The precision and predictability of baking was very calming to Ellie, unlike daily life with her 4-year-old wild child! He let out a screech and she found him dangling upside down from an open cabinet door! Before she could reach him, he scampered up to the space between the cabinet and ceiling. Her mother, who had come up for Christmas, coaxed Casper down and he rang off laughing into the other room. It was clear her mother did not approve of her lack of control over the rambunctious child. When he started kindergarten next year, he would create a bad history for himself if he didn’t turn it down a notch! But Ellie had to finish this cake for a wedding and her babysitter had just quit. A knock at the door brought a bigger surprise – Nolan McCaffery was standing there.
Nolan was confused when Ellie snapped angrily at him about why he was there. She was not happy to see him, but he was sure they had left on good terms? Ellie gripped the door knob as if she wanted to keep him away from someone. Was someone hurting her? A boyfriend? But she faced him without fear and he turned to leave, until a “keening laughter” erupted and Ellie took off down the porch steps. When she turned around, he saw a barefoot child who didn’t seem to mind the snow. He realized she was married – that’s why she tried to turn him away. Then another voice spoke up, and Ellie’s mother looked at the child and the man -- then rebuked Ellie for trying to turn away the father of her child right before Christmas!! But he now knew what Ellie didn’t – the child was a shifter, and Ellie needed him.
This is a nice, warm Christmas story. After a one-night stand, Nolan left and had no idea Ellie was pregnant. She had no way to find him, so she raised their child without help. Something was pulling Nolan back to that small town – and he was very surprised. He had never had a real family, so he didn’t know how to respond. Would Ellie forgive him and let the three of them have the family they deserve? Could she give him a Christmas miracle that would change their lives? I definitely recommend this book. It warms the heart and reminds us what is really important.