Includes Reader's Guide for book club discussions. Anna DeStefano presents a touching Christmas story about love, loss, and healing--and the joys of coming home. A childhood spent on the streets leaves Mallory Phillips longing for a normal life and a perfect Christmas. Now an elementary school nurse in Chandlerville, Georgia, Mallory's dream to blend into the picturesque community isn't working out. She's once more living a loner's existence. Then an emotionally fragile seven-year-old appears in her living room in the middle of the night, and Mallory's isolated world is turned upside down. This is Polly Lombard's first Christmas without her mother, and she won't utter a word to anyone--except Mallory. She believes Mallory holds the key to helping her father overcome his sadness. Despite Pete Lombard's lingering grief over his wife's death and concern for his daughter, his resistance to their mysterious neighbor crumbles as he spends more time with Mallory and falls for her amazing heart. But when her past returns to haunt her, is Mallory strong enough to keep the Lombard family in her life? And can the spirit of Christmas heal these broken souls and bring them all the joyous, loving holiday they deserve?