Love, Spice, and Christmas Nights

Book excerpt: Tired of being the subject of the town's gossip for a scandal she hadn't known was in the making, Abigail Moore is ready to leave Healing Springs before her four-year-old becomes aware of the dirty looks and mumbled rumors. With no family remaining to anchor her to her hometown, she can sell the toy shop her parents left her and move somewhere far away. Preferably to a place where Christmas is a little less... well, Christmasy. Enrique Gonzalez is on a mission to give his daughter the childhood she deserves. The postcard-perfect town of Healing Springs checks off all the boxes for creating a joyful, trauma-free existence. When he finds a toy shop with a year-round Christmas department for sale in the idyllic small town, he knows he needs to leap on the opportunity. New to operating a business, he's lucky enough to get the current owner to agree to stay until the New Year in order to teach him the ropes. Little does he know the woman selling him the shop will check off a few boxes for him, too. Though the timing is impossible, they're unable to keep things professional. And just when they are ready to wrap it all up in ribbons and bows, outside forces threaten everything they tried not to hope for. As much as they wish the spirit of Christmas could light the way, they both know that falling in love was not in the contract either of them signed. He helps her see herself and her hometown with the newness of sparkly snow on a Christmas morning. She helps his heart learn to believe in the goodness of humanity and the power of trust. Will their strong feelings for one another be enough to conquer the icy patches on their road to love? Or is the idea of making a life together too great a burden to place on even the most magical wish-fulfilling elves?