Old Flames Never Die (Valentine Mystery) (31 page)

“How much?”

Daniel rolled his eyes.

“I said yes, but I don’t
think he remembers. He hasn't mentioned it again.”

“Will you hold him to it?”

“Yes,” Tess said without any
hesitation.

“Well, congratulations then.”

~~~~

“Where are we going?” Jack
asked from the passenger seat of Tess' car.

“I just need to make a quick
stop at my house. I hope that's all right.”

No, it wasn't all right.
Jack wondered if he'd ever get Tess' full commitment. She had agreed to marry
him, although she may have just said it because she was afraid he was dying. It
didn't matter. He was going to hold her to it. He just needed to wait until he
was back at full strength before engaging in the conversation. “I’m tired and
hurt.”

“It'll be just a minute. I
promise.” Tess pulled into the driveway.

The house was coming along
too fast. In a month or so, it would be done and Tess' would no doubt be moving
back in.

“Come on,” she said as she
opened his door. “Come with me. I want to show you how great it looks.”

Jack frowned. “You know my
feeling about this.”

“Come on.” She smiled at
him.

“Fine.” He pulled himself
out of the car. The pain medication worked pretty well, except when he tried to
stand up straight. Or walk.

Tess opened the front door. “There’s
drywall, finally,”

“Nice,” he said flatly. “Can
we leave now?”

“I added French doors to the
bedroom. Come look.” She looped her arm through his and escorted him to the
bedroom.

“Nice.” Actually, it looked
great. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

“The first time we made love
was in this room. You should show more reverence.”

“I revered you, not the
room.”

She smiled. “You shouldn't
be so grumpy.”

He didn't like it much
either. “The cure is to take me home.”

“I want to show you the
kitchen.”

“Great,” he muttered. She
escorted him back to the main area. Outside he heard a car pull up. A few
moments later, a woman poked her head through the front door.

 “Hello?”

“Jane! Hello. Right on time.”

Jane?

“Wow, Tess, this is really
coming along. It's about time to pick colors.”

“Colors?” Jack asked.

“Carpet, vinyl.”

“Jane, this is Jack
Valentine. Jack, this is Jane Crenshaw.”

“Nice to meet you,” he
managed. The idea that she had an interior decorator devastated him. “I'll meet
you at the car.”

“Wait,” Tess said. “I'll
meet you right out front.”

He shrugged and stepped out
into the warm May air. Things had gone so well in New York. Thinking of the
trip reminded him that he'd promised to go slow with her. But he'd proposed and
she'd said yes, dammit.

A moment later Jane walked
passed him to go to her car and Tess came to stand on the step behind him.

“You can't do this, Tess,”
he said. He knew he was pushing, but the thought of her moving back into the
house was more than he could handle.

“What?”

He turned to look at her. “You
said you'd marry me. Even if it was coerced, you said yes. Don't think—”

“So you do remember.” She
looked a little too amused. What was he missing?

“Of course I remember. I
just haven't felt very good the last few days.”

“I was a little worried. It
wouldn't be smart to sell my house if you weren't going to marry me.”

Jack attributed his slowness
to the drugs. All the points finally connected when he saw Jane pound a ‘For
Sale’ sign into Tess' front lawn.

“I don't have a place to
live now,” Tess said.

Jack thought his heart would
burst through his chest.  “You have your hotel room.”

“I checked out.”

“That's not very smart.”

“I could call Daniel.”

“Don't you dare,” he gripped
her chin with his thumb and index finger. “You're killing me, Tess.”

“Jack. Let's go home.”

About
Jenna Harte
:
I've always had a romantic streak. Even as a kid, my favorite characters on TV were
almost always happily married and as a twelve-year-old, I'd write stories about
them (this was before fan fiction or the Internet were invented).

I
love to read romantic suspense or mystery, but am disappointed that romances
don't follow up on the happily ever after and mysteries rarely provide the
sexy, romantic elements I enjoy. So I decided to write my own.

When
I'm not telling stories, I work by day as a freelance writer and blogger. I
live in central Virginia with my husband, two teenage children and two cats.

Valentine
Extras

For
Tess' chocolate recipes or her Aretha Franklin playlist,
visit JennaHarte.com
and look under the
“Valentine Series” tab.

More
Books By Jenna Harte:

Deadly Valentine: A Valentine Mystery,
Book One
(Print and eBook) -  Tess Madison walked away from her
two-timing fiancé, a multi-million dollar trust fund and a cushy corporate law
job to pursue the single life indulging in chocolate and fancy French
underwear. But her newly reordered life comes unraveled when she reluctantly
accepts an invitation to a dinner party and stumbles upon the host’s dead body.
Now Tess is in the middle of a murder investigation pitting her
wannabe-boyfriend police detective against Jack Valentine, a man from her past
with blue-green eyes and sinful smile that causes her to rethink her
self-imposed celibacy. Tess has many reasons to avoid Jack including the fact
that he’s the prime suspect in a murder. But Tess doesn’t believe Jack’s the
murderer and with an honest attempt to keep her hormones in check, she agrees
to represent him. With Jack’s help, she uncovers a 30-year-old secret someone
is killing to keep hidden and discovers sensual delights that don’t include
chocolate or French underwear. But when her professional and personal
relationship with Jack threatens to ruin her career and end her life, Tess has
to decide if Jack, is worth the risk.

With
this Ring I Thee Kill: A Valentine Mystery Book Three
- Wedding bells
are in Jack and Tess' future, that is, if the people trying to kill them for
Tess' engagement ring don't succeed. (Planned release date early 2013)

Endangered: A Delecoeur Mystery
(Novella) - On their wedding day, Max and Madeleine Delecoeur promised each
other a life full of passion and adventure. But someone trying to kill
Madeleine was not the type of adventure they'd planned on. Now Max and
Madeleine are on a race to hunt down a murderer. Is it the money manager
suspected of embezzling money from Madeleine's wildlife foundation or the young
man who threatened her after a speech about conservation? Or is it Max's former
flame who is carrying a secret that could impact Max and Madeleine's happily
ever after? And will they figure out who wants Madeleine dead before he...or
she makes her extinct?

For
release information or to read excerpts, visit
JennaHarte.com

Become
a fan of Jenna's at
Facebook
or follow her on
Twitter
.

One
last thing...

When
you turn the page, Kindle will give you the opportunity to rate the book and
share your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter. If you enjoyed the book and
believe it's worth sharing, would you please take a few seconds to let your
friends know about it? Thank you! - Jenna Harte.