LITMIR.BIZ

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refused to be embarrassed. The house was old and small, but it was clean. It had a new roof and the amount she paid for rent couldn’t be beat. “Third street to the right and down a block. On the right. It’s the white house with green shutters.”

      With her hand on the door handle, Kelly made ready her escape. But by the time they pulled up to the curb and she remembered to unfasten the seat belt, Jace held the door for her, seemingly oblivious to the rain.

      Her younger brother stood on the front porch leaning on one of the support posts. The glow of the outside light fanned out over the small front yard.

      Jace nodded toward the teen. “How ya doing?”

      Kelly watched Matt’s body language shift as he recognized Jace. It was clear he was having a hard time believing it. He stared at the big man standing next to the truck.

      “You’re... Are you? You’re Jace Compton!” Matt’s eyes were as big as dessert plates as his mouth dropped open in sheer astonishment.

      “Matt, go inside,” Kelly ordered.

      “You want to come in?” Her younger brother totally ignored her request. Anger tinged with fear coursed through her, quickening her steps to the house. This was so not happening. What if Matt had picked up Henry from the sitter?

      “No,” she stated firmly, and turned back to Jace. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Thanks for the ride. It was very...enlightening.”

      Jace made no reply, just stared at her through the soft glow from the porch light. Kelly hurried to the house. “Matt, get inside.” When he didn’t move, she snapped, “Now.”

      “But Kelly—” he looked as though she’d just told him to rob a bank “—do you know who that is?”

      The question was almost laughable. Almost.

      “Have a good night,” Jace called from the curb.

      Kelly grabbed Matt by the arm and pulled him inside. At fifteen, her brother already stood a couple of inches taller than her own five foot seven and pulling him anywhere was a challenge. This time, with the adrenaline flowing, she managed. She closed the front door and prepared for the onslaught. She didn’t have to wait long.

      “I can’t believe you.” Matt glared in her direction. “The Jace Compton at our house and you wouldn’t let him come inside. What is your deal? Are you like...crazy?”

      “Matt...” There was no way to explain.

      “Forget all the movies. He still holds the record for completed passes in the entire NFL. The record, Kelly. The guy is a football legend.”

      Matt lived and breathed football, so she understood what he was saying. But her brother didn’t know Jace Compton. Unfortunately, she did.

      “Come to think of it—” Matt frowned “—what were you doing in his truck? How did you—?”

      “He bought the old Miller spread and had a new house built so Don asked me to clean it. When I finished, the car wouldn’t start.”

      “Jace Compton is living here? In Calico Springs? Like permanently?” With each question, Matt’s voice rose in excitement. His eyes were wide with elation. He hadn’t even taken note of the fact that they had no transportation.

      “I really don’t know.” Kelly didn’t want to discuss it. Jace had chosen to keep his reasons for being here to himself, so there was really nothing to tell Matt. She just wanted the man to stay as far away from her small family as possible. “I’m gonna walk down to Mrs. Jenkins’s and pick up Henry.”

      “He’s here.” Matt was clearly still annoyed, his tone full of frustration. “Mrs. J fed him and got him ready for bed. Football practice was canceled because of the rain so I brought him home.”

      “Thanks, Matt.” She smiled and walked toward the small bedroom she shared with her son. Bless the elderly woman down the street who kept Henry while Kelly worked and who refused to accept one penny for her efforts.

      The baby slept in his favorite position, on his tummy, his little butt in the air. Kelly pulled off her wet T-shirt and jeans and grabbed her old robe from the closet. Then, unable to resist, she approached the crib and softly caressed the little head. Sensing his mother’s touch, Henry stirred. With a smile, Kelly picked up the sleepy bundle, holding him close, loving the sensation of her tiny son against her heart.

      Henry had Jace’s dark lashes, even his dimples. Kelly shook her head, still in disbelief that he’d moved here. She should have known Jace would come back to stir up the painful memories it had taken months to overcome. He was no different from her father. Love ’em and leave ’em and not give a damn who he hurt in the process. Move on to the next conquest and never look back. Only this time, the man in question had looked back.

      Because of her father’s lies and cheating, her mom had taken her own life. That was when dear ole dad had disappeared for good. Kelly had made a pledge then and there that she’d never let a man get close to her. And she’d kept up her resolve. Until Jace. She shook her head at the irony. The one man she’d made the mistake of trusting made her father look like a guppy compared to a twenty-foot shark. And look where it had gotten her.

      Forcing the negative thoughts from her mind, she kissed Henry’s little head and walked toward the kitchen and the aspirin bottle. Her own head was pounding. After the last hour, she might take two. The very idea that Jace actually believed she’d been in jail was...laughable.

      But she wasn’t laughing. The man apparently believed his own hype. He really did live in a world of make-believe.

      She reached for the aspirin bottle and heard Matt talking to someone in the next room. Curious, she rounded the corner just in time to see Jace Compton step inside the small living room.

      Immediate and total panic set into every fiber of her being.

      “You, ah, left your purse in the truck.” He held the small bag out to her, his eyes glinting wickedly. “Practice makes perfect?”

      She glared. She stepped forward and snatched the purse from his hand, and then turned toward the bedroom, hoping he’d go out the same way he came in.

      “Kelly?”

      She stopped. This was so not happening. Jace walked over to where she stood. His gaze focused on the baby in her arms before those green eyes pinned her to the spot.

      “Who do we have here?”

       Three

      It was here. The moment she’d dreaded since the day Henry was born. She looked down at the baby in her arms, hoping Jace wouldn’t see the panic that engulfed her.

      “This is Henry,” she said and swallowed hard.

      “Yours?”

      She blinked more than once at his question. Apparently his manager hadn’t lied when he’d said he wouldn’t tell Jace about the pregnancy. He’d never even told Jace she called.

      “Yes,” she finally answered. “He’s all mine.”

      Jace looked at her, and then glanced back at the baby. Henry kicked his feet, blowing some of his best baby bubbles for the strange man.

      “He’s cute,” Jace murmured. “How old is he?”

      No surprise he would ask. She had to give him an answer. To avoid a reply might only increase his curiosity. “Four months.”

      She saw the wheels turning in Jace’s head as he did the math and knew what conclusion he reached: Henry could be his son. He looked at Kelly again, as though searching for a different answer. His full lips were pulled into a straight line of contemplation.

      “I’m Kelly’s brother, Matt.” Her brother grinned from ear to ear, obviously dying

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