Dangerous Inheritance by Barbara Warren Read Free Book Online

was a place to start.
    Macy sat on the bed, pondering her situation and begging God to help her. Finally she went back to her room, carrying the Bible. After placing the worn book on her bedside table, she crawled back into bed, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders.
    She closed her eyes, feeling comforted—for now.
    * * *
    Nick drove past the Lassiter house, checking to see if everything looked all right.
    The lights were off except for the one in the foyer and one upstairs that was probably the hall light. This was his third time to drive past here tonight. He hoped Macy was okay. It had to be strange for her staying in that house by herself. He was on duty tonight and he’d continue making a pass down this street occasionally. Not that he expected anything to happen, but there had been attempts to break in before she arrived in town. It paid to be careful.
    Sam’s suspicion that Macy was bent on stirring up trouble had left him unsettled. There was also Macy’s conviction that her father was innocent. What was that based on? Nick’s thoughts turned again to Macy Douglas.
    Maybe it was the rather dramatic way they had met last night, but something about her had gotten to him. It was more than the way she looked, with that fiery hair and gorgeous eyes. There was something deeper, something more personal drawing him to her.
    Part of it had to be her determination to discover what really happened to her parents. This wasn’t a shallow woman. She had an appealing depth and a passion. As his father would have said, Macy was the real deal. If he tried to help in this search, he’d be seeing a lot more of her. He could handle that.
    He waved at two kids on bicycles he knew. About time they were getting home. He thought about stopping and asking what they were doing out at night like this, but decided against it. They had just another block to go and he’d keep an eye on them. As often as he drove through this neighborhood checking on attempted burglaries at the Lassiter house, he knew every child and most of the adults.
    Nick drove past the police station and saw Sam headed for his car. The chief motioned for him to pull in. He parked next to Sam’s car and waited for him to walk around to face him. Sam leaned his hands on the door. “You seen the Douglas woman today?”
    “Yeah, I’ve seen her. She moved into Opal Lassiter’s house. Guess she’s planning to stay.”
    Sam puffed out a blast of air. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
    What was Sam’s problem with Macy Douglas? He hadn’t been a policeman back when the Douglas case happened, so he couldn’t have been involved. The way he’d been acting, though, seemed as if he had a personal grudge against Macy.
    Surely Sam wasn’t one of the people he needed to watch. He liked and respected the guy, but this attitude about Macy Douglas was making him uncomfortable.
    He glanced at his watch. Another hour and he’d be off duty. Then he could rest a bit, eat breakfast and go to church. He wondered if Macy would be there. Not that it was any of his business, but he wished he’d invited her to attend his church.
    Nick waited for Sam to walk away, but Sam just stood there eyeing him suspiciously. “You taking up with that woman?”
    “What woman?” He knew exactly what Sam meant, but right now he didn’t feel like cooperating.
    Sam grunted. “That Douglas woman. You need to stay away from her. She’s trouble from the get-go. I don’t want you hanging around talking to her while on the clock. And that’s an order.”
    Nick pursed his lips, feeling contrary. “I’d think you’d want someone watching her to see what she’s going to do next.”
    “You sure that’s what you’ve got on your mind? She’s a good-looking woman and I’d hate to see you get involved with whatever trouble she plans to stir up.”
    Nick thought about telling him that Macy didn’t remember her parents, didn’t remember living in that house, but that was her story to tell.