As the holidays approach, Collette King is eager for Matthew Mueller's return to Shadow Lake. Especially now that she has finally surrendered to the truth-that he is the one she longs to spend her life with. So when Mattie shows up at her sister's wedding with another woman on his arm, Collette's hopes are shattered. To heal her broken heart, she begins a quilt honoring her memories of Mattie. But Matthew's new inheritance comes with a lot of responsibilities-including his late-uncle's deathbed request that he marry the woman who was his ward. But from the moment Mattie sees Collette again, he wishes he could escape his familial duty.