intermittently ever since. Over the last few days, it had been visible almost every day. It wasn't Jon, just a hawk enjoying its freedom and the warm summer breezes. But deep down, she couldn't help thinking that maybe it was some sort of omen.
She might have given up hope, but she hadn't yet given up on a miracle.
The kitchen was cool and dark when she got inside. Sighing in relief, she stripped off her damp T-shirt and ran upstairs for a quick shower.
Ten minutes later she heard the back door slam. Maddie grimaced. Trust Jayne to be early. Grabbing her hairbrush, she leaned out of the bathroom doorway. 'Be down in five! Help yourself to something to eat and drink.'
The pantry door squeaked open, and she smiled. Evan, no doubt investigating what she had to eat.
Jayne had been complaining that of late she just couldn't keep enough food in the house to feed him, and it wasn't hard to see why. He'd grown a good foot in the last year and showed no signs of stopping. He was already as tall as his father.
She frowned. Jayne and Steve had split up almost a year ago, and the change in her sister was amazing.
She'd once again become the vibrant, outgoing personality who had dominated most of Maddie's childhood—only this time that personality was edged with compassion and warmth.
But Steve was making noises about wanting to get back together—something Maddie knew Jayne wanted. She just hoped that if Jayne did allow Steve back into her life, it was in her own time and under her own rules. She'd hate to see her sister retreat into her shell again.
One good thing had come from the split, though. Steve had stopped treating Evan, and to a lesser extent Maddie, as some kind of freaks who needed psychological help. He'd even begun reading up on psychic abilities in an effort to try to help his son understand and control his gifts. It was something none of them had expected. Evan was speaking to his dad again, and Maddie's dreams no longer warned of him walking away.
She ducked across the hall to her bedroom. Grabbing a T-shirt and some shorts, she quickly dressed.
Still brushing her hair, she padded down the stairs and along the hall. 'Hope you picked up some more boxes, because I'm just about—' The jeans-clad figure turned as she entered the kitchen, and Maddie came to an abrupt halt. Jon!
Her heart skipped several beats. Lord, how often had she dreamed of this happening? Every waking hour in those first few months of separation had been filled with the fantasy of walking into a room and finding him there. But it was a dream that had gradually died. Was she dreaming now?
'Hello, Madeline.' His warm, velvet voice held a hint of uncertainty.
It was his uncertainty that convinced her he was real and a not just a figment of her imagination. She swallowed heavily, trying to stem the sudden rush of joy. 'Nice to see you again.' Her voice sounded deceptively calm, given the turmoil in her heart.
He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. Slivers of sunshine seemed to dance through his fingers. His hair was a little shorter now, and lines of weariness shadowed the diamond brightness of his blue eyes.
But everything else was the same, right down to the thigh-defining tightness of his jeans.
Maddie clenched her fingers around her brush. She wanted to reach out and touch him—wanted to feel the heat of his body, the touch of his lips on hers. Wanted it for real, and not just in her dreams. But the first move had to be his. He might have come back to say hello and nothing more.
'We need to talk,' he said softly. 'Please, come and sit down.'
She didn't move. Moving would only take her closer to him, and that was a risk she dared not take. Not yet. 'What do you want to talk about?'
He sighed and pulled his gaze from hers. 'Can we start with an apology?'
Hope fluttered. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and raised an eyebrow. 'For what?'
'For being such an ass. For taking so long to get back to you.'
'As good a place as any to start, I suppose.' She crossed her arms and stared at him. 'Why did you take so long to get here? Another couple of days, and I would be gone.'
'I know.' He glanced up, a slight smile tugging his generous lips. 'Have you bought another house yet?'
'No.' How did he know she'd sold her house? The sold sign out front had been moved several days ago, so he couldn't have seen it coming in. Her heart skipped several more beats—had he been keeping tabs on her all along?
His smile widened, then he turned and walked across to the window, opening the blind. 'Won't you miss this place? It's so peaceful.'
She frowned. Why was he discussing the damn house? 'Of course I'll miss it, but I can't afford the upkeep on my own.'
'Uh-huh.' He leaned a hip against the sink and crossed his arms, staring out the window for several long minutes. 'I often dreamed of owning a place like this,' he said softly.
'Then you're about a week too late to buy it. Some woman named Seline Whiteshore bought it.' She slammed her hairbrush down and walked across to the refrigerator. 'Want something to drink?'
He shook his head, not bothering to turn around. She poured herself a glass of soda and dragged out a chair. Whatever he'd come here to say was obviously going to take a while.
His next question was another bolt from the blue. 'Do you still have my ring?'
Maddie frowned and glanced down at her finger. Damn. She'd left it in the greenhouse. 'Yes, I have it.
Why?'
'Do you know the significance of it?'
'Of course I don't!' Why did he discuss the house and the ring instead of them? Had he come here as a friend, nothing more? She swallowed heavily, but her voice still came out a croak as she continued.
'Didn't it belong to your father?'
'Not precisely.'
He turned to face her. Something in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat.
'My father actually gave it to my mother, who then gave it to me when I was old enough.'
She had no idea where all this was leading. 'So?'
He smiled. 'In our family, it has become known as the Heart of the Hunter. It is a gift that the first born son of each generation gives to the woman he loves.'
It took several seconds for the meaning of his words to hit her. He was saying he loved her— Wasn't
'Do you want it back?'
His smile was rich and warm, but she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. 'No, I don't want it back. It belongs to you, as does my heart.' He hesitated, then added softly, 'I love you, Maddie.'
Tears stung her eyes. She blinked, pulling her gaze away from his. He'd finally said the words she'd longed to hear, so why was she suddenly crying?
'Why haven't you come back for me before now?' she whispered, staring at her hands, which were clasped together on the table.
He took a step towards her, then stopped. 'I walked away because I didn't want to see you harmed, didn't want you to become a target for some madman after me.'
'So why come here now and tell me you love me?'
'Because I can't survive without my heart anymore.' He walked around the table and squatted next to her chair. He didn't actually touch her, but he was close enough for the heat and the tension in his body to wash over her.
She kept her eyes on her hands and didn't move. Could barely breathe.
'I can't walk past a rose without thinking of you,' he continued softly. 'Every time I see a beaten up old truck with squealing brakes I find myself hoping it's yours. You have been in my thoughts and my dreams every minute of every day this past year and a half.'
'That doesn't answer the question.' She raised her eyes to his. She could see the fear and love and loneliness in the depths of his bright gaze—echoes of everything she'd felt since they'd parted. She reached out, gently touching the faint scar on his cheek. 'Why are you here now?'
