Be My Valentine by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page A

a husband. She thinks God needs her help—that’s why she goes around arranging dates for me.”
    â€œYou’re right, of course. I should never have made that comment about summer weddings,” Steve said, “but I assumed that’s just the sort of thing a besotted man would say.”
    Dianne sighed, realizing once again that she didn’t have much of an argument. But he was doing everything in his power to make her regret that silly request.
    â€œHey, where are you taking me?” she asked when he turned off her street onto a main thoroughfare.
    Steve turned his smile on her full force and twitched his thick eyebrows a couple of times for effect. “For a short drive. It wouldn’t look good if we were to return five minutes after we left the house. Your family—”
    â€œâ€”will be waiting at the front door. They expect me back any minute.”
    â€œNo, they don’t.”
    â€œAnd why don’t they?” she asked, growing uneasy. This wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a ride around the block, and she’d had to be coerced into even that.
    â€œBecause I told your mother we’d be gone for an hour.”
    â€œAn hour?” Dianne cried, as though he’d just announced he was kidnapping her. “But you can’t do that! I mean, what about your time? Surely it’s valuable.”
    â€œI assumed you’d want to pay me a few extra dollars—after all, I’m doing this to create the right impression. It’s what—”
    â€œI know, I know,” she interrupted. “You’re just acting smitten.” The truth of the matter was that Dianne was making a fuss over something that was actually causing her heart to pound hard and fast. The whole idea of being alone with Steve appealed to her too much. That was the reason she fought it so hard. Without even trying, he’d managed to cast a spell on her family, and although she hated to admit it, he’d cast one on her, too. Steve Creighton was laughter and magic. Instinctively she knew he wasn’t another Jack. Not the type of man who would walk away from his family.
    Dianne frowned as the thought crossed her mind. It would be much easier to deal with the hand life had dealt her if she wasn’t forced to associate with men as seemingly wonderful as Steve. It was easier to view all men as insensitive and inconsiderate.
    Dianne didn’t like that Steve was proving to be otherwise. He was apparently determined to crack the hard shell around her heart, no matter how hard she tried to reinforce it.
    â€œAnother thing,” she said stiffly, crossing her arms with resolve, but refusing to glance in his direction. “You’ve got to stop being so free with my money.”
    â€œI never expected you to reimburse me for those gifts,” he explained quietly.
    â€œI insist on it.”
    â€œMy, my, aren’t we prickly. I bought the flowers and the toy for Jill of my own accord. I don’t expect you to pick up the tab,” he said again.
    Dianne didn’t know if she should argue with him or not. Although his tone was soft, a thread of steel ran through his words, just enough to let her know nothing she said was going to change his mind.
    â€œThat’s not all,” she said, deciding to drop that argument for a more urgent one. She probably did sound a bit shrewish, but if he wasn’t going to be practical about this, she’d have to be.
    â€œYou mean there’s more?” he cried, pretending to be distressed.
    â€œSteve, please,” she said, shocked at how feeble she sounded. She scarcely recognized the voice as her own. “You’ve got to stop being so…so wonderful,” she finally said.
    He came to a stop at a red light and turned to her, draping his arm over the back of the seat. “I don’t think I heard you right. Would you mind repeating that?”
    â€œYou can’t continue to be