Corrine Webb, former foster child and now five-star chef in Dallas, knows what she wants: her own restaurant and no emotional ties. Life has taught her that getting close to someone means loss and pain. So she jumps at the chance to miss the forced togetherness of Christmas in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains the last two weeks of December.
Caught in a snowstorm, Corrie seeks shelter in the derelict Chesterfield Hotel where she is drawn to an old hope chest and its contents. Picking up the tin star with one broken point, she finds herself tossed back in time to 1886 where she’s expected to wait tables.
Jess Garrett, former Army officer during the Indian Wars where he experienced too much bloodshed and violence, now enjoys being the police chief of the quiet resort town of Hope Springs, Virginia where he keeps the peace with smooth talk and fast fists rather than with his gun.
His predictable life hits a bump when the Chesterfield Hotel hires an awkward waitress who is the complete opposite of the society ladies he usually chases. His pursuit of the outspoken and strangely charming Corrie unknowlingly puts her in danger.
Drawn together across time, Corrie and the lawman fall in love. Yet how can she let him plan their future, knowing she will return to her own time at the summer solstice? And how far will Jess have to go to keep her safe?
Originally published as Fire With Fire by Paula Gill.
