prologue

Jenna Pine stood on the balcony of her new lodge in the frigid air and felt her lips stretch slightly into a smile. Home. She was home, somewhere she’d never thought she’d be again—somewhere she’d vowed to never come back to after her heart had been shattered.

But life had a way of throwing up detours that gave a person no choice but to follow where the new road led. She was back home because her great-aunt—her last surviving relative—had passed away, leaving the dilapidated inn mired in a mess of taxes and ownership rights.

And though she’d been cleaning cobwebs for days, and though each time she took a step the boards creaked, she still felt a sense of peace knowing the building was soon going to be hers, knowing she would own something that would give her security.

She’d reopen the historic place in the spring. Jenna could practically smell the fresh buds of flowers in the air as she closed her eyes and imagined a gentle breeze blowing in from the mountains, sheer curtains rustling as she stood on the giant wraparound front porch and greeted her guests.

This place was going to give her a new life, and give her freedom. She was determined to let go of the past and give herself a fresh start. That was what adults did. A sigh escaped her as she looked out at the brilliant sky.

“Please let the pain fade. Please open my heart again,” she whispered into the night.

She stood there a few more moments, gazing at the bright stars and could’ve sworn one got just a little bit brighter. But she shook her head, knowing it was only wishful thinking.

This wasn’t a fairy tale where dreams came true. And she wasn’t Pinocchio about to become a real girl. She lived in the real world, where no matter how much time carried on, a person’s future was well into motion from the mistakes of the past.