Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Marina Adair

Ruthless jerks.” Whatever emotion was filling Frankie’s face went much deeper than childhood pranks. “Intentional or not, they blame you for breaking up their baby sister’s marriage. Watch your back.”
    “If what you say is true, then why would you ever want to come here?” Jordan asked, and Regan shrugged off the slap of her friend’s doubt like a pro.
    “It didn’t take long before everyone in the wine industry in Oregon had heard some rumor about me. Finding steady work has been really hard.” She swallowed. “So, when I got the call from my recruiter offering me the job at Ryo Wines, I jumped on it. I had no idea that it was a DeLuca company.”
    Regan gave one last glance over her shoulder at Gabe’s table. He was deep in discussion with the rest of his party, who were all tall, dark, and seriously hot. If the identical black hair and dark mahogany eyes weren’t a clue, the sheer amount of testosterone wafting off the four men was asgood as a DNA test. That was the DeLuca clan, most likely plotting her downfall.
    Gabe looked over. This time there was no arrogant smirk or condescending gleam. She searched his face looking for the truth, for some kind of explanation as to how she’d gotten here. She was used to his anger, but the idea that he would cause her to sacrifice so much just to make a point didn’t feel right.
    “Ryo is a female-owned and -run winery, ChiChi’s brain child. She wanted it to be separate from the DeLuca umbrella. But it’s still a DeLuca company.” Jordan’s face softened. “The DeLucas pretty much run the valley, Regan. There have to be other places you could move.”
    Regan pulled out the letter she’d kept in her purse all week, the one she’d reread after every devastating blow. It was the same one that Holly had asked her to mail, that she had opened at the cost of a quarter for spying, and that held the words which made moving to a new town impossible.
    She stared at the rudimentary letters and, with a sigh, slid it across the table. Even upside down they made her heart hurt for the little girl who had already missed out on so much.
    Dear Santa,
    I know youre really busy so you dont have to brings me anything this year cuz I already gots what I wanted. A forever home with my own room and a yard that gots grass and a best friend Lauren. She loves kittys almost as much as me. If you wants you can come to the St. HelenaCommunity Christmas Muzikal cuz each kid gets two tickets. I hope I get to play Christmas Kitty and purr. Mrs. Dee says I purr really good.
    Merry Christmas,
Holly Martin
St. Helena, California
    “Oh, honey.” Jordan patted Regan’s hand. Not that Regan made a point of using her daughter for sympathy, but in this case, she’d make an exception. “And here I thought keeping Ava a virgin until Christmas was going to take a Christmas miracle.”
    “Miracle or not, Holly is going to grow up here. She is going to play with her new friend. And there is no way I am letting that man chase me out of town. I want this Christmas to be perfect for Holly. Last year we didn’t even have a tree.”
    “Which is why if I could hire you, I would. Just to stick it to the DeLucas,” Frankie said, way too loud. “But my family outsourced all of our marketing to a company in France a few years ago. It’s cheaper than having someone in-house.”
    Regan was devastated. She had been sure that having drinks with the DeLucas’ biggest competition, combined with Jordan’s stellar recommendation, would guarantee her the job. Problem was, there was no job to be guaranteed.
    Which brought up a whole new problem: in the Valley, no job meant no willing landlords. Regan had to fix one mess before she could fix the other.
    “Working for the Baudouins would be like firing the first shot,” Jordan reasoned. “If Regan is going to make a life forherself here, she has to find a way to get on Gabe’s good side. If the head DeLuca accepts her, then the town will