One rejected kiss. Two clashing personalities. And a snowstorm that traps them in an isolated cottage.

Callie Winter is the kind of person who holds everything together—for her family, her friends, her coworkers. But this Christmas, she’s hoping to catch her breath in the Scottish Highlands and maybe rediscover a little joy along the way. A kiss with a charming stranger in a pub? The perfect holiday distraction.

Until he rejects her.

Gavin Mackenzie doesn’t do flings, especially not with tourists who’ll be gone before the snow melts. He’s got enough on his plate—keeping the old family cottage running, managing the quiet that sometimes feels like loneliness, and pretending he’s just fine, thank you very much. The last thing he needs is a whirlwind American trying to kiss him in a pub… or move into his personal space.

But when a snowstorm leaves them stranded together, Callie’s forced to stay with the last man she wants to face. She’s prickly and wounded. He’s charming but distant. And neither of them are prepared for the slow burn that starts to crack their walls.

In between the cocoa and the Christmas tree, they’ll both have to face what they’re really afraid of: asking for what they need… and trusting someone else to give it.

A grumpy-sunshine, snowed-in holiday romance about messy feelings, unexpected healing, and the kind of love that doesn’t need fixing—just the courage to claim it.