All she'd wanted for Christmas was to regain the faith she'd had as a child. Spending the holidays alone at a friend's home seemed the perfect answer for fortysomething Carissa Whitmore -- and what better town than Yuletide to help her find the holiday spirit she sought?

But Carissa didn't count on sharing the house with Paul Spencer, her friend's brother, temporarily home from an overseas construction job . . . or the motherless family who'd been hiding out in the house. Acting as parents brought the former fashion designer and the handsome fortysomething engineer together. Could the miracle of love bring the joy of the season back to Carissa . . . and give her the husband and family she'd always longed for?