He's been all over the world. She's a home-town girl. Can a holiday wish bridge the gap?

In Cora Carpenter's small California hometown, Christmas is tailor-made for couples. Unfortunately, Cora is a party of one, thanks to a con man who stole her heart, then bilked her out of thousands of dollars.

What's on her Christmas wish list this year? Nothing whimsical. She'll take a new vacuum cleaner, thanks—and no dating for the foreseeable future. But when she meets a stranger with a broken-down car, his warm smile and perilously blue eyes almost make her want to tweak that list. If only she could get over the pain and humiliation of her past.

A double whammy of betrayal and a broken heart sent anchorman Patrick Gervez thousands of miles west looking for a fresh start. But the pretty child care provider's unforgettable amber eyes and deft hand with a set of jumper cables does funny things to his heart—and makes him wonder if she's a forgotten dream come true.

Except she's as skittish as a piece of tinsel in a windstorm. And the only way to help her forget her heartbreak, is to convince her to forgive. Especially herself.