Elijah left the dirt road and walked toward her as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He wore a canvas jacket, close-fitting jeans and a navy blue Red Sox cap, and Jo noted the dark stubble of beard on his square Cameron jaw. If possible, he was even more appealing than he had been at nineteen, when he had whisked her off for three nights and four days in the very cabins she had just inherited.

She had never loved anyone the way she had Elijah Cameron.

But that was a long time ago.

He came up to the doorstep with his vase of flowers. They were all lilies-Asiatic lilies in varying shades of cream, apricot and copper.

Jo settled the box onto her right hip. She could have stayed with her sister or brother or in her old room growing up, but she’d opted for space, quiet and solitude. She’d always loved the lake. While she was doing damage control on her career, she figured she could also consider her options for what to do with her lakefront property.

Elijah barely contained a smile. “Rough week, Agent Harper?”

It wasn’t looking to get better anytime soon. “Hello, Elijah.”

“Jo.”

“I didn’t see you-”

“Not a chance. You’re a Secret Service agent who protects the lives of important people. You spotted me before you took the key out of your ignition.”

She sighed. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

His eyes, the same deep blue that had captivated her as a teenager, sparked with humor. “No, ma’am. It’s too good.”

“No one else is making this easy. No reason you should.” She nodded to the enormous vase of lilies he carried in the crook of one arm. “Taking up flower arranging, Elijah?”