“Quinn still thinks of you as walking wounded. He didn’t want you to exert any extra effort.”

“I know all that.” She crossed her arms across her chest. She felt cold. That was probably because she was tired from lack of sleep. Don’t admit even to herself that it had anything to do with the wound. Ignore it. “You’re defending him. That’s not at all like you, Caleb.”

“I’m defending you. You need all the support you can get right now.” He sighed. “It appears I’m not sufficient.” He sat down on the porch swing and stretched his legs out before him. “Until you realize how mistaken you are.”

She turned to look at him. “Since when have you needed any other opinion but your own?” Lord, he was magnetic, she thought suddenly. It was hard not to keep on staring at him. He was leaning lazily back in the swing, and his white shirt was clinging to the powerful muscles of his abdomen. She could see a hint of the dark hair that thatched his chest. And his eyes … dark, sensual, knowing. Everything about him reached out, touched, stroked. She had always thought he was probably the sexiest man she had ever met, and at this moment there was no doubt of it.

But sex could be enslaving if you couldn’t trust the man who wielded it. She was right to keep Caleb at a distance. Even now, when she was weary and hurt, he managed to make her feel more than she wanted to feel.

“But I value your opinion,” Caleb said with a half smile. “And I’m willing to work to be thought sufficient. Sometimes you come close, then you veer away. I agree that it’s safer for you to handle me that way, but so boring. Take a chance, Jane.”

“Why? You don’t have anything that I need except your help finding Eve.”

“No, but there might be something that you want.” He suddenly straightened and got up from the porch swing with one fluid movement. She tensed, foolish to feel this threatened. “A little distraction?” he offered as he came toward her. “I’m more than sufficient at that and very willing to—”

Her phone rang, and she grabbed it quickly without checking ID.

“Did you connect with Margaret?” Trevor asked. “I contacted the head of the search-and-rescue group, and he said that she’d been picked up in Atlanta.”

“Yes, Margaret’s here, Trevor.” She saw Caleb stop and go still. He obviously didn’t like or appreciate Trevor’s calling. Too bad. She was relieved to have that moment interrupted. She wasn’t too pleased with Trevor either, but she never felt threatened around him. “You shouldn’t have put her in touch with that group. It was none of your business. I didn’t want her here.”

“She wanted to come,” Trevor said. “And I liked the idea of your having someone besides Caleb and Joe Quinn beside you.” He paused. “It didn’t hurt that it kept me in the picture if only on a peripheral level. Have you found out anything more about Eve?”

“A little.” She rattled off the information they’d gathered. “Venable will be here soon and tell us more.”

“I’ll check out the info you’ve given me with my contacts and see if I can come up with anything. You have my number. Call me if you need me.” He added, “I’m letting you have a little time and space, but I’m going to be on my way up there in a day or two. Expect me.”

“I may not be here. If Venable gives us the information we need, we’ll be going after Doane.”

“Expect me,” he repeated, and hung up.

“He’s going to come here,” Caleb said flatly, as she pressed the disconnect. “I knew it was only a matter of time.”

So had Jane. Trevor had always done exactly what he wanted once he made up his mind. He had clearly made a decision that their relationship was to have a new start, and she could only hope that he stayed out of her way while she was searching for Eve. “Yes, tomorrow or the next day maybe.”

“And I’m sure he’ll try to be everything that’s sufficient.” His lips twisted. “No, glorious.”

“Glorious? What a description. Trevor would laugh at you.”

“No, that he wouldn’t do,” Caleb said softly. “Not more than once.”

“Caleb, I won’t tolerate any conflict,” she said through clenched teeth. “Not from either of you.”

“I’m sure you won’t have trouble with Trevor. He’ll be everything that’s civilized. Greek-god looks, sophistication, and intelligence. How could you ask for anything more?”

“Don’t be flip, dammit. And I can do without sarcasm.”

Caleb didn’t speak for a moment, then said, “You’re right. I’m having a few problems I didn’t expect. I think it’s because I know you were lovers.”

“What?”

“I know it’s none of my business.” He smiled sardonically. “And it shows how very uncivilized I am that it bothers me. Bothers me? That’s an understatement. I want to—” He broke off. “You don’t want to know what I want to do.”

“No, I don’t.”

His smile changed, warmed, became completely charismatic. “Then we won’t discuss it. But don’t you feel better that you know where you are with me? I wouldn’t be able to hide it even if I tried.” He added, “And I’ll be careful not to antagonize Trevor because I know it would make it difficult for you. We’re just men with the usual priorities, but Trevor will be civilized, and I’ll be as sensitive as I can, and it will all work out. Anything else would be exceptionally stupid.”

“Yes, it would.” And just because Caleb stated that truth wouldn’t necessarily mean that everything would be smooth and easy. She never knew which way he was going to jump. She said deliberately, “And I would never forgive either of you if you did anything that got in my way when I’m looking for Eve.”

“Point taken.” Caleb looked away from her to the road. “A car just came around the bend. Venable?”

“Lord, I hope so.” Her gaze followed his to the light tan Camry. “Yes, that’s the car he was driving.” She started quickly down the steps as she dialed Joe’s number to tell him. Now things would start to move. Now some of the waiting would come to an end. “Thank God.”

CHAPTER

14

Rio Grande Forest, Colorado

“HE’S COMING TO LIFE.” DOANE’S eyes were glowing softly as he gazed at the reconstruction. “I can see him. The shape of his lips … He always had such fine, full lips. How did you do that? I can see the cheekbones and perhaps the basic structure. But how did you get the lips?”

Eve shrugged. “Maybe I used the shape of your lips as a model. Using family resemblance is one way of creating an accurate picture.”

“But not your way.” He smiled. “I researched you for a long time, remember? You won’t even look at photos of possible victims in case it will influence you.” He reached up and touched his lips. “And my mouth is thinner and not nearly as symmetrical.” His gaze shifted back to the reconstruction. “No, it’s something else. He’s coming alive for you.”

“No!”

He ignored the instant rejection. “They always come alive for you, don’t they? You said that in one of your interviews. In the final stages, you rely on pure creativity.”

“That’s natural in a sculptor, which is what I am. What you’re talking about is something different.” She met his gaze. “I’m a sculptor, not Frankenstein.”

“I wish you were,” he said wistfully. “And perhaps you could be, given the opportunity. You may have the potential. Those lips…”

“A coincidence.” She was on edge, and she was tired of his insistence. She didn’t want to think about the last few hours when she had been drawn deep into the work. She had intended to block out all thought, but she had gone mindless, automatic, instead.

And when she had emerged, it was to see that face beginning to form beneath her fingers.

“It frightened you, didn’t it?” Doane said softly. “I told you that he wanted to come back to me. We belong together. We’ve waited so long to punish those bastards.”