Ivy Eston is dreading Christmas. The eldest of six, she'' s the only one of her siblings not married with children. She'' s also tired of being asked if she has a boyfriend. She'' s tempted to run away and spend Christmas abroad, but her grandmother'' s ill health, and current travel restrictions, means Ivy'' s staying home instead.

Firefighter Rhett Butler is perfectly content saving lives all day long and coming home to his cat who never needs more than he'' s prepared to give. After all, if God wanted him married, He'' d throw the right woman at him. However, Rhett isn'' t sure he can face another round of Christmas parties alone, and he can'' t exactly take the cat.

A chance encounter with Ivy offers a solution to both their dilemmas, especially if they can keep things strictly business. But things are never that straightforward when Christmas comes to town.