No room at the inn...

Joshua Penrose has come home from years abroad a sadder, wiser man. He doggedly makes his way to his former abode through a roaring Yuletide snowstorm only to find the house occupied by a lady who claims she owns the place. Joshua is nearly certain she doesn't, and he's equally convinced that he cannot spend one more minute battling the elements.

... and none at home either!!!

Hope Burdette has been widowed long enough to have seen every confidence trick and swindle aimed at unsuspecting women. She nevertheless did not expect to have the very ownership of her home challenged, much less by such a grouchy, taciturn, un-charming man. Joshua's lack of guile suggests that he truly does believe the house to be his, and Hope is too soft-hearted to deny him temporary shelter.

Somebody is lying, and somebody will end up without a home, but first, Joshua and hope agree to a holiday truce. When the new year arrives, will they be sworn foes or a match made under the mistletoe?