Free Craving a Hero: St. John Sibling Series, book 3 by Barbara Raffin Page A

being compassionate."
    "Gotta' use compassion judiciously, or the world will take advantage of you," she said, gathering up her cards.
    "My sister operates mainly on compassion," he said, picking up his own cards.
    "And how's that working for her?" she asked, studying the cards in her hand.
    "Quite well, actually."
    She raised one eyebrow at him. He palmed his cards and watched her as he elaborated.
    "Dixie's been through a lot in the last couple years, what with her husband getting killed in an accident and her father-in-law fighting her for custody of her son to the point she lost her home and means of income. But, because of her compassion, she found a new home and even fell in love again."
    She frowned at him. "Must have been hard for you, watching your sister lose her home."
    He grimaced, suffering a pang of guilt over that period in his life. "I was still pretty much the stereotypical starving actor back then. My first movie hadn't come out, yet, and I hadn't been paid all that much for it. I'm just now commanding that big salary most people think all us actors get."
    She flicked two cards from her hand facedown into his crib for counting later. "You can help her now."
    "Except she doesn't need my help now," he said, discarding two cards from his into his crib.
    "How do you mean?" she asked, rearranging her cards.
    "She's got Sam now."
    She glanced at Dane just long enough for him to see the dubious glint in her eye. "The man she fell in love with out of compassion?"
    "Compassion wasn't the reason she fell in love with Sam," he said, knowing she was going to jump all over what he was about to tell her. "Dixie invited him into her home because of her compassion."
    She folded her cards, braced her forearms to the table edge, and gave him a full on I-told-you-so look. "And you're certain this guy isn't just looking for a roof over his head?"
    He chuckled. "You are a cynic."
    "Comes with the job," she said.
    Which seemed to be her excuse for the hardline persona that hid the compassionate woman he knew lurked inside her.
    He gave her a consoling smile. "Sam's a trust fund baby. He doesn't need any roof Dixie offers him."
    She grunted.
    "But I will admit," he added, "until last week, I had my reservations about Sam."
    "What happened last week?"
    "He showed up at our Fourth of July family reunion and faced the whole family."
    This time, her eyebrows slanted an impressed angle. "Walked into the lion's den for her, huh?"
    "Yup."
    "Brave guy," she said, a hint of wistfulness to her voice.
    "He looked terrified." Dane all but chuckled, then he sobered. "But the important thing is he loves my sister enough to fight for her…and on her behalf."
    Both her eyebrows lifted. " On her behalf?"
    "The short of it is he risked that cushy trust fund of his to make life right for Dixie and her son."
    She gave an impressed huff. "Way to go, Sam." Adding as she fanned out her cards, "Not many men would risk everything for the woman they love, become their hero."
    He smiled across the table at her. "That's a romantic way of putting what Sam did. I wouldn't have thought you had such idealism in you, Kel."
    She shrugged, studying and rearranging her cards. "Heroes are just ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Risking his own security for the woman he loved was extraordinary."
    His comment had been meant to prod the romantic he believed lurked deep inside her. He hadn't expected her to come back with such a rational explanation for heroism. There was almost a note of cynicism to her reasoning. Something she got from her family?
    "So," he ventured, "is it just you and your little sister?"
    Her fingers stilled on her cards. "How do you know I have a younger sister?"
    "In the pictures in the cabin. Little blond girl and bigger—"
    "Non-blond girl," she cut in and slapped a six of hearts face-up on the table.
    Non-blond girl? Was that an issue?
    "Looked like there's more than a few years difference in your ages," he said, unsure if he wasn't