Suspicion of Guilt Read Free

against the sun’s reflection off the back of his truck, Reece watched her leave, Buffy in tow. Now, there was a woman with a reason to get Mahoney House closed down. Why hadn’t Denni ever mentioned trouble with her neighbors?
    Making a mental note to do some more investigating, Reece climbed behind the wheel and cranked the engine. This case was bizarre. It irked him that so many months had gone by without a crack. Robbery and sabotage? How did the two of them go hand in hand?
    He had figured one of the girls had lifted the electronics from the house and sold them for quick cash, but Denni had a point. What reason would they have for flooding the basement of their own home? The neighbor, on the other hand, might have a reason for sabotage, but the thought of that little old lady sneaking into the house and pilfering almost made him laugh. Not that it was completely impossible, but it was improbable and certainly not something he’d want to bring up to his chief.
    He glanced at Mahoney House. A curtain dropped as though someone had been watching him. Denni? He smiled, but dismissed the likelihood. It was a nice little fantasy to boost his ego, anyway.
    Two hours later, he was on his way back to the Mahoney House with a borrowed portable pump and a generator in the back of his truck.
    The electricity should be off by now and he had Jack’s word that he’d turn it back on tomorrow evening. Reece wasn’t helping out just to be a nice guy. This was also his way of spending time with the girls in their own environment. Something he’d never had the chance to do before. Maybe he could earn their trust. And someone would start talking.
    The added bonus was the time he would spend with Denni Mahoney. His throat constricted at the thought. From their first rocky meeting, he’d been attracted to her despite the circumstances. With round eyes the color of melted chocolate, sweet perfume, shiny hair and soft curves, she was the embodiment of beauty and femininity. Alluring enough to warm a man’s blood, yet innocent enough for him to picture her in a white wedding gown carrying a bouquet at the same time.
    The memory of her eyes flashing with anger when she defended the girls made him grin. She was spunky to boot. He was determined to find the person responsible for trying to thwart her dream. So far, trying to be the hard-edged cop hadn’t drawn out the saboteur. Maybe it was time to turn on the charm.

Chapter Two
    P eeking from behind the burgundy drapes hanging at the living-room window, Denni felt her heart jump at the sight of Reece’s truck pulling into the drive.
    In a way, she wanted to ask him, “Hey, what part of ‘no’ don’t you understand, buddy?” But mostly, she wanted to throw her arms around him and thank him for taking matters into his own hands and not accepting no for an answer.
    “What’s he doing back here?” Leigh’s voice next to Denni arrested her attention, pulling her from the vision of flying into Reece’s well-muscled arms.
    “Looks like he decided to help us clean up whether we like it or not.”
    Leigh headed for the door—all bad attitude and body language. “Want me to get rid of him?”
    “No, don’t be rude. He’s doing us a favor.” Just why he was doing them a favor, she didn’t know. But she wasn’t opposed to figuring it out.
    “I think it’s sort of sweet.” Denni turned at the soft sound of Cate Sheridan’s voice. The girl waddledacross the room, her eight-months-pregnant belly leading the way.
    “Sweet?” Leigh sniffed. “Those hormones are definitely affecting your brain. The guy’s been on our backs for months accusing us of robbing Denni. Now he’s blaming us for a flood. And you think he’s sweet?”
    “Crazy, isn’t it?” Cate grinned and elbowed Denni. “He sure is a hottie, don’t you think?”
    Warmth flooded Denni’s cheeks. It was one thing for her to consider Reece a good-looking man in the privacy of her own mind, another for the girls to