Description
Small-town girl Annie Murray is excited about the adventure of a grand coming-out season in New York City over the holidays, but it doesn’t take long to realize that the offer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Annie is deaf, and has spent years changing herself—how she communicates—to fit in with “proper” society. She’s even learned to speak, for goodness’ sake! But the only thing these people seem to care about is how different she sounds, and it’s darned galling to know that she is still not acceptable. In fact, the only person in New York who tries to make her feel comfortable at all is Dr. Reginald Carderock.
Reggie knows what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong someplace. He was born and raised among the Fifth Avenue elite, but is only barely tolerated these days. His friends and family don’t understand how he can spend all of his time treating the city’s poor at his clinic, or what he could possibly see in his brother’s little deaf student. But the more time he spends in Annie’s company, the more intrigued he is by her strength, determination, and compassion.
Just when the two of them figure they’ve reached an understanding, they get the worst possible news from Annie’s family in Cheyenne. Now they’re stuck together in a mad dash across the country, dreading what they’ll find at the end. It’s a crummy way to spend Christmas Eve, and Reggie knows that he might lose her forever when they reach their destination. He’ll need to figure out a way to show her that he can see her for who she truly is.
Which is good, because all she wants for Christmas is for him to hear the words she’s not saying.
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At one point, Reggie’s physical reaction to Annie is mentioned in an oblique manner. At another point, “She could feel her nipples harden…… she felt his groan…. And figured that was about the most sensual thing she’d ever experienced.” Nothing else happens here, but for the innocence of the story otherwise, it feels incongruous – too edgy compared to the rest of the book. (This inconsistency affects my rating, not the fact that it’s not squeaky clean, as this book is not marketed as Christian fiction.)