Blurb: Late one night, just days before Christmas, Jessica and Sam, and their two kids are woken up by a fire alarm. Their house ends up in flames, there is no time to save anything, and unfortunately, their dog doesn't survive. The whole family is devastated and has a tough time picking up the pieces and trying to move on. They stay with various family members, including Jessica's sister Emily, and Sam's sister Molly, but those arrangements don't last for very long. They soon move in to one of the Cabins at New Horizons where they try to get back into a normal routine. Through all this, Jessica and Sam's relationship is tested because they both have different ways of coping with things like this. But they pull through and they soon realize everything is going to be ok. Because Sam bought the house from an auction, and did alot of the renovations himself, the money they get back from insurance is not nearly enough to pay for building a new house exactly like the one they had. On Christmas, Lillian (Jessica's mother) surprises them by writing them a check for an amount that's more than enough to build a brand new house. They build their new house, that's not identical to the one they had before, but it's perfect for them. They also get a new puppy, much to Jessica's dismay in the beginning, but she seems to warm up to the idea as time goes on.
On that same night as the fire, Single mother, Julie and her young daughter Kate get stranded because of car trouble. They end up at Jack's Christmas Tree farm and she knocks on the door and asks to use the phone. Since it's so late at night, she's unable to find a tow truck so Jack offers to let her stay there for one night. Jack is a very lonely, disgruntled man who keeps to himself most of the time, and after losing his wife and son, has kind of given up and let everything go. The next morning, when Jack tries to help Julie get her car out from under the snow, he falls and sprained his ankle. Julie ends up staying with him longer to take care of him, and she soon works her way into Jack's heart. Then, Jack asks her to stay for Christmas. She leaves the day after Christmas. A week later, he decided he couldn't be without her any longer, so he goes to New York and tells her he loves her and asks her and Kate to come home with him.
Then, on Christmas night, Jack's son David shows up on his doorstep. He has been sent to Iraq and is to report to North Carolina in a few days. He came to spend a few days with Jack so they can talk and make amends and rekindle their relationship.
My thoughts: This book was definitely one of my favorites right along with A Christmas Angel and A Christmas To Remember. I can't wait until next year to read the next book in the series. The only people I didn't care for were Molly's sister and her kids. I thought the kids were spoiled Brats. I also really enjoyed hearing about Jack, Julie, and Kate, and hope to hear about Jack and Julie's wedding in the next book.
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