Dorie Graham - Espresso In The Morning

The coffee’s not the only thing that’s hot…

The last thing Claire Murphy wants is a man in her life. Things work best with just her and her son, Grey, a solid team of two. Yes, some days are chaotic, but she’s confident Grey doesn’t know why she needs that chaos—until he brings home the local café owner, Lucas Williams, to help. How could Grey? Having someone as good-looking as Lucas around doesn’t feel right.

Or does it? It turns out there’s more to Lucas than the ability to brew a great cup of coffee. And sure, she knows she’s benefiting from his knowledge about recovering from trauma. But she also knows that she’s falling for Lucas and she’s not sure she’s ready for that!

He traced the curve of her jaw with his finger

“Claire...” Lucas’s voice was barely above a whisper.

But Claire couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She wasn’t ready for this. He was so...present...in the way his energy wrapped around her, in the way his body seemed solid and real, in the way he focused completely on her and her alone, as if no one else existed.

She shook her head, but couldn’t complete a sentence in her mind, let alone form one with her mouth. Her lips lived with the memory of the feel of his lips caressing hers. She should just turn away, but instead her hand somehow found its way to his chest. His heart beat at her fingertips....

Dear Reader,

I’m delighted to announce exciting news: beginning in January 2013, Harlequin Superromance books will be longer! That means more romance with more of the characters you love and expect from Harlequin Superromance.

We’ll also be unveiling a brand-new look for our covers. These fresh, beautiful covers will showcase the six wonderful contemporary stories we publish each month.

So don’t miss out on your favorite series—Harlequin Superromance. Look for longer stories and exciting new covers starting December 18, 2012, wherever you buy books.

In the meantime, check out this month’s reads:

#1818 THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Liz Talley

#1819 THE TIME OF HER LIFE

Jeanie London

#1820 THE LONG WAY HOME

Cathryn Parry

#1821 CROSSING NEVADA

Jeannie Watt

#1822 WISH UPON A CHRISTMAS STAR

Darlene Gardner

#1823 ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING

Dorie Graham

Happy reading!

Wanda Ottewell,

Senior Editor, Harlequin Superromance

Espresso in the Morning

Dorie Graham

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dorie was initially struck by the writing muse at the tender age of nine, when she stayed up past her bedtime for the first time ever to finish a short story. That attempt resulted in her teacher reading her work aloud to the class, then submitting her story to Highlights magazine. Unfortunately, Dorie took the magazine’s request to shorten the story as a flat rejection.

Over the years she followed the muse from time to time, but didn’t get serious about writing until after the birth of her third child. Even then it took about five years of juggling husband, children, nonprofit work and her writing before she finally mastered the art of rejection and landed her first sale in September 2001.

Currently she resides in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of metro Atlanta, with her two supportive daughters. A full-time working, single mom, she spends her free time hanging with her daughters and friends, watching movies, running and of course writing. You can stop by and visit her at www.doriegraham.com.

To all those souls suffering with PTSD and the ones who’ve conquered it, your strength and courage are an inspiration to so many of us.

To my dear friend who opened my eyes to how a soul can keep going, no matter how weary, and still bring happiness to others, know that you will always hold a special place in my heart.

A special thanks to Berta Platas, Michelle Roper, Sandra Chastain, Nancy Knight and Haywood Smith for helping me brainstorm this story way back before it became a romance.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

THE TV WEATHERMAN’S smooth, loud tones predicted rain for metropolitan Atlanta, while the computer speakers in the home office blared Iron Maiden and the old DVD player in the kitchen cranked Judas Priest. Claire Murphy pounded again on her ten-year-old son’s door. The ever-present thudding of her heart sounded in her ears.

They had to leave.

“Grey, honey, step it up. We’re out of here in twenty minutes,” she said.

Shuffling sounded through the door, along with a couple of muffled expletives. Claire frowned. “I heard that, mister.”

The door cracked open and Grey peered at her, his auburn hair sticking out at odd angles. Dark circles ringed his eyes. “I’m up.”

Concern quickened Claire’s pulse. She lifted his chin. “Honey, you look exhausted. Didn’t you sleep well?”

He rolled his sweet brown eyes. “You didn’t sleep well.”

She’d tried, but the night had pressed in around her. She hated that her troubles had such an effect on Grey. She shook her head, fighting the chronic fatigue she’d learned to live with over the past year. She could never explain to him how sleeping only made her feel smothered.

And gave her nightmares. She didn’t always remember the specifics, but the terror often clung to her well into her waking hours. The nightmares made living without sleep a welcome alternative.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I don’t get why you have to always crank your music. Even with your earphones on, I can tell it’s cranked. How can you do that? Normal people sleep in the middle of the night.”

“Well, normal’s overrated.” She ruffled his hair. “You’d better get in the shower. You’re a mess.”

“Mom?” He stepped out of his room, looking so grown-up in his too-small pajamas.

Her gaze fell on a wrinkled image of Abe Lincoln on his left knee. Various presidents dotted the rest of the fabric and Grey could not only name each one, but he could also recite each man’s years in office, as well as highest accomplishments. They’d bought those pajamas on their trip to D.C. almost two years ago, but Grey refused to give them up, even though the sleeves and legs were now far too short. He’d been so thrilled to see the capital, they’d spent an entire day on the Mount Vernon estate alone.

“Mom?” he asked again.

Her gaze met his and her throat tightened. The worry in his eyes these days was just one part of what haunted her sleepless nights. He was too young to bear the weight of that concern. “What is it, little man?”

He sighed in frustration over the pet name, but his expression didn’t change. “Why can’t you sleep?”

She waved her hand in dismissal, her gaze dropping. Why couldn’t he remain an innocent child, unconcerned for her welfare? “I sleep. Besides, sleep is overrated.”

“No, it isn’t.” Anger replaced the worry. “That’s what you say about everything you don’t want to talk about.”