High school sweethearts. A 12-year rift. A daughter determined to work some Christmas magic. Widower Thea Riley is housesitting her sister's cheery cottage while on winter vacay. With her daughter growing like a weed and her mom's grip on their lives tightening, Thea "loses" their roundtrip tickets to buy extra time in the hometown she was pulled away from years ago. Fueled by faith, a single job prospect, and one talkative eight-year-old, Thea refuses to believe the two lies that have kept her bound for so long: That she can't start fresh in Freedom, Colorado and that she can't be single and satisfied. Officer Max Harrison arrives on scene thinking a robber's cleaning a house for Christmas but he's shocked to find his best friend turned heartbreak staring back at him on the very property he's planning to buy. Growing up together created a bond he's never had with anyone else. It's taken incalculable amounts of willpower to heal from her hiatus. Switching police departments after Christmas means they'll only need to dodge each other in the resort town for four weeks—a great plan until Max rescues Thea's daughter from nearly getting hit. Old flames die hard but opening their hearts is a slippery slope when it comes to protecting a child's best interests. Will Thea and Max plunge at love's second chance or play it safe and let the fire go out once and for all?