A Valentine for Harlequin's Anniversary

A Valentine for Harlequin's Anniversary by Catherine Mann Page A

Book: A Valentine for Harlequin's Anniversary by Catherine Mann Read Free Book Online
Authors: Catherine Mann
Tags: Contemporary
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right over his pocket that seemed to have a book inside. “I guess I could make that work.”
    “Good. I’ll meet you over at my car.” She spun away before she did something silly like hug the big lug and tell him she was so relieved to see him alive, that she’d worried herself sick thinking about him flying helicopter missions in the Middle East.
    The base ops door swishing closed behind her, McKenzie screeched to a halt, realization stopping her cold.
    She’d just sent Vince to her car—where a creepy love letter waited on the front seat.

Chapter Three
    Three hours later, he still hadn’t gotten a straight answer about that letter in McKenzie’s car.
    Standing on her front porch with a fifty dollar fistful of flowers in hand, Vince wondered if she’d already moved on to another guy. Otherwise, why would she dash past to hide a note scrawled in blatantly masculine penmanship? Jealousy sucked.
    However, he didn’t doubt for a moment that McKenzie carried his baby. She wouldn’t lie about that. So whoever wrote that letter would just have to go blow, because McKenzie was now officially taken. Surely she knew that too?
    But he was hedging his bets with flowers and chocolate, like the How to Romance Your Valentine book suggested. After she’d left base to change for their date, he’d even splurged on Godiva chocolates and roses since she’d cut him off at the knees on a fancy restaurant for dinner at McDonald’s instead.
    Blue jeans date or not, he would show her a super-size evening, come hell or high water. And make that order with extra pickles for the pregnant lady carrying his child, because he really could not screw up now with a baby on the way
    He would shelve his own concerns about how much his mother had suffered because of military losses. He couldn’t risk the least flinch in front of McKenzie.
    She opened the door and he damn-near forgot how to breathe. She’d left her awesome dark hair loose in a free-fall down her back.
    He thrust out the flowers—red, her favorite color. “For you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me for being an ass.”
    “Fine.” McKenzie took the bouquet without even touching his hand. “I forgive you.”
    Yeah right, she forgave him. Not. Stone faced, she turned away, leaving him standing alone on her stoop staring at the open door like a numbnut. He hadn’t expected her to lay a big kiss on him or anything, but he would have preferred a slap to indifference.
    Although her teary blue eyes when he’d broken things off had damn near killed him. If she got that upset over sending him to battle, how much worse would it be if he died in combat? Or had to say a hundred tearful goodbyes to him as he’d seen his mother and father endure?
    Well, he’d gotten his wish. McKenzie wasn’t crying over him anymore. Damn.
    Vince peered inside her cluttered condo to make sure she wasn’t bolting away behind a stack of Engineering Weekly issues—and found her with her face buried deep in the roses while she inhaled, eyes fluttering closed much like during sex. Then she smiled. Just a slight tip of her luscious lips was enough to encourage him to speed read through another couple of chapters of that book after his date with McKenzie and a Big Mac.
    He risked a step inside to place the ribbon-covered box of chocolates on the entryway table, jamming his hands in his leather flight jacket to stop from reaching for her. She straightened from the flowers, back ramrod straight in her silky shirt, mile-long legs encased in jeans—legs he remembered locked very well around his waist.
    As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, McKenzie pivoted to face him. “I’m going to place these in water and reset the security system.”
    Security system? That was new—and a wise idea for a single woman living alone. Not that he intended for her to live alone much longer.
    She nodded to a folder on the entryway table. “I had some preliminary custody papers drawn up, in case you want to be a part

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