The Longest Night

When Merilee Johansson moves to Starwood, a small artists' community, she's trying to piece her life together again after a failed marriage. What she doesn't expect is to meet Chris Hunter, a man who might be able to make her believe in the possibility of love again.
A Pagan Holiday Romance
"I COULDN’T BELIEVE how cold it was in the house. I folded my arms,
shivering as I stood beside the wide bay window, staring out at the falling snow. It was magical and beautiful, but to be honest, I was scared. I’d lived in the city for so long, with the rain and the concrete and the unfriendly neighbors, that the small-town atmosphere felt almost claustrophobic. Whatever possessed me to move to the small mountain community of Starwood, Washington? Located high on the west side of Snoqualmie Pass, the town was usually overlooked by tourists. It had sprung up as someone’s idea of an artists’ community. When I finalized my divorce, leaving John to his twenty-two- year-old girlfriend, I decided to cut all ties to Seattle, and Starwood seemed the perfect place to retreat to. I could make a fresh start in a quiet little town. Starwood would give me the chance to figure out just who I was, now that I was no longer Mrs. Jonathon Travers. So I changed back to my maiden name—Johansson— sold the house, and after dividing the assets up with John, I struck out from the city. Now I wasn’t so sure this had been my brightest idea. My phone rang, a welcome distraction from the internal war that was waging in my thoughts. I was good at arguing, especially with myself. I stared at the corded phone, grinning as I picked up the receiver. A landline, after all these years. But cell service wasn’t always reliable up in the mountains. As I answered, it occurred to me that I might have backtracked in some ways. Whether that was a good thing remained to be seen."