A snowstorm, a reckless choice, and a man I should have never met…

Spoiled. Reckless. Determined. That’s me, Miriam Norouzi.

Christmas was never my thing, and neither was slowing down. So when my parents stayed behind in Tibet, I headed straight to Scotland to chase my dream. A little snow wouldn’t stop me.

Until an Arctic Blast nearly killed me.

One moment, I was driving through the Highlands. The next, I was sliding off a cliff.

And then… he saved me.

Banner Kellison is everything I was never supposed to want. Rough around the edges. All muscle and grit. A man who doesn’t care about wealth or power. But as the blizzard rages outside and Christmas magic flickers to life inside his cozy cabin, I start to believe in something I never have before.

Possibility.

Trapped with a brooding Scot in the storm of the century, I tell myself it’s just a fling. Just a moment of insanity in a world where I always play by the rules. But then he kisses me, and everything I thought I wanted suddenly feels empty.

Because all I want for Christmas is him.

But what happens when the snow melts… and the real world crashes in?

I thought I was running toward my dreams… but I was running straight to him.

Mimi

The snow was heavy as I drove through the Highlands of Scotland. The snow grew heavier as I’d been warned, but I continued my trek up the mountains. My driver had refused to take me to the duke and duchess’ estate tonight, but I’d taken the rental car.

My schedule mattered, and I’d never cared when someone tried to stop me from getting what I wanted. So I needed to get the tax documents for the benefit of the Jane Austen Society signed then I would hop on my jet to continue on my way to my family for Christmas. I’d flown from Tibet to Scotland and needed to get to New York for Christmas then back home to Miami for New Year’s.

Blizzards—or whatever they were calling snowstorms—were not going to get in my way. When told no, I froze and then decided to handle things on my own. I’d been named to the board of this charity, and the New Year’s deadline for funding meant the papers needed to be delivered. I needed to prove I was as capable as my brothers of running charities because the next level was control of my father’s business. If the weather had cooperated, I would already be flying home and arguing I was worth more than charity.

Anyhow, the snow had grown heavier, and I had zero visibility. The distant mountains of the Highlands were whited out. My phone rang. I hit speaker and answered.

“Tell me you’re not out in this weather,” Duchess Charlotte said.

“I should be at your place in an hour or two, depending on how fast I can get there.”

“Don’t be reckless. Find shelter.”

“I’m on a mission. Look, I’ll see you soon.” The old-school bank wanted original blue-ink-only signatures, and since it was a means to an end, I powered through. My father ignored me because of my gender, so he overlooked my drive to run his company, and not one of my brothers had my ambition. Besides, no one was on the road, except me. I kept my head up and said, “I’ll be there to meet with you soon.”

“It’s getting bad out there. If you get here, then you’re staying.”

“Thanks.” I hadn’t expected to enjoy talking to Scottish nobility, but the fact she’d married a duke and was from America made her fun on the phone.

In a few hours, we would meet Charlotte Grannd, Duchess of Aindal, face-to-face. We hung up, and I continued my trek up the mountain path with both hands on the wheel. I tensed as I steered the car, but my tires spun. I hit the brakes.

No luck. As I started over the cliff, I screamed, “BEEEEEP!”

The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and stared into the blue eyes of a muscular man wearing red plaid. He hovered over me, and I realized three things all at once.

One: Whoever he was, I wouldn’t be able to re-create the male form in my dreams any better. He was muscular, slightly grizzly with a short beard, and absolutely all man. The boys at the country clubs who talked about fitness were a joke in comparison.

Two: I wasn’t dead, which probably should have been the first thing I realized. I wiggled my toes and fingers and felt completely fine.

Three: the blanket was slightly itchy.

I laughed. I was all out of sorts. I sat, and my head was a little light as Mr. Sexy asked me, “Are you okay?”