The Kipling family has returned for a Christmas celebration.

Brenda Straton is shocked and, in truth, a little appalled that she and her roommate have been invited by their mentors to spend Winter break at a cattle ranch in the mountains of Colorado. Why would a family they don't know invite them to spend Christmas with them? People just don't do that, at least not in her experience.

Thomas Blackhawk has been asked by his employer to escort, and work with, a bunch of engineers coming in for three weeks to see if they can discover what is causing the contamination of a stream in the northern pasture. They've only got a few months to get the problem cleaned up before the spring thaw.

Brenda and Thomas take one look at each other and the heat roars. She's too young for him and she's only on the ranch for a few weeks. They need to ignore the flair of attraction and lust, if they know what's good for them.

Apparently they do not care what's good for them.