There's no place like home, especially during Thanksgiving. After spending ten years as an officer and analyst with a special division in a federal cyber-investigation, Tripp Atsilla is on the brink of burnout. Then he meets Parker Rutledge. Two years ago she changed her name and moved to a small town, hoping to leave the damage her ex-husband caused behind. Someone's found her; someone who wants to make her pay for her ex-husband's crimes. But can she trust Tripp? Can she trust anyone? …

Miranda Cox isn’t looking forward to heading home for Thanksgiving. She’d raved to everyone that Matthew was the one; now she has yet another failed relationship under her belt. Despite working as a translator in Ottawa, and loving travelling abroad, she’s thirty-four and still single. When Miranda arrives at Union Station in Toronto, she’s surprised to see Taz, her childhood friend. Years earlier, they’d drifted apart. Miranda was so hurt over the loss of their friendship. She’s also shocked to learn that he’s divorced. Miranda finds herself inviting him and his sick mother for Thanksgiving dinner at her parents’ place. It is finally their time? …

Chef Drew Barnett has been hired to create the perfect Thanksgiving for a potential restaurant investor, but a power outage has him scrambling to find a working kitchen. Jilted bride and food critic Claire Rothchild is pet-sitting a friend’s St. Bernard named Snowflake. She wants to hibernate for the holidays, but it turns out the guest house she’s staying in has power when the main house does not. Feeling uncomfortable for invading the privacy of his potential investor's guest, Drew doesn’t know what to make of a food critic in his kitchen, just as Claire doesn’t know how to stop interfering with his dishes and passing tidbits to a mooching pooch. Is this a recipe for a Dog-Gone Holiday? Or for love? …

Born with a degenerative eye disease, photographer Kelsey Thomas knows two things: she will be legally blind within five years and her family wants to see her married and settled first. Then Kelsey's boyfriend breaks up with her one week before she planned to introduce him to her family at her grandmother's island commitment ceremony. At the resort bar, she meets Dr. Noah Lawson. He spends his life inside his lab developing cutting-edge techniques to slow the progression of vision loss. When he’s offered funding with strings—save the eyesight of the granddaughter of a wealthy investor—he’s reluctant to agree. Noah is smitten by Kelsey—so much so that he agrees to be her fake wedding date for the Thanksgiving holidays. Too late, he realizes her connection to his potential investor. Is this a set-up? Or fate? …

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DETAILED STORY PLOTLINES:

Anna J. Stewart:

At least that's what Tripp Atsilla hopes after spending ten years as an officer and analyst with a special division in a federal cyber-investigation. The last few years he's been neck deep with ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) and while he's lasted longer than most, he's on the brink of burnout. His last case turned into a nightmare; he was too late and someone he'd sworn to protect died. Going home feels like the perfect escape and Thanksgiving is an excellent time--his overwhelming family will be too distracted by the holiday to pay him much mind. Helping with the construction expansion of his brother's deli/restaurant is just the recharge he needs. Striking up a friendship with one of the waitresses? Bonus.

Starting over is something Parker Rutledge understands all too well. Two years ago she changed her name and moved to a small town, hoping to leave the damage her ex-husband caused behind. She loves her off the grid life working as a waitress in the local deli, but soon the phone calls, emails, and threats begin. Someone's found her; someone who knows who she really is. Someone who wants to make her pay for her ex-husband's crimes. But can she trust Tripp? Can she trust anyone?

While the Atsila family prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, Tripp finds himself tied up in knots over Parker. He knows there's more to the woman than she's let on and there's nothing Tripp likes more than a puzzle to solve. When finally faced with the truth, he can only hope he's not too late to save yet another innocent life: that of the woman he loves.

Kayla Perrin:

After her latest breakup, Miranda Cox isn’t looking forward to heading home to Toronto for Thanksgiving. She’d raved to everyone that Matthew was the one; now she has yet another failed relationship under her belt. To make matters worse, her sister is newly engaged and she’s bringing her fiancé. Her brother will be there with his new wife. Miranda feels like a failure. Thirty-four and still single!

But she has a good reason. She’s been pursuing her career in Ottawa, working as a translator. She often travels abroad. Still, at her age, she’s regretting that she didn’t put as much effort into finding a relationship.

As Miranda arrives at Union Station in Toronto, she’s surprised to see Taz, her childhood friend from school. Years earlier, they drifted apart when Taz got married and moved to the US. Miranda was so hurt over the loss of their friendship that she didn’t even keep in touch with him on Facebook. But she’s happy to see him now, a friendly face from her past. She’s shocked to learn that he’s divorced.

They head back to their old neighborhood, but meet up for a drink and to catch up. Miranda learns that Taz never had children, that his marriage lasted years longer than it should have—and that many times, Taz wanted to reach out to her over the years. He’s missed their friendship.

Miranda wants to still be mad at him, but she’s happy to have a friendly face to commiserate with. The truth is, she wasn’t able to forgive Taz for marrying someone else. She always hoped that one day they’d fall madly in love and he would marry her.

Unfortunately, there’ll be no big dinner at Taz’s place. His mother is sick. He’s in town to spend time with her. Miranda finds herself inviting him and his mother for Thanksgiving dinner at her parents’ place.

Melinda Curtis:

Chef Drew Barnett wants to open his own restaurant. He’s been hired to create the perfect Thanksgiving for a potential investor, but a power outage has him scrambling to find a working kitchen.

Jilted bride and food critic Claire Rothchild is holing up in her friend’s guest house while pet-sitting another friend’s St. Bernard named Snowflake. She wants to hibernate this holiday, but it turns out her guest house has power when the main house does not.

Feeling uncomfortable for invading the privacy of his potential investor's guest, Drew doesn’t know what to make of a food critic in his kitchen, just as Claire doesn’t know how to stop interfering with his dishes and passing tidbits to a mooching pooch. Is this a recipe for a Dog-Gone Holiday? Or for love?

Cari Lynn Webb:

She needs a wedding date…

Born with a degenerative eye disease, photographer Kelsey Thomas knows two things: she will be legally blind within five years and her family wants to see her married and settled first. Things seem to be on track until Kelsey's boyfriend breaks up with her one week before she planned to introduce him to her family at her grandmother's island commitment ceremony. She knows how she’ll be spending her Thanksgiving professing her right to independence.

He needs an angel investor in his research…

Dr. Noah Lawson spends his life inside his lab developing cutting-edge techniques to slow the progression of vision loss, radical procedures that won’t be approved or pay dividends for years. To escape the pressure, he always spends his holidays solo at an exclusive island resort. When Noah’s offered funding with strings—save the eyesight of the granddaughter of a wealthy investor—he’s reluctant to agree.

A chance meeting…

At the resort bar, Noah is smitten by a stranger—so much so that he agrees to be her fake wedding date for the holiday. What’s the harm in that? Too late, he realizes Kelsey’s connection to his potential investor. Is this a set-up? Or fate?