Free Dangerous Inheritance by Barbara Warren Page A

alarm and rousing the neighbors. At least they’d be alerted if someone got in, and then they would do what they could to secure the house. Maybe it was a good thing that someone had tipped his hand by entering and leaving the message today. It had given them a chance to make sure that couldn’t happen again.
    As soon as Joe was satisfied the house was protected, Macy paid him. He left and Nick handed Macy the keys to both the front and back doors. “Here you go. That should solve the problem.”
    Or one problem, anyway. They still had plenty of others to deal with. And when he left here he had to drop by the office and file a report.
    Macy took the keys, closing her hand around them as if she held a special treasure, her expression showing the relief she felt.
    “Thank you for all you’ve done. I feel so much better knowing I have new locks and a working alarm. I don’t think I could have stayed here tonight without them.”
    Nick gazed at her, thinking a man could drown in the sea-green depths of her eyes. He’d like nothing better than to just stand here enjoying her company, but he was on duty tonight. “Are you going to be all right now? Don’t force yourself to do something you’re not comfortable with.”
    She nodded, the movement making the gleaming strands of her hair shimmer in the overhead light. “It took a while for me to calm down, but I’m fine now. Having you and Joe here helped a lot.”
    Him and Joe? That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Nick puffed out a sigh involuntarily. What had he expected? After all, she barely knew him. He spoke reluctantly, wishing he could stay with her longer, but he had to get to work before Sam called, checking on him. “I guess I need to go now.”
    Was that disappointment he caught in her eyes? His heart jumped at the thought. “Look, Macy. You keep your phone handy and if you need help, call. I’ll be here as fast as I can. I’ll also drive by occasionally to make sure everything’s all right.”
    “I will, Nick, I promise. And it’s good of you to do that. I really appreciate it.”
    Her smile dazzled him. He reached out hesitantly, brushing a stray curl off her forehead. It was just as soft and silky as he had expected it to be. A cold wave of reality washed over him—he had to leave before this situation reeled out of control. Getting involved personally with Macy was the last thing he should do. He backed up a couple of steps. “Okay, if there’s nothing else, I’d better get to work. I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
    Nick closed the door behind him and walked to his car, thinking about Macy. He hated leaving her alone like that, but it was time to go, and not just because he was on patrol. He needed time to sort out his feelings. He was torn over the necessity of helping Macy and still protecting his father’s reputation. Would he have to choose between the two of them?
    The way he felt was totally new to him. Macy had invaded his life in a way he hadn’t expected. He’d been a cop for several years. Macy wasn’t the first woman in distress he’d met. Nor the only beautiful one he’d seen, but there was something about her that muddled up his thinking.
    If he was going to help her, he needed a clear head. For both of their sakes, he had to back off, concentrate on finding out who was trying to harm her. He had to learn more details about Megan Douglas’s murder and what made the police so sure her husband had killed her...before Macy paid the price.

SEVEN
    T wo days later Macy poured herself a glass of tea and sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the items she’d found in her grandmother’s bedroom closet. A medium-size box, a cardboard file and a photo album. She swallowed a gulp of tea and reached for the shallow box first, sending up a silent prayer that something in here would hold information she needed. Macy pulled the box into her lap and turned back the flaps.
    Letters. The box was full of them.
    All addressed to her.
    Not one