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. ( )