Decidedly With Mistletoe Read online

  DECIDEDLY WITH MISTLETOE

  STINA LINDENBLATT

  Decidedly With Mistletoe is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Stina Lindenblatt

  Excerpt from Decidedly Off Limits by Stina Lindenblatt copyright © 2016 by Stina Lindenblatt

  Excerpt from Cowboy Most Wanted by Stina Lindenblatt copyright © 2018 by Stina Lindenblatt

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  First Edition: September 2018

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  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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  This book contains an excerpt from the book Decidedly Off Limits and Cowboy Most Wanted by Stina Lindenblatt.

  Cover design: Croco Designs

  Editing: Bev Rosenbaum and Flat Earth Editing.

  ISBN: 978-1-9993926-0-4

  Created with Vellum

  CONTENTS

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Read on for an excerpt from Cowboy Most Wanted

  Books in the Copper Creek Series

  Read on for an excerpt from Decidedly Off Limits

  Other Books in By The Bay Series

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Stina Lindenblatt

  BLURB

  Kissing-under-the-mistletoe rule #1: never kiss your ex-fiancée.

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  Oops.

  Ava Versteeg’s plans for the Christmas break include: 1. Drive to Lake Tahoe, 2. Learn to ski, 3. Enjoy hot, earth-shattering sex (and end her sex drought!) and 4. Meet her Forever Love under the mistletoe. Right—the last one was her friend’s prediction, but you never know. What she doesn’t count on is a flat tire, a major blizzard, and for her ex-fiancé, the man who broke her heart ten years ago, to come to her rescue. Oh, damn.

  While driving back to San Francisco, former Navy SEAL Liam Quade discovers Ava stuck on the side of the road. She’s the woman he was forced to walk away from ten years ago. And now, she’s the woman who would rather be coated with honey and fed to a hungry bear than to be within ten feet of him. Ouch.

  Liam drives Ava to a nearby inn to wait out the storm…and ends up kissing her under the mistletoe. Christmas magic is in the air and Liam realizes he never stopped loving her. But as secrets from ten years ago start to unravel, Liam has to prove to Ava that he’s worth taking a second chance on. He has to prove to Ava that he’s her forever.

  To everyone who loves the magic of the holiday season…

  1

  AVA

  THE CLOCK WAS TICKING down the final minutes. No, not the final minutes until a bomb exploded.

  But close enough.

  It was December twenty-third. Two days until Christmas.

  Thirty minutes before winter break began and I could leave for my week of fun-in-the-snow at Lake Tahoe.

  Maybe I’d meet a hot ski instructor looking for a fling. A fling with earth-shattering sex.

  When was the last time I’d had sex like that?

  Good question. Unfortunately, it was one I had no answer for—other than it had been a very, very, very long time.

  No, I didn’t mean that I hadn’t had sex in an extremely long time…which was technically true. I just meant…well, I think you get the picture.

  “Miss Versteeg,” Jessica said, bouncing in her seat, her arm stretched up as though she were trying to touch the classroom ceiling. “Will you read us a story?”

  A symphony of excited voices filled the room—twenty-one first graders agreeing with Jessica’s request.

  I smiled at their grinning faces. “All right. We have time for one book. What story would you like to hear?”

  Maybe they would like to hear the one about the princess who could do no right by her family. No matter what she did, they were never happy.

  She got engaged to the prince they didn’t approve of.

  She became an elementary school teacher instead of following the family tradition of becoming a lawyer.

  And then because her prince—her one true love—didn’t love her in return (yes, that was a shocker to her, too)…he dumped her.

  She did eventually marry another prince—one her family did approve of. This meant their kingdoms would at last be united.

  At least that was the case until he ran off (translation: had an illicit affair) with a witch.

  Did her royal family send its knights to bestow vengeance on such wanton disregard of the poor princess’s feelings?

  “Miss Versteeg,” Tommy said, waving a book at me with Jolly Old Saint Nick on the cover, and interrupting my not-so-pleasant stroll down memory lane. “Can you read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas to us?”

  Smiling, I took the book from him. “Of course.”

  I indicated for everyone to sit in the reading corner. The scraping of chairs against the tiled floor and loud voices clambered over each other in the air. Normally, I’d remind my students to use their indoor voices. This time I didn’t bother; I just absorbed their happiness. Everyone deserved to be happy, especially at this time of year.

  Less than thirty minutes later, the story was read, everything was tidied away in preparation for the winter holiday, and twenty-two glowing faces were waiting by the classroom door.

  “Does everyone have all their coats, mittens, hats, and boots?” I asked, loud enough to be heard over the chatter. It never failed—each day, at least one item was forgotten in my classroom. “Remember, you won’t be able to return for missing items until school starts in January.”

  I glanced at the clock again. Ten. Nine. Eight.

  Twenty-two little engines revved, unable to hold back much longer.

  Five. Four. Three.

  “Have a wonderful holiday break, everyone.”

  The buzzer hummed loudly through the classroom.

  And twenty-two eager students were out the door faster than Santa could say Ho, Ho, Ho.

  And I was left standing in my empty classroom, with the same sense of emptiness gnawing at my bones.

  I pushed the pity party aside. Who had time for that?

  In less than twenty-four hours, I would be swoosh, swoosh, swooshing down the beginner ski run. While, I might add, looking sexy in my new winter gear.

  Or at least I hoped I looked sexy.

  Had I ever skied before?

  Nope. Not at all. My family preferred to vacation in sunny locations. My ex-husband was allergic to the snow.

  Well, not literally.

  Metaphorically.

  I began straightening up my desk.

  “Are you ready for your big trip?” Zoe, my best friend, asked from the classroom door. I looked up. In her hand was a long, flat box wrapped in red paper.

  “I just have to finish packing. Then I’m good to go.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Right, as if you haven’t already packed. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were packed two weeks ago.”

  There might be a chance that she was right.

  “I have a few last minute things to add.”

  “Have I told you I’m jealous?” She might’ve said it a few times, but I didn’t buy it for a second. How could she be jealous of me spending a week
on my own in the mountains? She had a loving husband and two adorable kids to spend the holidays with. I would gladly trade in my trip for what she had.

  My phone rang on the desk. I picked it up and checked the name on the screen. A shudder rolled through me like when the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk stomped around the earth. Fee-fi-fo-fum.

  “Let me guess,” Zoe said, an extra dose of pity in her tone, “the Abominable Snow Monster herself?”

  I nodded and answered the phone. Experience had taught me that when it came to my grandmother, it was better to yank off the Band-Aid right away. Because if she had to phone you back…

  Another shudder rolled through me.

  I pressed my finger against my lips to warn Zoe to be quiet, and I upped the volume, so she could also hear my grandmother. It would save time in the long run. Then I wouldn’t have to repeat the entire conversation to Zoe once it was over.

  “Hello, Grandmother.” I didn’t bother to fake that I was happy to hear from her. Which was just as well since I wasn’t a good actress. Just ask my high school drama teacher.

  “What is this nonsense that you’re not coming to the Bahamas for Chris and Gloria’s wedding?”

  And hi to you too, Grandmother. “Because I don’t feel comfortable attending my ex-husband’s wedding.”

  “Why on earth would you feel uncomfortable?” My grandmother’s go-to tone? Ticked off, with a side order of arrogance. She couldn’t look further down her nose at me than if she had been standing on top of the Empire State Building. “Their parents have been friends of our family for decades. And your grandfather and I have known their grandparents…”

  Zoe mouthed, Since the dinosaurs walked the planet, distracting me from the rest of what Grandmother was saying.

  A giggle bubbled deep in my belly, ready to shoot out like soda in a heavily shaken bottle. My hand shot to my mouth in a feeble attempt to contain it.

  Zoe winked and mouthed, You’re welcome.

  On a scale of one to ten, how successful was my scowl? Negative one to the power of some infinite number—thanks to my best friend’s ability to make me laugh.

  Clearly my grandmother’s question had been rhetorical. She didn’t bother pausing her tirade long enough for me to answer.

  I opened and shut my hand in a blah-blah-blah gesture. Zoe wasn’t so successful at containing her laughter. A loud giggle tore through the air.

  “Young lady,” Grandmother said, even though I was thirty-one years old. “This is not something to laugh at.”

  Zoe crossed her eyes and made a face.

  I snorted and turned around so I couldn’t see her anymore. My Spidey senses warned me I was in for a lecture, and I didn’t want Zoe to see the impact it had on me.

  This was why I never called my grandmother.

  Now if only I was equally successful when it came to hanging up on her. It was just one of those things I’d never mastered—mostly because it had been drilled into me from a young age that you had to respect your elders. Even when you didn’t necessarily agree with them.

  “You messed up your marriage,” Grandmother said, “and you dishonored our family with your behavior.”

  “My behavior?” I said it slowly as if sounding out each word. “Chris was the one who cheated while we were married.”

  “But if you had been a better wife to him, it would never have happened. You could have at least tried to look better for him. It wouldn’t have hurt you to lose some weight. That’s why he’s marrying Gloria.”

  “He’s marrying her because she looks like a stick?” A stick that would easily snap in two if accidentally stepped on. “Maybe I don’t want to be a stick.”

  The pout in my tone? Not a good thing.

  It was a sign of weakness.

  And my grandmother preyed on weakness. Whereas most people fueled up on food, she regularly sacrificed virgins and devoured their weakness like it was candy.

  “I will not have you talking about my best friend’s granddaughter that way. I booked you a plane ticket to join us tomorrow, and you will be on that flight. You will attend the wedding, and you will be on your best behavior.”

  Let me just note here that it wasn’t my fault I tripped on the hem of my wedding dress. And it was not my fault I stumbled into the table that held my wedding cake. Nor was it my fault I couldn’t save said cake and it landed not-so-gracefully on the floor.

  Was that a sign that my marriage to Chris had been doomed to fail from the very beginning? Quite possibly.

  Although looking back, it wouldn’t have been a big enough sign to warn me about the truth when it came to my ex-husband—which was revealed after I discovered him and Gloria in our bed. In leather.

  Well, Gloria was in leather and slapping a whip against his bare ass.

  What was he wearing?

  A studded leather collar and a leash.

  And nothing else.

  You don’t want to know how much vodka I shot back to get that image out of my head.

  “Sorry, but I have plans.” In my mind, I was swooshing down the mountain with my hot ski instructor. Don’t let her get to you.

  “Then you will cancel your plans.”

  Or what? The unspoken question hung out there like dirty laundry.

  When I didn’t respond, my grandmother released a hard sigh. “Ava, I do understand that it will be mildly uncomfortable for you. But the women in our family always live up to their responsibilities. And attending the wedding is part of your responsibility.”

  “Seriously, Grandmother, what are you going to do? Threaten to take away my trust fund if I don’t show up? Too late. You already did that when I decided to go into education instead of pursuing a law degree. I turned my back on the money years ago. Or have you forgotten that? Anyway, I need to go now. My…” I turned back to Zoe. “The school principal just stepped into the classroom…to…to talk to me.”

  Zoe checked over her shoulder. At least I fooled one person.

  “You will be on that plane, young lady,” my grandmother said.

  I hung up and grinned at the phone. “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “What will she do if you’re not on the plane?” Zoe asked.

  “If I’m lucky, disown me. But so far that hasn’t happened.” I thought when I filed for divorce I had finally hit that point.

  The Versteegs never filed for divorce.

  Or so I was told.

  It would explain why most of my wealthy relatives were grumpy. They were trapped in loveless marriages.

  Only my parents’ marriage had been filled with love—and continued to be that way. They were the reason I still talked to my grandmother. They were the only reason I hadn’t completely turned my back on my family—even if my parents did side with them most of the time.

  “Why do you put up with that BS?” Zoe asked.

  “If I put up with it, do you really think I’d be driving to Lake Tahoe this afternoon? No, I’d be on that plane, contemplating the odds of it falling from the sky and sparing me the agony of attending the wedding.”

  “I can’t believe your family expects you to attend, especially after what that asshole did to you.”

  I let out a long-suffering sigh—faked, of course. Mostly. “It’s not like we get to pick our family.” If we could, I would’ve put in a request to be a member of Zoe’s. “And it’s not like my parents expect me to be there. They understand my reasons for not going.”

  Did they know about Chris’s penchant for whips and leather and chains? I never told them. Telling them about it would’ve been mortifying beyond words. So I kept the words to myself. Even Zoe didn’t know about it.

  “True, but it still doesn’t make it right.” She held out the gift to me. “Merry Christmas. This is exactly what the doctor ordered for your getaway.”

  I took it from her. “Didn’t we already exchange gifts at your Christmas party last week?”

  “Yes, but this is something I couldn’t give you in front of the kids.”r />
  “Given that you gave me a vibrator for my birthday and it’s still in tip-top condition, I’m guessing that’s not what this is.” Plus it felt lighter.

  I opened the box and peeled back the tissue paper. Inside were what looked like scraps of red and black and light pink satin and lace.

  And a sprig of mistletoe.

  I placed the box on the desk and removed the pink satin.

  “I realize it’s been awhile since you bought yourself any sexy bras and panties, but I know this is it.” Zoe’s barely contained excitement was hard to miss.

  “What do you mean ‘this is it’? And what’s the mistletoe for?”

  “To kiss under, of course. I happen to know that you’re going to meet your Forever Love at Lake Tahoe. Because of the mistletoe.”

  I chuckled. “What does mistletoe have to do with me finding my Mr. Right?”

  “Because I believe in the power of it when it comes to love. My grandmother was at a military Christmas dance and kissed a handsome stranger under the mistletoe. A year later, they were married. My mother was at a friend’s Christmas party and she kissed a handsome stranger under the mistletoe. A year later, they were married. And then my sister—”

  “Let me guess…she kissed a handsome stranger under the mistletoe, and a year later they were married.”

  Zoe laughed. “No, that’s not what happened. Chloe already knew Tony. They were friends in college. But he kissed her under the mistletoe, and she fell in love with him right then and there. Eight months later, they were saying their I dos. And then there’s me…”

  This story I did know. Evan had proposed to Zoe under the mistletoe.

  “So you’re saying I should spend my holiday at Lake Tahoe kissing all the available men under the mistletoe, just to find this magical guy?” Yes, because that was exactly what the shy girl inside of me wanted to do. Right along with getting all my teeth pulled without any anesthesia.