She shrugged. “It wasn’t the media ploy that upset me as much as realizing he ’trifled with my affections,’ to use an old southern phrase.”
“You really think he doesn’t care anything for you?”
“If he does, he’s never mentioned it. What hurts is that he deliberately cultivated my feelings for him, and then used them to manipulate me.”
“He can have tunnel vision when it comes to his work,” Trammell said delicately. “Let’s sit down.”
“Are you going to plead his case?” she asked as they took chairs at the table.
“Not really, but I know Dane better than anyone else on earth, including you, including anyone in his family. They only grew up with him; you’ve only slept with him. I’ve risked my life with him. I know him from the ground up.”
“Do you think he’s capable of cold-bloodedly using someone in an investigation?”
“Of course he is. He’s a cop. So am I. But he’s never been cold-blooded where you’re concerned. How can I put this without being crude?” he mused, looking at the ceiling. “Do you remember when you came to Bonness’s office, and you and Dane all but went to war right then?”
She nodded.
“Well, to put it delicately, he had a boner so hard a cat couldn’t scratch it.”
Marlie choked on her tea, then fell back in the chair, shrieking with laughter. Trammell stretched out his long legs, as languorous as a cat, looking pleased with himself while he waited for her to calm down.
“He’s my hero,” he continued lazily after a moment. He wasn’t looking at her now, but a tiny, rather self-mocking smile lurked around his mouth as he stared at the ice in his glass. “I didn’t join the force out of idealism or anything like that; I was bored, and it seemed like an interesting job. Dane and I were paired after the first year, and we’ve been together ever since. I don’t believe in much, or trust much, but Dane is a rock I can rely on no matter what. Not that he’s idealistic, either. He’s even more cynical than I am.
“But he’s got a sense of right and wrong that he’s never lost touch with. All I see are shades of gray, but Dane can see the black and white. He knows that there are certain things worth fighting for, and he’s willing to put himself in the front line. He’s a gallant, heroic bastard, and he’s never even conscious of it. He’s an old-fashioned southern good old boy, the salt of the earth. He’s street-smart, woods-savvy, and sly as a fox. A real throwback. Mean, too. Damn, can he be mean! But he turns to putty where women are concerned. We used to laugh at him, when he was still on patrol and had to work an accident. If there was a woman involved, it didn’t matter if she was just holding her arm and a man was lying there bleeding from a dozen places; it was as if Dane never saw the guy. He’d go straight to the woman, make certain she was all right, so tender they’d be melting at his feet within a few minutes. It would embarrass him when he realized he’d left another man lying in the street, and we were all laughing at him.”
“You don’t have to tell me he has a good bedside manner,” she said dryly.
“No, I don’t suppose I do. But I’ve never before seen him the way he is with you. He’s always had women, and not one of them ever meant enough to him to interfere with the job. Until you. He couldn’t get you off his mind. You drove him crazy; you made him so angry he couldn’t think. It was the most amusing thing I’ve seen in a couple of years. He may not know he’s in love with you, but trust me, he won’t let you go. I know him. If you walk out that door, he’ll be right behind you.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “How can a man not know if he’s in love? Give me a break.”
“Well, it’s never happened to him before.”
“Had it happened to you. before Grace?”
He looked uncomfortable. He swallowed, hard. “Uh, no.”
“Did you recognize it?”
“Let’s just say that I fought it.”
“But you knew it was there. I’d never been in love before, either, but I knew what it was.”
“Dane’s more hardheaded than most.”
“You’re telling me,” she muttered. “I can’t read a thing from him.”
Trammell gave a shout of laughter, but quickly sobered. He gave her an uneasy look. “Can you read me?”
She smirked at him, happy to see him squirm. “I haven’t tried since I regained the ability.”
“How about Grace?”
“I don’t intrude on my friends,” she said sternly.
“Psychic’s Code of Honor, huh?”
“It wouldn’t be polite. I’ve always had to try to block people out, rather than try to receive their feelings.”
They heard a car door slam outside. “There’s Dane,” Trammell said, and drained his glass. “Think about it, Marlie. Give the guy a break, and save our sanity. It’s been dangerous to talk to the man today.”
“I’ll consider your view of things,” she said. “But my final decision depends on him.” Until ten minutes ago, she had thought that she had already made her final decision, but Trammell’s explanation that Dane was hardheaded had made her pause.
Dane walked in, looking hot and irritable. His gaze settled first on Marlie, with a sort of bad-tempered yearning, then on the tea they were drinking. He prepared a glass of tea for himself and sat down with a sigh. “It’s been a bitch of a day.”