EVERGREEN HEARTS

She came home to say goodbye. She never expected to find a second chance at love. Eighteen months after losing her husband, Clara Bennett returns to the quiet Vermont town of Evergreen Hollow to pack up her grandmother's cottage and close that chapter of her life forever. She plans to stay only long enough to sort through the memories, sell the house, and leave before Christmas can reopen wounds that still feel too tender. But Evergreen Hollow has other plans. A porch light left on by a neighbor. A little girl who draws pictures of families that include her. And Daniel Hayes, a steady, kind carpenter and single father who knows what it means to rebuild after loss. As snow falls, community gatherings warm the coldest nights, and the old cottage begins to feel less like a place she is leaving and more like a place she is finally coming home to, Clara is forced to confront a quiet truth: losing someone does not mean you can never love again. Family can arrive in the most unexpected ways, and sometimes the bravest thing you can do is allow yourself a new beginning. A tender Christmas romance about love after loss, the family we choose, the power of community, and the hope that waits on the other side of heartbreak.