to continue. 'Well, I'm tired and hungry, even if you're not.'
A touch of relief winged through her eyes before she pulled her gaze from his again. 'I guess it would be stupid to stumble around in the dark. We could so easily miss the kids.'
A wildcat snarled in the distance, and magic whispered across his skin. That was no ordinary cat out hunting an evening meal. It was a shapeshifter hunting them.
He rose to his feet and offered Maddie his hand. She hesitated, then accepted his help, her fingers cold and stiff against his.
'What are you going to do about the inn?' she said, studying the dark tree line intently.
'What I do depends on how Hank reacts.' And whether Hank believed that his meeting with Maddie was only an accidental meeting of old friends. 'Someone at the inn obviously suspects I'm here to find the kids. It might be Hank; it might not. I'm hoping that my sudden reappearance might force them into action and give us a lead.'
Her gaze flicked past his and settled on some point past his right shoulder. 'What if that reaction is trying to kill you again?'
He frowned. She was looking at anything and everything but him, and it was beginning to annoy the hell out of him. He might have warned her not to get involved, but he'd never said anything about not looking at him. He liked looking into her eyes, damn it. Liked watching the flow of emotions through their amber depths.
'They won't attempt it with an inn full of guests.' Or at least, he hoped they wouldn't.
A gold-red curl had broken loose from her ponytail and flipped across her face. He reached out and tucked it behind her ear, allowing his fingers to trail lightly against her cheek. It was like touching satin.
Her gaze jumped to his, and he saw a flash of fear in them. Not fear of him. Fear of herself. He wondered why.
'Don't,' she said softly.
He took a deep breath, then stepped away. But distance didn't dampen his sudden desire to touch her.
Hold her.
'We should get going,' he said, more abruptly than he'd intended. 'I can smell snow in the air.'
She nodded and swung his jacket off her shoulders. He half expected her to hand it back, but she slipped it on instead.
'Lead on, then.'
When he didn't move straight away, her look asked why he was standing there. He smiled and led the way back to the truck.
The inn felt like a furnace after the chill of the night. Maddie quickly stripped off the two coats and handed Jon his with a smile of thanks.
'Ah, Miss Smith. So good to see you again.'
She jerked around at the sound of Hank's voice. He was leaning casually against the banister, his smile warm and lazy. Yet there was nothing casual in the way he watched them.
Maddie swallowed uneasily. 'Evening, Mr. Stewart.'
'Please, call me Hank.' He pushed away from the banister and moved across to the desk. 'I'm afraid there's been a terrible mix-up in the room bookings. We presumed Mr. Barnett had left and gave you his room.'
'Oh.' She couldn't think of anything else to say without giving away the fact that she knew why there was a mix-up.
Jon's shoulder brushed against hers as he stepped slightly in front of her. It was an oddly protective gesture that warmed the pit of her stomach. His fingers touched hers, and she clasped his hand.
'How unfortunate,' Jon said. He squeezed her fingers gently, his touch warm and reassuring.
Hank's gaze narrowed slightly. 'I'm afraid the inn is fully booked, but we're willing to arrange other accommodations for you, Mr. Barnett. At the inn's cost, of course.'
She wondered if the other accommodations would include another nice, damp well.
'Of course,' Jon's tone was dry. 'But I don't mind bunking down in Maddie's room for the night. We have a lot to catch up on.'
His lazy grin left little doubt of what they'd be catching up on. Hank raised his eyebrows, his smile almost a leer.
Maddie tried to ignore the heat creeping into her face. Hank had to believe she and Jon were old lovers catching up, or things could get dangerous. 'We certainly do,' she agreed softly.
Hank frowned, and a hint of confusion flickered through his eyes. 'Well, then. If it's okay with Miss Smith, we certainly have no objections.'
She met Hank's dark gaze. There was no way on Earth she'd take a room by herself with him around, anyway. There was something in his eyes that made her feel ill—a hint of depravity and menace and something else she just couldn't name.
'Good,' she said levelly. Though she wasn't entirely sure spending several nights alone with Jon was a much better option. In some ways, it certainly wasn't any safer.
Hank gave them a smile she didn't trust. 'It's something of a tradition at the inn to invite all our guests for Sunday dinner. Care to join us?'
She opened her mouth to say no, but stopped when Jon squeezed her fingers again. She frowned up at him. How did the man know what she was about to say before she said it?
'I think we can spare an hour or so,' he said, then gave her a quick smile that was intimate and intense.
Her heart skipped several beats, even though she knew it was all an act for Hank's sake.
'We've had quite a busy day,' he continued, his tone suggesting they'd done more than merely walk around. 'I, for one, am famished.'
Hank raised an eyebrow. It was hard to see whether he believed their act or not. 'Well then, please join us. The rest of our guests will be present, so it'll be a good opportunity for everyone to meet.'
She could think of nothing worse than a room full of strangers. Especially if Hank was going to be one of them.
'Thanks.' Jon raised her hand to his lips, mischief dancing in his eyes. 'Shall we go get ready, my dear?'
he said, and lightly kissed each of her fingers.
Heat shivered through her soul. She glared at him. This wasn't a game she wanted to play. It was far too dangerous to flirt with a man like Jon. Flirting could lead to caring, and that was something he'd already warned her against.
Still, for Hank to believe they'd once been lovers, she had to do more than simply stand there like a fool.
'Been ready for a while, lover,' she said softly and arched forward, brushing a kiss across his lips.
Lips that were soft and warm and so inviting that she didn't want to leave.
But it was only a game, and Hank was watching.
She pulled away. Jon touched her cheek, the amusement in his eyes suddenly replaced by a warmth that made her breath catch in her throat. Damn, she thought. I should have learned by now that it's
She cleared her throat and quickly turned, heading for the stairs.
When they'd reached the safety of their room, she turned around to confront him. And made sure she kept a good deal of distance between them.
'Why on Earth did you accept his dinner invitation?'
Jon threw his jacket over the back of the sofa before sitting down. 'We need answers. We're not going to find them hiding in our room.'
She leaned back against the table and rubbed her arms. The room was cold, despite the embers still burning in the hearth. 'How is going to dinner with strangers going to help us?'
He studied her for a moment, then rose and walked across to the fire. 'I'm betting one of the guests will be the woman Hank met in the cafe.'
He threw several small logs on the fire and stabbed the coals with the poker. In the firelight, flickers of gold appeared to run through his hair as it dropped across his eyes.
Maddie crossed her arms and stayed where she was. Cold or not, she didn't want Jon to think her brief
