The last place Elise Albright wants to be is working as a mall elf during the Christmas season. Not only is it her least favorite holiday, but with a creepy coworker cosplaying as Santa and a jolly one who she’d like to take an eye out with a candy cane, Elise is underpaid, overworked, and over it.

Two years ago, Jensen Dyleski lost his wife in a drunk driving accident, forcing him to navigate parenting alone. Since then, he’s done his best to keep the holiday magic alive for his seven-year-old daughter, Paisley, all while managing the family cattle business. But being a rancher isn’t easy, and being a single dad is even harder.

When Jensen witnesses Elise being wrongfully fired twelve days before Christmas, he’s quick to offer her a job as a nanny. His plan is simple. Keep things professional, and don’t fall for the hired help. But when a blizzard blows through town, leaving Elise stranded at the ranch, sparks fly over shared mugs of hot cocoa and stolen moments out in the snow. And when Jensen sees how Elise’s icy heart has warmed for his daughter, it’ll take a Christmas miracle for him to stay an arm’s length away.