A Dangerous Inheritance

A Dangerous Inheritance
Leona Karr

HER INHERITANCE CAME WITH AN ENIGMATIC STRANGERA powerful storm delivered heiress Stacy Ashford into the iron-hard embrace of a shadowy stranger, a man as rough-hewn as the craggy Colorado mountains. But their meeting seemed more fate than chance. Gaining her inheritance depended on Stacy's rebuilding the eerie hotel where Josh Spencer's sister had died. And though she shouldn't trust Josh's motives for helping her, his commanding presence kept her strong when someone–or something–tried to scare her off. Then the incidents turned deadly….She was Josh's means to end the search for his sister's killer, and a threat to the posted No Trespassing sign on his heart. But Stacy's inheritance bound them in an ever-tightening coil of danger–and what destiny joins, let no man, ghost or killer put asunder….

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

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

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