complaint. For some reason, dispatch routed it to the police instead of to Mountain Parks. If the call had come to us, it never would have come to this. The land is under Mountain Parks's jurisdiction, so I expect there will be some shouting on Monday morning. We'll get it sorted out."
She tossed her towel across the seat, then turned to face him, a streak of mud on her cheek making his fingers itch to brush it away. "While you're sorting it out, think about this: tonight was a special women's lodge, called so that we could pray with a friend of ours who's sick with ovarian cancer. The police brought men with guns and dogs to stop our prayers. How would you feel if you were in church praying for a sick friend and got dragged out by your hair?"
"I'd be angry as hell." He didn't say that he hadn't set foot in a church since grade school. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm not your enemy."
"Then why are you here?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's my night on call"-- lucky me --"and I was paged. I had no idea what was happening until I got here. By then it was already too late to do anything beyond damage control. I'm trying to find out how this happened, and I promise I'll do everything I can to keep it from happening again."
She seemed to consider this, some of the anger leaving her face. "Thanks for getting that cop to back off."
"I'm sorry he hurt you. I'm going to report it, and you should, too."
"I will." She started to turn away, then seemed to hesitate. "And thanks again for saving my life."
Around them, the other cars were backing up, turning, driving away, their tires crunching on the snowy gravel road.
"Hey, I told you. You saved your own life." Then he remembered. "I have something that belongs to you."
He felt in his pocket for the earring, held it out for her.
For a moment she stared at it as if she didn't know what it was. Then her eyes went wide, and she took it from him. "Thank you."
"Have dinner with me."
What the hell? Have you lost your fucking mind, Rossiter?
Apparently, he had. Not only had he asked her out--when was the last time he'd asked a woman to have dinner with him?--but he also seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her answer as if it mattered.
"I'm sorry. I ... I couldn't." She looked toward the line of red taillights heading down the road. "I need to go. We're meeting at Grandpa Red Crow's house to finish our prayers and talk about this."
"Then how about lunch, something really informal?"
She climbed into her truck, slid behind the wheel, the vehicle seeming almost too big for her. And for a moment she said nothing, obviously thinking it over--not the reaction Gabe was used to getting from women.
Watch the ego, dumbass.
She turned to look at him at last. "Okay, but only if you agree to share everything you find out about why this happened."
Having conditions placed on an informal lunch date felt like more of a smack in the face than an outright rejection. But that didn't stop him from agreeing to it. "All right. It's a deal. How about the South Side Cafe at noon on Monday."
"Noon on Monday." She closed the door, and the truck's engine roared to life.
As Gabe watched her drive away, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.
CHAPTER 2
KAT SPENT MOST of Sunday at Grandpa Red Crow's house, helping the other women in the kitchen while men held a talking circle and discussed how to respond to this violation of the people's rights and how to make sure it never happened again. Pauline kept teasing her about the ranger--Ranger Easy-on-the-Eyes, she called him--making the other women curious until Kat was cornered into telling about the two times he'd helped her, first saving her life after the rockslide and then stopping the other officer from hurting her at the desecrated inipi.
"And she's going out to lunch with him tomorrow," Pauline added.
"Yaadila!" Good grief! Kat tried not to grow annoyed, keeping her voice even, her hands busy drying dishes. "I'm not
She tossed her towel across the seat, then turned to face him, a streak of mud on her cheek making his fingers itch to brush it away. "While you're sorting it out, think about this: tonight was a special women's lodge, called so that we could pray with a friend of ours who's sick with ovarian cancer. The police brought men with guns and dogs to stop our prayers. How would you feel if you were in church praying for a sick friend and got dragged out by your hair?"
"I'd be angry as hell." He didn't say that he hadn't set foot in a church since grade school. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm not your enemy."
"Then why are you here?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's my night on call"-- lucky me --"and I was paged. I had no idea what was happening until I got here. By then it was already too late to do anything beyond damage control. I'm trying to find out how this happened, and I promise I'll do everything I can to keep it from happening again."
She seemed to consider this, some of the anger leaving her face. "Thanks for getting that cop to back off."
"I'm sorry he hurt you. I'm going to report it, and you should, too."
"I will." She started to turn away, then seemed to hesitate. "And thanks again for saving my life."
Around them, the other cars were backing up, turning, driving away, their tires crunching on the snowy gravel road.
"Hey, I told you. You saved your own life." Then he remembered. "I have something that belongs to you."
He felt in his pocket for the earring, held it out for her.
For a moment she stared at it as if she didn't know what it was. Then her eyes went wide, and she took it from him. "Thank you."
"Have dinner with me."
What the hell? Have you lost your fucking mind, Rossiter?
Apparently, he had. Not only had he asked her out--when was the last time he'd asked a woman to have dinner with him?--but he also seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her answer as if it mattered.
"I'm sorry. I ... I couldn't." She looked toward the line of red taillights heading down the road. "I need to go. We're meeting at Grandpa Red Crow's house to finish our prayers and talk about this."
"Then how about lunch, something really informal?"
She climbed into her truck, slid behind the wheel, the vehicle seeming almost too big for her. And for a moment she said nothing, obviously thinking it over--not the reaction Gabe was used to getting from women.
Watch the ego, dumbass.
She turned to look at him at last. "Okay, but only if you agree to share everything you find out about why this happened."
Having conditions placed on an informal lunch date felt like more of a smack in the face than an outright rejection. But that didn't stop him from agreeing to it. "All right. It's a deal. How about the South Side Cafe at noon on Monday."
"Noon on Monday." She closed the door, and the truck's engine roared to life.
As Gabe watched her drive away, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.
CHAPTER 2
KAT SPENT MOST of Sunday at Grandpa Red Crow's house, helping the other women in the kitchen while men held a talking circle and discussed how to respond to this violation of the people's rights and how to make sure it never happened again. Pauline kept teasing her about the ranger--Ranger Easy-on-the-Eyes, she called him--making the other women curious until Kat was cornered into telling about the two times he'd helped her, first saving her life after the rockslide and then stopping the other officer from hurting her at the desecrated inipi.
"And she's going out to lunch with him tomorrow," Pauline added.
"Yaadila!" Good grief! Kat tried not to grow annoyed, keeping her voice even, her hands busy drying dishes. "I'm not
Similar Books
Lark Ascending
Meagan Spooner
The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café
Jenny Oliver
Stretching Anatomy-2nd Edition
Arnold Nelson, Jouko Kokkonen
Moonbog
Rick Hautala
Windigo Island
William Kent Krueger
Daniel Isn't Talking
Marti Leimbach
Zigzagging Down a Wild Trail
Bobbie Ann Mason
Jesse's Soul (2)
Amy Gregory