A Dangerous Inheritance. Leona Karr
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A creature of the night appeared at her side…
Stacy screamed as the figure loomed over her. Frantically she lashed out, tying to evade its clutches, but her struggle only tightened the ironlike grip that encircled her. As her nails connected with flesh, the terrifying illusion faded, and she realized that the flow of cuss words assaulting her ears was coming from a very angry, warm-blooded man.
“Damn little wildcat.” His grip tightened on her. “Your blasted car is just a few feet from slipping into the river. I’m here to help.”
Stacy went limp in relief. His face was hidden in the shadows of a wide-brimmed hat and the collar of his raincoat, but she gave in to the reassurance of his deep voice with a thankful prayer.
Lifting her in his arms and holding her tightly against his chest, the man carried her away from the sinking car and rising river. Gratefully she leaned against his chest, aware of the tensile strength in his muscular body. She felt totally safe.
Protected.
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
August marks a special month at Harlequin Intrigue as we commemorate our twentieth anniversary! Over the past two decades we’ve satisfied our devoted readers’ diverse appetites with a vast smorgasbord of romantic suspense page-turners. Now, as we look forward to the future, we continue to stand by our promise to deliver thrilling mysteries penned by stellar authors.
As part of our celebration, our much-anticipated new promotion, ECLIPSE, takes flight. With one book planned per month, these stirring Gothic-inspired stories will sweep you into an entrancing landscape of danger, deceit…and desire. Leona Karr sets the stage for mind-bending mystery with debut title, A Dangerous Inheritance.
A high-risk undercover assignment turns treacherous when smoldering seduction turns to forbidden love, in Bulletproof Billionaire by Mallory Kane, the second installment of NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL. Then, peril closes in on two torn-apart lovers, in Midnight Disclosures— Rita Herron’s latest book in her spine-tingling medical research series, NIGHTHAWK ISLAND.
Patricia Rosemoor proves that the fear of the unknown can be a real aphrodisiac in On the List—the fourth installment of CLUB UNDERCOVER. Code blue! Patients are mysteriously dropping like flies in Boston General Hospital, and it’s a race against time to prevent the killer from striking again, in Intensive Care by Jessica Andersen.
To round off an unforgettable month, Jackie Manning returns to the lineup with Sudden Alliance—a woman-in-jeopardy tale fraught with nonstop action…and a lethal attraction!
Join in on the festivities by checking out all our selections this month!
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Harlequin Intrigue Senior Editor
A Dangerous Inheritance
Leona Karr
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Colorado, Leona (Lee) Karr is the author of nearly forty books. Her favorite genres are romantic suspense and inspirational romance. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a B.A. and the University of Northern Colorado with an M.A., she taught as a reading specialist until her first book was published in 1980. She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and nominated by Romantic Times for Best Romantic Saga and Best Gothic Author. She has been honored as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year, and received Colorado’s Romance Writer of the Year Award. Her books have been reprinted in more than a dozen foreign countries.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Stacy Ashford—Her inheritance from an eccentric uncle drew her into a web of danger and love.
Josh Spencer—A strong-willed hero on a quest for revenge.
Nate Spencer—” Gramps,” an old man who believes a dead granddaughter has come back to haunt him.
Sheriff Mosley—A lawman who may have ignored a murder for personal reasons.
Alice And Ted Macally—Owners of a local restaurant who took a willful young woman into their home.
Abe Jenkins—A congenial storekeeper who seems friendly and harmless.
Marci—A young woman jealous of Josh, the man she wants to marry.
To Jimmy, Jamie and Yolanda Lickley, with loving thanks
for the many things you’ve done for me.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter One
Stacy Ashford’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as she leaned forward and strained to see in the enveloping darkness. Lowering storm clouds masked high jagged peaks, and drifts of black fog flowed down darkly wooded mountainsides, covering them like a shroud. Every clap of thunder vibrated with a threatening warning.
Stupid. Just plain stupid, she silently lashed out at herself. She’d never intended to be on the road this late. The mileage from Denver to the mountain town of Timberlane had been deceiving, and night had fallen before she made it over a series of high mountain passes.
She’d rented a compact car at the airport upon her arrival from Los Angeles. As she drove into the high country the temperature had changed from simmering August heat to a biting chill. She was used to straight, crowded interstate highways, and her body was rigid from the tense driving. Around every serpentine curve, the wheels of her car were just inches from narrow dirt shoulders falling away to deep rocky chasms. Was hers the only car on the two-lane road? No signs of lights ahead or behind her. She’d passed the last cluster of buildings miles back.
What am I doing here, anyway? Stacy asked herself.
A month ago, her life had been secure. At only twenty-eight years of age, she had a blossoming career in the merchandising field. Sure, there’d been a rumble that her company was going to downsize, but she’d ignored it. She’d always been good at closing her eyes to any warnings that didn’t fit in with her plans. She wasn’t prepared when it had happened—a pink slip, a pat on the back and a firm shove toward the unemployment lines. Quickly, she’d registered at employment agencies, checked the Internet and sent numerous résumés to prospective companies.
Weeks had gone by without even a job interview, and when an L.A. lawyer unexpectedly called her, she’d thought he’d tell her that her credit rating had hit rock bottom and everything she owned was about to be repossessed. She nearly fainted when he’d told her his real business.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Is this some kind of joke?”
He assured her that it wasn’t. She was the beneficiary in a relative’s will. Stacy had only heard vague