Mistletoe and Holly

Holly Peterson had been humiliated a year ago on Christmas Eve by her ex-fiancé, who considered her only a "passable" choice as a wife—while intending to keep his lover on the side. El Jerko had seen her as a playbunny with no real brains. True, she was a woman who flitted from job to job and never took life seriously, until that moment…until she tossed the ring back in his face. She walked away that night; certain she'd never love again, and never celebrate Christmas again.

Brandon McNamara was in desperate need of a highly skilled personal assistant to replace the one who'd eloped and moved without giving notice. He needed someone prepared to work with a successful, demanding businessman like him. Someone to come in and immediately handle the planning details of the company's annual Christmas party. Holly was in no way qualified, but there was just something about the spirited young woman who had him hiring her. He did warn her that he expected a lot of hard work from her. As sanity hit him that he'd just hired the totally wrong person for the job, he added that there would be serious consequences should she not obey and comply with all of his orders. He hadn't exactly said he meant spanking, but he did. She took the job anyway…heaven help them both.

Bah Humbug Cowboy

Lacey McAdams had returned home unexpectedly during an early December snowstorm after being gone longer than she'd planned. To her horror, she found her handsome husband with his arms around her best friend, kissing her. Her world shattered. When he'd miserably tried to explain that they'd been worried about her and had only sought comfort in a stupid moment, she refused to listen to him. In her heart, she believed him. But she wasn't sure she could ever forgive either of them, or forgive herself for being away from home so often and so long. Maybe their marriage just wasn't meant to be.

Devlin had been horrified to discover his arms around another woman, kissing her when his precious wife walked into their kitchen. He'd missed her so damn much. He'd never meant to touch her friend. There always had been and always would be only one woman for him, his fiery Lacey Jane. Numbness spread through him when she wouldn't accept his gut-deep apology, when she drove away from him into the snowstorm. This could not be the end of them. He would do whatever necessary to make things right again. Trouble was his wife could be pretty stubborn at times, unreasonable, too. But she'd accept his apology and his forever kind of love, even if he had to burn her butt to make her think clearly. And he aimed to have her back with him permanently by Christmas.

Santa Wears Spurs

Roxie Evans had left California, her wealthy but distant family, and a former fiance who'd turned out to be Very Mr. Wrong. She'd moved halfway across the country to begin a new life as a librarian and try to find a happily-ever-after kind of man. What she found was a cowboy with a reputation as the best sweet-talker in the state. They had nothing in common, except an attraction that took them both by surprise. When he approached her to be Santa's helper this year at the ranchers association's Christmas party, she'd teased him about what he was prepared to offer her in exchange for saying yes. He mentioned several possible enticements: one was taking her over his knee and encouraging her agreement by warming her bottom; another was offering to be her love slave. Both suggestions were not really serious ones. Until Roxie decided to call his bluff and accepted the love slave offer, thinking her acceptance not serious either. But as it turned out, he was serious.

Love slave? Well, hell, who was he to turn down such an opportunity!