claimed the big round booth in the back corner. Kara, Tessa, Holly and Natalie ordered martinis, while Kat, who didn't drink, and Sophie, who couldn't drink, ordered Italian sodas.
Kara shared the news about Reece's decision not to run for Congress. "He's term limited, so after May he'll be out of office and done with politics."
Sophie nibbled her cherry. "How does he feel about that?"
"I think he's relieved." Kara took a sip of her martini and tucked her long dark hair behind her ear to reveal a smooth pearl earring. "Neither of us liked the thought of having to commute between Denver and D.C. He's looking forward to teaching again."
Sophie shared the names she and Marc had picked out for their baby. "If it's a girl, we've agreed on Addison Lyra, and if it's a boy, he'll be Elijah Phoenix."
Everyone laughed except Kat, who didn't understand what was funny.
"Chase Orion, Addison Lyra, Elijah Phoenix--they all have constellations as middle names," Tessa explained, smiling, her blond curls spilling over her shoulder.
It struck Kat as wonderful that parents would name their children after stars. "I think that's beautiful, Sophie."
"The three of you are so lucky." Natalie smiled--a sad smile, Kat thought. "You have it all--wonderful husbands, successful careers and beautiful kids."
"I'm sure you'll meet the right guy one of these days," Sophie reassured her. "Half the men at the paper think they're in love with you."
"Only half?" Natalie joked.
But Kat could see in her eyes that she wasn't really laughing.
Then Holly told them all a story that started with how her neighbor was pregnant with in-vitro twins and ended with how a local painter had asked Holly to pose for him in the nude. Platinum blond and stunningly beautiful, Holly lived on the light side of life, seeming to take nothing but her appearance and her sex life seriously. Though that often led her to say things that others found insensitive or superficial, Kat found her lightness to be a gift. No matter what was happening around them, Holly always made them laugh.
"So, are you going to do it?" Kara asked.
Holly took a sip of her martini, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Do you think people will assume he and I are lovers if he paints me naked? I mean, the guy isn't sexy in the least, and I would never want people to think I'd slept with him."
The others debated this while Kat tried to imagine how any woman could be so bold as to pose naked for paintings that would be displayed in public art galleries.
It was Kara who finally changed the subject. "I read your article about the trouble up on Mesa Butte last weekend. I learned a lot from it. I thought you did a really good job of explaining to your audience what this meant to Indian people."
Kat met Kara's gaze and felt something in her chest swell at the compliment. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"What about this officer who pulled your hair?" Tessa asked. "You said in the article that you had filed a complaint against him. Any word on that?"
"They've promised to look into it. Gabe filed a complaint against him, too, so I hope that means they'll take it more seriously than they otherwise might."
Four pairs of eyes looked at Kat--and blinked.
"Gabe?" Sophie asked. "Who exactly is Gabe?"
"Gabe Rossiter. He's the park ranger who intervened. It turns out he's also the ranger who saved my life last summer."
Holly made a little sound in her throat like a purr. "Is he single?"
TALKING WITH HER friends about Gabe only made Kat think about him more. She thought about him on her way home. She thought about him when she brushed her teeth. She was still thinking about him the next morning--and thinking about how she might be able to get out of meeting him--when Grandpa Red Crow called to tell her there would be an inipi on the butte tonight in defiance of the unjust law.
When she told him how frustrated she felt about her progress on the Mesa Butte investigation, he urged her to be patient. "This problem
Kara shared the news about Reece's decision not to run for Congress. "He's term limited, so after May he'll be out of office and done with politics."
Sophie nibbled her cherry. "How does he feel about that?"
"I think he's relieved." Kara took a sip of her martini and tucked her long dark hair behind her ear to reveal a smooth pearl earring. "Neither of us liked the thought of having to commute between Denver and D.C. He's looking forward to teaching again."
Sophie shared the names she and Marc had picked out for their baby. "If it's a girl, we've agreed on Addison Lyra, and if it's a boy, he'll be Elijah Phoenix."
Everyone laughed except Kat, who didn't understand what was funny.
"Chase Orion, Addison Lyra, Elijah Phoenix--they all have constellations as middle names," Tessa explained, smiling, her blond curls spilling over her shoulder.
It struck Kat as wonderful that parents would name their children after stars. "I think that's beautiful, Sophie."
"The three of you are so lucky." Natalie smiled--a sad smile, Kat thought. "You have it all--wonderful husbands, successful careers and beautiful kids."
"I'm sure you'll meet the right guy one of these days," Sophie reassured her. "Half the men at the paper think they're in love with you."
"Only half?" Natalie joked.
But Kat could see in her eyes that she wasn't really laughing.
Then Holly told them all a story that started with how her neighbor was pregnant with in-vitro twins and ended with how a local painter had asked Holly to pose for him in the nude. Platinum blond and stunningly beautiful, Holly lived on the light side of life, seeming to take nothing but her appearance and her sex life seriously. Though that often led her to say things that others found insensitive or superficial, Kat found her lightness to be a gift. No matter what was happening around them, Holly always made them laugh.
"So, are you going to do it?" Kara asked.
Holly took a sip of her martini, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Do you think people will assume he and I are lovers if he paints me naked? I mean, the guy isn't sexy in the least, and I would never want people to think I'd slept with him."
The others debated this while Kat tried to imagine how any woman could be so bold as to pose naked for paintings that would be displayed in public art galleries.
It was Kara who finally changed the subject. "I read your article about the trouble up on Mesa Butte last weekend. I learned a lot from it. I thought you did a really good job of explaining to your audience what this meant to Indian people."
Kat met Kara's gaze and felt something in her chest swell at the compliment. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"What about this officer who pulled your hair?" Tessa asked. "You said in the article that you had filed a complaint against him. Any word on that?"
"They've promised to look into it. Gabe filed a complaint against him, too, so I hope that means they'll take it more seriously than they otherwise might."
Four pairs of eyes looked at Kat--and blinked.
"Gabe?" Sophie asked. "Who exactly is Gabe?"
"Gabe Rossiter. He's the park ranger who intervened. It turns out he's also the ranger who saved my life last summer."
Holly made a little sound in her throat like a purr. "Is he single?"
TALKING WITH HER friends about Gabe only made Kat think about him more. She thought about him on her way home. She thought about him when she brushed her teeth. She was still thinking about him the next morning--and thinking about how she might be able to get out of meeting him--when Grandpa Red Crow called to tell her there would be an inipi on the butte tonight in defiance of the unjust law.
When she told him how frustrated she felt about her progress on the Mesa Butte investigation, he urged her to be patient. "This problem
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