Sophie Claire Whitmore

Lia Hart is the heartbeat behind The Scratching Post Café—a warm, whimsical haven where lattes come with cat hair and healing is served one paw at a time. But when a stubborn stray cat turns her café upside down, she finds herself reluctantly teaming up with the town’s most emotionally unavailable veterinarian.

Dr. Ethan Grant believes in routine, order, and emotional distance. So when Lia ropes him into a rescue plan for a traumatized feline named Sir Biscuit, he tells himself it’s just business. Nothing more. But the more time he spends in the cozy chaos of Lia’s world, the harder it becomes to ignore the connection forming between them.

As the café faces an unexpected zoning crisis, and Sir Biscuit unexpectedly bonds with a reclusive widower, Lia and Ethan are drawn closer by more than just shared goals. Kindness turns into trust. Trust becomes something deeper. But both have scars they’ve never spoken aloud—and letting someone in means risking the comfort of solitude.

In a place where walls come down slowly and hearts open like reluctant blossoms, can a cautious vet and a dream-chasing café owner find something neither thought they needed?

Is love enough to rescue two guarded souls—just like the cat who brought them together?

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