Chapter One

      She shouldn’t have said yes.

      Seated at a table next to the window, Skye Tomlinson cupped both hands around her disposable coffee cup and scanned the parking lot outside Common Grounds for a man who might be Gage Westbrook. What was she thinking—meeting a total stranger for coffee? And after only a brief exchange of direct messages on social media, too. What if he’d fabricated his whole story? Maybe this was an elaborate scheme he’d plotted to—

      Relax. Not every man was out to manipulate women for their own personal gain.

      Skye took a sip of her skinny hazelnut latte, desperate for comfort as the painful memories of her ex-boyfriend threatened to resurface. He’d controlled her, mocking her need for independence. Then made her feel like nothing. Over and over. While his harsh words no longer played on an endless loop in her head, she still carefully guarded tender emotional wounds. And loathed her own foolishness at ever believing he genuinely loved her.

      Stop. You’re safe here. A quick glance around the newest coffee shop in Merritt’s Crossing revealed two of her mother’s friends sitting in the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace. More familiar faces lingered around tables, savoring the warm and inviting atmosphere on a blustery Sunday afternoon. She was confident any of these folks would come to her aid if she needed them.

      Although she’d snooped around Gage’s social media profile—or tried to anyway—he hadn’t made many details available to her prying eyes. His profile picture featured a submarine, and his cover photo was a sunset over the Florida coast. On the upside, she’d asked her brother who worked at the local sheriff’s department to run a quick check, and he’d come back squeaky-clean.

      Despite Gage’s spotless record, she was still apprehensive about meeting him. But he said he knew about baby Connor, and that he had sensitive information about the birth father. Maybe that meant he also knew more details about where Skye’s cousin McKenna might be, so Skye couldn’t afford not to hear what he had to say. Because as much as she adored the sweet eleven-month-old who’d been left in her care more than a month ago, it was time for McKenna to come back, step up and be Connor’s mom.

      While Skye hated the convoluted family feud that no doubt influenced her cousin’s dangerous and heartbreaking life choices—and wrestled with her own guilt over not doing enough to help resolve it—she couldn’t be Connor’s permanent legal guardian. If she was honest, she didn’t want to be his guardian. A temporary leave from her pharmaceutical sales position in Denver to come home to Merritt’s Crossing and help her widowed mother while she recovered from knee surgery was manageable. Keeping the family furniture store afloat proved daunting, but Skye could handle it until Mom was back on her feet. Literally.

      But motherhood? Though a noble endeavor, it wasn’t part of her carefully orchestrated plans. Kids were fine for her friends, and she’d love it if her brothers married and started families someday, but she wasn’t interested in raising Connor or having children. It wasn’t just the day-to-day tasks of meeting Connor’s needs and finding adequate child care, although juggling both responsibilities felt overwhelming. Caring for him threatened the self-reliance she’d worked so hard to gain. What was worse, with each passing day, Skye worried more and more that McKenna might not ever show up. The thought of parenting Connor on her own and managing a career planted an icy ball of dread in her stomach. She couldn’t stand the thought of the precious baby boy going to foster care, though.

      Common Grounds’s front door opened, and a blast of frigid air accompanied a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a dark green winter jacket and black knit hat. Her breath caught. Was that Gage? Although he’d worn exactly what he’d promised in his message so she could easily identify him, she wasn’t prepared for his impressive physical appearance. The words devastatingly handsome darted through her mind.

      Flustered