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though, she’d suspected that her mother might be right.
    Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone.
    But if she entertained the notion that her mother’s claim did have a basis in fact, then this … abduction … might be just what she needed to finally cut the cord where Jack was concerned. The man’s high-handedness might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
    Feeling better about her world than she had in weeks, Cat relaxed. She dozed for a bit, then awoke slowly, soaking in the sun and drinking in the sound of water crashing over stones, and the comfort of the small dog resting beside her. This was a little piece of paradise, wasn’t it?
    When a yellow butterfly danced across the air above her, she watched it until something higher in the sky caught her notice.
    The bird was huge, with a wingspan of at least six feet as it soared and circled above the valley. Cat sat up and shielded her eyes with her hand, watching the bird’s majestic presence. Was that an eagle? She wasn’t sure. She’d never seen an eagle in the wild, but since Jack had told her that his estate was named Eagle’s Way, she wouldn’t be surprised.
    As she watched, the bird suddenly turned and dived toward the ground. As he came closer, she saw the familiar bald head and decided that yes, he had to be an eagle. How cool was this?
    He swooped down upon the meadow and she heard a cry, then he rose with his prey—a rabbit—wiggling in his talons. Cat gave a little shudder, and murmured to Peanut, “I’d better keep a close eye on you whenever we’re outside.”
    She turned her attention back to the water, and that’s when she saw him. Jack stood downstream some fifty yards or so with a fly rod in his hands. She watched him work the line with a fluid, artistic grace, and an old, familiar yearning washed through her.
    Those hands. Those talented hands. They’d made her body sing like none before and none since.
    Suddenly he yanked back on the rod. Color flashed on the surface of the stream as he reeled the rainbow trout in. Once he had the wriggling fish gripped securely in his hand, he looked her way. The predatory triumph in his eyes brought the eagle to mind.
    A frisson of apprehension skittered up Cat’s spine. This might be her opportunity, but she was in his territory. She’d best keep watch on more than the sky while she was here at Eagle’s Way.

THREE

    Jack didn’t make mistakes very often, but when he entered the kitchen to make coffee on the morning of their third day at Eagle’s Way, he feared he’d made a huge one when he decided to bring Cat to Colorado. Being around her stirred up not only his libido, but also regrets. He could deal with the former, but the latter was giving him trouble.
    Regrets were a waste of energy. He couldn’t go back and change what had happened, but being around Cat made him entertain thoughts he had denied himself for years. Being around her made him want things he hadn’t wanted since the day he moved out of their house. Knowing that once again she slept beneath his roof had Jack tossing and turning in his bed all night.
    He wanted her. He despised her. Dammit, a part of him still loved her. How sad was that?
    Still half asleep, he poured coffee beans into the grinder. As the motor whirred, he tried to shake off his grouchy mood.
    When Cat stumbled into the kitchen a few moments later looking half asleep herself, they fell into the breakfast-making routine they’d established long ago, then revived on their first morning at Eagle’s Way. Cat set out fruit and yogurt, and while the coffee brewed, Jack made toast. Neither spoke until after they’d tastedtheir first sip of coffee—the need for caffeine being something they still shared.
    Cat spoke first. “Good morning.”
    “G’morning.”
    “Any news from Washington?”
    He thought of the middle-of-the-night alert he’d received and the subsequent conference call.
    In recent years, as kidnapping had become a regular method of