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Surely the handsome cowboy can't be serious. Lucy Hall's father wants to see her? Now? After years of being brushed aside Lucy's in no hurry to rush to the man's deathbed. And just as Wade Miller rode into town to bring her father's message, he can ride right back out with hers. But before Wade can leave, Lucy finds herself witness to a terrible crime, with a killer on her trail. In this storm of trouble, she'll take any shelter she can find-even if it means going to her father after all. Yet safety comes at a high price when time with the Dakota cowboy puts at risk the one thing Lucy's always protected-her heart.

WINNIE LOCKWOOD has learned to depend on no one and wants only to move on to a job in a hospital. DEREK ADAMS is now the sole guardian of his little sister, Kathy. He has closed his heart to the possibility of marriage. Who needs more responsibility especially when he so often fails? But with Christmas soon approaching, Winnie can't turn her back on Kathy's problems.

Can the season melt the heart of Winnie and Derek and give them the gift of love?