Grumpy protector meets sassy waitress… and the sparks are hotter than the coffee.

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Laurel Sinclair didn’t expect to become a short-order cook, but when her Aunt Annie needs help running Annie’s Diner in Harland, Texas, she couldn’t say no. Serving up burgers, sweet tea, and the occasional slice of unsolicited small-town gossip is a far cry from her old life, and that’s just the way she likes it. No drama, no danger—just pancakes and peace.

 

But peace is officially off the menu when strange things start happening. A break-in. Cryptic notes. And the unsettling feeling that someone is watching her. At first, Laurel chalks it up to overactive imagination—until she’s threatened.

 

Enter Bennett Vaughn—former military, now employed with Eagle Security and Investigations. He’s new to Harland, doesn’t do small talk, and has all the charm of burnt toast. But when Aunt Annie strong-arms him into looking out for Laurel (because no one argues with Aunt Annie), he finds himself knee-deep in diner drama, a growing list of suspects, and one exasperating, entirely too tempting woman.

 

Laurel insists she can take care of herself. Bennett insists she’s terrible at it. And when the danger escalates, the grumpy protector and the stubborn waitress will have to work together—before the next thing served at Annie’s Diner is revenge.

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