Overview
Every year on the first day of December, Christopher Byrne traveled from his farm in Nova Scotia to sell his Christmas trees on the streets of Manhattan. It was said that the Cape Breton trees were special, that the northern lights charged the needles with magic. But this year there'd be no cheer for the widower and his twelve-year-old daughter, Bridget.
For New York City had taken Christy's only son, headstrong sixteen-year-old Danny, who'd run off without a trace save a single postcard bearing a terse, unforgiving message: "I'm doing grand—don't worry about me." Christy wouldn't have come to the city at all if it weren't for the business… and to set up his trees on the corner where he last saw his son, in case Danny came back.
Librarian Catherine Tierney used to love the holidays: the lights, the carols, the nip in the air. She and her husband had always reveled in the spirit of the season, and in sharing their own joy and love with those less fortunate. But after Brian's death on Christmas Eve three years ago, the festivities seemed to start too early and last too long.
Just before he died, Brian Tierney told his wife that he'd never leave her, that every year he'd give Catherine a sign. Now the season was here again, a season of separation and sadness, and Catherine wanted to rush through it as quickly as possible.
On the quaint Chelsea street where she lives, Catherine will meet the tree seller from Novia Scotia. Both figured the world had forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. But they hadn't counted on finding each other, on fate, on second chances… and on a holiday gift of new love and new hope that would last a lifetime.