a reality. She had carried the menu with her every day since then, and over the years, it had become a symbol of everything she’d been working towards. Tonight, after Taylor had fallen asleep, she’d taped it up on the front door to celebrate the first step of her dream coming true.
But no one else was supposed to see it.
She grabbed for the menu, but the man was faster. He peeled it off the door and gazed down at it, letting out a low whistle. “I don’t remember any place like this when I used to live here.”
Used to live here. That meant he was from here, and that made him a little less of a stranger, but still… “It’s nothing,” she repeated.
“It doesn’t look like nothing.” His dark gaze lifted, fastening on her. “I don’t remember you, either. Did you grow up here?”
Annie pried the menu from his hand and folded it carefully, slipping it back into her pocket. “No.”
The man took a step closer. His deep voice wrapped around her, drawing her toward him. “I think I would have remembered if you did.”
Annie’s gaze flickered up, into a pair of dark brown eyes the color of molasses. She felt suddenly dizzy, as if she’d just downed three cups of coffee.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to offer a pre-opening plate to a weary traveler?” he asked.
She laid her hand on the doorknob, making it clear he shouldn’t come any further. She knew what it was like to be weary from traveling, to be so hungry and exhausted that all you wanted to do was eat and crash. But that was another life, her mother’s life, a life she had put far behind her. “I don’t even know your name.”
He offered his hand. “Will Dozier.”
“Annie Malone.” She slid her free hand through his. His palm was broad and calloused and a shot of warmth pulsed up her arm as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, easing her hand free. “I wish I could help you. But it’s late and I still have a lot to do.”
“Then have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Annie’s brows shot up. She hadn’t worked at one of the hottest restaurants on Pennsylvania Avenue for the past eight years without getting asked out on a fairly regular basis. But most of the men had at least waited until after she’d brought them their drinks. “I’m not going to go out with a man who can’t even take himself to the grocery store.”
Will smiled—a slow, lazy smile that warmed his eyes. It was the smile of a man used to getting what he wanted.
“Wait here,” she said, turning and walking back to the kitchen before she could do something stupid, like say yes. She had a weakness for men with incredible smiles, but every hour of her life was accounted for over the next several months. Men didn’t factor into the plans right now.
Pulling a packet of chicken tenders from the freezer and a can of cream of mushroom soup from t
he cupboard—a few essentials she’d stocked in case Taylor had been hungry tonight—she walked back out and handed them to him. “This is all I have to offer.”
Will’s smile deepened. “Now you have to let me take you out.”
“Why?”
“To repay the favor.”
“You’re doing me a favor,” she said, angling her head, “by leaving and letting me get back to work.”
Will grinned, taking the food from her hands.
She opened the door wider, indicating it was time for him to go.
“Fair enough,” he said, laughing. “But can I ask you one question?”
“One question.”
“The menu I saw earlier—is that the kind of restaurant you’re planning to open?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t been home in a while, but I can’t imagine a single local who can afford those prices.”
“It’s not for the locals.”
“Who’s it for?”
“The tourists.”
Will glanced over his shoulder at the deserted street. “What tourists?”
“They’re not here yet.” Annie rolled her eyes. “They’re coming with the resort.”
Will’s smile faded. “What resort?”
“The Morningstar Resort,” she explained, “the one that’s going to be built on the island.”
The faintest sound of copper wind chimes drifted into the room as Will held her gaze. “Who told you this?”
“My realtor.”
“Did he happen to mention where this resort would be built?”
Annie nodded. “There’s an old inn at the end of the island sitting on fifty acres of undeveloped land. The owners passed away six months ago and apparently the guy who inherited the property is anxious to sell.”
Will looked down at the can of soup, testing the weight of it in his palm. His expression had gone carefully neutral.
“It’ll take time,” Annie said. “But things are changing. And I’m going to be right here, ready to take advantage of it when they do.”
