Jaded Moon — Laura Landon

Ross Bennett, Marquess of Rainforth, hadn't come to St. Stephen's Hollow because he wanted friends. He'd turned his back on Society -- just as they'd turned their backs on him. But anonymity was short-lived. The mistress with whom he'd parted amicably five years earlier had borne him a child, a child he hadn't known existed. .

Josephine Foley must protect the orphaned children at all costs. But when a known rake comes looking for his child, she has to stall, even though holding him at bay is the hardest thing she's ever done. Still, she must! Because the closer she comes to losing her heart to Ross, the closer she comes to being hanged.