“Have you ever felt the presence of evil here, Elizabeth?”

 

“Never,” she insisted, pushing away thoughts of the little things that were none of his business.

 

“Has anything unusual taken place in this house since you moved in?”

 

“Of course not.” She refused to meet Duncan’s gaze, concentrating instead on the photos he’d placed on her coffee table. They were of a laughing woman--a woman who resembled her in some ways, with long chestnut hair and a full, expressive mouth. “Your wife was beautiful, Duncan. You must miss her very much.”

 

“I do.” He tossed one more picture atop the others.

 

Elizabeth bit back a scream when she saw the pooling blood and sightless eyes staring back at her. “How dare you?” She shoved the photos toward him. “Put them away!”

 

“Does the blood frighten you?" he asked. "Is it too horrible to imagine her life ending like that?”

 

She kept her eyes averted. “Why would you carry such a terrible reminder of her death around with you?”

He set more pictures down and fanned them out.

 

She didn’t want to look but she couldn’t stop from glancing at them. They were gory images of the dead woman. “Why would you keep those pictures? That’s sick.”

 

“I’m trying to convince you Angus is evil and dangerous,” Duncan said. "You are not safe here."

 

She shot to her feet. “A ghost couldn’t do that! You’re insane if you think your imaginary killer ghost has anything to do with me or my home. Take your horrible pictures and get out of here!”

 

Duncan stood and took her arm. “Steady now. I mean you no harm. I assure you, I am as sane as you, Elizabeth. Don’t send me away. I’ve only known you a short time, but I feel a connection between us.”

 

They both looked at his grip on her arm. He relaxed his fingers but didn’t remove his hand.“You feel it, too,” he said.

She jerked away. “Then why are you fixated on the past? It is time to heal but you have to let go of the pain. Forget your idea of a ghost murdering your wife. Destroy those photos. Go back to Plattsburg."

 

“Not yet. I’ve suffered a great loss. You give me comfort. You make me feel like my life isn’t over. You make me believe in the future.”

 

“I’m not going to accept that kind of oppressive responsibility, Duncan. I’m not the answer to your grief. I won’t be. Go home. Leave me in peace.”

 

“I can’t just walk away from you.” He plowed his fingers through his hair in a gesture that was almost desperate. “I need you. And, believe it or not, you need me.”

 

Pity for him overrode everything else. The man was a basket case, she thought, tearing up. He apparently had no control over his desolation, and therefore wasn’t responsible for his irrational behavior. If only she could make him forget about Angus and Beth. If only she could erase those horrible pictures from his mind--and hers.

 

Duncan tentatively hugged her.

 

She stiffened but then she relaxed against him. He was right about one thing. He needed her. Feeling necessary was a heady experience. She had always been the needy one. Her arms snaked around his neck. Wanting to soothe and comfort them both, she pressed her lips to his.

 

Duncan returned her kiss, running his warm, moist mouth over her eyelids, cheeks and jaw.

 

Moaning softly, she sagged against him, reveling in the intimate touch. She opened her mouth beneath his and forgot the horror in which they were embroiled. It had been a very long time since she’d been caressed by the warm, hard hands of a flesh and blood man.

 

A part of her mind watched her, judged her. This was wrong. She was betraying Angus. She was taking advantage of a grieving, unstable man. At the moment she didn’t care, she simply wanted more. He stroked her back and returned her caresses, but refrained from the intimacy she craved. She willed him to know he had permission to do anything he chose. She pressed closer. Once more she found his mouth with hers.

 

He responded for a moment and then broke the kiss and rested his chin on her head. His body stiffened enough to let her know he had withdrawn emotionally.

 

She waited for her heart to settle and the heat to leave her face. Finally she stepped back and turned away, unable to face him. She'd misread his concern for attraction and was aghast that she had somehow allowed Duncan to turn the tables on her.