Maureen McKade by A Dime Novel Hero Page A

with Johnny, and I feel as if I should repay you for your kindness.”
    “You don’t owe me anything. I like having Johnny around. He’s a good kid.” Indignation lent a wounded note to his voice.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out that way. I just wanted to help you as my thanks for taking Johnny under your wing. He misses having a father.”
    “Where is his father?”
    “Gone.”
    “Oh.”
    Knowing what he was thinking, Kit didn’t allow herself to set the record straight. It was better to have him believe she was as unvirtuous as everyone else thought, even if it lowered his opinion of her. Kit set the last book on the shelf.
    “Looks like you’re ready for business.”
    Jake straightened. “You wouldn’t happen to be looking for a job, would you?”
    “The ranch keeps me too busy the way it is.”
    “You know how to solve that problem,” he said. Kit tensed, and Jake held up his hand. “I know, you won’t sell no matter what.”
    “That’s right,” she said stiffly.
    He stood, then offered her his hand. After a moment, she curled her fingers around his and he pulled her to her feet. Kit straightened and found herself pressed against the length of his hard-muscled body. Heat suffused her cheeks, and she tried to move away, but Jake held her close.
    His gaze roamed across her face and down her neck and settled on the pale skin where the top shirt button lay undone. After a moment, he lifted his eyes to hers. “No wonder I didn’t recognize you. You’re not that same little girl I used to know.” He traced her jaw with his forefinger, creating a shivery sensation that tripped her heart. “You’re beautiful, Kit.”
    She swallowed. “Maggie was beautiful, Jake. I’m just plain old Kit.”
    His rakish smile started a tingle in the pit of her stomach.“There’s nothing plain about you,” he said in a husky voice.
    She’d wanted Jake to notice her as a woman, but now that he did, Kit didn’t know what to say or do. Her pulse skipped through her veins, and she told herself to move away, to protect herself and her secrets. But her muscles refused to obey her commands.
    The wild yearning in her blood was nothing like the innocent infatuation of a ten-year-old. Her body had matured, and along with it, her passion. She burned with a need to touch him, and for him to touch her.
    Johnny mumbled in his sleep, jerking Kit back to reality. She looked away from Jake’s bold gaze and stepped back.
    Jake raked his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “You wouldn’t happen to be hungry, would you?”
    Startled, she glanced at him.
    “For lunch,” Jake clarified, and his twinkling eyes told Kit he knew exactly what she’d been thinking.
    She coughed to cover her embarrassment. “I don’t think so. It’s time we headed back to the ranch.”
    “What’s another hour?” Jake pressed. “You have to eat sometime.”
    Johnny, awakened by their voices, joined Jake. “Please, Ma.”
    “It’s two against one. We win,” Jake proclaimed.
    She couldn’t fight them both, and Kit surrendered to the inevitable. “Ethan came to town with us. Would you mind if he joined us?”
    Jake shook his head. “The more the merrier.”
    Johnny whooped and shrugged on his jacket.
    Jake reached for his coat and pulled it on. Kit blinked, noticing the absence of his holster. “You’re not wearing your gun.”
    Jake finished buttoning his brown wool jacket. “I noticedI was the only one in town besides the police who was wearing one. I doubt there’s any need for it anymore.”
    “What about your reputation? What if someone comes looking for you?”
    “If I’m truly going to put my past behind me, I have to start sometime.” Jake settled his hat on his head. “I gotta admit, it feels strange without it, like I’m missing a part of me.”
    Mixed emotions filled Kit. Although she was glad he was giving up his violent past, she was fearful he would be gunned down in cold blood by