My Deadly Valentine by Valerie Hansen Read Free Book Online Page A

you or Mrs. McCafferty don’t want to do it.”
    “Eloise has already tried. He didn’t believe her. I get the idea he’s not the most open-minded person.”
    “Get me his name and phone number. I’ll take care of it.”
    “No.”
    He scowled at her. “Why not?”
    “Because, the problem is between Mrs. McCafferty and her relative. Neither of us should interfere. It wouldn’t be right.”
    “And this kind of harassment is? ” Swinging his arm in a broad arc, Jace indicated the whole shop.
    “If he’s guilty, no. But you’re just guessing. He may be totally innocent and you’d be accusing the wrong man.”
    Although he hated to admit it, she did have a valid point. “All right. Just tell me his name and let me look into his background. Surely, that won’t hurt. And in the meantime, you’re not to come here again unless someone is with you.”
    “Like who? Like you? What’re you going to do, volunteer to work for me?”
    “If necessary.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. You have a real job. Harlan would have your hide if you spent all your time over here.”
    Nodding, Jace had to agree. “That reminds me. We need to call the sheriff and report this as another break-in.”
    “How? Both doors are secure and there’s no other access.”
    “Then you need to change the locks. I’ll do that for you today, before we leave.” To his disappointment, Rachel began to laugh. “What’s so funny? This is serious.”
    “I know it is. The hilarious part is you, thinking you can buy new hardware on a Sunday. Here we sit, smack-dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, and the guy from California thinks he can actually find a place around here that will sell him anything other than a loaf of bread or a carton of milk on the Sabbath.”
    “Then you and I are getting out of here right now,” Jace insisted. “Whether you like it or not.”
    “Suppose I don’t want to go?”
    In his heart he knew she was bluffing. He also knew that she was prejudiced against the kind of strong-arm tactics and coercion her father had employed.
    At this point in their tenuous relationship, Jace figured he could either alienate her by using force or possibly set her against him even more by trying something a lot more drastic. He opted for the latter because it appealed to him on a personal level.
    Reaching for her, he swept her into his embrace. The moment she raised her face to protest, he silenced her with a quick kiss.
    Because he had expected her to resist, he had not been prepared for what actually happened. Rachel practically melted in his arms. Her eyes grew misty. Her lips trembled. And Jace received the sweetest, most poignant kiss of his lifetime.
    If anyone had told him what it would be like to kiss her, he would not have believed them. He was standing there, experiencing it for himself, yet he could barely accept the truth.
    Worse, he knew that he had not only overstepped the bounds of propriety, he had just experienced a kiss that he would remember for the rest of his life.
    He was in deep, deep trouble.

SEVEN
    R achel could barely breathe, and it wasn’t because the shop was stuffy enough to melt candles. Eyes wide, she managed a soft “Whew!”
    To her chagrin, Jace pushed her away. “Yeah. You can say that again.”
    “Okay. Whew. What just happened, anyway?”
    “I got stupid,” he said with a wry grimace. “Sorry.”
    “Me, too.” She giggled. “Sorry, I mean, not stupid. You caught me by surprise.”
    “And you handled it very well, if I do say so,” he gibed. “I promise it won’t happen again.”
    She wasn’t sure she liked that vow but she was loath to admit it, even to herself. “Okay. In that case, I guess you’re forgiven. What were you trying to do, convince me to leave with you?”
    Watching his expression, Rachel was certain he was beginning to look relieved. When he nodded and said, “Yeah, that was it,” she was convinced that he was being at least partially truthful.
    “Okay,” she said,