The Heart of a Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

there, can’t he?”
    “Used to, anyway.”
    A pointed hint. They stepped off the curb and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake grimace. “Leg bothering you?” The question came out before she could stop herself.
    “No.”
    A lie if ever she heard one. It was obvious from the way his mouth pulled in a tight line every time he stepped off his right foot. She stared at him, silently calling him on it, until he could no longer ignore her.
    “Hip,” he said. “And it always bothers me.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Why? It’s not your hip.”
    No, but he was in obvious pain, and that made her feel bad. “Look, you don’t need to do the chimney today if…”
    Wrong thing to say. Sunglasses or no sunglasses, she could feel the heat of his stare bearing down on her. “You asked me to clean your chimney today—I’ll clean the damn thing today.”
    With that, he picked up his pace as if proving a point. “I’ll live with the pain.”
     
    Jake’s hip throbbed so much he had to clench his jaw from the pain. A doctor would probably tell him he was being a stubborn fool. That he was making himself suffer needlessly. Of course, Jake would debate that last word. Needlessly. He was pretty damn certain his suffering was justified. Though he did feel a little bad for dragging the Bird Whisperer along.
    Speaking of which… He felt her cast another look in his direction, setting his nerves on edge. Since his discharge he’d gotten all kinds of looks. The discreet. The openly gaping. The disgustingly compassionate. All of them with some sort of awe, as if he were a freaking hero.
    Little Miss Bird-Whisperer’s looks, though… God, but he could feel her pale blue eyes scanning his profile. His skin prickled with the awareness. Without turning, he could picture them wide and curious. Like she was trying to see inside him or something. It irritated the hell out of him. What had made him say yes to her job offer in the first place?
    He had bills to pay, that was what. And hanging around the house did nothing but make his thoughtsloud, and they were loud enough this morning as it was. A project was exactly what he needed to drown them out for a little while.
    The morning overcast had finally burned off, allowing the sun to take hold and warm the air. Jake felt the sweat starting to trickle down the back of his neck. Zoe had peeled off her grey sweatshirt. Jake tried not to notice her bright orange T-shirt or how it fit a little too snugly over her breasts. He was trying not to pay attention to her at all—a desire she seemed intent on disrupting at every opportunity.
    “How much farther ’til we get to the store?” she asked.
    “Couple blocks.” Normally the walk didn’t take that long; this morning it was taking forever. He blamed his impossible-to-ignore companion.
    “Mind if we stop at that coffee shop on the corner first? I don’t know about you, but I could use a cold drink. I’ll even pa—”
    The words were barely out of her mouth when she stumbled over a dip in the sidewalk. Jake reacted automatically, reaching out with a hand to grab her arm, and caught her as she fell forward. It was a mistake. Catching her meant looking in her direction. Suddenly he had an up-close view of what he’d been trying to ignore. He saw freckles kissing the bridge of a windblown nose and strands of black hair wisping over surprised eyes. A long-dormant awareness,unbidden and unwanted, began stirring somewhere deep inside him.
    Quickly, he let go. “You can get your drink if you want. I’ll meet you at the hardware store,” he said, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.
    To hell with his no-credit policy. Next time he’d make this trip alone and bill her.
     
    Unlike the store in Pitcher’s Hole, this particular store was large and well-stocked. Jake used the place whenever he had a large or unusual job. He liked it because they left him alone and he could therefore avoid small talk, something his companion apparently