What he wants for Christmas…
His billions can’t buy!
Widower billionaire Aidan Phillips is determined to give his daughter the traditional country Christmas she wants. But his vibrant hostess, Noelle McGregor, is showing him that money can’t buy happiness. As a snowstorm swirls outside, Aidan recognizes the pain in Noelle’s mesmerizing eyes, and finds himself opening up about his past. Might he have found the perfect present for his little girl after all: a mommy for Christmas?
Sweet and fun Christmas story with a little bit of heat to warm things up. Noelle was looking forward to spending Christmas with her grandfather. In the past year, they'd had to sell off most of their land and her grandmother had died, leaving it just Noelle and her grandfather. Noelle's fiancé had also broken up with her, along with cleaning out their joint savings account. Noelle worried about her grandfather and how he was coping with her grandmother gone. When she arrived at the ranch and discovered that there were no preparations made and that her grandfather had invited strangers to spend an "Old-Fashioned Country Christmas" at the ranch, she was afraid that he was losing his grip on reality. She was stunned when billionaire Aidan Phillips landed his helicopter in the field, ready for his daughter and her nanny, as well as himself, to celebrate Christmas.
I laughed pretty hard at Rufus's description of going on the "interstate" to advertise for people to come. He was so excited at what he had done, and Noelle was so horrified. I did understand her fears, but I ached a bit for Rufus because she was such a downer. Aidan's arrival was quite a shock for her, in several ways. First was the immediate attraction she felt for him, something that she didn't want. She was off men, thanks to her recent breakup. Then he made her mad with his cynical comments about her grandfather and finished things off with some rather obnoxious remarks about her. Aidan wasn't exactly Mr. Sunshine. He didn't want to be there, but he was desperate to give his daughter the Christmas she wanted. He wasn't too thrilled to find an attractive woman there, too used to women throwing themselves at him to believe that she doesn't have an agenda. He was stressed about finding the one Christmas present that Tess wanted. And then he found out that there was no cell service and no internet.
The sparks between Aidan and Noelle were strong from the very start. There was plenty of antagonism, which was aggravated by how hard they fought the attraction. I liked that they did their best to put the arguing aside to give Tess the holiday she wanted. Though Aidan seemed arrogant at first, it soon became clear that he adored Tess and was desperately trying to find his way as a single father. Being somewhat cut off from the outside world gave him the chance to spend time with Tess without distractions. I loved watching him loosen up and start to have fun with both Tess and Noelle. As their antagonism decreased, other feelings began to develop. There were some sweet scenes between Aidan and Noelle as the Christmas preparations went on. I really liked how he comforted her after her talk with her grandfather and seeing what her ex is doing now. There was an unexpected sweet side to him as he planned a surprise for her. The trip into the city brought their attraction closer to the surface, and it only increased when they became stranded on the way back to the ranch. But the connection that Aidan felt brought out his insecurities about his ability to have a successful relationship, and he pulled back hard. I ached for Aidan because he had fallen in love with Noelle, but was so afraid of hurting her and Tess that he didn't trust that they could have a future together. I hurt for Noelle, who loved Aidan deeply, but knew she couldn't be the one to fix him. I loved seeing how differently she handled this heartbreak and her decision to take control of her life. I loved the unusual way that Aidan and Noelle were reunited, and how her newfound strength helped Aidan face his fears. The ending was sweet and romantic as they took the time to make sure of their love. The epilogue was adorable.
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