title: Jewel of Winter
author: Blacketer, Kirsten S.
description: ***This is the first book in a Trilogy. Each book focuses on a different relationship taking place during the same time frame.***
  A simple country girl at the mercy of a cold-hearted thief with more secrets than scruples.
  As a widow, Jessamine gained the freedom she’d always desired. Her late husband left her his sole possession, an inn on the north road to Scotland. When a trio of gentlemen appear at the doorstep of her isolated inn during a snowstorm, Jess can’t help the curiosity coursing through her veins. Eavesdropping on their conversation only entangles her in their web of deception.
  To the petite innkeeper, Edmund is a wealthy thief. Allowing her to think what she will, he decides to use her to his advantage. That is until she hides the stolen jewels and refuses to reveal their location. Never cowed by a challenge, Edmund issues an ultimatum: return the jewels or repay the debt with her body.