A Family for the Holidays

Miranda Chester, a Seattle-based interior designer, is heading to Carlton Heath, Vermont for Christmas like she did for the first time last year and rediscovered the meaning and joy of Christmas, discovered the identity of her father, and met his surviving family, the Whitcombs, and fell in love with Ian McAndrick. With that latter issue, Miranda's friends in Seattle are hoping she returns after Christmas with news that she and Ian are engaged. With the issue of her newfound family, Miranda has respected Margaret Whitcomb's request that she not divulge that her father was Margaret's now-deceased husband, famous actor James Whitcomb, the only people in the know being the Whitcombs and the McAndricks. Hiding Miranda's parentage is made all the more complex with reporter Natalie Garrett sanctioned to write an article on James. Miranda's potential future in Carlton Heath, including with the Whitcombs and with Ian, who had every intention of asking her to marry him, is placed in jeopardy when en route to Carlton Heath she runs into Josh, her psychologist ex-boyfriend, and she starts to receive anonymous messages which imply that the sender knows the secret about her father's identity and is willing to go public with it.