A true-blue Texas cowboy, a talented Colorado cook with a story to tell, and the romance of Christmas are a surefire recipe for surprises of the heart in this sweetly sexy tale set against the rugged, majestic landscape of New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer'Colorado Country . . .

Estelle "Essa" Grancy loves her job as cook at small-town Benton's homey, local hotel, especially during the holidays. She loves the people she works with, too-all the more since, at 23, she's alone in the world. Still, as an aspiring mystery novelist, Essa wants more out of life. And when a gruff-exasperatingly handsome-Texan lands at the hotel, she just might find it . . .

Duke Marsten is on the trail of a crime suspect, but when he tracks down his precocious young daughter in Essa's kitchen, he finds something far more mysterious: outspoken, clever, undeniably intriguing Essa. They clash immediately, and yet. . . . Love is a puzzle, even for a PI-but together, they just might be able to put the pieces together and write their very own love story, for many Christmases to come . . .