Leann Harris - The Detective And The D.A.

Tony’s knees nearly buckled. Concentrate, he told himself. But all he wanted was to reach out and run his fingers over her cheek and down her neck. She had a little place there that, if he kissed it, would make her melt.

She leaned forward, and for an instant he thought she was going to kiss him. Suddenly she jerked back and turned away, color in her cheeks. “All right, Tony. Let’s see if we can turn up any evidence of murder.”

She was in her crusader mode, fiery and sincere. And it reached deep within him. He wanted to help, wanted to slay this dragon for her. “You got it, Kel.”

Her smile sent a jolt racing through him, making him want things that couldn’t be.

Oh, he was in trouble. And it had nothing to do with murder….

Dear Reader,

Once again we invite you to enjoy six of the most exciting romances around, starting with Ruth Langan’s His Father’s Son. This is the last of THE LASSITER LAW, her miniseries about a family with a tradition of law enforcement, and it’s a finale that will leave you looking forward to this bestselling author’s next novel. Meanwhile, enjoy Cameron Lassiter’s headlong tumble into love.

ROMANCING THE CROWN continues with Virgin Seduction, by award winner Kathleen Creighton. The missing prince is home at last—and just in time for the shotgun wedding between Cade Gallagher and Tamiri princess Leila Kamal. Carla Cassidy continues THE DELANEY HEIRS with Matthew’s story, in Out of Exile, while Pamela Dalton spins a tale of a couple who are Strategically Wed. Sharon Mignerey returns with an emotional tale of a hero who is Friend, Lover, Protector, and Leann Harris wraps up the month with a match between The Detective and the D.A.

You won’t want to miss a single one. And, of course, be sure to come back next month for more of the most exciting romances around—right here in Silhouette Intimate Moments.

Enjoy!

Leslie J. Wainger

Executive Senior Editor

When Leann Harris first met her husband in college, she never dreamed she would marry him. After all, he was getting a Ph.D. in the one science she’d managed to avoid—physics! So much for first impressions. They have been happily married for over thirty years. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Leann taught math and science to deaf high school students until the birth of her first child. It wasn’t until her youngest child started school that Leann decided to fulfill a lifelong dream and began writing. She presently lives in Plano, Texas, with her husband and two children.

I would like to thank

the following people for their help with this book:

Lt. Dave Davis for his ideas

on how to get a case kicked back.

Warren Spencer for his suggestions

on how police and the D.A.’s office interact.

Robert Hurst of Houston PD for his willingness to

answer all my questions. Any errors are strictly mine.

A dedication:

This is for you, Dad. I miss you.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

“You can’t go in there unannounced.”

Kelly Whalen heard her secretary yell from her desk in the next room.

“You gonna stop me?” The man’s tone held true menace.

An assistant D.A. for the city of Houston, Kelly recognized the voice of her ex-husband and wondered why he was here. And apparently unhappy. Very unhappy.

A moment later all six feet two inches of Detective Tony Ashcroft barreled into her office. He wore his let’s-frighten-the-socks-off-the suspect expression. “What the hell is going on here, Kelly?” he demanded.

Ash was still an incredibly handsome man with wide shoulders, dark brown hair, and green eyes that sparked with anger.

Teresa Myers, her poor secretary, rushed into the room behind Ash and came to a halt. “Sorry, Kelly. I tried to stop him, bu-but it was like trying to stop a herd of cattle from charging.” Teresa knew of what she spoke, having been raised on a cattle ranch in West Texas.

“Don’t worry about it, Teresa.” Kelly stood. She wanted to be at eye level with her ex—as much as she could—in a position of power instead of looking up at him like a servant. “When Ash makes up his mind, nothing short of calling in the marines could stop him.”

Teresa glared at the detective. “I don’t doubt it,” she mumbled as she walked out of the room.

Ash folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t look amused at the exchange between Kelly and Teresa. “Now that the show’s over, you want to explain yourself?”

It had been close to four years since she’d spoken to Ash. She’d seen him in passing at the courthouse and around city buildings, but they hadn’t spoken since they had cleaned up the property issues remaining after their divorce.

“You want to let me in on what it is you want explained?” Kelly shot back, irritated with his attitude.

“Why was I tapped to do the reinvestigation of the Carlson case since it was originally Ralph Lee’s?” he snarled.

“What?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “You’ve been assigned the case?” Kelly felt as if a bomb had just exploded in front of her, leaving her disorientated and disconnected to the world.

His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t know?” He sounded skeptical. “Didn’t request it?”

“No, I didn’t request it.” Did he think she was nuts? “And no, I didn’t know.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I was called into my captain’s office this morning and told to c-o-o-p-erate with you on this case.”

Kelly hated when Ash got that tone in his voice.

“I’ve been pulled off my active cases, which didn’t make my partner happy, and told to report to you. So explain what’s going on.”

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Sit down, Ash, and quit glaring at me. I’m not a suspect that needs to be interrogated.”

“If only it were that easy,” he grumbled.

She had had enough. “Just sit down and stop acting like a hard case.”

“I’m the hard case, Kelly?” His brow arched. “If I recall, I wasn’t the only one.”

She didn’t want to open that can of worms. “This situation is as much a surprise to me as it is to you. I’ll call your captain and see what’s going on.”

He didn’t look as if he wanted to cooperate. He looked more like a man approaching a deadly situation, determined not to let down his guard. He moved to the chair in front of her desk and sat.

Kelly grabbed up the telephone and, with a vengeance, punched in the number of the captain over the detectives. After a couple of rings the captain answered.

“Captain Jenkins, this is Kelly Whalen of the D.A.’s office. Detective Tony Ashcroft is in my office. He says he’s been assigned to the Carlson case. What can you tell me about it?”

Captain Jenkins answered in a nonchalant manner. “Yes, I assigned him the case, Ms. Whalen. Is there a problem?”

Was there a problem? Of course there was a problem. “Could you explain your reasoning to me?”

“Detective Lee is in Amarillo testifying in a murder case, then scheduled for a vacation. Since your office needed someone immediately, I assigned the case to Ash.”