All Emery Kendall wanted was to flee painful memories of Christmases past. She craved distraction and healing, and the mountains of Idaho offered both…plus the key to a long-buried family secret. But when she met her host, rancher Nate Cavazos, she hardly got a warm welcome….

The former army ranger's smoldering good looks masked deep emotional scars. And now he had his hands full as guardian of two orphaned nieces. That seemed to be all the involvement he could handle right now.

Still, Nate couldn't ignore his fierce attraction to Emery or his nieces' instant attachment to her—until Emery's secret shattered their happiness. Would it be a lonely Christmas for four lost souls? Or the best family holiday ever?