Kade: Armed and Dangerous by Cheyenne McCray Page B

talented.”
    Trent grinned from ear to ear. “You really like it?”
    “Love it.”
    Kade reached for the picture. “Let me see, son.” He studied it with the seriousness
     of a true connoisseur. “A fine work of art.”
    “I drew it for Kelsey.” Trent’s grin broadened, obviously happy with his dad’s appreciation.
     “I can make you one, too.”
    “When you do, I’ll hang it on my wall.” Kade wrapped his arms around Trent and brought
     his son onto his lap.
    After giving his dad a quick hug, Trent wriggled free. “Can we get everything ready
     for tomorrow?”
    Kade nodded and ruffled his son’s hair. “Sure.”
    A lump formed in Kelsey’s throat as she observed the affection between father and
     son. What she wouldn’t give to have a son like Trent and the kind of relationship
     he had with his father.
    “We’re going fishing for my birthday.” Trent jumped up and down in front of Kelsey
     like a jack-in-the-box on an overdose of caffeine. “Wanna come? It’d be so cool if
     you’d go with us. Please?”
    She glanced at Kade and then back to Trent. “Sure, if it’s okay with everyone else.”
    “Fine by me,” Kade said.
    “All right.” Trent spun in circles, and Kelsey wondered how he managed to maintain
     his balance. “That’s so cool. I’m gonna go tell Grandma to pack a lunch for three.”
    As the boy dashed away, Kelsey’s stomach flipped. “Sadie and Chuck aren’t going?”
    Kade gave her his slow, sensual smile that sent tingles from her head to her toes.
     “Mom and Chuck have friends from out of town visiting for the day, so it’ll just be
     the three of us.”
    “Oh.” She tried to sound casual, not to let on that the prospect of spending the day
     with Kade, without Sadie and Chuck around, made her more than a little nervous.
    “We’ll have Trent to chaperone, if you’re worried about us being alone,” he said as
     he studied her.
    “I’m not worried.” She shook her head. “But will I be interfering? Did you intend
     for tomorrow to be a father/son day?”
    He smiled, his eyes warm and welcoming. “You’re not interfering. Trent wants you to
     come and so do I.”
    “Thanks.” She took a deep breath and smiled in return. “It sounds like fun.”
    Kade stood and looked down at her. “It’s about time for dinner. You coming?”
    “Sadie made lasagna.” Kelsey shut off her phone’s recording device, grabbed her notepad,
     and got to her feet. “Can your mother ever cook.”
    “You’ve got that right.” Kade patted his stomach. “I might have to start counting
     calories like my sister.”
    “Ha. You don’t have an ounce of fat anywhere on your body,” Kelsey retorted.
    He grinned. “I guess you’d know that now, wouldn’t you?”
    “Oh, God.” She hid her face with her notepad, trying to cover her furious blush. “That
     wasn’t what I meant, and you know it.” But yes, she knew for a fact that Kade was
     solid muscle. Everywhere.
    “Great dinner, Mom,” Kade said after he took the last bite of his third helping of
     lasagna.
    He loved watching Kelsey’s lips as she wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. “It was
     wonderful,” she said. “And I loved the spicy dressing you made for the tossed salad.”
    “Glad you liked it.” The telephone rang just as Sadie spoke. “I’ll get the phone.”
     She pushed back her chair, and left the room.
    “How long will you be staying here, Kelsey?” Trent asked.
    She gave Kade’s son a warm smile. “My flight is scheduled to leave the eighteenth.”
    Trent took a drink of his apple juice, slurping it through a straw. Then he asked,
     “How many days is that?”
    “A little over two weeks away,” Kelsey replied.
    “Oh.” The boy cocked his head. “That’s not very long, is it?”
    She stood and started gathering dirty dishes to take to the sink. “Fifteen days.”
    “Kade.” His mother appeared in the doorway holding the phone. “It’s your sister.”
    “All right.” Kade stood,