The Hero Next Door. Irene Hannon

the cats must have squeezed in again. Chester’s going to fix it one of these days.”

      Heat crept up the back of J.C.’s neck. If Heather’s assumption was correct, he’d pulled his gun on a cat.

      Not the most auspicious beginning for his Nantucket law enforcement interlude.

      But he’d come this far. He might as well follow through. “I’ll check it out, just to be on the safe side. Wait here.”

      Without giving her a chance to respond, J.C. worked his way to the hedge in back. A quick look around the side confirmed her theory. Two cats had their noses stuck under the slightly opened lid of the trash bin, while a rustling sound came from inside.

      At the same time he saw them, the cats got wind of his presence. With amazing speed and agility, the two outside the bin leaped to the ground, bounded toward the privet hedge and dove through. The third scrambled out and followed his friends.

      Holstering his gun, J.C. tried to tamp down his embarrassment. Accustomed as he was to finding danger around every corner, the relative safety of Nantucket was obviously going to take some getting used to.

      Heather was leaning against one of the back porch posts when he emerged, arms folded across her chest. “I heard them scrambling over the wood. I assumed it was safe to come out.”

      “Sorry to raise an unnecessary alarm. It was an instinctive reaction.”

      “You must travel in rough circles.”

      “Yeah.”

      “I appreciate the thought, anyway.”

      Amusement glinted in the depths of her eyes, and J.C. had a feeling she’d have a good chuckle about this later. He could only hope she’d keep the incident to herself. If she told Edith, he suspected half the island would hear about the feral felines’ caper within twenty-four hours. Burke had told him his landlord was well-connected and a better source of Nantucket news than the newspapers.

      But he’d worry about that later. At the moment, he was too busy enjoying the view. Backlit by the lantern beside the door, Heather’s shoulder-length hair hung soft and full, free of restraint, the gold highlights shimmering. The light also silhouetted her willowy frame, which was accentuated by jeans and a soft tank top. Gone were the classy pearls and silk that had made her seem so inaccessible.

      He had to remind himself to breathe.

      Yet if yesterday he’d felt outclassed in her presence, tonight he found a different reason to keep his distance.

      Heather Anderson had never been tainted by exposure to violence. In her world, cats were the biggest predators.

      He, on the other hand, had spent his career dealing with the lowlifes of Chicago. And he’d been doing it for so long, he didn’t even know how to behave around a woman who was untouched by the raw side of life.

      She tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted from one foot to the other. “Well…thanks again.”

      “No problem.”

      Turning, she disappeared through the door. Thirty seconds later, the downstairs light was extinguished.

      As J.C. retraced his steps to the gate, an odd heaviness settled in his chest. One that had nothing to do with the burden of guilt he’d been carrying for the past month. This was related to a woman with hazel eyes.

      Though he knew little about her, J.C. sensed that Heather was a kind, decent, caring person. The sort of woman who would add warmth and sunlight and joy to a man’s life.

      But not to his.

      As appealing as she was, as tempted as he might be to explore the magnetic pull he felt in her presence, in three months he’d be returning to Chicago. Working the grittiest cases. Dealing with sources in the worst parts of town. Putting his life on the line every single day. And if no one he’d yet dated had had the stomach for that risk long-term, there was no way a woman like Heather would.

      Besides, her life was here. His was in Chicago. End of story.

      Pushing through the gate, J.C.’s spirits took another nose dive. His plastic grocery bags had been ripped apart, the package of deli ham meant to provide lunches for the next week decimated.

      And it didn’t take a detective to figure out what had happened.

      While the feral cats he’d chased off had been scavenging behind the house, their friends had had a picnic on his lunch meat.

      As he bent to salvage what he could, he took one last look at the lighted upstairs window in the back of The Devon Rose. A silhouette moved past the closed shade, and J.C. was struck by the symbolism. Heather was there, in the shadows. Close, but out of reach.

      Just like the redemption and forgiveness he yearned for.

      He was working hard to find the latter. And in time, with prayer, he trusted he would succeed.

      In terms of connecting with Heather, however, he was far less optimistic.

      But it shouldn’t matter, he reminded himself, tossing a frozen dinner into one of the bags as he stood. He hadn’t come to Nantucket for romance. He should just accept that the attractive tearoom owner was off-limits and do his best to put her out of his mind.

      Except that wasn’t going to be easy when he could see her lighted window every night from the doorway of his cottage.

      Chapter Four

      A ray of sun teased Heather awake, and with a contented sigh she turned on her side and bunched her pillow under her head. No way was she getting up yet. Monday was her day to sleep late and lounge around. And after the past busy week, she deserved a few hours of leisure.

      At least there’d been no unexpected customers this Saturday or Sunday, as there had been last weekend. In fact, she hadn’t had even a glimpse of Justin—J.C., she reminded herself—since the cat incident his second day on the island.

      Edith kept her informed of his activities, however. So Heather was aware he’d rented a bike. Aware he’d been using his off-hours to explore the island. Aware he’d begun attending church with the Shaws.

      But most of all, she was simply aware. Of him.

      And that scared her.

      Flopping onto her back, she turned her head to observe the new green leaves of her prized October Glory maple tree as they fluttered against a cloudless deep-blue sky. A gentle breeze wafted through her open window, and she inhaled the fresh, salty scent of the Nantucket morning, trying to relax.

      That wasn’t going to happen today, however, she acknowledged. Thanks to the arrival of a certain Chicago cop who’d managed to disrupt her peace of mind.

      With an irritated huff, Heather threw back the covers and padded over to push the lace curtain aside and lower the sash against the slight morning chill. Most of the little guest cottage tucked among the hydrangea bushes at the back of Edith’s property was hidden from her view, though she could catch a glimpse of the front door and roof if she tried. Which she did, despite a warning voice that told her to turn away. And to her dismay, that quick peek was enough to quicken her pulse.

      Not good.

      How in the world could she be so attracted to a man she’d spoken to for less than five minutes?

      Yet she couldn’t deny the almost-palpable chemistry—on her side, anyway. She’d felt it in the foyer of The Devon Rose, when J.C. had taken her hand in his strong grip and looked at her with those intense dark eyes. And she’d felt it again when he’d pulled her into the shadows by the house the night of the cat invasion. A whisper away, she’d inhaled his rugged aftershave. Felt the warmth of his hand seep into her arm and radiate through her body. Sensed that with this man protecting her, she’d be safe from any threat.

      Except the one he himself represented.

      That was what scared her.

      Because