The Heart's Harbor — Cynthia Ruchti

Love Blossoms in a Wisconsin Winter

Door County innkeeper Lola Peterson's gift of a Christmas cactus to four single women comes with a guarantee that the plants -- and romance -- will bloom by Christmas. But the barren plants don't appear interested and love isn't flowering either.

An offbeat innkeeper offers Joanna Flick a Christmas cactus, promising the flowerless plant -- and hope -- will bloom. A recent widow, Joanna can't believe it. But new neighbor Paul Sorensen, a fifty-something flannel-shirt fanatic with a bad haircut, shares Joanna's passion for bicycling through gorgeous landscapes and faith in the One who created them. Will love flower this bleak winter, or will their Grinch-y grown children nip romance in the bud?

As time draws near for the annual Christmas Tea at Lola's Heart's Harbor Inn, will the plants and romance remain dormant or blossom into holiday joy?