Read Online One Wore Blue by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B

best, Kiernan.”
    “Kiernan! Captain!” Lacey called to them, hurrying to the parlor doorway. “Breakfast.”
    His eyes remained locked on hers. Then at last he released her.
    Kiernan took a quick swing, slapping him hard against the cheek.
    “Oh dear!” Lacey wailed.
    “You don’t play fair,” Jesse told Kiernan, smiling slowly as he raised a hand to his reddening cheek.
    “Fair! Jesse Cameron, you—”
    “Ah, ah, careful, Kiernan. Watch out for Mrs. Donahue’s tender ears,” he warned her quickly, laughing at her again. Both his hands touched her shoulders as he set her aside to move past her. “She can swear like a mule driver when she wants to, Mrs. Donahue.”
    “I can kick just like a mule too,” she snapped, seething.
    “Now, both of you—” Lacey began.
    “Can
you?” Jesse interrupted, his hands suddenly onKiernan’s shoulders again. “Miss Mackay, I don’t suggest you try it with me.”
    “Oh, and what
will
do, Jesse?”
    “You don’t want to know, Kiernan.”
    “Fine gentleman you are, Jesse.”
    He grinned. “Ladies aren’t supposed to kick like mules, Kiernan.”
    “And gentlemen don’t—” She broke off. She wanted to tell him that an honorable gentleman would never ever have stolen a kiss like the one he had just stolen.
    “Gentlemen don’t what, Kiernan?”
    “I’d move to safety, Jesse,” she warned him sweetly.
    He laughed again. “Take care, Kiernan, with me. Test your powers on that charming almost-fiancé of yours, but not on me. Anything you start, Kiernan, I’ll finish.”
    “Really!” Lacey implored. “If we could all just sit down and have breakfast—”
    “Don’t dare
me
, Jesse.”
    “I made griddle cakes!” Lacey wailed.
    Jesse released Kiernan and turned to Lacey. He bent down to kiss her cheek. “I have a feeling I’m persona non grata at the moment, Mrs. Donahue. Thanks for the invitation. You be a good dear and keep yourself safe in the house, eh? I’ve got to go.”
    “But Captain Cameron—”
    “Behave, Kiernan,” he warned, suddenly very stern as he stared at her over Lacey’s head. “Please be careful. I’ll be outside town to meet the troops tonight. And I promise you, the streets are wild.”
    “These people are my neighbors!” Lacey murmured.
    “Yes, and I’m sure you’ll both be fine,” Jesse agreed. “But for my peace of mind, stay in, all right?”
    He started out. Kiernan glanced at Lacey briefly, then went racing after him.
    She still wanted to kick him, hard.
    She called to him. “Captain!”
    Startled by her use of his title, he swung and waited, a coal-dark brow inquisitively arched.
    “Are you coming back, Jesse?”
    He nodded. “I’ll come in with the troops, Kiernan.”
    “Be careful, Jesse,” she warned him.
    He grinned and took a step back toward her. She shrank away quickly. “Oh, no, Captain! Keep your distance. You don’t play fair.”
    He shook his head suddenly. “No, Kiernan, you’re the one who doesn’t play fair.” He smiled, but she sensed that he was serious too.
    “What do you mean?” she asked. She felt warm again, flushed, with subtle rivers of excitement running through her veins.
    “Kiernan, you always wanted to make all the rules. That’s not fair.”
    “Don’t they say that all’s fair in love and war?” she murmured. She didn’t want to make all the rules. She just wanted to keep her heart safe.
    “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he told her huskily. He touched her again, just her hands, meeting her eyes. “Love—and war.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “And I can’t explain. But you take care, Kiernan. I’ll be back soon.”
    He kissed her again, just brushing her lips with his own. And still she felt his touch like a sweep of staggering warmth.
    She met the blaze of his cobalt-blue eyes just briefly, and then he was gone.

Three
    During the long morning, Kiernan waited in the house. It was obvious that Jesse had appalled Lacey—but Lacey seemed equally upset