The Mighty Quinns: Devin by Kate Hoffmann Page A

as though she might not be Public Enemy Number One. She’d made a friend—of sorts. And she’d also come up with an idea, a tiny kernel of a concept that was beginning to take root in her mind.
    Elodie hurried back to the house and walked inside, the screen door slamming behind her. She slowly took in the interior space, the walls, the doorways, the front hall. Then she ran into the empty parlor to the right of the front door. The room was full of natural light and would make a beautiful gallery.
    The dining room was even better, and she tried to imagine the different ways she could use the space. What better purpose for the old mansion than to turn it into a cultural gathering point for the town?
    Some of the upstairs rooms could serve as offices or meeting rooms. The ballroom could be used for presentations or guest speakers, or as a temporary gallery for traveling shows. And there were so many local artists who could benefit from their work being shown to the public.
    Elodie pressed her hand to her chest, her heart beating a bit faster with excitement for the plan. The best part of it was that she could actually save the mansion and restore her family name in Winchester.
    She walked into the kitchen and grabbed her cell phone, then scrolled through her numbers until she got to Dev’s. But then she stopped and thought about what she was doing. Was this really about the town or was it simply an excuse to spend more time with the sexy police chief?
    Her original plan had been to spend a week or two getting the house in order and then finding a way to cut her final ties to the town. And now, all she could think about was seeing more of Dev.
    A warm flush crept up her cheeks, and she sighed softly, remembering very clearly the effect his touch had on her body. That first sexual encounter had come as a complete surprise, the desire between them so intense that it had overwhelmed every last shred of her common sense—they’d almost made love on her porch, for goodness’ sake.
    It wasn’t as if she were accustomed to seducing strangers. Elodie had enjoyed four or five serious relationships in her life, and in between, she’d dated a number of handsome, successful and eligible New York City bachelors. But not a single man outside of Dev Cassidy had ever made her behave with such reckless abandon.
    Smiling, she set the phone back down on the counter, then sat down on an old kitchen stool. Maybe she ought to give this plan a few days to percolate in her brain. Right now, it appeared to be the answer to all her problems—it gave her a home, a job, a place to belong. But all of that was twisted up around the man.
    â€œMiss Elodie?”
    She glanced up to find Mary Cassidy standing in the doorway. “Oh, Mary, I’d almost forgotten you were here. You should have gone home ages ago.”
    â€œI wanted to finish oiling the paneling in the library. I came across something you might want to see.”
    Elodie followed Mary through the house. When they got to the library, the scent of beeswax and lemon permeated the air. It was a smell she remembered well from her childhood, and she smiled. “This looks lovely,” she said, taking in the soft sheen on the cherry paneling.
    â€œThank you, but this is why I brought you in here,” Mary said, pointing to a small panel beneath one of the bookcases. “I was rubbing the wax into the wood and it just popped open. It’s a secret storage spot.”
    Elodie frowned. “Is there anything in there?”
    â€œI didn’t look. It wasn’t my place.”
    Elodie bent down and peeked into the dark recesses of the library wall. “It seems empty,” she said. She closed the door, noting the location of the latch, then gave the panel a good push. It popped open again. “Interesting. Too bad there aren’t any family jewels that my ancestors hid away. They’d help pay for a new roof.”
    â€œThere are a