Penning happy endings for everyone
…except herself!
In the Christmas play she wrote and will soon star in,
Susanna Henry gets the guy. In real life, however, all-grown-up Susanna is no
closer to hooking up with hardworking rancher Dean Abernathy than she was at
seventeen. When a sudden snowstorm strands them together overnight in a
deserted theater, though, will Susanna finally get the chance to show her
longtime crush they can rewrite their story?
Good friends to lovers story. Susanna and Dean have been
friends for a long time. Unfortunately for Susanna, she has also been in love
with him since she was seventeen. Dean, however, is oblivious to her feelings
and sees her more like a little sister. That all begins to change the night of
the town tree-lighting.
Seeing Susanna with her co-star in the Christmas play she
wrote, Dean suddenly realizes she's no longer the high school senior he
comforted when her boyfriend dumped her. I laughed at his reactions to other
men paying attention to her, including his brothers. He tries hard to convince
himself that he's just looking out for her, not that he's interested in her. That
gets harder as he sees the interest she draws, and his brothers rub it in. Dean's
refusal to see her as a grown woman frustrates Susanna. Instead of her crush on
him going away as she got older, her feelings grew stronger thanks to her job
as office manager for Abernathy Meats, where she sees him every day.
Dean's efforts to keep Susanna in the friend zone take a
hit the night a blizzard hits Bronco. Susanna was the last to leave the theater
after rehearsal, and when she had car trouble, she returned to the theater to
wait out the storm. When Dean shows up to rescue her, he ends up stranded also.
The forced proximity to each other heightens their awareness, and they use an
age-old technique to stay warm. While Susanna sees this as a possible
breakthrough, Dean's reaction shows regret and an intent to pretend it didn't
happen.
I ached for Susanna, whose love for Dean was augmented by
their night together. His return to friends only hurt and made her question her
hopefulness. I wanted to shake Dean because of his stubborn refusal to accept
his feelings. I loved how his brothers did what they could to show him the
truth in a fun scene that used everything but a baseball bat to beat him with
the truth. I understood Susanna's need to put distance between them if she would
find a way to move on without him. Dean's "aha" moment was pretty funny,
as he realized that he would need to do something special to make up for his
idiocy. I loved where he went for advice. He was sweetly awkward when he
finally had his big moment, making it even more emotional. I laughed out loud
at his family's reactions. The epilogue was terrific, with a fun little twist
involving a puppy.
…except herself!
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