Read Online Cavanaugh Reunion by Marie Ferrarella - Free Book Online
Authors: Marie Ferrarella
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logical conclusion. “So to you, this is a competition?” He wouldn’t have thought that of her, but then, he reminded himself, he really didn’t know this woman. Chemistry—and there was plenty of that—was not a substitute for knowledge.
It wasn’t a matter of competition, Kansas thought defensively, it was a matter of sharing information with someone she trusted. Right now, she had no basis forthat. Moreover, she didn’t trust this man any further than she could throw him.
“To me, Detective, you’re basically a stranger—”
He finished the statement for her. “And your mother taught you never to speak to strangers, right?”
One would think, after all these years, the word mother wouldn’t create such a feeling of emptiness and loss within her. But it did.
“I’m sure she would have if I’d had one,” Kansas answered, her voice distant. He looked as if he was going to say something apologetic, so she quickly went on. “What I’m saying is that you’re an unknown quantity and I haven’t got time to waste, wondering if you have some kind of ulterior motive…or if I can confide in you because you’re really one of those pure-hearted souls who believes in truth, justice and the American way.”
“I think a red cape and blue tights would go with that,” he responded dryly. “Me, I’m not that noble. I just want to put this son of a bitch away before he hurts someone else—and if I have to work with the devil or share the stage with him to do it, I will.”
There was only one conclusion to be drawn from that. For the second time, Kansas rose to her feet, her hands on her hips. “So now I’m the devil?” she demanded.
He looked surprised that she would come to that conclusion. “No, I didn’t say that. You really are something,” he freely admitted, “but devil isn’t the word that readily comes to mind when thinking of you.” He flashed a grin at her that shimmied up and down her spine and was totally out of place here. “I was just trying to let you know how far I’d be willing to go to catch this guy if I had to.”
His grin, she caught herself thinking, had turned utterly sexy. And he undoubtedly knew that. She’d never met a handsome man who was unaware of the kind of charisma he wielded.
“So,” Ethan was saying, “why don’t we pool our resources and see what we can accomplish together? Bring your team over to the precinct,” he encouraged.
It pained her to admit what she was about to say. “I am the team.”
“Then you won’t need to find a large car to drive over.” Ethan put his hand out to seal the bargain. “What do you say?”
She looked down at the hand he held out to her. While she preferred working on her own, the point here was to catch whoever was setting these fires and keep him—or possibly her—from doing it again. The firebug needed to be caught as quickly as possible…before actual lives were lost.
She slipped her hand into his and shook it firmly. “Okay.”
“Attagirl.” He saw a look come into her eyes he couldn’t fathom. Had she just taken that in a condescending manner? “Sorry, I didn’t mean it the way it might have sounded. Just expressing relief that I got you to come around so quickly.”
Okay, she needed to set him straight right from the beginning. “You didn’t get me to ‘come around so quickly,’ Detective. It’s just common sense. You have an entire task force devoted to tracking down this firebug.” There was a safe expression, she thought. It didn’t espouse any particular theory other than this unbalanced person felt a kinship to flames. “That meansyou have more resources available to you than I do. We can hopefully move forward more quickly and put an end to this sick reign of fire before someone is actually killed.”
Ethan nodded in agreement. “A woman after my own heart.”
She paused to pin him with a look that spoke volumes. Mostly it issued a warning. “Not even in your wildest dreams,
It wasn’t a matter of competition, Kansas thought defensively, it was a matter of sharing information with someone she trusted. Right now, she had no basis forthat. Moreover, she didn’t trust this man any further than she could throw him.
“To me, Detective, you’re basically a stranger—”
He finished the statement for her. “And your mother taught you never to speak to strangers, right?”
One would think, after all these years, the word mother wouldn’t create such a feeling of emptiness and loss within her. But it did.
“I’m sure she would have if I’d had one,” Kansas answered, her voice distant. He looked as if he was going to say something apologetic, so she quickly went on. “What I’m saying is that you’re an unknown quantity and I haven’t got time to waste, wondering if you have some kind of ulterior motive…or if I can confide in you because you’re really one of those pure-hearted souls who believes in truth, justice and the American way.”
“I think a red cape and blue tights would go with that,” he responded dryly. “Me, I’m not that noble. I just want to put this son of a bitch away before he hurts someone else—and if I have to work with the devil or share the stage with him to do it, I will.”
There was only one conclusion to be drawn from that. For the second time, Kansas rose to her feet, her hands on her hips. “So now I’m the devil?” she demanded.
He looked surprised that she would come to that conclusion. “No, I didn’t say that. You really are something,” he freely admitted, “but devil isn’t the word that readily comes to mind when thinking of you.” He flashed a grin at her that shimmied up and down her spine and was totally out of place here. “I was just trying to let you know how far I’d be willing to go to catch this guy if I had to.”
His grin, she caught herself thinking, had turned utterly sexy. And he undoubtedly knew that. She’d never met a handsome man who was unaware of the kind of charisma he wielded.
“So,” Ethan was saying, “why don’t we pool our resources and see what we can accomplish together? Bring your team over to the precinct,” he encouraged.
It pained her to admit what she was about to say. “I am the team.”
“Then you won’t need to find a large car to drive over.” Ethan put his hand out to seal the bargain. “What do you say?”
She looked down at the hand he held out to her. While she preferred working on her own, the point here was to catch whoever was setting these fires and keep him—or possibly her—from doing it again. The firebug needed to be caught as quickly as possible…before actual lives were lost.
She slipped her hand into his and shook it firmly. “Okay.”
“Attagirl.” He saw a look come into her eyes he couldn’t fathom. Had she just taken that in a condescending manner? “Sorry, I didn’t mean it the way it might have sounded. Just expressing relief that I got you to come around so quickly.”
Okay, she needed to set him straight right from the beginning. “You didn’t get me to ‘come around so quickly,’ Detective. It’s just common sense. You have an entire task force devoted to tracking down this firebug.” There was a safe expression, she thought. It didn’t espouse any particular theory other than this unbalanced person felt a kinship to flames. “That meansyou have more resources available to you than I do. We can hopefully move forward more quickly and put an end to this sick reign of fire before someone is actually killed.”
Ethan nodded in agreement. “A woman after my own heart.”
She paused to pin him with a look that spoke volumes. Mostly it issued a warning. “Not even in your wildest dreams,
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