One December

They're made for each other. But are they ready for each other?     Nikki Mancini, a high school teacher in New York, has loved Mike since she was a child, though she was only his best friend's little sister. She claims to be a homebody but secretly fears going beyond her comfort zone.  Mike Branagan has his own emotional wounds to resolve, having lost his parents in an accident when he was fourteen. He tried to escape painful memories by starting a new life on the West Coast. Years later, new facts indicate his parents' deaths might not have been an accident. At Christmas, Mike returns to New York for the first time in three years. Along with an overdue visit, he aims to chase down a lead in his parents' case. He and Nikki renew their friendship and romantic sparks fly. But their mutual attraction takes an unexpected detour. Nikki is devastated to lose Mike. Impulsively, she accepts a one-year teaching opportunity in Paris to get over him and face her own fears.Too late, Mike realizes what Nikki means to him. Time and distance should be obstacles, but are they?  "e;One December sizzles with romantic tension, taking the reader on a roller-coaster ride from New York to San Francisco, with a delightful detour in Paris.  I couldn't put it down!"e;– Elizabeth Musser, author of The Secrets of the Cross trilogy and The Swan House.