title: Heart of Ice
author: Ruston, Elizabeth
description: Hot nights in a cold climate have a way of melting hearts . . . Annie Linley prides herself on being reliable. Predictable. But lately that hasn't worked so well. Burned out as a teacher, betrayed by her boyfriend, Annie knows she needs a change--a big one. Something dramatic to shake up her life. So when she comes across a collection of Icelandic sagas, she makes an impulsive decision--maybe the first one in her life. If the women in those sagas could be so strong, so fierce, so passionate, why can't Annie? Maybe the secret is to take herself there. Spend a few weeks of her summer vacation walking where the Vikings walked, riding the kinds of horses they rode, living the way the Icelandic heroines lived. Yes, it would all be a fantasy, but isn't everyone entitled to live out a fantasy just once in their lives? Kjartan is used to tourists. They're how he survives. As the owner of an Icelandic horse farm, he spends day and night every summer teaching customers to ride, guiding them across the volcanic landscape, leading them to golden beaches where they can gallop under the midnight sun. As long as the tourists keep to themselves and let him do the same, the relationship works out fine. But when the pretty American teacher arrives, Kjartan can't help wondering why she's alone. She seems friendly, open to new experiences, willing to push past her fears. So who was the fool who let her get away? And why should Kjartan care? A few weeks' vacation is such a short time. But in a land where the sun never sets, it might just be long enough to change two people forever. *Look for FIRE AND ICE, Book 2 in the Hearts on Fire duo