Sweetbriar Cottage

When Noah and Josephine Mitchell discover their divorce was never actually finalized, their lives are turned upside down.

Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job, settling at a remote horse ranch in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia, putting much-needed distance between himself and the former love of his life. But then Noah gets a letter from the IRS claiming he and Josephine are still married. Still angry over the demise of their marriage, he confronts her for the first time in months. They discover that Josephine neglected to file the final paperwork and they are, in fact, still married.

Josephine is no happier about the news than Noah. Maybe the failed marriage-and okay, the botched divorce-was her fault, but her heart was shattered right alongside his, more than he would ever believe. The sooner they put this marriage behind them, the better for both of their sakes.

But when Josephine delivers the final paperwork to his ranch, the two become stranded in his cottage during the worst spring snowstorm in a decade. For Noah, being trapped with Josephine is a test of endurance. He wrestles with resentment and his inability to forgive her, but underneath it all the embers of love still glow. Josephine’s very survival depends on her ability to fight the feelings that never went away. And bearing up under the heavy burden of guilt is no picnic either.

Old wounds surface and tempers flare as the storm brews outside. But when their situation worsens, they are forced to connect in a way they never have before. Josephine finally opens up about her tragic past, and Noah realizes she’s never been loved unconditionally by anyone-including him. Will Noah accept the challenge to pursue Josephine’s heart? And can she finally find the courage to trust Noah?