When practical-minded rancher Cole Witherspoon decides his ranch needs a woman's touch, he goes about filling the vacancy in the most sensible way. He places a help-wanted ad. He never suspects just how many lessons he'll learn when an out-of-work schoolteacher answers the ad. Cherilyn Bixby is a sensible person, capable around the house, and pretty, but she makes the mistake of wearing her best dress to meet Cole—and his huge, undisciplined dog. She's not overly fond of dogs, nor is her big, red cat. A cat that will not be living in the barn, no matter what Cole says. Romance is definitely in the air, but when the fur flies, Cherilyn sticks to her guns, and Cole must decide if his future just might be held in the tufted paws of Cherilyn's beloved feline friend.