Maureen McKade by A Dime Novel Hero Read Free Book Online

“Here.”
    As he dabbed at the reddened skin, he managed a crooked grin. “Is this my payback for those rotten things I said to you yesterday morning?”
    In spite of her embarrassment, Kit smiled slightly. “If it was, I’d have dumped the whole pot over your head.”
    Jake chuckled, a full, deep sound that unexpectedly warmed Kit’s heart. It’d been a long time since she’d heard his laughter.
    She lowered the pot to the tray. “I’m sorry, Jake.” Reaching for his scalded hand, she raised it to examine more closely. The angry red skin made her grimace with self-reproach. “I’ll get some butter to put on it.”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll survive,” Jake reassured. “At least it’s not my gunhand.”
    Kit released him, her stomach clenching anxiously. Had the books placed his life in jeopardy? She knew a bounty hunter’s lot wasn’t a safe one, but she hadn’t even considered that the dime novels could further endangerJake. “I thought you’d like the books, since they showed all the good you did.”
    He snorted. “Hardly. Besides, nobody but a saint could live up to that Jake Cordell.” He lowered himself back into his chair and rested an ankle on his knee. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your problem.”
    Johnny burst in, slamming the door behind him.
    Grateful for the interruption, Kit reminded her son with practiced patience, “Don’t forget to hang up your jacket.”
    Johnny did as she said and ran into the room to lay an arm across Jake’s shoulders. “Zeus and Cassie got along real good, just like best friends. Cassie was whispering something in Zeus’s ear when I left.”
    “Who’s Cassie?” Jake asked.
    “Ma’s horse. She’s smaller than Zeus, but she’s just as smart,” Johnny said.
    Jake gazed at Kit, a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m sure she is.”
    “You wanna go upstairs and see my horse collection? I got lots and lots of horses—all different colors and sizes.”
    “Sure, if it’s all right with your mother,” Jake replied.
    “Please, Ma?” Johnny begged.
    Kit looked from one expectant face to the other and found she couldn’t deny either one. “All right.”
    Johnny clasped Jake’s hand and led him up the steps.
    For a long moment, Kit remained rooted in place. Seeing the two of them together had brought a myriad of emotions scurrying for attention, anxiety the most prevalent.
    Did Jake recognize his own son—the mirroring brown eyes and crooked grin? Allowing them to spend time together could end in disaster, but Kit didn’t have the fortitude to forbid it. She hadn’t agreed with Maggie’sedict to keep Johnny’s birth from his father, yet Kit knew she could lose her son if Jake learned the truth—and it was for that reason that she remained silent.
    Sighing heavily, Kit stood and carried the coffee tray into the kitchen.
    Footsteps on the stairs fifteen minutes later prompted Kit to meet Johnny and Jake at the bottom of the staircase. She slipped on her spectacles, feeling a familiar security behind the lenses. “Did you show Mr. Cordell your horses?”
    “Yep, and he liked them—didn’t you, Mr. Cordell?” Johnny asked.
    “I sure did, especially the stud horse called Satan.” Jake’s dark eyes danced with merriment.
    Jake Cordell had an uncanny ability to communicate with his famed palomino, Zeus. The prized animal had been given to Jake by a rich Spaniard in appreciation for a job Jake had done for the man. Named after the Greek god, Zeus had lived up to his name with his courage and cunning, as well as his proclivity toward the mares
.
    Embarrassed warmth spread across Kit’s cheeks. “Well, I see you got a thorough description of each one.”
    “If the real Satan is anything like Johnny’s Satan, he must be quite a horse.”
    “My hired man, Charlie, taught me how to recognize good bloodlines. Satan’s the reason my colts and fillies get top dollar,” she replied.
    “I wouldn’t mind a tour of the place sometime when the