Angelica Kate

Calm Before The Storm
Book starts out with Travis and he's on his way to the family cabin with his wood projects. He hopes to stay there so he won't have to celebrate the Christmas Holiday. Several years ago at this time his wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver.
Emily is an abused mother of twins and Sarah has lent her the cabin til her court date in Jan.
They all get along with her tending to the kids during the day and cooking and cleaning and he stays out of their way by working in the shed.
Love the adventures the kids go on with them both, so much fun in the snow!
Before the holiday he takes her back to the house he bought in hopes of fixing it up and flipping it. There's lots of work to do and it keeps Emily busy but he also sets her up with a job interview to keep her in town.
He's got it all worked out for the kids going to school even. Plans don't go his way and she leaves to go back to her town and get on with her life.
Later in time he is buying a house to be closer to his sister who's having a baby and he plans to permanently live close by to her when he runs into Emily. Tragedies strike again and you wonder how they can survive.
Great story that didn't take that long to read. Hated hearing of the abuse and nightmares but there are good moments also.… (mere)

Emily, escaping from an abusive ex-husband with help from a social worker friend, Jenna, is trudging through a few miles of snow with twin four-year-olds to reach an isolated cabin. However, Jenna’s brother, Travis, who is still in a depressive state over the death of his wife and daughter four years ago in a tragic accident, is also on his way to the family cabin to find isolation over the holidays. When he discovers Emily and her children at the cabin, her story and submissive behavior awakens protective feelings he felt that he had lost and Emily slowly begins to realize that there are men that are not controlling and are worthy of trust. However, Emily’s ex is still seeking to take her children away and she is afraid to let her nascent feelings for Travis prevent her from saving them. The story of a woman running from an abusive relationship and finding salvation with a man dealing with his own tragic history is not new, but this incarnation is told simply with minimal editorial errors and presents the characters growth in a respectable time frame. However, the final resolution with the background villain is solved too quickly in a bit of serendipity, undercutting the suspense element for many readers.… (mere)