Free The Legacy by Fayrene Preston

it.
    Nico came to a sudden stop by the marble fountain in the center of the conservatory and lasered a sharp gaze around the immense iron-and-glass building. He heard nothing now, and he knew that he was alone. But. . . just for a moment there, he had thought he heard laughter, like a haunting echo of long ago.
    He shook his head, puzzled by the intense interest he felt for the great house, its land, and its buildings. SwanSea was built on the detailed and opulent scale nearly unbelievable and almost impossible to achieve in present times. But his interest went deeper than the awe that was natural upon seeing for the first time the wonders of this century-old house.
    But it was as if the house had reached out and taken possession of him, so that slowly he was coming to understand Caitlin and her fierce feelings for her inheritance.
    Procrastination had never been a part of his makeup, but this afternoon he had decided to explore more of the grounds of SwanSea instead of continuing his investigation of the attic as he’d promised himself.
    He’d taken a stroll over to the pool house, large enough to accommodate a couple of families easily. According to Caitlin, it had been built in the 1920s after her grandfather had taken ownership of SwanSea. Nico had spent some time wandering through its bowling alleys, squash courts, the gymnasium, the Turkish bath, and the fabulous indoor swimming pool. Then he had made his way here.
    Sinking onto a wrought-iron bench, Nico exhaled heavily. The sun was setting on the west side of the conservatory. Golden light flowed through the big glass panes, filling the inside of the nearly translucent building with currents of sunshine that coiled and curled around the statues and the orange trees growing beneath the crystalline roof.
    His recuperation was coming along nicely, but in a call to Amarillo he had learned it wasn’t safe for him to leave SwanSea—too many people were still looking for him. And in a call to his great-grandmother, he had promised her that he would continue his search.
    How much longer could he stay here without losing his sanity? He’d had many opportunities over the last few days to watch Caitlin from afar. He’d envied every man at whom she’d smiled. He’d been jealous of anyone with whom she’d spoken. And worst of all, as he lay in bed every night, the knowledge that she was in her room just down the hall chafed at him until he felt raw.
    His desire for her had grown daily until he’d almost become used to the pain. That day in the attic had nearly been his undoing. Since then, a lot of his time had been taken up with remembering the way the tantalizing scent of her skin could wind around a man’s body until he thought he’d suffocate if he didn’t have her.
    He had to stay away from her.
    “Nico?”
    His head jerked around as she made her way along a path between flower beds newly readied for planting. At the sight of her, his body tensed and his chest began to hurt.
    Nearing him, she nervously smoothed her damp palms down the full skirt of her sleeveless jade-green sundress. “You’re a hard man to track down,” she said.
    He sensed her unease, but he couldn’t smile easily to reassure her, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her sudden and unexpected presence had heightened and intensified the aching pain he’d felt these last days—and the sensation was the difference between holding his hands toward a fire and feeling its warmth, and thrusting his arms into the fire.
    He came to his feet. “Was there something in particular you wanted to see me about?”
    “Yes. We’ve had some trouble up at the house and—”
    “Trouble?" Alarm turned his muscle to steel.
    She eyed him warily. “I’m afraid so. We have no electricity." She shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “I’m not sure what happened. Something blew something. The electrician will be out first thing in the morning. Tonight, though, and maybe for a few days to come, it will be