Deadly Valentine by Jenna Harte Read Free Book Online Page A

stroke of luck that had him running into her tonight. He'd had enough of Asa and was heading out the door when he saw her primping in the mirror. In some ways it was surprising they hadn't run into each other sooner since he'd bought a home and spent more time in Jefferson Tavern. But he was glad he hadn't. For too long, timing had been an issue for them. But now he was ready. His life was back on track after three years of misery and self-destructive behavior. And there didn't seem to be anyone in her life. At least not anyone she considered to be in her life.
    Guided by the street light shining through the large panel window in the living room, Jack made his way up the hall. He took time to look at the home she made for herself. It was a lot like her; neat, tidy, and classic. And yet something was missing. She had all the requisite furniture; an overstuffed couch flanked by an oak side table. Next to that a chair. She'd indulged in a stuffed chaise lounge that sat next to a built-in book case surrounding a brick fire place. But there were no pictures. No knick-knacks. It reminded him of a spec house not a home. Where was her stuff?
    He told himself he wasn't snooping by opening the doors that enclosed the lower part of the book cases, even though he was pretty sure she'd think so. He found a few law books. Boring. He opened the doors on the bookcase on the opposite side of the fireplace. There he found fiction books, mostly mystery by the look of them. He recognized the J.D. Robb books as those his mother had enjoyed. He'd read a couple of them to her during her illness. She had liked them not so much because of the mystery or that they took place in the future, but because of the characters, particularly the kick-ass cop and her handsome, rich, recently reformed husband. Jack wondered if that was what drew Tess to the books as well. That could work in his favor. He was rich, handsome and recently reformed as well.
    Actually he wondered a lot about her. He'd remembered a beautiful, vivacious woman who'd captivated him from the first moment he'd met her over five years ago. The woman he'd seen tonight was different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She was still beautiful, even more so now that she'd put some meat on her bones. But she was wary, guarded. He couldn't decide if it was towards him specifically or if it was being at the Worthington's. They were certainly a family that could suck the life out of a person. Maybe she was, as he'd been for so long, disillusioned with the world. Or maybe it was just because she wasn't feeling well.
    Whatever the reason, the difference in her hadn't changed his reaction to her. Seeing her re-awakened something in him; something he thought he'd lost or had died inside him. In the three years since she'd left D.C., his life had sucked. His mother's illness and subsequent death cost him a great deal. The grief had been devastating and ended only when he'd learned not to feel anymore, with the help of alcohol and women. But that took a toll on him as well. When you don't care, life has a way of spiraling out of control.
    It had taken time, but he was finally back on the right path. The point of life still eluded him, but at least he had goals. He had been going to bed and waking up sober for nearly a year. And he was working again. According to his friends, that was the sign of progress. But it wasn't until tonight, until he's seen Tess that he'd felt anything other than numb in the last three years.
    He closed the doors to the bookcase and walked to the kitchen. It, along with the rest of the house, maintained much of its original charm. He wondered if she'd restored the house. Having spent many summers working for his mother's real estate flipping business, he knew a thing or two about home improvement. Who'd ever done this house, had done well. All it needed was a decorator.
    He found a glass in the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap. Leaning against the counter