US Marine Reserve Shane Donovan dealt with a lot of harsh realities while being deployed, but it was almost a welcome relief to be away from Krista Saunders. She'd been an annoyance since they were kids, and becoming a business partner in the Apple Basket market store with his mother only keeps her underfoot, and in his way--especially when the two women think his love life the amusing topic of date. From the safety of her status as the one woman he'd never look twice at, Krista has mocked and tortured Shane with every start and end of his brief relationships. But calling him selfish was a lot easier before he became a Marine and was deployed for a year overseas. Now Shane's back, and old annoyances don't seem so annoying anymore. In fact, they seem downright sexy.