Timing is everything, and Mae Abbott had been planning this moment for nearly a year. It was her one chance to escape a lifetime of misery, and she was determined to take advantage of it. The fact that it was almost Christmas and she had no particular place to go was of little consequence. The only thing on her mind was starting over. She headed east, confident that her strong will and meager savings would be enough to get by. But her plans quickly began to crumble when she found herself in desperate need of help. Thankfully, that was precisely when she met Jesse Ward. Mae was stubborn, and she tried her best to refuse assistance from this handsome stranger. After all, her plans didn't include an extended detour in the middle of Virginia. Yet the two of them would soon discover that this chance encounter was exactly what they both needed to make a fresh start.