Under the mistletoe, a single mom and a professional athlete realize they have more in common than the lake house they unexpectedly have to share for the holidays, in this heartwarming romance from New York Times bestselling author Julia London. All Amy Casey wants for Christmas is to paint. She needs five new paintings for the holiday show at her local art gallery, but between her two teenage sons, her needy ex-husband, and her overbearing parents, she hardly has any time for herself. Luckily, her best friend has the perfect solution: a vacant family lake house in North Texas, all hers for two weeks of distraction-free painting. Or so she thought. Turns out professional golfer Harrison Neely also rented the lake house so he can spend the holidays rehabbing the injury that has put his career—and life—on hold. Despite the booking snafu, both Amy and Harrison (along with Amy's old blind dog and the army of child-sized nutcrackers residing in the living room) agree to share the festive lodging. When an impending snowstorm has the two cozying up by the fire, sparks fly in more ways than one, and they open up to each other, unwrapping secrets and stories they’ve never shared before. But Harrison is expected back on the tournament circuit after the holidays, and Amy's family needs her. As their departure date looms and her family and his manager press them for answers, they’ll have to decide if this December to remember has been a fun holiday fling, or if they’ve found a Christmas miracle: true love. "Served up with just the right dash of holiday kitsch and featuring a refreshingly older romantic couple, London’s feel-good Christmas romance cleverly mixes love and laughter." — Booklist Praise for the novels of Julia London "A passionate, arresting story that you wish would never end."— Robyn Carr , New York Times bestselling author "Julia London writes vibrant, emotional stories and sexy, richly-drawn characters."— Madeline Hunter , New York Times bestselling author “Full of laugh out loud charm.” — Woman’s World "London's characters come alive on every page and will steal your heart."— Atlanta Journal-Constitution "I laughed, I teared up, and I rooted for these characters every misstep of the way… a perfect choice this summer.”— Fresh Fiction “London's writing bubbles with high emotion as she describes sexual enthusiasm, personal grief and familial warmth. Her blend of playful humor and sincerity imbues her heroines with incredible appeal."— Publishers Weekly “Comedic and fast paced. It is filled with an offbeat cast, zany coincidences and romantic moments and mishaps that will leave readers giggling in amusement.”— Shelf Awareness “Kudos to London—she tackles family issues and weaves them into a special romance that travels a bumpy road to happily ever after.”— RT Book Reviews Julia London is the New York Times , USA Today , and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of numerous romance and women's fiction novels. She is also the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. 1 Christmas Season North Texas The house was to die for. It was exactly what Amy Casey's best friend, Julie Kleinhoff, had promised-a luxury lake house on the shore of Lake Texoma, with eight bedrooms and nine baths, a separate and cozy artist's studio, a pool, a hot tub, a chef's kitchen, stunning lake views, and Christmas trees in every room. Child-sized nutcrackers armed the entrance of the dining room, the living room, and the kitchen. Santa, his sleigh, and his nine reindeer were suspended from the ceiling in the great room in a manner that suggested they would land on the massive hearth at any moment. Two beautiful wreaths hung on the double front doors, wood was stacked next to the enormous fireplace. Giant clumps of mistletoe, probably harvested from right outside, hung from every archway. Each room had a theme-cozy-cabin Christmas, festive beachy Christmas, old England Christmas. It was a holiday feast for the eyes and the spirit, and it was all for Amy, for two full weeks, at no cost. Two weeks that she could not possibly carve out of her busy life again, given the number of people in her family who relied on her for every little thing. Two weeks that she would have all this fabulousness to create art, painting the images of the beauty around her that lived in her head, experiencing the artist's life she'd once dreamed about; to be someone other than mother/ex-wife/daughter/employee. To be all by herself. Well. Her dog, Duchess, had come. But Duchess was old and blind and practically deaf. She would sleep all day. So yes, all by herself, for the first time in years. Julie knew that was important to Amy and had helped her plan this getaway. Julie's family owned this luxury, so she could pull all the strings to make this magic happen for Amy. So there was no way that a man should be stand