The Christmas Tree Farm

The third book in the Dream Harbor series is set in a small New England town during the Christmas season. Kira North, a young woman from Georgia, has recently purchased a run-down Christmas-tree farm in Dream Harbor using the last of her trust fund to buy the property sight unseen. She moved north after her twin sister Chloe married a Danish man named Erik and relocated to Denmark. Devastated by the separation and inspired by homesteading social-media accounts, Kira impulsively bought the farm to reinvent herself. The reality is grim: The farmhouse has a failing heating system, she has no farming experience or business plan, and she has no money left.

Bennett Ellis, a software engineer from San Francisco, is visiting Dream Harbor for a month, staying above The Pumpkin Spice Café, owned by his sister Jeanie, who recently got engaged to a local farmer named Logan. While walking his three dogs through Kira's property, Bennett encounters Kira searching the fields for a cell signal. She is affectionate with the dogs but hostile toward Bennett, dismissing his offer of help and calling him "Elon." Despite her rudeness, he finds himself intrigued.

At a town meeting, a resident named Alex recounts the legend of the farm's previous owner, Edwin, who ran the property for decades with his wife Ellen. After Ellen died, Edwin became reclusive, and when he died a few years later, he left a cryptic letter claiming he had buried something "precious" on the land. Townspeople theorize about a buried body, hidden treasure, or money. The mayor recruits Bennett to befriend Kira and discreetly check for anything alarming.

Bennett returns over the following days, and a grudging rapport develops. He inspects the basement boiler and confirms Kira needs a new one. Over coffee, Kira opens up about feeling lost without Chloe and never intending to run a business. Behind a radiator, Bennett discovers an old list of possessions, including "Ellie's baubles," which may have belonged to Edwin and Ellen. He keeps this from the town, deciding any treasure belongs to Kira. He suggests Kira announce her reopening at the town's tree-lighting festival.

At the festival, Kira and Bennett grow closer. They share Stroopwafels, Dutch caramel waffle cookies, and visit the reindeer. Kira takes the stage to announce the farm's reopening to cheers from the crowd. Opening day draws a massive turnout, but when Kira's afternoon employees cancel, she struggles to load trees alone until Logan and friends Noah and Hazel step in. Logan offers to send farmhands going forward.

Bennett struggles with his growing feelings. Jeanie warns him that he habitually tries to fix things for women who then take advantage of him. His conflict deepens when his ex-girlfriend Nicole Allen begins texting. They dated through college; she invited him to San Francisco after graduation, then dumped him. Every year or so, she draws him back briefly before disappearing. Bennett questions whether his attraction to Kira follows the same unhealthy pattern. At an ice-skating rink, he helps the novice Kira around the ice and carries her off when a child crashes into them. She kisses his cheek, but he pulls away. When a winter storm approaches, Bennett visits the farm but is cold and distant, telling Kira to call Logan if she needs help.

Despite his resolution, Bennett cannot leave Kira alone during the storm. He arranges for Jacob, a member of Jeanie's book club, to take his dogs to Logan's farm and brings supplies to Kira's porch, only to discover she already prepared on her own. He realizes she does not need rescuing. She invites him inside anyway because she wants his company.

Snowed in, their walls come down. They watch Christmas movies, and Bennett kisses Kira for the first time. Kira confesses her privileged past as a reckless daughter of wealthy parents who treated people badly, and reveals she gave most of her trust fund to charities out of guilt and to spite her mother. When Nicole's texts arrive, Bennett tells Kira about his toxic cycle with his ex, and Kira assures him she is different. Bennett calls Kira "brave" and "clever," words no one has used to describe her. The power goes out, and he hauls a mattress to the fireplace. Kira proposes they treat the storm as a "free pass," and they sleep together for the first time.

They negotiate terms afterward: Bennett proposes extending their arrangement until he leaves after New Year's, and Kira agrees on one condition: He must promise to go home, because she fears her old selfish instincts will tempt her to manipulate him into staying. Bennett confesses why the town originally sent him to the farm. Kira is excited rather than angry, hoping hidden treasure could fund repairs.

Bennett cuts down a Christmas tree for Kira since she does not have one. They explore the attic and find vintage ornaments and love letters between Edwin and Ellen, written while Edwin served in Vietnam. The passionate letters confirm Edwin loved his wife deeply, debunking the murder theory. Bennett moves in for the week before Christmas, working remotely and helping on the farm. Independently, Kira integrates into the community by attending a wreath-making class and joining the book club. For the first time since arriving, she feels she belongs.

On Christmas Day, Kira and Bennett celebrate with Jeanie, Logan, and friends. Kira calls it her favorite Christmas ever. On the drive home, however, she insists they end things now, arguing their feelings are just the product of loneliness and holiday magic. Bennett confesses he has fallen in love with her and tells her to say the word and he will come back. Kira does not say it. Bennett leaves. Alone on Christmas night, Kira finds his gift under the tree: fuzzy socks printed with little peaches, his nickname for her. She sobs, certain she has made a terrible mistake.

The next day, Kira goes to the café but learns Bennett left a day early. She calls Chloe, asks her to invest in the business as a loan, and Chloe agrees. On New Year's Eve, Nicole appears at Bennett's San Francisco apartment, and he definitively ends their cycle, telling her he can no longer be her backup plan.

By late January, Kira has transformed her life: She takes yoga with Iris, her employee at the tree farm, joins the book club, writes a business plan with Chloe's investment, and gets a new boiler installed. She adopts a pit bull rescue named Benny, acknowledging the name's connection to Bennett. Inspired by Edwin's letters, she writes Bennett a letter confessing her love and "saying the word."

One evening, Kira hears barking and discovers Bennett's three dogs on the farm. He has decorated one of her trees with envelopes containing love letters written on his flight back. They reunite, and Bennett confirms he is moving to Dream Harbor permanently.

In an epilogue five months later, Bennett unearths a small metal box while they plant a garden: Edwin's hidden treasure. Inside is a letter urging whoever finds it not to let a good person go, along with a pearl necklace, bracelets, and diamond earrings. They plan to sell the jewelry to renovate the barn for events and weddings, committing to build their future on the farm together.