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the better of him and he’d asked to see her chest, she’d punched him in the nose.
    They were always pulling some kind of prank. She grinned inwardly. Of course, she was just as devious.
    Like the time she’d put pretzels on every desk—the really salty kind—then made sure there was water in the coolers so they would drink plenty of it.
    Devious? Oh yeah, she’d put an OUT OF ORDER sign on the men’s restroom at work, after Saran-wrapping the toilet seats in the ladies’ room.
    She’d stayed in her Aunt Gloria’s office, with the door partially open. They’d grinned and high-fived when the yelling began. Sometimes she amazed herself. Her smile slipped.
    They still hadn’t retaliated.
    Her father’s frown deepened as he sat across from her, drawing her attention. “What’d Conor do to make you mad?”
    Her irritation rose to the surface. “He . . . he . . . .” What exactly had he done? For starters, Conor had 62
    Karen Kelley
    told her selling property suited her, but hadn’t she said those very same words to her father?
    She tapped her toe. “It doesn’t matter. We mix about as well as water and oil, so you can forget about any matchmaking schemes. I plan to stay far away from Officer Richmond.”
    Her father was silent, and she wondered if she might have hurt his feelings. She hadn’t meant to come down quite so hard. After all, he only wanted the best for her.
    She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. He didn’t look that distraught. He could be hiding his pain, though.
    She was his only daughter, after all, and she’d always been Daddy’s little girl.
    “You may be right,” he finally said.
    She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she’d needed to be a little firm. It was just so damn hard when it was her father. He’d always been there for her. But still, he had to stop butting into her love life. She was a mature woman, perfectly able to pick who she dated.
    “How would you like to help me out, though?”
    “Help you?” Her eyes narrowed. For all that she loved him, she didn’t quite trust her father not to pull another stunt. She studied him for a moment. He looked innocent enough as he continued to steadily meet her gaze.
    “Help you do what?” she asked.
    “I need a realtor to show the house next to the burglary suspects. It’s listed through your company, and since you’re still a reserve and have a badge, it’d be perfect for you without getting too involved.” Back in the field? Her heart began to race. A drop of familiar adrenaline trickled into her bloodstream and quickened her pulse. Take a deep breath , she told herself.
    That life was behind her. Her father only wanted her to show a house, not arrest the criminals.
    She could do that and stay uninvolved with law enforcement. The best of both worlds, kind of. She’d even TEMPERATURE’S RISING
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    get to wear a dress. A flutter of excitement skipped up and down her spine. She quickly tamped it down. She’d only be pretending to show a house. Nothing more. The only reason she was remotely considering it was because her father needed her help, but could she really trust him?
    “You’re sure that’s all I’d be doing?” She wanted her father to spell it out, just to be on the safe side. He wasn’t about to trap her into rejoining the department.
    “Scout’s honor.” He held up his fingers.
    “I thought you told me and Gabe they kicked you out of Scouts because you didn’t follow the rules.”
    “Old habit.” He cleared his throat and hurried on.
    “The burglars are getting gutsy.” Her father leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. “They robbed Mrs. Huntley’s home the day before yesterday—
    in broad daylight. She was having a garden party in the backyard. They waltzed in and stole everything out of the front rooms—even the area rugs.”
    “How? Surely someone saw them.” He shook his head. “Apparently not, or if they did, they paid them no mind. All the extra help claimed