This HaBO comes from Andrea. Trigger warnings for the description below:
Okay, this has been driving me crazy for a decade! Pretty sure it came out in the 90s.
Main character is an American woman living in England with her husband, Griffon. He had an affair with Claire. She thought it was over, but no, she runs into a very pregnant Claire at (Barnaby’s?) Claire loses the baby. Griffon comes home super drunk and rapes his wife. She leaves, taking her jewelry and some clothes, and flies to NY. She buys a cottage through the classifieds, sight unseen, in a little New Jersey town she stopped in once with her parents as a teen.
She has a scrappy little car (I think a bug), the house needs a roof, so she sells the jewelry. Gets a job at the local diner. Other waitress has a teen son, Mark, whose dad, Brian is a huge jerk, and also the main love interest’s brother. (I also don’t remember his name, but he smokes). His beagle pup is Bailey, his dad is Eddie. Eddie is suffering from dementia. The town is dying and being bought up by a developer (we find out later it’s Brian’s company). Someone is trashing the fishing boats.
Heroine ends up pregnant, scared it’s Griffons. It’s not. Ending: happy wedding with baby girl in tow.
Also, the cottage was fully furnished as the old woman who owned it died or moved to a home.
Let’s HaBO!