Ready-Made Bride

Joyce shrugged and took a drink of lemonade. “Kane insists on having Andy tutored twice a week, and I need the extra cash. If I didn’t do it, someone else would.”

Megan didn’t understand Kane’s logic. Why was he so adamant that Andy participate in after-school tutoring he didn’t need?

“So what’s Kane really like?” Joyce asked, her tone husky with interest. “I mean, we all have our own impressions about the man, but no one seems to know the real Kane.”

The real Kane was kind, sensitive and more vulnerable than he’d admit. He was also breathlessly sexy when she could coax a smile out of him. “He’s a good father,” she said, hoping that bit of gossip made the rounds.

Joyce rolled her eyes, a gust of breathless laughter escaping her. “Surely you see him more than a father figure.”

Megan smiled sweetly, deliberately being naive. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

Seemingly eager to collect and distribute her share of gossip, Joyce fell for the pretense. “You mean to tell me you don’t think Kane is drop-dead gorgeous?”

“He’s very good-looking.” Megan couldn’t lie, but a handsome face and a great body weren’t all she saw when she looked at Kane.

Joyce hmphed in disgust. “Lord knows I’ve tried to catch his eye, but he hasn’t shown an ounce of interest.” Sighing heavily, she reclined in her chair and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “He just pays me my tutoring fee and doesn’t give me a second glance. Most of the single women in town would love to date him, but he’s so moody and distant. And, well, then there’s the incident with his wife-”

“What incident?” Megan interrupted, more interested in something involving Kane than Joyce regaling her attempts at seduction.

Joyce’s eyes widened. “You haven’t heard?”

Sensing she was on the edge of something that could possibly be the key to unlocking a part of Kane’s personality, anticipation tightened Megan’s chest until it hurt. “Heard what?”

A sly smile quirked the other woman’s mouth. Pressing a hand to her bosom, she leaned toward Megan and dropped her voice to a whisper. “He killed his wife.”

CHAPTER FOUR

HE KILLED his wife.

Megan’s heart skipped a beat. The terrifying statement sent chills skittering across the surface of her skin whenever she thought of such a heinous crime.

There has to be a logical explanation, she told herself for the hundredth time. Ever since Joyce had tilted Megan’s world on its axis with her outrageous claim, Megan had repeated those soothing words. Andrew had arrived home from school, leaving Megan suspended somewhere between horror and disbelief while Joyce had ushered him into the living room to begin their lessons.

Numbed by shock, Megan had started dinner in a fog like state, her mind mulling over the accusation, then finally rejecting it. If Kane was a murderer, he’d be behind bars, she reasoned. But there were a few questions she hadn’t been able to resolve, like why people had fabricated such a horrible, damaging allegation and why Kane allowed such a nasty rumor to circulate.

“The table is all cleared, Megan.”

Shaking off the remnants of this afternoon’s stunning discovery, she turned from the kitchen sink and lifted the dirty dinner plates from Andy’s helping hands. She placed them in the soapy water to soak. “Thank you, honey.”

A dimpled grin creased his face. “You’re welcome.” Grabbing a dish towel from a drawer, he pitched in to help by drying the pans draining on the counter rack.

“Where’s your father?” Had he escaped to his sanctuary so early? she wondered.

“He went to take a shower.” Andy dried a plate and stacked it on top of a clean one on the counter. “He promised me we’d play a game of checkers before I go to bed.”

“That sounds like fun.” Smiling at him, she dunked her hands into the soapy water and scrubbed a pan. More quietly, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you had a tutor?”

His face reddened and he looked away, mumbling, “Because I didn’t want you to think I was stupid.”

Understanding his embarrassment, she dried her hands on a spare dish towel and tucked his chin between her thumb and forefinger. She brought his bright brown gaze to hers. “Andy, you could tell me anything at all, even that you were a man from Mars, and I’d never think you were stupid.”

Her teasing approach prodded a shy smile from him. “Then why do I need her? All she does is quiz me on my spelling words for the week and help me with my homework, which I already know how to do. And she makes me read out loud to her. She said Dad told her to make sure we read at least two chapters of a book each session. I can do all that stuff without her.”

A valid point, Megan conceded. “Why don’t you ask your father why he thinks you need a tutor,” she suggested.

“I did. He said having a tutor would give me an advantage over the other kids.”

“He’s right, you know.” She affectionately ruffled his hair.

“But I hate it when Joyce comes over.” His eyes filled with the sparkle of an idea. “Do you think you could talk to Dad about Joyce not coming over anymore?”

His hopeful expression touched her deeply, made her want to say yes. She’d slay the meanest fire-breathing dragon for him if he asked, but she knew she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, undermine Kane’s authority. “No. It’s your father’s decision, not mine. I know this is hard for you to understand, but he only wants the best for you.”

He hung his head in defeat. “That’s what Dad says, too.”

Megan suppressed a smile. “Why don’t you go set up the checkers game, and when I’m finished cleaning up in here I’ll bring you and your dad a slice of the apple pie I made today.”

“Okay,” he said eagerly, his youthful woes temporarily forgotten as he skipped happily from the room.

As soon as Andy was tucked into bed Kane made his way to the front door, intending to spend the next few hours in his workshop. Or at least until Megan fell asleep.

He’d gotten good at avoiding her. Unfortunately, the solitude and cold of the barn hadn’t lessened his attraction toward her. If anything, it intensified his awareness of her when they were in the same room. Like now. He could hear her following him, could smell that soft, feminine fragrance of hers that wreaked havoc with his hormones.

He had to get the hell out of the house before he did something incredibly stupid. Like give in to the temptation of touching her again…or kissing that lush mouth of hers. That particular pleasure would be foolish to indulge in, because he didn’t think he’d be able to stop at one taste.

Putting a lid on his frustrating thoughts, he yanked his denim jacket from the coatrack by the door and punched his arms through the sleeves.

“Kane?”

His gut clenched at the sweet, husky sound of his name on her lips, but he didn’t turn and look at her, fearing that would be his downfall now that their chaperone wasn’t around to help him maintain his distance. “Yeah?”

“Can I talk to you?” He detected a slight tremor in her voice.

Ten different excuses came to mind, all of them cowardly and lame. A part of him had known this was coming, had seen the pensive looks she’d been casting at him all evening. He had no desire to rehash their argument about his in-laws. He straightened the collar of his jacket with an impatient flick of his wrist. “If this is about the Lindens-”

“No, it’s not,” she said quickly.

He faced her, jamming his hands on his hips. “Then what is it?”

She hesitated at his gruff tone, then her chin lifted. “Could we go out on the porch?”