you ever been to Pontchartrain Vineyards?”
“A vineyard? Here? As in wine?”
“Crazy, but there is. Off Old Military Road.” He held her gaze. “They have this Jazz in the Vines thing once a month. I wondered if you wanted to go.”
“With you?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t we just cover this?”
“Not to my satisfaction.”
“I don’t date cops. Too much history.”
“Sounds like an unreasonable bias.”
“It is. No argument from me there.”
“Good news, I’m not a cop. I’m acting chief. Big difference.”
“You’re a Tanner. Even worse.”
“Another unreasonable bias. I’m not going to give up.”
Kat decided she liked that. “Whatever. Your brain cells.”
He laughed. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“Another one?” She sat back. “Shoot.”
“Last night, you mentioned sneaking out to meet your boyfriend. Who were you dating?”
He continued to surprise her. She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because I’m reopening your sister’s murder investigation.”
CHAPTER TEN
Tuesday, June 4
1:00 P.M.
Kat wanted to talk to Ryan before Luke did, so she headed directly there from the police department. R&B Imports wasn’t the small-scale operation she had expected, but a big, impressively slick one, from the contemporary leather seating in the waiting room to the complimentary beverage center, complete with an espresso machine.
She greeted the blond receptionist. Young, very. Looked bored. Kat smiled. “I was hoping Ryan was in?”
“He is.”
That was it. No smile or offer of help, borderline rude. Kat wondered if Ryan encouraged the attitude as a way of discouraging unwanted visitors or if she was just that clueless.
“Is he available?”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Tell him Kat McCall’s here to see him.”
Her expression changed subtly, sharpening with interest. “If this is about your car, one of the mechanics—”
“It’s personal. I think he’ll want to talk to me.”
For a split second, the girl looked as if she might refuse, then she picked up the phone.
Moments later, Ryan met her at the door to his office. He didn’t look happy to see her. Kat acknowledged a perverse pleasure at the thought she might be totally screwing up his day.
He closed the door behind them and faced her. For a long moment, they simply gazed at each other.
She had wondered what he’d look like after all this time. If he’d be as handsome or if he’d have gone soft and begun to lose his hair. She had wondered if she would still respond so forcefully to being near him.
The answer to the first was yes, he was still handsome. Lean and muscular with a full head of dark hair, though he had changed dramatically in other ways. Before, he’d been a young rebel, the quintessential town bad boy. Now his demeanor shouted success, confidence and … caution. The new Ryan Benton cared what people thought.
And the answer to the latter was no—the sexual tug she had felt for him back then was gone. All that remained was a smoldering anger.
“Ballsy move coming here,” he said.
“I grew a pair in the last ten years.”
He released a bark of laughter. “Wild-Kat McCall, all grown up.”
Wild-Kat. He used to call her that sometimes. She’d liked it. The name had made her feel adult. Like her own person. What a joke.
She swept her gaze contemptuously over him. “Rebellious Ryan Benton, tamed.”
He didn’t like that. “Why’re you here, Kat?”
“Wow. Really? After ten years, that’s it?”
“I don’t know what else you could expect after all this time.”
“I was madly in love with you. I gave you my virginity. Maybe an ‘It’s great to see you’ or a ‘You look great’?”
“You do look great,” he said softly. “But I’m not going to pretend to be happy to see you. You shouldn’t have come here and you shouldn’t have come back to Liberty.”
“And why’s that?”
“Let’s not play games. People haven’t forgotten.
“A vineyard? Here? As in wine?”
“Crazy, but there is. Off Old Military Road.” He held her gaze. “They have this Jazz in the Vines thing once a month. I wondered if you wanted to go.”
“With you?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t we just cover this?”
“Not to my satisfaction.”
“I don’t date cops. Too much history.”
“Sounds like an unreasonable bias.”
“It is. No argument from me there.”
“Good news, I’m not a cop. I’m acting chief. Big difference.”
“You’re a Tanner. Even worse.”
“Another unreasonable bias. I’m not going to give up.”
Kat decided she liked that. “Whatever. Your brain cells.”
He laughed. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“Another one?” She sat back. “Shoot.”
“Last night, you mentioned sneaking out to meet your boyfriend. Who were you dating?”
He continued to surprise her. She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because I’m reopening your sister’s murder investigation.”
CHAPTER TEN
Tuesday, June 4
1:00 P.M.
Kat wanted to talk to Ryan before Luke did, so she headed directly there from the police department. R&B Imports wasn’t the small-scale operation she had expected, but a big, impressively slick one, from the contemporary leather seating in the waiting room to the complimentary beverage center, complete with an espresso machine.
She greeted the blond receptionist. Young, very. Looked bored. Kat smiled. “I was hoping Ryan was in?”
“He is.”
That was it. No smile or offer of help, borderline rude. Kat wondered if Ryan encouraged the attitude as a way of discouraging unwanted visitors or if she was just that clueless.
“Is he available?”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Tell him Kat McCall’s here to see him.”
Her expression changed subtly, sharpening with interest. “If this is about your car, one of the mechanics—”
“It’s personal. I think he’ll want to talk to me.”
For a split second, the girl looked as if she might refuse, then she picked up the phone.
Moments later, Ryan met her at the door to his office. He didn’t look happy to see her. Kat acknowledged a perverse pleasure at the thought she might be totally screwing up his day.
He closed the door behind them and faced her. For a long moment, they simply gazed at each other.
She had wondered what he’d look like after all this time. If he’d be as handsome or if he’d have gone soft and begun to lose his hair. She had wondered if she would still respond so forcefully to being near him.
The answer to the first was yes, he was still handsome. Lean and muscular with a full head of dark hair, though he had changed dramatically in other ways. Before, he’d been a young rebel, the quintessential town bad boy. Now his demeanor shouted success, confidence and … caution. The new Ryan Benton cared what people thought.
And the answer to the latter was no—the sexual tug she had felt for him back then was gone. All that remained was a smoldering anger.
“Ballsy move coming here,” he said.
“I grew a pair in the last ten years.”
He released a bark of laughter. “Wild-Kat McCall, all grown up.”
Wild-Kat. He used to call her that sometimes. She’d liked it. The name had made her feel adult. Like her own person. What a joke.
She swept her gaze contemptuously over him. “Rebellious Ryan Benton, tamed.”
He didn’t like that. “Why’re you here, Kat?”
“Wow. Really? After ten years, that’s it?”
“I don’t know what else you could expect after all this time.”
“I was madly in love with you. I gave you my virginity. Maybe an ‘It’s great to see you’ or a ‘You look great’?”
“You do look great,” he said softly. “But I’m not going to pretend to be happy to see you. You shouldn’t have come here and you shouldn’t have come back to Liberty.”
“And why’s that?”
“Let’s not play games. People haven’t forgotten.
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