Jade watched a black pickup pull into a parking slot and stop.

"There's Hunter," Hawk said. "He's your bodyguard."

A tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the cab and reached back for a canvas duffel bag and briefcase. Jade caught her breath. The smooth, sinewy way he moved seemed so familiar.

He straightened and strode up the flagstone walkway toward them. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but she felt his gaze touch her in his assessment of his surroundings.

"That's Hunter?" she whispered, stunned by the man's eerie resemblance to Blake. Why this reminder now when she'd finally determined to get on with life?

As he drew closer, illuminated by shafts of sunlight filtering through the sycamore tree, a gold and jade ring on his right hand glowed. The jade pendant she wore on a gold chain under her blouse—a gift from Blake—resonated in response. How was that possible? While she'd shaped and polished the cabachon of Imperial jade for Blake's ring, she'd infused it with memories of their happiness together. At the same time, she'd tuned the stones to each other and set matching memories in her pendant.

How had the stranger come into possession of Blake's ring?

She felt the color drain from her face. Her feet were glued to the porch floor. Every fiber of her being fought to make sense of what she saw. It was almost like seeing her beloved Blake, alive, drawing closer without any sign he recognized her.

Ash scanned the trio on the porch. By process of elimination, the woman with auburn hair standing beside Hawk's wife was his new assignment. She didn't look like a scam artist, but he'd learned the hard way that evil came in many forms.