little too old to believe in fairy tales, aren't you?"
She'd known he would find a way to ridicule her. They all did. And yet she couldn't help but feel let down. After the compassion he'd shown her, some part of her had hoped he'd be different. "You think love and commitment are just for fairy tales?"
"People fall in and out of love faster than the wind changes. There's no such thing as 'happily ever after.' Commitment only lasts as long as the hormones hold out. Love, romance, sex--it's nothing more than chemistry."
Her disappointment grew. "That's an awfully cynical point of view."
"It's reality." He glanced out the window at a young couple walking hand in hand. "People try to make sex into more than it is, and they end up getting hurt."
Kat couldn't believe he truly meant what he'd said. "Don't you hope to get married one day and be a father?"
A muscle clenched in his jaw. "No. Not interested."
The tone of his voice was starkly final.
He drew his gaze from the window. "Man, I bet it scares the shit out of most guys when you say that stuff."
Yes, it did. "Most guys just want to play around, but women aren't toys."
His gaze hardened. "Are you saying that most women don't play around, that women don't use men?"
"Not in the same way." Not the women Kat knew, certainly.
"If you say so." He gave a bitter laugh. "Thanks for being so direct. But when I asked you to dinner, I wasn't asking you to have sex with me. I just wanted to get to know you better."
Kat stared at him, astonished and mortified. Could she have misjudged him? Could she have been wrong about the look she'd seen in his eyes? She'd thought for certain that he was coming on to her, but ...
Wishing she could hide under a rock, she looked away, cleared her throat, and changed the subject, her cheeks burning even hotter. "Is ... Is there any chance you could get into trouble if I use the information you gave me about Officer Daniels in my interviews and my article?"
After all he'd done to help her, she didn't want to get him fired.
He seemed to consider the possibility for a moment, then shook his head. "It will become public record soon enough. Just don't attribute it to me."
"Do you have a number I can reach you at if I have any questions?"
He reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and wrote his number on the back of a business card. "It's best if you call my cell."
"Thanks." She gave him her card, then took one last sip of her coffee. "We're hoping the city will apologize and then amend its charter to guarantee us access to Mesa Butte. If only we could make the public understand ... But then I guess it's impossible for anyone who wasn't brought up with the Native way of life to see the land the way we do and understand why the butte is so important to us."
He raised a single dark brow. "Is that so?"
The note of challenge in his voice made it clear he wasn't convinced.
She stood her ground. "Of course, it is."
"Well, then how about this? Meet me up there on Saturday at four. My shift will be over, and it will still be daylight. You can show me what the land looks like through your eyes, and I'll tell you how I see it through mine."
KAT's ARTICLE HIT the street the next morning, her version of the story so much more complete that the other news outlets were now scrambling to catch up. She'd gone to print with the tip about Daniels she'd gotten from Gabe, a tip she'd verified using transcripts from police dispatch. She'd also included the Native community's demand for a formal apology and guaranteed access to Mesa Butte. A radio station in Boulder had asked her to come on the air this evening to talk about what had happened at the butte. But best of all, Grandpa Red Crow had already called her to tell her how much he appreciated the article.
"It's good to read our side of the story for once, Kimimila," he'd said.
She'd promised to stop by with a few extra copies of the paper after work, his praise touching her deeply, some part of her
She'd known he would find a way to ridicule her. They all did. And yet she couldn't help but feel let down. After the compassion he'd shown her, some part of her had hoped he'd be different. "You think love and commitment are just for fairy tales?"
"People fall in and out of love faster than the wind changes. There's no such thing as 'happily ever after.' Commitment only lasts as long as the hormones hold out. Love, romance, sex--it's nothing more than chemistry."
Her disappointment grew. "That's an awfully cynical point of view."
"It's reality." He glanced out the window at a young couple walking hand in hand. "People try to make sex into more than it is, and they end up getting hurt."
Kat couldn't believe he truly meant what he'd said. "Don't you hope to get married one day and be a father?"
A muscle clenched in his jaw. "No. Not interested."
The tone of his voice was starkly final.
He drew his gaze from the window. "Man, I bet it scares the shit out of most guys when you say that stuff."
Yes, it did. "Most guys just want to play around, but women aren't toys."
His gaze hardened. "Are you saying that most women don't play around, that women don't use men?"
"Not in the same way." Not the women Kat knew, certainly.
"If you say so." He gave a bitter laugh. "Thanks for being so direct. But when I asked you to dinner, I wasn't asking you to have sex with me. I just wanted to get to know you better."
Kat stared at him, astonished and mortified. Could she have misjudged him? Could she have been wrong about the look she'd seen in his eyes? She'd thought for certain that he was coming on to her, but ...
Wishing she could hide under a rock, she looked away, cleared her throat, and changed the subject, her cheeks burning even hotter. "Is ... Is there any chance you could get into trouble if I use the information you gave me about Officer Daniels in my interviews and my article?"
After all he'd done to help her, she didn't want to get him fired.
He seemed to consider the possibility for a moment, then shook his head. "It will become public record soon enough. Just don't attribute it to me."
"Do you have a number I can reach you at if I have any questions?"
He reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and wrote his number on the back of a business card. "It's best if you call my cell."
"Thanks." She gave him her card, then took one last sip of her coffee. "We're hoping the city will apologize and then amend its charter to guarantee us access to Mesa Butte. If only we could make the public understand ... But then I guess it's impossible for anyone who wasn't brought up with the Native way of life to see the land the way we do and understand why the butte is so important to us."
He raised a single dark brow. "Is that so?"
The note of challenge in his voice made it clear he wasn't convinced.
She stood her ground. "Of course, it is."
"Well, then how about this? Meet me up there on Saturday at four. My shift will be over, and it will still be daylight. You can show me what the land looks like through your eyes, and I'll tell you how I see it through mine."
KAT's ARTICLE HIT the street the next morning, her version of the story so much more complete that the other news outlets were now scrambling to catch up. She'd gone to print with the tip about Daniels she'd gotten from Gabe, a tip she'd verified using transcripts from police dispatch. She'd also included the Native community's demand for a formal apology and guaranteed access to Mesa Butte. A radio station in Boulder had asked her to come on the air this evening to talk about what had happened at the butte. But best of all, Grandpa Red Crow had already called her to tell her how much he appreciated the article.
"It's good to read our side of the story for once, Kimimila," he'd said.
She'd promised to stop by with a few extra copies of the paper after work, his praise touching her deeply, some part of her
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