Erica Penrod

The Chef, the Holidays, and the Husband Erica Penrod

Lexi Evans left sunny California for the snow-capped mountains of Utah in search of a new start. A professional chef by trade, Lexi is in search of a new kitchen-one that doesn't include memories of the man who left her with a ring on her finger and without an explanation. Lucas Royal owns and operates High Country Ranch, a home for troubled boys, as redemption for his troubled past. He's found purpose working with the boys and being a part of something bigger than himself. Life was on cruise control, that is until he rescues his new chef in a snow storm. One look at her angel face and he's fighting for control over his heart. In spite of each other, Lucas and Lexi find themselves drawn together by the magic of Christmas. Homemade candies and cocoa, carols around the fire, decorating the tree and of course, eight teenage boys wrapping up the commotion, tie them together. But Lucas struggles to reconcile the man he is now, with the man craving Lexi Evans and a secret from Lexi's past like the ghost of Jacob Marley intent on pushing them apart. Can Lucas love Lexi knowing a life with her is a future he never saw coming? Will Lexi live in the present and let go of the past to have a future with Lucas? Only some time under the mistletoe and the holidays can give them the hope they need to create a merry Christmas.