Tangled Up in Tinsel Read online

  Dedication

  For my father and the many years we’ve lost.

  All is forgiven.

  Vix ea nostro voco

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  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

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Nonni’s Ricotta Cheese Cookies with Lemon Icing

  Sweet Onion Carbonara

  “Sure Thing” Mascarpone Sorbetto with Rosemary Honey

  Gabriella’s Ultimate Mac and Cheese

  A Better Man

  Perfect for You

  About the Author

  By Candis Terry

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  If you’ve ever read any of my previous books you’ve probably gotten a sense that from the Armed Forces to animal rescue, I support a lot of causes. When the holidays roll around it always makes me think of those out there who don’t always have it easy. Those who struggle. And those who are working hard to make things better. In Tangled Up in Tinsel, I wanted to honor those types by bringing in a few of my favorite causes to the story.

  Life’s Kitchen is mentioned in the story as the place where our hero, Parker Kincade, was able to pull his life back together. I’m happy to say that Life’s Kitchen exists right here in my own community of Boise, Idaho. If you’d like to find out more about this wonderful organization dedicated to transforming the lives of young adults by building self-sufficiency and independence through food service and life skills training, please check out their website, www.lifeskitchen.org.

  In this book I also mention a women’s and children’s shelter. I’ve had the privilege to be associated with the Women and Children’s Alliance here in Boise for many years, and I’m always surprised at how the little things such as soap and toothpaste can make these women’s and children’s lives just a little easier. If you don’t have a shelter in your own town, please take a look at www.wcaboise.org to find out how you can help.

  Thank you so much for choosing to read Tangled Up in Tinsel. I hope it will give you all the warmth and yumminess you look for in a holiday romance.

  Wishing you the very best of the holiday season,

  Candis Terry

  Chapter 1

  “You’re going to make this happen, right?”

  An early November chill hung in the air as Parker Kincade regarded his older brother Jordan—a former badass NHL hockey player who’d once slammed his opponents to the ice so hard they temporarily forgot their names—and wondered how the hell a two hundred pound, two hundred percent alpha male had turned into a such a pussy.

  “I said I would, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah,” Jordan countered. “But you also said you nailed Britney Bikini Stuffer Braxton and that was a damn lie.”

  “Brother? I hate to be the one to inform you that maybe you’ve taken too many hits to the head, but you’re bringing up something that happened almost two decades ago.” Parker folded his arms to match his brother’s stance. “I was a kid then. Kids lie to impress their older brothers who called them a pansy ass and dared them to do something stupid.”

  A smirk curled Jordan’s mouth. “So you’re admitting you lied.”

  “Oh, Jesus.” Parker tossed his hands up. “I don’t have time for this shit. In case you can’t tell by the chaos, I’m trying to open a restaurant here.” The restaurant in question was currently a conglomeration of boards, screws, and construction workers using various tools of the trade yet still running weeks behind schedule. It was also Parker’s one chance to help get the family business back on its feet following the deaths of their parents.

  “Which brings us back to my initial question.”

  “Dude.” Parker groaned and stuck out his hand. “Hand it over.”

  “Hand over what?”

  “Your man card. I’m revoking it because you’ve officially turned into Groomzilla. And last time I looked I wasn’t your freaking wedding planner.”

  “The wedding planner isn’t standing inside a partially renovated century-old barn where Lucy and I are supposed to have our reception.” Jordan narrowed his Kincade trademark blue eyes. “You promised you’d get this thing done on time.”

  “And I will if you’ll stop coming in here every ten minutes to check on the progress. Your wedding isn’t happening until the week before Christmas. The pumpkin decorations are still out from Halloween, and the turkeys and pilgrims haven’t yet invaded. So just chill the fuck out.”

  A glare darkened Jordan’s eyes and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

  Parker laughed. “Sorry, bro, but you can’t intimidate me with your old hockey glares.”

  “Yeah, but I can still kick your ass.”

  “You can try. But do any damage to me and your fantasy wedding reception will have to take place at the Mother Lode. And just think how disappointed your sweet fiancée will be when someone gets up onstage in that dive bar and starts singing drunk-as-shit karaoke while you’re cutting the damn cake.”

  “Fine. But I’m keeping my eyes on you, little brother.” Jordan held two fingers up to his eyes then flipped them around in Parker’s direction. “Don’t disappoint Lucy.”

  “No worries. I’m more afraid of her than I am you.” Parker wondered why he got such a kick out of seeing his big brother so rattled. He also wondered how Jordan’s fiancée put up with him these days when no one else could. “But if you don’t get your ass out of here and keep it out, I guarantee this place won’t get done on time. And then you’ll be crying like a little girl.”

  Jordan tossed out one last badass glare then did an about-face, flipping Parker the middle finger as he—thankfully—vacated the premises.

  As Jordan disappeared through the large opening in the front of the barn where the new entry was being constructed, Parker rubbed the ache in the center of his chest. The pressure was on and he was doing everything possible not to let his fears overrule his motivation. Even though the expectations were huge.

  Somehow in the middle of the universe tossing a shitload of personal obstacles in his life, he’d come up with the grand idea to open a restaurant. In a barn. Where horses, cows, and sheep once ate, dwelled, and did their dirty business. Where spiders didn’t bother with a single web, they built entire villages. And where his older brothers were once rumored to have fast-talked a fair maiden or two out of her Fruit of the Looms on top of the haystack. Not to mention the barn sat in the middle of their family vineyard, which resided in the small town of Sunshine Valley instead of the nearby bustling cities of Portland or Vancouver where customers might actually have had a chance to find it.

  What the hell had he been thinking?

  Standing smack dab in the center of four bare walls, on a plywood sub-floor, he leaned his head back and looked up at the electrical crew stringing the new wiring from atop extension ladders. It would be a damn miracle if they didn’t burn the place down before the fire marshal could even do an inspection.

  Sean Scott, the architect/construction project manager on the job, told him it would have been easier to construct a brand-new up-to-code building instead of trying to breathe life into something that had sat unused and unloved for at least the past twenty
years. But for too many reasons to count and all of them personal, Parker insisted on retaining a Kincade legacy. Regardless of what smelly farm animal activity had once occurred beneath the rafters, he loved this place his great-grandfather had built with his own two hands.

  There was a hell of a long way to go for it to become the dream he envisioned, but like the little engine that could, hopefulness surged inside him.

  He could do this.

  He would do this.

  He had to.

  And it wasn’t just because he was sinking his entire savings into the project.

  In the past he’d earned the disreputable title of black sheep of the family. Yes, he’d overcome the shame, but he still had something more to prove to the family he’d once wronged.

  “Checking for bats?”

  Parker dropped his gaze from the rafters and turned toward the source of the question. In the opening where his brother had been just minutes before stood a lusciously curvy female.

  “Hello.” Her red high heels tapped across the plywood floor as she came into the barn, where Parker got a better look.

  Jeans, faded and painted on, hugged a shapely pair of hips and thighs. One sleeve of her thin beige sweater had slipped to reveal a bare shoulder, and long, silky brown hair draped in big loopy curls down her back. When his gaze eventually made it to her pretty face, her cherry red mouth and dark chocolate eyes were smiling.

  Yeah.

  She’d caught him checking her out.

  As she came forward and stretched out her hand, he realized she was much shorter up close. Hell, he towered over her even with her wearing those high heels.

  His hand engulfed hers as they shook.

  “I’m pulling a blank.” Puzzled, he tilted his head. “Have we met before?”

  “Not formally. Gabriella Francesca Montani,” she said in a voice that sounded like a shot of smooth whiskey. “I’m your new chef.”

  “My what?” He glanced around the interior of the barn looking for the camera his brothers must have planted when they’d set up this prank.

  She gripped his hand tight before letting go. “Surprised?”

  “Being that I’m not currently in the market to hire anyone? Yes.”

  “But you will be soon.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Correct?”

  “Eventually. For now the walls are barely up and the restaurant won’t be opening until after the holidays.”

  “Good.” She flashed a smile that exuded confidence. “I like being the first in line.”

  Suspicion rattled his bones. “How did you know I was building a restaurant here? I haven’t made a formal announcement yet.”

  “But you’ve talked about it to your food truck customers.”

  “You’re a customer?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I’ve discussed it with you?”

  “Not directly.”

  “Ah. So you eavesdropped.”

  “Probably.”

  “Does that mean you’re stalking me?” Not that he minded. She was beautiful and sexy as hell.

  “I wouldn’t say stalking.” She chuckled and the sound rippled through his blood with images he had no business envisioning. “I just like to know everything I can about an employer before I work for them.”

  Though she sounded more hopeful than pushy, there was no way he could lead her on about a job. Even if, on a personal level, he wouldn’t mind getting to know her a little better. It wouldn’t be fair. “Well, I appreciate your interest, but I’m sorry you wasted your time, Ms. . . .”

  “Montani. But please, call me Gabriella.”

  Everything male inside of him said he’d call her anything she wanted as long as her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was getting to know her in the most personal way possible.

  “Ms. Montani.” No sense doing the whole how-ya-doin’ thing since she’d only be here a few minutes. Unless he could talk her into staying for a far more intimate reason. “As you can see I’m hardly in the position to hire anyone right now. I’m sorry you’ve come all this way for no reason but . . . well, there it is. You’ve come all this way for no reason.”

  “Believe me, Mr. Kincade, anything I do is well thought out. You’re offering an amazing opportunity here and I want to be your chef. I can promise you that coming here was not a mistake.”

  The woman was tenacious, he’d give her that. Unfortunately he had nothing to offer.

  “You do realize that I’ll be the executive chef, right? I mean, this is my restaurant. Why would I hand over control to a perfect stranger?”

  “So you have a problem handing over control?”

  In work? Yes.

  In bed? Never.

  But he didn’t tell her that.

  “Depends.”

  “No one can do everything all alone.” She smiled again and he realized she used that smile like a weapon to weaken mortal fools. “I’ve eaten your food. I’ve watched you work.”

  “So you are stalking me.”

  “Observing. And only enough to figure you out.”

  “I never knew I was so easy to read.” Which was bullshit. He’d been told more than once that he was an open book. Maybe it was time he became a little more mysterious.

  “Only in the way you work,” she said. “Your dedication is admirable, and your attention to detail is flawless.”

  Good thing she didn’t know how he thought or she might slap him right now. Because nothing, and he meant nothing, turned him on more than an assertive woman who knew what she wanted and went after it.

  “Thank you.”

  “The way you see food is important to me,” she said with enough emphasis in her tone to assure him she meant business. “I won’t work for someone who just slaps something on a plate and calls it a specialty. I’m looking for someone who sees food in its truest nature. Someone who, instead of trying to change the taste by smothering or crisping it to death, knows how to enhance a flavor to awaken the senses and make it a mouthwatering experience. Like the way a perfectly ripened tomato bursts sun-warmed sweetness in your mouth.”

  Jesus.

  If the woman waxed poetic like that about food, he couldn’t imagine the way she’d sound in bed.

  “Then if you aspire to work for me,” he said, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “I have to admit I saw you on Chopped and I couldn’t agree more with the judges when they applauded your creativity and artistry in making your dishes visually appealing.”

  The compliment felt genuine. Still . . . “Are you trying to butter me up so I’ll hire you even though I don’t have a job available?”

  “Just being honest. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to compete on that show.”

  “Difficult?” He shrugged. “More of a personal challenge than anything.” The Food Network show wasn’t as much a cooking competition as a game show. Once he’d made that realization he adhered to the theory throughout the final rounds and miraculously came out with a win.

  “Well, whatever it was you conjured up to make it happen, it worked. Congratulations.”

  “Again, I thank you.” He smiled, hoping she wasn’t just some kind of foodie groupie of the show. Better make sure she knew what she was talking about. Just in case. “So what is it you do now? What job are you so eager to leave behind?”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and the smallest of sighs lifted her shoulders.

  Her hesitation intrigued the hell out of him.

  Hell, everything about the woman intrigued him.

  And that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

  Gabi heard Parker Kincade’s words buzz through her ears in the same way her head hummed after she’d consumed too much wine.

  Dangerous.

  Intoxicating.

  And oh how she’d like to strip that dirt-streaked T-shirt right off his back to see those muscles that teased her from beneath the worn cotton.

  Focus, Gabi. Focus.

  His intelligent, riveti
ng blue eyes smiled in a face so strikingly handsome it left her stupid. Not something she ever aspired to be. But the magical combination of his eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes, a squared, stubbled jawline, and longish nearly black, wavy hair, gave him a wild look she couldn’t resist.

  A distraction for sure, and bad news for her all around. Anything that detracted from her goal was a dilemma she seriously needed to consider.

  “Currently I’m a personal chef,” she said.

  “Cushy job.”

  “I work for Milton Skolnick. You might have heard his name before. He won the nation’s biggest lottery two years ago.”

  “So you’re well paid too.” His large hand came up to absently rub the beard stubble darkening his chin. “Now I’m really curious why you’d want to leave.”

  She’d seen him rub that beard stubble on the episode of Chopped he’d been on, and she knew it meant his brain was clicking on all cylinders. When she’d discovered that he owned a food truck in her own city of Portland, she occasionally stopped there for lunch on her days off. She’d been intrigued by the creative dishes he prepared and the obvious passion with which he created them. Almost as much as she’d been intrigued by him.

  While he worked he shamelessly flirted with his female customers and treated the male customers like buddies. He had an easygoing way about him and all of his patrons seemed to love him. If she wanted to work for Parker Kincade, she knew she needed to be more approachable, more responsive, and above all honest. Or at least as honest as she could be without actually telling him the truth.

  Because telling the truth was not an option.

  “Sometimes being well paid isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” she said. “Mr. Skolnick wants the status of having a personal chef but he doesn’t even know the difference between a turnip and a potato. He believes that peanut butter and potato chip sandwiches are a delicacy. And he insists that Chex Mix snacks are a better party choice than a platter of crab beignets or seared steak lettuce cups.”

  “So you’re saying you have culinary differences with him.”

  “Among other things.” His recent unintentional/swears it was an accident groping didn’t help matters either. And though she needed a job, she didn’t need one bad enough to submit to that kind of bad behavior. “I’m underutilized, underappreciated, and I need more creativity from my work than throwing a frozen pizza in the oven or cooking weenie kabobs over a gas stove. Mr. Skolnick doesn’t want a chef with an imagination. He wants Chef Boyardee.”