Zack Kendall comes home every Christmas for one reason.
But that reason has always been off-limits.
Lyla Wilder is his best friend’s little sister—the one girl he was never supposed to want. In a town like Frosty Pines, where everyone knows your business before you do and loyalty is practically a local ordinance, Zack has spent years keeping his distance. Watching her from across Main Street. Wanting her quietly, because that’s the only way he’s ever allowed himself to have her.
Lyla never left Frosty Pines. While everyone else chased bigger dreams—including her childhood crush and her brother’s infuriatingly loyal best friend—she stayed. She built a life inside the town bakery, covered in flour and other people’s expectations, while the rest of the world moved on without her. Somewhere along the way, the girl who used to want more became the town’s most reliable grump.
Zack still remembers the spark she has underneath, though.
When Lyla gets voluntold into running the bakery booth at the Christmas festival and winds up short-staffed, Zack steps in to help. One week. No strings. Strictly business.
Suddenly, staying away isn’t so easy anymore.
After all, Christmas miracles exist for a reason.