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Legacy Writings
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Tate Publishing
ISBN-10: 1616639520
Type: Fiction
Pages: 301
Copyright: 2010
ISBN-13: 9781616639525
Price: $7.99 (eBook)
Her romantic life in shambles, Danielle McKinnon is ready for a change in her life. Unexpected circumstances grants her desire, but terror strikes when her life is threatened by marauders, a new love interest determining to protect her at all costs.
Disillusioned with romance, Danielle McKinnon seeks change. On the heels of her breakup with Lance Carter, a letter arrives announcing that Dani has been named beneficiary to a forgotten relative's estate. The name of the deceased sparks the memory of her parent's death, reaffirming her anger and bitterness toward God since her childhood. A trip to Atlanta reveals her inheritance includes a historic, secret-laden, 200-year-old antebellum manor in the midst of the Appalachian Hills known as Stratford Hall.
When her life is suddenly threatened by those who intend to claim the estate for themselves, Dani struggles with her obligation to her birthright. Encouraged by her new love interest, Justin Harcourt and the delightful Irish caretaker of the Hall, Annie O'Brien, Dani relocates to rural Georgia where her adversaries step up their attempts to frighten her away from the estate.
When peril becomes imminent, Dani flees an attack on her life and comes face to face with the private detective Justin had hired incognito to protect her. Her sudden attraction to Blake Spencer confuses her, but she is determined to remain loyal to Justin, her infatuation for him jeopardizing her new-found faith in God and the possibility of true love.
A Legacy of Love is a tale of intrigue and suspense that will keep the reader turning the pages.
Excerpt
Dani blinked back the tears that threatened to mingle with the cold, autumn drizzle stinging her face. Her hands shaking, she retrieved her mail from the mailbox near the door of her condominium. She rushed inside to escape the deluge from a sudden cloudburst. She wished she could just as quickly flee the memory of Lance Carter's vicious remarks, his words, the hour before, whirling into her thoughts like a tornado.
The amiable greeting from her snowy, blue-eyed kitten, usually a delight, failed to lift her spirits. His back bowed in a sleepy arch against her leg; she scooped the mewling pet from the floor with her free hand and buried her cheek into the long, soft fur. "Oh Percy, what am I to do about Lance?" Releasing the kitten a moment later, Dani slipped the straps of her briefcase from her shoulder, tossing it onto the sofa. She ignored the clutter as contents from the leather tote spilled onto the floor.
Dani cringed, the reaction from her co-workers a vivid memory. The pace to their respective vehicles outside Pendergraff Accounting had slowed at the sound of Lance's raised voice. Mortified by their curiosity, she'd tried to sidestep the confrontation in the parking lot, but he'd blocked the way. Dani had stiffened. Lance had gone too far with that last retort, something about "the high and mighty Miss McKinnon no longer finding it feasible to associate with the lower staff."
A tear slid from her eye and dripped onto the unopened correspondence in her hand. How could he have been so thoughtless? Dani sighed as a smidgeon of compassion blended with her indignation. She knew his anger had erupted from more than just a broken date. He'd smoldered like embers all week, his obnoxious attitude beginning the moment their employer had announced his choice for the vacant manager's position. With Lance's desire to wear the prestigious title a known fact, she'd expected a reaction from him. But public degradation? Had their friendship over the years mattered so little to him?
She recalled their first date. They'd talked for hours over dinner. He'd seemed so lonely, needing a kind ear, yet an attentive listener when she'd told of her own loneliness. Dani choked back her tears. A relationship with Lance had seemed so promising. Yet in time she'd realized he just wasn't her knight in shining armor. She touched her cheek, recalling the feel of his heated words as he'd stood inches from her face, his eyes glaring and formidable. If only she'd listened to her heart weeks ago and ended their romantic relationship altogether, perhaps today could have been avoided.
Laying her mail aside, she bent to retrieve the fallen items from her briefcase. She reached for the file her secretary, Peggy Owen, had stuffed into Dani's hand just before she left the building. Dani's chest tightened. What if that stranger hadn't walked up at that moment to hand over some papers that had slipped from the file onto the concrete? Recalling the sight of Lance's fist in the air, she shuddered. Had he intended to strike her as his stance imposed?
Too upset with Lance at the time to scrutinize the kind gentleman's features, she couldn't avoid notice of his apparel. Pendergraff Accounting catered to a variety of clients but seldom modern-day cowboys. A disturbing thought wrinkled her brow. At least she'd assumed him to be a late-scheduled appointee. What other reason would prompt his appearance near the firm at the close of the day?
With a start, she remembered that he'd spoken her name upon his approach. Dani's full lips straightened to a hard, thin line. Well who wouldn't know it by now if they'd been within fifty feet of the scene? Consumed with relief when Lance had darted away, she'd turned to thank the man for his interference, but he'd disappeared. With a sigh, Dani massaged her temples, hoping it would somehow ease the pain in both her heard and heart.
Her briefcase in tact once more, Dani thumbed through her mail. A legal-sized envelope caught her eye. She read the return address: Harcourt, Harcourt, & Paine, Attorneys at Law. Dani pulled a tissue from box nearby and wiped her face, thoughts of Lance receding. "Why would a lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia, write to me?" she muttered. Probably nothing more than a bogus company using a law firm to announce a one in a billion chance to win a sweepstakes, she thought, dismissing its importance. She started to trash the envelope along with the other missives bearing third class symbols, but something she couldn't explain stayed her hand.
Deciding she needed a strong cup of tea to settle her nerves, Dani stepped into her small kitchen and reached for the teakettle, surprised she still held the letter from Atlanta. Believing her suspicion would be affirmed once she broke the seal, Dani adjusted the temperature on the stove.
While she waited for the water to heat, Dani moved toward the sofa, switching the knob on the thermostat to a higher setting, hoping the effect would stifle the sudden chill rumbling down her spine. She glanced about the room, aware that the warm, beige undertones of the fashionable décor did nothing to minimize the dankness that had crept into the room and encircled her thoughts. Dani picked up the cat to salvage her ankles from its playful attack before she sank deep into the over stuffed couch, settling Percy into her lap.
She studied the bold, black script in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. Was it possible the correspondence concerned the recent deaths of her paternal grandparents, who'd died within months of each other? She frowned. She could think of nothing worse to end her disastrous day than having to recall unpleasant memories of life in the elderly McKinnon household. If only--
Dani bolted upright, Percy leaping from her lap to cower beneath a chair. Could it be? But that's been over twenty years.
Like a javelin centering its target, the recollection of her parents' death stabbed at her heart. Again, moisture formed behind her eye lids and then scudded down her cheeks.
The years since hadn't dispelled the bereavement that washed over her on occasion. Lifting her head, she stared out the window, seeing, yet not mindful of her well-manicured suburban neighborhood. A few moments later, Dani dried her tears, her attention returning to the letter. She sighed. One thing was certain; she'd never know the contents if she didn't open it.
Her breath in her throat, she slipped her fingernail beneath the seal. Seconds later, her lips parted in disbelief, the irony of Lance forgotten. She reread the short message.
Dear Miss McKinnon
This is to inform you that you've been named primary beneficiary in the estate of your deceased great-grandaunt, Mathilda Danielle Thorndike.
Dani's eyes widened. She knew of no one by that name, least of all a relative. The letter ended:
Please contact my office as soon as possible regarding this matter.
Respectively yours,
Phillip J. Harcourt, Attorney at Law.
She swept her shoulder-length, strawberry-blond hair behind her ears, a furrow of concentration nestled in her brow. Something about the woman's name nettled Dani. It was more than just the fact that she and the deceased shared the same middle name. All at once a bittersweet memory filled her mind.
Her seventh birthday had arrived at last. She and her parents were about to travel from her hometown, Augusta, Maine, to the not too distant Atlantic coastline to celebrate this special day. Sailing in the sparkling, blue-green bay had been Dani's favorite childhood pastime.
Just prior to their departure, the postman had delivered a package addressed to Dani. "Why, it's from my great-aunt Mattie in Georgia," Dani's mother had explained. "Don't you remember? We spent part of our vacation at her home a few years ago." At her young daughter's perplexed look, Mrs. McKinnon had added, "Of course, you were only four at the time."
At that moment, her father's summon to embark to the coast had prevented additional inquiry about the mysterious person. Furthermore, Dani never gained the opportunity to continue the conversation. Two days later on their return trip, her parents died in an automobile accident involving an intoxicated driver. She had managed to escape the tragic affair with minor injuries. Following the funeral, her father's parents had whisked her away from the only home she'd ever known to live with them in Hartford, Connecticut, where she'd grown to adulthood and now resided. Her vision blurred once again. Oh, God Why did you let them die!
The sound of the doorbell jarred Dani back to the present. She took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips when she glanced through the peephole. Opening the door, she pulled the petite, dark-haired Valerie Grant inside.
"You'll never guess what came in the mail!" Dani said after she'd seated her long-time best friend. Dani ignored the concerned look on Valerie's face.
A moment later, Valerie held the mysterious letter, soon afterward exchanging it for the hospitable cup of tea in Dani's hand. Valerie laughed, her expression filled with amazement. "Wow! What do you suppose you have inherited?"
Lifting her shoulders, a look of doubt crossed Dani's features. "I can't imagine. I do wish Mr. Harcourt had been more specific." Glancing at the letterhead, Dani sighed. "I admit I'm curious. It's too bad I won't be able to phone his office until next week." She smiled. "Undoubtedly, this will be the longest weekend of my life."
Laying the letter aside, Dani faced her friend once again. "What do you say to a fast food dinner at the mall food court? Shopping is just the therapy I need right now to take my mind off Lance's despicable behavior this afternoon and the news of unknown relatives." Dani paused. "I just thought of something...perhaps in a week or so..." Her eyes twinkled. "How about a road trip to, say, California?"
Valerie laughed and then glanced at Dani's face. "Oh, my, you're not kidding." Valerie shrugged her shoulders. "I'm game if you are. You know we both have some vacation time we need to use before the end of the year."
"Hey, you're right. Dani's expression grew thoughtful. She tapped her finger against her chin. "A long trip might be just the answer to cure my heart and head of Lance. Let's pick up some West Coast brochures at that travel agency in the mall."
Valerie picked up her coat from the sofa, her large, brown, doe-like eyes full of questions. "I knew something was wrong the moment you answered the door. What happened with Lance?"
Dani's mouth turned downward. "Let's go. I'll explain on the way. Once we get home we can plan our trip."
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