Her eyes widened a little. “Why not?"
"Because how can you say you love one man when you continue to f**k another?"
It was a harsh thing to say, yet he didn't regret it, even when he saw the flash of hurt in her lovely eyes. Because it was the truth. Love wasn't just words, it was actions, and her actions simply hadn't matched what she'd said. If he ever said he loved a woman, it would be because he was utterly and totally sure. It would be forever.
"That's unfair,” she said softly, the hurt he'd seen in her eyes lightly touching her voice. “You're six years older than me. You'd already had your chance to explore when you came to Rosehall. You cannot expect the same sort of maturity from someone who has only just begun to experiment."
"Love doesn't change its boundaries according to age, Vannah. It just is."
"So I was just supposed to give my heart, my soul and my body to a man who was only there to catch a killer, even though he never once admitted to any feeling other than desire?” She shook her head. “I may have been young, and I may have been emotionally immature, but I wasn't a total fool."
"So why did you say you loved me when you weren't even sure?"
"Maybe I was just caught up in the moment.” She glanced at her watch and screwed up her nose. “As much as I'd love to continue this discussion, I have to go meet Ronan and interview the diner's owner.” She hesitated, then added, “Steve's on guard duty outside your door. He'll keep all but your team and the assigned nurse and doctor out."
"And me in?"
"Most definitely,” she said, “and we will continue this conversation, Cade, because I really believe it's important for us both."
She walked out before he could reply. He blew out a breath, and wondered why he felt more drained after that conversation than he ever had after chasing criminals.
"Geez, I wouldn't mind a bit of that action,” Anton said, walking through the doorway but looking over his shoulder. Cade had no doubt as to who he was looking at.
"Don't even try it,” he warned softly.
Anton's grin flashed. “Looks like Trista's won the bet."
Cade bit down on his annoyance. “What bet?"
"I said our ranger wasn't your type. Trista said it was obvious the two of you were at it like wolves in moon heat. Looks like she was right."
And here he'd thought he'd been discreet. “I do not appreciate my love life being the topic of conversation when we have a murderer to chase down."
"Hey, if you play on work time, then it's fair game. Your rules, not mine."
Damned by his own words, though he'd never actually thought they'd ever apply to him. For ten years he'd managed to keep his sex life and his work life separate. Until now. Until he'd again met the one woman who'd always blurred the lines between what he had to do and what he wanted to do.
"What's happened while I've been out of it?"
"Tests came back from the arrow.” Anton's voice was deceptively mild. Meaning, Cade knew from past experience, he was highly amused. But then, Anton had a warped sense of humor. “You'll be pleased to know the tip wasn't poisoned."
Considering he was still here and not dead, that was pretty obvious. “What else?"
"We got no prints from the arrow, but we did pull several from the crossbow. And we found a match in the data system.” Anton held out a file.
Cade accepted it and opened it up. This blonde wasn't the one who'd walked into the nightclub, though there were certainly similarities. Her name was Lonny Jackson and she was a member of the cream pack from the Merron reservation over in Wyoming. Later addresses included Laramie, Wyoming and Colorado Springs, and each of those cities have outstanding warrants against her for failing to pay minor fines. He glanced up at Anton. “The rangers seen this yet?
"Just downloaded it, so no."
"Show them. They can do the footwork again. Ranger Grant is checking the diner where the other blonde was apparently working."
Anton's eyebrows rose. “So we do have two? I'd thought Trista might have heard our ranger wrong."
"She didn't. And the woman who bribed the kid to leave the note looks enough like Lonny Jackson to be her sister."
"According to that file, Lonny Jackson doesn't have a sister."
"Dig deeper, because I'm sure there's a connection between the two. It's just too much of a coincidence, otherwise. And while you're digging, do a background check on Lonny Jackson's mother. Get me picture, if you can."