Good friends to lovers story. Jamie is a widower and father of triplet babies. His wife died when they were born. The people of Rust Creek Falls came together to form a volunteer group that helps care for the babies. One of the members of that group is longtime family friend, Fallon. As Christmas approaches, Fallon wants to see Jamie enjoy the season with his children and attempts to push him out of the rut he is in.

Jamie's children are the center of his world. Though unknown to the general public, his marriage had not been everything he had hoped for. His wife had been unhappy living on the ranch. She hadn't wanted children and was angry when she got pregnant, even more so when it turned out to be triplets. She made Jamie's life miserable, and the only one he could confide in was his friend Fallon. He's not overly thrilled with Fallon's plans for the holidays, as he always feels that people look at him with pity when he's out with the kids, but eventually he gives in.

Fallon loves the triplets almost as much as she loves their father. She kept that love hidden while he was married. Now she can't help dreaming that he would wake up and see her as something more than a friend.

I enjoyed the progression of Jamie and Fallon's relationship. Jamie has always looked at Fallon as a friend he could depend on. He got quite a shock the day that he accidentally saw her changing her shirt and suddenly realized that his good friend was also a very attractive woman. But he's also very wary of doing anything about it. He's had so much loss in his life that the idea of doing something that could screw up his friendship with Fallon is something he doesn't want to think about. He tries very hard to forget about the feelings that she's stirred up, but he just can't do it. Fallon was surprised by what she had seen in Jamie's eyes that day, which gave her hope that maybe she had a chance with him after all. But after days of him treating her the same as always, she realized that she needed to do something to make Jamie see her as more than just his friend. It was fun to see his reaction to her makeover, especially when someone else started paying her attention. He still fought his attraction until he couldn't fight it any longer. I loved seeing them finally come together, and what they had was fantastic. But Jamie still has some deep-seated fears that cause him to pull back. I thought that Fallon was amazingly understanding, even through her hurt. I loved seeing Jamie finally realize the truth of his feelings. He had two big emotional scenes at the end; one when Fallon came back from her trip and the other at her parents' anniversary party. Fallon also provided a very interesting twist that made a huge impact on Jamie's life. ( )