Partnershipped in a Pear Tree

All I wanted was a fresh start. I didn’t expect to wind up in handcuffs my first day in town.
I left the familiar hustle and bustle of New York for a tiny Ohio town—a place where people wave from their porches and everyone knows what you had for breakfast.
I expected quiet streets and maybe a parking complaint or two. What I did not expect was becoming the talk of the town before I even drove my first patrol down Main Street.
And then there’s Officer Jesse Heinz—local, introverted, and kind in a way that sneaks up on you. He’s this unexpected combination of steadiness and… occasional awkwardness. He can rattle off citations like a spitfire rapper, and yet his quiet warmth keeps catching me off guard.
I figured I could handle being partnered with Jesse.
Turns out—like the rest of this town—I underestimated him.
Because Bordeaux?
It’s not as sleepy as it looks. Suddenly we’re knee-deep in holiday chaos—gingerbread gone missing, reindeer vanishing, and enough festive mischief to keep us chasing clues long past sunset.
Somewhere between the stakeouts, the quiet conversations, and the laughter I didn’t see coming, this little town is starting to feel like something I’ve been missing: a place to belong.
And Jesse?
He’s the holiday surprise I never saw coming.