Hearts of Winter

SYNOPSIS

Talented Boulder-based interior designer Bethany Cain is on the cusp of making it big in the business, much of reaching that next echelon riding on her design concept of "MAP" - Meaning, Abundance, Peace - which she has branded as her own, and which she has outlined in a just released book. Along with the book release, she, to market the book and concept, is holding a contest to award the winner an all expenses paid home makeover using MAP. She gets extra possible publicity, but along with it extra pressure, when a national home decor magazine wants to cover the contest process for their new year edition, meaning that she has just three weeks to just before Christmas not only to choose the winner, but to complete the makeover. From the touching letter she receives, she chooses thirteen year old Zoe Oliver as the winner, Zoe who wants the makeover for her widowed father, Grant Oliver. Beyond seeing the bare bones house with a good foundation, what Bethany is not fully aware of is Grant's story: he and his wife Rebecca bought the house shortly before she passed, he resisting making any changes since her death to preserve his memory of her, he often using Zoe as an excuse. In addition to now being both mother and father to Zoe, Grant has immersed himself in work, he just promoted to activities director at the Windermere Mountain Lodge, winter their busiest time. Except for doing it for Zoe, Grant resists almost everything about the makeover, failing with Grant which could derail Bethany's career. With the help of several people around both Grant and Bethany including Zoe, Bethany is slowly able to break through the wall that Grant has erected for him at least to be open to new ideas. In the process, Grant and Bethany start to fall for each other. Beyond whether Bethany is open to a romance at this important stage of her career, Grant, through the makeover, may show if he is truly ready to open his heart romantically to someone other than Rebecca.