“I know.” His glance shifted to her face. “But I’m surprised you’re admitting it now. You couldn’t wait to run away from here.”

“I was hurting.” Eve’s gaze went to the hill where she’d thought she’d buried her daughter. “Everything reminded me of what you did.” He stiffened. “Was?”

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken in the past tense. “I don’t know, Joe. I still feel—

It’s not over. I’m not sure if it will ever be over.”

“I don’t know if I want it to be.”

“What?”

“That surprises you.” Joe’s gaze shifted back to the lake. “Do I want to live with you for the rest of my life? Hell, yes. Am I sorry I hurt you? You know I am. Do I want to go back to what we had before? I’d take it, but I think we can do better.”

“Do you?”

“I asked you to marry me two years ago. You said you loved me. Why didn’t you do it?”

“We were both busy. We just didn’t get around to it.” Joe turned to look at her.

“You never pushed it, dammit.”

“Because I was scared. I was always the supplicant in our relationship.”

“The hell you were.”

“It took me ten years to get you to admit you loved me and agree to live with me.

Do you think I’d rock the boat by trying to nudge you anywhere you didn’t want to go?”

“I did want to marry you.”

“Then why didn’t you do it?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that I’ve made some giant strides, but I’m still second banana to Bonnie.”

“And I suppose that’s why you lied to me?”

“No way. I would have done the same thing even if I thought I was number one on your hit parade. I wanted your search for her to end.”

“By lying to me.”

“It was a mistake. But it wouldn’t have been a tragedy if you’d fought your way back to the land of the living before it happened.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said shakily.

“No one knows better how far you’ve come. I watched you battle your way back from pain and depression and madness. Why do you think I love you so much?” He gently touched her cheek. “You just have to come a few more steps.”

“I’m… confused. You’re trying to turn this all around.” She blinked back tears.

“And you were never a supplicant, blast you.”

“Yes, I am. I’m asking you to let me stay. Let me help you take those final steps.

It’s all out in the open now. We can make a fresh start.”

“Joe…”

“You love me. You were happy here. You can be happy again.” She stared at him helplessly.

“Okay.” He took a step back. “I’m not pushing you.” Then he took a step forward and kissed her, hard. “The hell I’m not. I’m tired of being patient. We need each other, and I’m not going to let you blow it.” He headed for the front door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She flinched as the door slammed behind him. The air seemed to vibrate with the passion he had emitted. And not only Joe’s passion. She was shaking from emotion.

All the barriers she had erected between them seemed to be toppling. She lifted her hand to her lips. She could still feel the pressure of his lips.

Joe…

Why didn’t you marry me?

Why hadn’t she? Why had she shied away from that final commitment? Joe thought he knew, and had still been willing to accept second best.

He wasn’t second best. He’d never be second best to anyone.

She was being defensive, trying to protect him, she realized. But she was the only one who could hurt him. How much had she hurt him during these past two years?

He was walking down the path, every movement suggesting pent-up emotion ready to explode. His attitude was so different from the last time she had watched him and Jane together just a few weeks ago.

But then, nothing was the same now.

She turned away from the window. She was too upset and confused to sort out her emotions now. So stop staring after Joe and think about something else.

Yeah, sure.

“Jennings is coming.” Joe had thrown open the door again and was striding into the room. “Galen just called from the checkpoint at the main road. Jennings is alone in one car, but he’s accompanied by a police vehicle.”

“What?”

Joe shrugged. “I don’t know what the hell is happening. This isn’t Jennings’s style.”

Eve went past him out on the porch.

Headlights were coming down the road.

Nathan got up from the porch swing. “What’s happening?”

“Jennings. He probably wants Victor.”

He frowned. “Why the police car?”

Joe didn’t answer. “If you don’t want anyone to know you’re involved, you’d better disappear, Nathan.”

Nathan hesitated, and then slowly shook his head. “I’m tired of skulking around.

You came out in the open. It’s time I did, too.”

“Suit yourself.”

A few minutes later Jennings’s car was pulling up before the cottage. He got out of the car and started up the steps. “Sorry to do it this way,” Jennings said quietly.

“But I have to have that reconstruction, Ms. Duncan.” She bristled. “I don’t like to be pushed, Jennings. You’ll get it when I’m ready to give it to you.”

“I know you’re angry with me, but don’t let that get in the way of your good judgment. You did your job; now let us do ours.”

“Or you’ll break down the doors and take it?” She glanced at the patrol car. “Do you have a search warrant?”

“Oh, yes.” He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Joe. “I couldn’t take the chance of your refusing me again. Since the condo was blown up, my superior, Agent Rusk, has been on my ass about finding Hebert.”

“I’m not done. I’ve finished the reconstruction, but I haven’t done photo and video confirmations.”

“I’ll do it. I have photos of Bently in the car. Rusk wants me to check it out right away. I have to get on the horn and call him as soon as I leave here.”

“It’s not the same. I want to do it myself.” Eve’s lips firmed. “Did it ever occur to you that Hebert might come after it? Why don’t you stake out the cottage instead of taking the skull away from me?” My God, she had just suggested she be used as bait.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“Actually, we may set up a similar situation to lure Hebert. That’s one of the reasons we have to have the skull.”

“But I’m out of it?”

Jennings nodded. “I don’t see why you’re objecting. You couldn’t wait for me to take the skull when I came to see you.”

“I don’t like to have my work taken away from me by force. If you’d waited, I’d have probably called you.”

“We don’t have time.” He paused. “I just got off a plane from Boca Raton. I’ve been there scouting around for the past few days.”

“And?”

“Nothing concrete, but something occurred to me when I was down there. I went over what you told me, and the answer just came out of the blue. It was all there right in front of me, but I didn’t see it. I may be wrong, but I have a hunch…” He shook his head. “I need to talk it over with Rusk and see if he thinks I’m nuts. If not, we’ll have to move fast to put everything together.”

Eve sensed an undercurrent of excitement. There was tenseness, an alertness in his manner that was unmistakable. “What hunch?”

Jennings shook his head. “Will you please go get the skull for me? Don’t make me take it.”

Joe took a step forward. “No way.”

“I wonder how this kind of harassment would play in the press,” Nathan said softly from his seat on the swing.

Jennings glanced at Nathan sitting in the shadows. “Who the hell are you?”

“Just a friend,” Joe said.

Jennings looked back at Eve. “Quinn is a policeman. Do you want to make him disobey a legal writ in front of men from his own department?” So that was why he’d brought the police car. Smart. Very smart.

Joe never took his gaze from the FBI man. “I don’t give a damn about your writ.

Eve?”

“No.” She turned on her heel. “I would have eventually given it to him anyway. I just don’t like the use of force, and I wanted to do the finish work myself. It’s not worth causing you trouble.”