Seeds of Christmas by Lola Lockhart

He’s failing geology. She’s got her life planned. Eight days snowed in together is either a disaster or destiny.

Carter Wolfe hasn’t been back to his fraternity house since his brother’s funeral. He’s barely passing his classes, barely holding it together, and definitely not ready for Christmas with his aggressively cheerful family pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. He’s also secretly debating a major life pivot—dropping out of UMS entirely to become a firefighter or finishing his degree.
Rhiannon Pierce has escaped her controlling ex, survived her mother’s guilt trips, and locked down the research opportunity that’ll get her into grad school—until her professor bails and sticks her with Carter: the charming slacker who she has a secret crush on.
Now they’re trapped in a remote cabin over Christmas with expensive equipment, zero cell service, and enough sexual tension to melt the snow.
Turns out the golden retriever frat boy knows how to stay calm in a crisis. And the uptight overachiever is hilarious when she’s not trying so hard to be perfect. Between emergency rescues, motel room service, and one very inappropriate scientific experiment involving kissing, they start seeing each other for real.

Welcome to the University of Mountain Springs, where STEM students find love, face their demons, and discover that sometimes the best research involves matters of the heart. This is Carter and Rhiannon’s story—a Christmas romance about showing up, speaking up, and learning that you’re already enough. Canonically falls after Seeds of Trust (Book 4)