The Valentine Grinch Read Online Free PDF

okay,
Grandpa?”
    “She said she loved me. She promised never to love
another.” He kicked at the backseat, his foot once again coming
through the console, but this time Amanda was ready for it and
barely jumped at all.
    She reached out to pat his arm, but her hand went
through him, so she dropped her hand on her lap. “The
love-you-forever vows ended when you died.”
    “Elvira, my honey, my dear darling wife,” Grandpa
George moaned, the shadows of his face elongated by the depths of
his sorrow. “You have to stop her, bumpkin. She’s insane with
grief. She’d have to be insane to marry that bastard Morty.”
    Amanda thought of the silly love note that had made
her grandma smile like a young woman in love. “You lied to me,
Gramps. Morty only had one wife.”
    “Would you have listened to me otherwise?” He didn’t
wait for her answer. “Tell her I’m still here. Tell her I still
love her.”
    “She’ll think I’m insane.”
    “God damn it, Amanda. Tell her I forbid her to marry
that old fool Morty.” He dropped his head into the curve of his
open hands and mumbled, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you like
that. I’d like to be alone for a while, if you don’t mind.”
    “It’ll be okay, Gramps.” She hooked a thumb over her
shoulder. “I’ll just be over there, if you come up with a better
plan.”
    The door behind her swung open and she would’ve
fallen backward into the snow if Dane hadn’t been there to catch
her under the arms. Startled, she stared up at him and he stared
back at her and, for just a moment, she thought she saw something
more in his gaze, something that warmed her body and made her think
of the wow factor.
    Oh, and hot sweaty sex. With him. Preferably not in
the backseat of her mom’s car.
    She focused on the intensity of his gaze. “Hey
there.”
    He blinked back. “Your grandma sent me to see if you
were getting out of the car.”
    “I’m half there.” She smiled up at him. “You look
weird upside down.”
    “So do you. It makes your nose look big and your
chin crooked. Kind of grinchy.”
    She laughed. “Thanks. I appreciate your
honesty.”
    “No problem. What are best friends for?” He pulled
her the rest of the way out of the car and stood her on her
feet.
    Amanda glanced back in the car, saw her grandpa
still brooding and softly closed the door. She looked past Dane,
where Grandma and Morty were stomping through the snow toward a
distant area. “Well, I guess we should join them.”
    Dane stuffed his hands into the pockets of his
jacket and fell into step beside her. “So what do you really think
about your grandma marrying my grandpa?”
    She shot a glance his way, noting with appreciation
that he’d matched his long stride to her shorter one. “It seems
like it happened awfully quick.”
    He shrugged, his broad shoulders shifting beneath
the jacket, sending something wickedly smooth to her stomach. “At
their age, I guess they don’t have a lot of time to waste with all
the usual dating rituals.”
    “You mean flowers and love notes? Like Be My
Valentine?”
    He quirked one brow at her, the expression on his
face bland. “You saw the note.”
    “I did. And if you ever give me a note like that, we
are so over and done with.”
    “Good to know.” His mouth turned up into a naughty
grin and something inside of her melted. “Your mom is hoping
Elvira’s wedding will give you some ideas.”
    In the middle of her meltdown, his words make her
choke. Beneath her jacket, she started to sweat, embarrassed. “She
told you that?”
    “Another wedding, bumpkin?”
    Amanda jerked back, surprised by Grandpa’s
appearance. “No.”
    Dane stopped and faced her, a disappointed
expression on his face. “Right. You’re not the type of woman who’s
going to appreciate the significance of a man getting down on one
knee to propose. You’re so unromantic, Mandy.”
    “And all the commercialism surrounding the holiday
is romantic?” she scoffed,