Plot summary

It’s the Christmas season. Beyond the animosity they have for each other stemming from their less than pleasant recent first encounter, Amelia Lewis and Vic Manning seem always to be competing against each other, most importantly for a commercial property each wants to purchase in White Oak, Nevada for her/his dream store, hers a year ’round Christmas store, and his a chocolate shop. As each bid has its merits – hers all cash, his above asking – the real estate agent has to consult with the property owner who has the final say. Individually, Amelia and Vic have the same idea to discover the identity of the property owner – he, Elder Dubois, who lives an hour away in Castle Creek – and make a personal plea directly to him. With Amelia and Vic arriving unannounced on Elder’s doorstep at virtually the same time to make their individual pitches, Elder tells them that he is unable or unwilling to make a snap decision concerning the property. As Elder is all alone for the first time for …