Chapter 8 A Ring and a Rose
September
“I can’t believe this is actually happening!” Miley gazed dreamily around the L-shaped booth that her mom and Hawk had just finished helping her set up. “We’re officially in business, folks!”
They were camped in the parking lot of the rodeo grounds on the Comanche reservation with a few dozen other vendors — mostly Native Americans, though a few citizens from Heart Lake had managed to squeeze through the stringent application process with their buffalo jerky and herbal plant displays. It was a well-attended event year round. For some of the Comanche vendors and their families, it was their primary source of income.
Hawk experienced a sense of indulgent pride as he surveyed the exorbitant number of rawhide and leather products he and Miley had on display. Instead of reminding her he’d been in the rawhide business since before she was born, he raised a hand to give her a high five.
“Looking good, partner!” She’d worked hard. She’d earned this. He hoped she made a whole pile of cash today.
She ignored his attempt at a high five and launched herself into his arms.
While he was swinging her around, she wickedly announced in his ear, “If you propose to my mom right now, I promise to say yes for her!”
Though she was laughing, he heard the underlying angst in her voice. Setting her carefully back on her feet, he drew her behind the booth where they could speak with more privacy. “Pretty sure Running Bear will have me thrown out of the tribe if I steal his thunder and propose to your mom right now. What’s this really about, kid?”
Running Bear was proudly strutting around the parking lot with Annalee on his arm, introducing her as his niece to all of his friends. The fact that she wasn’t related to him by blood didn’t seem to faze him. She certainly looked the part today with her long blonde hair in braids and a flowery dress that made her look like a garden nymph.
Miley followed his gaze and burst into tears.
“Whoa!” Hawk reached for her shoulders, searching her face. “Start talking.” She was really starting to worry him.
“I can’t lose my mom, Hawk! I’d rather die than lose her!” Tears slipped and slid down Miley’s cheeks.
“The good Lord isn’t gonna let that happen, and neither am I,” he answered in his steeliest voice, still not sure what her outburst was about.
“I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but it’s not working.” More tears dripped down her cheeks. “Because of what happened to my dad, I’ve already learned first-hand that life isn’t fair, and bad things happen to really good people sometimes.”
Ah. He hugged her again, starting to see the issue. “Well, anyone who tries to get to you and your mom will have to come through me first.” Not to brag, but dealing with him was something bad hombres usually feared, and for good reason.
“Thanks, Hawk.” Her arms curled around his middle, and she pressed her cheek to his heart.
“Not sure what set you off,” he muttered, cupping a hand around her head to hold her there, “but this is supposed to be a happy day.”
She sniffled loudly and burrowed closer. “I hear you and my mom talking sometimes when you think I’m not listening, so I’m well aware some whack job is still after us. Guess it just sorta hit me a few minutes ago that this is the only place on earth we may ever be safe again.”
He wasn’t sure that was true. He definitely hoped it wasn’t, but he let her keep talking. It sounded like a storm was bottled up inside her that she needed to let out.
“I don’t want this to ever end,” she wailed, “which is why I said what I said.”
He dropped his chin on top of her head. “I do hope to marry your mom someday.” He didn’t mind admitting it, since her mother already knew it. “It’s something I’ve been praying about a lot lately, and I’ll ask her when the time is right.” Not today.
She wiggled to loosen his grip so she could gaze joyfully up at him. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” He curled his upper lip at her. “That I’ll be married to your mom, genius.” Man, but he enjoyed giving her a hard time!
“You’ll also officially become my dad, which in no way means you’ll ever be the boss of me,” she warned, waving a sassy finger beneath his nose.
He flicked her finger away. “I’m already the boss of you,” he taunted. “Who else do you think writes your paychecks?”
She jutted her chin at him. “You pay me in cash, mister.”
“For now.” He dropped his arms, waggling his eyebrows suggestively toward the checkout station she’d set up for their customers in the middle of their booth. “But if you don’t get your skinny hiney back to work soon, your wallet might feel lighter come next payday.”
“Harsh!” She stuck her tongue out at him, wiping the tears from her face. She returned to her workstation looking and sounding a lot more like her normal self.
He followed her. “You gotta problem with me? Tell someone like Rex. For reasons I will never understand, he puts up with all of your nonsense.”
Miley burst out laughing. “Three words,” she informed him loftily. “Late night snacks.”
Hawk shook his head in mock disgust at her. “Is that why my grocery bill has quadrupled?” His cell phone buzzed with an incoming call, interrupting their bickering. He held up a finger to her as he answered it.
“Yo, Hawk,” a familiar voice greeted him. “This is Tucker with an update on the case.”
“What happened to Johnny?” Hawk was starting to feel like his friend was completely ghosting out on the case.
“Red tape, man. Lots of red tape.” Tucker sounded exasperated. “You wouldn’t believe all the hoops the tribal council has him jumping through right now. Exhuming a body is never easy, but all their in-fighting feels like World War III.”
“I hear you.” Hawk was less than thrilled to hear that Lonestar Security hadn’t yet succeeded in obtaining a second autopsy on Chayton Dakota. The last he’d heard, some of the old-timers on the council were violently opposed to disturbing the man’s grave, citing it as sacrilege. Without an updated autopsy, however, the investigation into Chayton’s death was at a standstill.
“But that’s why you’ve got me,” Tucker said quickly. “I know you’re with your family, so just listen.”
Liking the way others already saw him and the Gilbert women as a blended family, Hawk shot a quick look at Miley and found her watching him worriedly. He winked at her, hoping to reassure her that everything was okay, turning away so she couldn’t see his face. “I’m listening.”
“The APB the police have out on Mirabelle Gilbert just went state wide.”
Hawk gave a low whistle.
“It’s a big deal, I know,” Tucker agreed. “Nobody ever imagined it would take this long to apprehend her. She’s hoofing it around alone on foot with no ID, no vehicle, no medical coverage, and no money. At least, that’s what the state hospital administration told us.”
Here it comes. “But,” Hawk prompted grimly. “I know there’s a but to your story.” There was always a but with Tucker.
“But what if it’s not true?” the P.I. drawled.
“Which part?”
“What if she’s not working alone?” Tucker warmed to his theory as he laid out his argument for it. “There’s no way she could’ve remained on the run for more than a month without any money. And if she’s got money, then someone is helping her. It’s that simple.”
Hawk agreed with everything but the simple part. Nothing about this case so far had been simple or straightforward. “What’s our next move?”
Tucker never called to just shoot the breeze. He was always working on some angle or another. As far as Hawk could tell, he led a solitary life, being friendly to everyone without bothering to make any actual friends.
“It’s not my place to tell you what to do, but you might wanna tighten security around Annalee and Miley.” Tucker sounded bothered about something. “At least, that’s what I’d do.”
Hawk wasn’t sure what else Tucker was expecting him to do. The tribal council was already stretching their budget to keep him on duty round the clock as the Gilberts’ bodyguard, and the rez police were making patrols as often as they could around Hawk’s cabin and property. Plus, he had his state-of-the-art security system covering nearly every inch of the place and Running Bear lurking in the background.
“Since it’s my day off, I can come help out at the market,” Tucker offered. “Friend discount. No charge. You cover my lunch, and we’ll call it even.”
“Deal.” Tucker’s way of doing things wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Hawk respected the guy. “Didn’t know we were friends, but I’m taking the deal.”
Tucker snorted. “That was too easy. Makes me think I could’ve held out for a better price.”
“Good point. I’ll add ice to your water,” Hawk offered.
“You’re all heart,” the P.I. retorted good-naturedly.
“Take it or leave it.” Hawk was confident he would take it, and he did.
“I’ll be there in ten to twenty minutes.” Tucker hung up.
* * *
Ten minutes earlier
It was such a warm, sunny morning that Annalee could almost forget she was walking around the parking lot with a set of crosshairs on her forehead.
Running Bear patted the hand she had wrapped around his arm. “You’re safe here. You know that, right?”
She gave a silent sigh. “Am I that transparent?” She kept a smile pasted on her face, wanting to keep up appearances for his sake. He seemed so happy to have her and Miley in his life that she didn’t want to spoil the moment for him.
“You’re not the only one who’s worried.” He patted her hand again. “Why else do you think I’m parading you around like a peacock in front of the entire tribe?”
She batted her eyelashes at him. “Naturally, I assumed it was because you like my dress.”
He grunted with humor. “That, too, my dear. That, too. But it’s also because I want every person who lives on the rez to know how much you mean to me. That alone will give you an extra measure of protection in the coming days.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth, overcome with emotion. “You’ve been so kind to me and my daughter. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
“You’re family.” He seemed to think that was all the explanation the situation warranted.
“We’ve always been family,” she said softly.
“In name only, I suppose, but you moved to the rez and made it real.” His voice was grimly resolute. “That’s worth something to me.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She observed him sadly from beneath her eyelashes. “But some are saying I did it out of sheer desperation.” She’d overheard the grumbles and whispers.
“They’re wrong, and you know it. You’ve rolled up your sleeves and gone to work. You serve. You give back. You care.” He spoke in a low, fierce voice for her ears alone.
“I do care, sir.” She wasn’t sure that caring was going to be enough to keep her alive, though.
“You could’ve run,” he pointed out. “Snatched up your kid and hightailed it out of town, but you didn’t.”
“I thought about it, but where would I go?” They ultimately had Hawk to thank for talking her out of it. “You’re all Miley and I have left, Running Bear.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” He pointed in satisfaction at her. “That’s what sets you apart from the herd that’s out there chasing everything but what’s important. Family means something to you. Speaking of which…” He shaded his eyes to gaze across the parking lot at the booth that Miley and Hawk were occupying. “I know a certain bodyguard who’s starting to think of you and Miley as family, too.”
“Hawk is very special to me, sir.” She felt her face grow warm, and it had nothing to do with the sun spilling over them.
“A woman who’s not ashamed to admit what’s on her heart. I like that.” He sounded tickled to pieces over it.
“I love him, Running Bear.” She grimaced. “I love him enough to worry that my ongoing presence here on the rez may be putting him in danger. You, as well.”
Running Bear cleared his throat. “You do realize he’s in the business of protecting people?”
“I know, but?—”
“Let him do his job.” He stopped her with an upraised hand. “There’s nothing else he’d rather be doing. No one else he’d rather be protecting. He was honored that the tribal council chose him for the task.”
“Well, I’m honored that he said yes.” Like Running Bear, she shaded her eyes to watch Miley and Hawk at work in their booth.
Hawk had his back to Miley, talking on his cell phone. A customer wearing a gray hoodie and jeans was bent over the table directly in front of Miley, examining the row of wallets on display there.
Though Hawk was within spitting distance of her daughter, Annalee didn’t like the fact that the customer in the gray hoodie had their hood pulled up. She also didn’t like the fact that Miley seemed less animated than usual. She was just standing there, staring wide-eyed at the customer.
“Please assure me they put every customer through a metal detector on their way into the parking lot,” Annalee gritted between her teeth. So help her, if Hoodie Person was giving her daughter a hard time…
“We do not.” Running Bear glanced her way in surprise. “What seems to be the problem?”
“Have you ever seen the person browsing through Miley’s products?” Annalee squinted their way, trying to make out the details, and decided it was a woman beneath the gray hoodie. Definitely a woman.
Running Bear shaded his eyes again to take another look. “I’m gonna need to see her face before I answer that.”
Annalee tried to tug him in the direction of the booth, but he dug in his heels. It would’ve been easier to uproot a tree stump.
“Let her test her business skills, Mother Bear.” Running Bear’s voice was mildly chiding. “Hawk is right there. He won’t let anything bad happen to her.”
She bit down on her lower lip. “He’s not even looking at her.”
“He doesn’t need to be.” Running Bear nudged her in the opposite direction. “He has eyes in the back of his head.”
Unfortunately, Annalee didn’t. She had to keep craning her neck and twisting her body around to keep her daughter in sight. “We should go check on her,” she pleaded after a few minutes. It seemed to her that the woman in the hoodie was purposely keeping her back to Hawk, and Miley’s body language still looked off. “I think I know my daughter well enough to know when something is wrong.”
Running Bear stopped walking and pivoted with Annalee back toward the booth he’d been trying to distract her from.
The mysterious woman was gone, and Miley was jumping up and down. She waved both arms in the air, as if trying to get someone’s attention.
“Mom!” Her shriek carried all the way across the parking lot, turning heads.
Annalee didn’t hesitate. She yanked her hand from Running Bear’s arm and broke into a sprint, drawing more curious stares.
Hawk looked up as she reached Miley and threw her arms around her.
Miley hugged her back so tightly that she had trouble breathing. “You’re not gonna believe what just happened.”
“Who was that woman?” Annalee demanded, holding her daughter at arm’s length. “The one in the gray hoodie. Who was she?” She glanced up at Hawk, including him in the question.
“It was her! ” Miley’s words tumbled all over themselves. “She introduced herself as my Aunt Mirabelle, and I didn’t doubt it for a second. She looks just like you, Mom!”
Annalee’s knees started to shake. Her greatest fear had come true. The woman trying to harm them had come within inches of her precious daughter. She opened her mouth to say something, but a whimper of alarm was the only sound that came out.
She coughed and tried again. “Why didn’t you call the police, hon?” They’d gone over this a million times. The danger the two of them were in was no joke.
Miley pinned her with a beseeching look. “Because she asked me not to!”
Annalee’s eyes widened with indignation. “Miley Dakota! This isn’t the time to be a rebellious teenager, for pity’s sake. Your safety is at stake.” Mine, too. And probably Hawk’s.
Miley slapped her hands down on her skinny hips. “She told me she was innocent of all that stuff people are accusing her of, and I believed her.”
“Oh, Miley,” Annalee groaned.
Her daughter’s expression grew mutinous. “Don’t oh, Miley me , Mom! Just listen to me, will you? I’m the same kid you taught how to be a hard target. The same kid who always played in the center of the playground and never went anywhere alone at night. I’m also the same kid you taught to think for herself and make her own decisions, and I decided a few minutes ago that my Aunt Mirabelle wasn’t here to harm me or anyone else. She asked me to tell you that, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ll tell the same thing to the police, if you want. I’ll put it in writing. I’ll?—”
Annalee shushed her by throwing her arms around her and hugging her again. “Just tell us what happened. Every detail.”
As Miley spilled out the rest of her story, Hawk lifted his phone to his ear.
Annalee heard the words police chief and tasted relief, knowing the police would soon be on their way.
Tucker Pratt materialized and joined their huddle, speaking in undertones to Hawk. From the looks of others scurrying around the parking lot, the rez was battening down the hatches in terms of security.
“She bought a ton of stuff, Mom.” The excitement in Miley’s voice was palpable. “Our first customer of the day. Three wallets, eight coasters, and two belts. She spent a lot of money. If we keep this up,” she bragged, “we’ll be rich!”
A white patrol car pulled into the parking lot with its lights flashing, though its sirens were turned off. A tall, wiry Native American in a police uniform stepped out from behind the wheel, leaving his door open. He strode up to their booth with his long, black hair swinging behind him in the morning breeze.
“Hawk.” He walked straight up to Hawk and clasped his hand.
Hawk walked him over to Annalee and Miley. “Annalee, this is Police Chief Adriel Montana. Chief, this is my girlfriend, Annalee Gilbert, and her daughter, Miley.”
It was the first time he’d ever called her his girlfriend in public. It felt good to be claimed by him. Reassuring. Right. Annalee moved to his side and reached for his hand.
He twined their fingers together, and they faced the police chief together. “Tell him everything you know about your sister, babe,” he urged.
She launched into what she knew, which wasn’t near enough. “Obviously, she’s more clever and resourceful than anyone has given her credit for,” she concluded breathlessly.
“What did you expect?” her daughter muttered from somewhere behind her. “She’s a Gilbert.”
Annalee bristled. “Miley, hon, we’ll discuss this later.”
“I’m sure we will, Mom.” Her daughter’s impertinence was off the charts today. Annalee had never seen her like this before.
She returned her attention to the police chief and found him studying them with something akin to amusement. The glint in his eyes disappeared as soon as they made eye contact, however, making her wonder if she’d imagined it.
“Unfortunately, we still don’t know what my sister is planning.” Her stomach was in knots just thinking about it. “I’m just grateful she didn’t harm my daughter. More grateful than words can express.” Her voice broke.
“Aunt Mirabelle was nice, Mom!” Miley sounded indignant. “She wasn’t any of those things the police have been saying about her on TV. She wasn’t carrying a gun. She didn’t do anything stupid. She looked and sounded perfectly normal.”
But looks could be deceiving, and every mature person knew that. Poor Miley still had so much growing up to do. Annalee studied her daughter pityingly, not sure what it was going to take to convince her that how she’d handled the encounter with her aunt was wrong.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Miley abruptly held out a fist and uncurled her fingers. Resting on her palm was a gold ring with a jeweled rabbit mounted on the top of it. “She told me to give you this, Mom.”
“You forgot?” Annalee didn’t believe that for a second, but her daughter remained silent while she took the ring from her. She turned it this way and that beneath the sunlight and decided the tiny diamond chips on it were fake. The band didn’t look like real gold, either.
“It’s a flash drive holder.” Hawk reached for it. “May I?”
She handed it to him and watched in fascination while he examined it. Within seconds, he’d located and popped out a thumbnail-sized flash drive.
Tucker produced an electronic pad and waved it suggestively in the air. “Who wants to see what’s on it?”
Adriel Montana gestured for him to continue. “Go ahead. Afterward, we’ll need to take it to the station as evidence.”
Hawk bent his head to speak in Annalee’s ear while Tucker made a big show of putting on latex gloves before plugging the flash drive in. “Don’t worry. He’ll download us a copy before he turns it over.”
She squeezed his fingers gratefully. It was turning out to be really useful to have a bodyguard for a boyfriend and a growing number of P.I.s for friends, all of whom worked for the same security company.
Tucker tapped on his screen to open the contents of the flash drive. “Well, this is interesting,” he noted. “Very interesting.”
“What’s interesting?” Annalee leaned his way anxiously, but the pressure of Hawk’s fingers kept her at his side.
Right. Tucker was downloading a copy of the flash drive, probably saying whatever he thought it would take to stall for time.
“Looks like a bunch of medical reports and records for Mirabelle Gilbert,” Tucker said slowly. “Going all the way back to…wow! Some of them are over thirty years old. Thirty-two years, to be exact. The oldest ones are on letterhead for a place called Stepping Stones Preschool.” His eyebrows rose. “They’re signed by the school nurse, a woman by the name of Priscilla Hardy.”
Hardy? Annalee choked on the breath she was in the middle of taking. Rosamund Dakota’s first husband had the last name of Hardy. Annalee seemed to remember someone mentioning in passing that Rosamund had remained friends with her sister-in-law after the divorce. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the woman’s name.
She coughed to clear her throat. “I wouldn’t mind hearing if Priscilla Hardy has any connection to Judge Hardy. For anyone who isn’t already aware, the judge is Rosamund Dakota’s ex-husband.” Whatever had led to her twin sister’s confinement at a state hospital, it was starting to look like Rosamund’s handiwork was all over it. That couldn’t be a good thing.
“I am aware,” Police Chief Montana confirmed. “While we comb through the contents of the flash drive, we’ll run a search on Priscilla Hardy’s connections.”
It was going to take time, though, time Annalee wasn’t sure they had. Time her sister might not have, either, if she was as innocent as she claimed to be.
Tucker finished talking them through the high points of what was saved on the flash drive. Then he ejected it from his electronic notebook, peeling off his latex gloves in such a way as to keep the flash drive tucked inside of them. He handed the whole wad to the police chief.
“Thanks.” Adriel Montana held out a plastic evidence bag so Tucker could drop it in. “I’ll keep you posted about what we find.” A few minutes later, he drove off.
Miley avoided her mother’s eye as she scurried back to her booth to straighten the remaining products on display.
Annalee followed her. “Sweetheart,” she sighed.
Miley’s shoulders stiffened. “I’m not wrong about Aunt Mirabelle, Mom. You’ll see.”
“You took a terrible risk, hon.”
“I know it looks that way, but it’s not like I really had much choice.” Miley darted a sheepish look at her and sighed. “Think about it. If she really was dangerous, what do you think would’ve happened when I pulled out my phone and dialed the police in front of her?”
Annalee honestly didn’t want to think about that. “You purposely let her get away, didn’t you?” Now that they were alone, she peppered her daughter with questions, knowing she could’ve dialed 911 the moment Mirabelle had taken off.
“What if I did?” Miley lifted her chin.
“You almost didn’t hand over the ring she gave you, either.”
“Only because she said it was for your eyes alone. I was worried it would end up in someone else’s hands before you had a chance to read what was on it, and guess what?” Miley gave a bounce of pure frustration. “That’s exactly what happened.”
Annalee bent her head closer to her daughter to confide, “Not before Tucker downloaded a copy of it.”
Miley’s eyes widened. “You mean?—?”
Annalee muffled her daughter’s chortle of delight by slinging an arm around her shoulders and hugging her close. “Upon reflection, you handled the entire situation exactly as you should have, which has earned you zero lashes with a wet spaghetti noodle.”
Miley giggled. “That’s some tough parenting there. Keep it up, and I may never move out.”
Annalee hugged her again. “Trust me, sweet girl. You’ll be moving out long before I’m ready.” She caught sight of a young Native American striding their way with purpose. His gleaming, dark gaze zeroed in on Miley. To Annalee, it was like receiving immediate confirmation of her words. She muffled a sigh as she stepped away from her daughter to give the two of them some space.
“Hey, Miley!” Josh Chavez didn’t look anything like a minister today, just a regular twenty-one-year-old in the presence of a beautiful young woman he was most definitely interested in.
“Hey, Josh!” Miley spun his way, sounding so delighted that his already bright expression glowed even brighter. “Are you out here rounding up sinners or enjoying all the free samples?” Over half of the vendors were offering products to taste, sniff, or try on.
“Neither, actually.” He surveyed the L-shaped display of her and Hawk’s beautiful pieces of carved leather. “I happen to be in the market for a new wallet today.”
Oh, wow! You really do like my daughter, Pastor Chavez. Annalee glanced around in search of Hawk and found him on his phone again. The hard set to his jaw told her the person he was speaking to wasn’t delivering good news.
She hurried his way and waited silently until he ended the call. “What is it?”
He studied her bleakly for a moment. “An eyewitness has come forward with a digital snapshot of our hit-and-run driver.” They were fortunate his truck hadn’t been totaled. It had still taken weeks to fix the damage to the body. “According to the Heart Lake Police, the person is a credible source.”
She nodded and waited for him to continue, feeling suddenly out of breath.
He grimaced. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought they were describing you in the photo.”
Her heart hit the ground. “My sister,” she whispered. A fresh wave of uncertainty flooded her, rendering her lightheaded. She didn’t want to believe him, and she most definitely didn’t want to inform Miley that her instincts might’ve been wrong about her aunt. However, the police had deemed the person who’d taken the photograph to be credible, and the evidence didn’t lie.
“Looks like,” Hawk muttered.
She shook her head helplessly. “The whole world feels upside-down right now.”
“I know, but I’m right here.” He kissed her with his eyes. “And this is where I intend to stay.” It was his way of reminding her that whatever was coming, they would face it together.
Her eyelids fluttered closed. “I just want it to be over.” She wasn’t sure how much more bad news her heart could handle.
“It’s always the darkest before the dawn.”
Something tickled her left ear, making her squirm and open her eyes.
He was busy fiddling with the hair behind her ear.
“Please tell me it’s not a bug,” she squealed.
“It’s not a bug. It’s a rose.” He caressed her cheek, drinking her in. “A red one. The lady who sold it to me said it represents devotion, desire, and true love.”
“Oh, Hawk!” The way he’d managed to find a patch of beauty in the middle of so much ugliness made her love him all the more. “Thank you.”
He stepped closer to rest his hands on her waistline. “Is that all you’ve gotta say to the guy who just told you you’re his one true love?”
Her eyes widened. “You already know how I feel about you.”
“Yeah, but I wanna hear the words.” He dipped his head over hers, nuzzling noses with her.
“Are you sure about that?” After the way she’d kissed him on a number of occasions, there was no way he wasn’t crystal clear where he stood with her.
“Very sure.” He hovered his mouth over hers.
“There’s a bazillion people standing around us,” she protested.
“Not quite that many.” He didn’t sound the least bit worried about having an audience.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine,” she sighed in surrender. “I love you, Hawk Chesney. Every part of me loves every part of you.”
“Now, kiss me.” He spoke against her lips.
She stood on her tiptoes to reach him. “Ruthless,” she whispered.
“Ruthlessly in love with you,” he agreed as he accepted her kiss.