Christmas is coming, yet Lady Emily Prescott feels anything but merry. Despite being surrounded by a loving family, along with a dashing suitor who promises her a Christmastide to remember, Emily can't shake her worry that something is missing. Perhaps because her heart doesn't flutter the way it did long ago-before her girlish adoration for the boy next door was crushed by his careless rejection. Newly home from his grand tour with a debilitating injury and more regrets than he can count, Nathaniel Pembrook devotes all his attention to upholding tradition and hosting his family's famed St. Stephen's Day party. That is, until a snowstorm traps Lady Emily Prescott at his estate-leaving him face-to-face not with the girl he once brushed aside but with the captivating woman he cannot ignore. While the storm rages beyond the windows, the fire inside draws Emily and Nate together, forcing them to confront old hurts and an attraction they can no longer deny. But with Emily's possible betrothal looming, will their passion only last until the snow stops? Or is their Christmas encounter the start of a love that's destined to bloom?.