Hunting Grounds

Chapter 31

Kate hadn't even made it into the kitchen to get something to drink before Rick had an answer from Rosie. "Rosie's found flashcards you can use and training manuals you can study. However, the next exam is scheduled in the spring and it's not even winter yet. I don't know if you'll want to wait that long."

That changed Kate's drink of choice to one that contained some alcohol.

"I still need to take you over to my dad's. We're going to get married eventually and you've never met him. He needs to meet you, Rick. And then I'll tell him you proposed."

"Is he going to shoot me?" Rick asked her even if he was joking.

"Dad's not going to shoot you. Honestly, Rick." Kate took a sip of her drink. Why would her dad want to kill him?

Rick raised an eyebrow. "And what did your dad do when you went out on your very first date?"

That had Kate pausing in mid-stride and thinking about it. "I don't know. I was in my room changing clothes, I believe. Though now that I think about it, Frankie did seem a little scared. Did my dad do that?" Kate didn't believe it of her dad. He wouldn't do that.

"The father of the first girl I took out on a date was a doozie. He was ready to skin me alive if we came home late, or his little girl came home crying, or if she didn't like the date at all. I was a dead man for any of those things."

"Really?" Kate no idea that fathers did things like that. "Still, my dad is going to love you. You have nothing to worry about."

"Says the daughter of the father that wants to make sure I know that he will do something to me if I don't make you happy," Rick retorted.

"Will you stop worrying? I love you, so Dad doesn't have a choice." Kate stepped up to him, kissed his head again, and headed for the sofa.

"Key West, the Virgin Islands, or New Orleans. Each has its pros, I guess." Kate was trying to think about it but couldn't focus. Instead she asked him, "So where are you taking me on this date of ours?"

"I was thinking a couples massage at the Emerald Tiara Spa."

"Oooo." Kate approved of that idea. "Your hands or theirs?"

"Theirs. I'm not that good. I've heard that if they're really good, they can put you to sleep."

Kate approved. "That will work."

The next morning Kate felt marvelous. She had never felt like she did now or had even last night. Ginny, her massage therapist, had found nearly every muscle she had and softened all of them. Thom, Rick's massage therapist, did as wonderful a job on him. They had decided that they wanted to do it again soon.

That was followed by incredible sex this morning. Kate was in seventh heaven and was humming as she sat in front of Rosie. She suggested changes to the résumé that Rosie had created for her and watched Rosie make changes. A short time later all Kate needed to do was print it so she could see what it looked like on paper and then get Rosie to apply after creating cover letters for all three jobs.

She had made up her mind to decline if she found out Kevin had a chance or had even applied. She wasn't going to steal a job from him. He was a good friend.

Kate still hadn't decided if resigning from the 12th was the right choice. If she got an offer she could just decline.

"Rick, if I get a new job, are you able to follow me?" Kate asked him because that was vitally important.

"I don't know yet. I was assigned to NYC, not elsewhere. My first guess is probably not. What they'll do with me is another question. I lost my team, so I don't know."

"So you might get assigned to a different SEAL team and get deployed?" Kate questioned him.

"It's possible. Which reminds me, I need to use Rosie to help me create a report on the 12th, and then another one for the 54th." Rick went over to Rosie to get started.

"Do I get a glowing report?" Kate smiled sweetly at him, not that he was looking.

"Naturally. Hey, maybe you could apply to be Acting Captain of the 12th till the Captain's Exam. Assuming they do fire Gates soon enough."

"I don't think it works that way." Kate doubted that it did. "What are you plugging into the laptop?" It looked as though he was plugging his cell phone into the laptop.

"I have a few things recorded on my phone that I'm going to add to my report."

"Oh." Kate didn't get it, but it was his report, so she left him to it. She wanted to ask him where they were going for their next date. Instead, she settled down with a book. Several chapters later, he was still busy typing. She didn't think anything of it, given that he was writing up two reports, and that was going to take time. So she went back to reading her book.

Kate suddenly felt him sit next to her on the sofa. "Done finally?"

Rick leaned over and kissed her cheek. "All done and I'm all yours. Ring shopping or your dad?",

"Ring shopping. We're meeting Dad tomorrow. He said he has to get ready for a court appearance in the morning. So we're going over for dinner which probably means takeout. Mom was the cook in our family. Um, where is our date today?" Kate hated surprises, and she wanted to know.

"We're going to a comedy show. I thought we could use a good laugh."

"Most definitely." Kate approved of his idea. A good laugh sounded like a really good plan.

[_] /\ [_]

"I'd like to see this one." Kate pointed to it and watched as he took it out of the case to show it to her.

"This ring was created by well-known designer Noam Carver. It has a floral design for the main setting. Think flower petals surrounding the main gem. The adjoining diamonds are 0.31 carats in total. The gem in the center of this ring is a standard cut 1.5 carat diamond with a 14 karat rose gold setting." He set it down and searched for a different one but similar from the same designer.

"Would you like to see this one? This one is similar to that one, but it has standard white gold setting with rose gold. It has a rope-like design for the band itself. The side diamonds have a total of 0.18 carats and a 1.5 carat diamond for the center.

"If you prefer a different look, I have this one. This one has a different designer and has a halo effect. The small diamonds are around the center gem with a standard setting. Like the others, this one has a 1.5 carat diamond. The halo diamonds are a total of 0.31 carats. This has is 18 karat rose gold.

"Unless you prefer something different like black diamonds." He pointed one out and Kate shook her head. That one looked terrible to her.

"The prices are $2100, $1600, and $1850 plus the diamond of your choice. These have the 1.5 carat diamond already set. The main stones you see are all an additional $1000." He waited to see if she was interested in any of the rings he had shown her.

Kate looked at Rick. "Is $2850 too much?" It was his money and she didn't want him to go broke buying her a ring.

"You can choose any one of the three, or we can look elsewhere," Rick said. He wanted her to have the ring that pleased her.

Kate pointed at one of them. "This one then."

"Excellent choice! Let's get your ring size. Fortunately, our man is in the building today, and he should be able to make the change in under two hours if you have the time and can come back."

Rick looked at Kate and saw her give a short nod. "We can make that work. We'll have a late lunch, and then we'll come back."

[_] /\ [_]

Two hours later Rick wasn't as well off as he had been, but Kate was beaming because she had an engagement ring on her finger. The first person to see it was going to be her dad tomorrow. Unless they went to see Lanie. Kate really wanted to show it off.

Kate grabbed Rick's arm and stopped walking. "Wait, you need a ring!"

"Not today, sweetheart. Not until closer to the actual wedding. Then we can come back and choose a wedding band to go with your ring, too."

"Oh, that's right." She had time to save up her money, assuming she still had a job or had a new job.

[_] /\ [_]

"GIRLFRIEND! And her boyfriend." Lanie was happy to see them both at her front door. "We don't need wine this time?" Last time they had needed lots and lots of wine.

"Not this time, and he's no longer my boyfriend." Kate waited to see her reaction.

"WHAT!" Lanie's heart sank. Yet, he was with her, so what the hell had happened?

"He is now officially my fiancé." Kate held up her left hand for Lanie to see. Kate was just bursting for someone to see her new ring.

Lanie grabbed her hand and looked at it. "I see diamonds, and I think that's called rose gold if I'm not mistaken." Lanie kept hold of Kate's hand and continued looking. Then suddenly Kate was being squeezed to bits in one of Lanie's patented hugs meant to crush bones.

"There's some alcohol in the kitchen." Lanie was intent on at least celebrating a little. "Weren't we just talking about me being your maid of honor, or was I dreaming? No matter, you're getting married now." Lanie handed out little glasses with a clear liquid in them.

"To a long and happy married life." Lanie raised her glass, tapped the other two glasses, and drank. "Smooth."

"Tell me again, Kate. Just how long have you two known each other, and does your dad know?" Lanie was full of questions.

"I've known him long enough, and we're going to go see my dad tomorrow night. He has a court case in the morning, and he wanted to spend tonight preparing for it."

"Makes sense. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, because I'm so happy for you, but it seems a little fast. Though, if you love him… Married." Lanie was thrilled for her. She had thought Kate was going to be single for the rest of her life.

"It might be a bit fast. He did shock me with his proposal. I didn't exactly start crying before I could say yes, but I did finally manage to say yes."

"So you probably haven't had time to plan when, let alone where. Let me know what I can do to help you. Now, I have news. We got a new case today. Jackson Sinclair, the Ghost Hunter, was killed today, seemingly by a ghost." Lanie just knew she was going to love this one.

"Who?" Rick had never heard of him.

"Jackson Sinclair has this cheap, chintzy ghost hunter show where he chases down ghosts in supposedly haunted houses or other places. It's so totally ridiculous, but supposedly people watch that drivel," Kate explained.

"Including you by the sound of it," Rick commented since she knew so much.

"Pah-lease! I watched part of one episode and changed the channel. Before turning off the TV, as I recall. There are no such things as ghosts." Kate rolled her eyes. She thought it was ridiculous that anyone, especially her future husband, could think of believing in such things.

Lanie suddenly sat up straight and pointed at something. "What was that!?" And both of them looked.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Lanie." Kate knew what she had just done.

"Got you both to look!" Lanie grinned since that had been fun.

"So what about the dead art gallery guy? The one with Serena Kay?" Kate wanted an update.

"I didn't ask about that. WHAT? Crime solving is your business, not mine. My job was done after doing the autopsy on the dead body. But I do have other news." Lanie had gotten nosy, and she had news she was willing to share.

"Kevin really is going to resign if – if mind you – he's offered a job at either of the two places on Jenny's short list. Javi is so sure that Kevin is going to get an offer that he's put in for a transfer back to the 54th."

Rick immediately offered his opinion. "The 54th is much better place, trust me. Though any place that doesn't have Gates is better."

"So Gates really is breaking us up." Kate sat back and thought about that. She hated it. "What the hell is her goal anyway? To close the precinct because everyone wants out?" Kate didn't understand Gates. Not even a little.

Lanie shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. I wish I did, though. So, you didn't hear this from me, alright? When I was at the dead ghostbuster site, I got a chance to talk to some of the officers that responded to the call. It seems homicide detectives aren't the only ones that want out of the 12th."

"Good God! What is she doing?" Kate knew she had five more days before her newest suspension was up.

"I don't know, honey, but she's doing it – in spades. Do you have a plan for when you go back?" Lanie asked her. "Because I don't think she's going to let up on either you or Rick."

"Just one." Kate went on to tell her what she decided to do. "This morning I emailed my résumé to three different locations before we went looking for rings. One is in New Orleans. I also sent one to both places Jenny found, but I think that if either of them wants to talk to me, I'll suggest they hire Kevin. Call it a recommendation."

"New Orleans and Mardi Gras! Woo-hoo, girl! Count me in. But you're not going to know for maybe weeks. In the meantime you have to put up with the Dragon Lady," Lanie warned her.

"Technically, her nickname is Iron Gates, but yeah. Assuming I make it that far, I'll get to fly out for an interview. I'm hoping that I hear from one of them." Kate had just about had it with Gates.

"Are you kidding? You're the lead Homicide Detective in New York City! They'd have to be really stupid not to hire you. Just make sure you have a spare bedroom for me to use. I'd like to see Mardi Gras. Okay, suddenly I want you to move. Not that I won't miss you, of course. But you'll be married." Lanie was getting giddy all over again and reached across to hug Kate.

"I hate to cut our visit short, but we need to go, Lanie. Rick and I are going out on a date." She might be getting married, but she wanted to go out on dates before then.

"Really, where to this time?" Lanie wanted to see if Rick was good enough to date her best friend.

"He's taking me to a Comedy Club. Last time was a couples spa visit. I think all of my muscles are still relaxed after that one." Kate smiled as she thought about that date.

"Comedy Club. I'd ask if I could come, but I don't have a date, and I'm not going to be a third wheel. Both of you enjoy yourselves!" Lanie escorted them to the door and crushed Kate in another hug. "I'm happy for you, Kate. Be happy for yourself as well, okay?"

"I'm happy, Lanie. Trust me, I'm happy." She was still on cloud nine and a little amazed that she had said yes and was wearing an engagement ring on her finger.

[_] /\ [_]

"Hi Dad." Kate needed for this to work. She went ahead and introduced them before they even made it inside. "I need you to meet someone. Dad, this is Captain Richard Rodgers, U.S. Navy SEAL. Rick, this is my dad, Jim."

"Did you say he's a Navy captain and a SEAL?" Jim thought he had heard wrong. Since when did his daughter date men in the military?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir, and you heard correctly. I proudly serve my country when called to do so. Presently, I'm assigned to the NYPD in a roundabout way." Rick shook his hand and stepped inside when Jim moved aside to let them by.

"He actually works with me, Dad. He's my partner."

"So you two have been at work all day. When did that start?" This was the first he had heard about her finally having a partner. Going out there all alone was getting on his nerves.

"Actually, not today. I got suspended again." Kate knew her dad wasn't going to like hearing that.

"KATIE!" No, Jim definitely didn't like it.

"Gates pissed me off. She screws up, and it's always my fault that she did. I hate that woman. I never thought I would miss Roy after what he did, but I do now." Kate sat down and seethed. "And she hates Rick even more. She's evil, Dad, truly evil."

"So, how can I help?" Maybe he could sue that woman or the NYPD on her behalf.

"You can't. But we're here for other things besides talking about Gates, something I don't want to do for the rest of the week, at least." Kate really wanted to forget that name.

"I'm thinking about resigning and getting a job somewhere else." Kate started there since telling him that she was engaged to Rick would drop a huge bomb in his lap, and she needed time.

"Oh? And go where exactly unless you haven't decided yet?" Jim would miss having easy access to her, but he wanted her to be happy most of all. Presently she appeared to be a mix of happy – like he had never seen before – and nervous. He chalked Katie's up being nervous to looking for a new job.

"One of these three places: Key West, the Virgin Islands, or New Orleans," Kate replied.

Jim's eyebrows went up. "Wow, those are some choices. Do I get to come visit?"

"Of course!" Honestly, did he really think she was doing this so she could get away from him? If she had wanted to do that, she could have done it when he was a drunk who didn't want to get sober.

"Good, so which one is your favorite?" Jim smiled at her. "So I can plan my visit, you know."

"Right now, Kevin is looking at getting a job either in Key West or the Virgin Islands. So if either of them offer to talk to me, I'm going to recommend that they talk to Kevin first."

"Isn't he one of your partners, if that's the right word." Jim needed to understand this.

"He is. Gates is pissing off everyone, not just me. Kevin is being pushed by Jenny to leave New York City, and Javi's putting in for a transfer back to the 54th. The FBI has taken over Mom's case, and Gates is really getting to me, so I'm looking for a new job. If I get an offer, then I'll resign but not before." Kate had made up her mind about that. She would just suffer through in the meantime.

"Sounds like New Orleans is your primary target. It might be nice. Hot and humid, but nice." Jim would just have to make sure he didn't visit when it was like that. Early spring would be good. Or maybe in the fall.

"Kate shot down a lot of places before zeroing in on New Orleans," Rick mentioned.

"Yeah, I kinda did. I decided that if I was going to do this, I didn't want just any city. And I'm not moving to LA because California is going to fall off into the Pacific one of these days." Kate didn't remember LA being on the list, but if it was it was off now.

"She shot down San Francisco, too," Rick said. "Seattle is still on her list, though."

"The Pacific Northwest. That might be nice as well. Lots of good camping spots up there. Canada is just about as far away as it is here. Just Vancouver instead of Montreal." Jim could approve of that.

"I kinda forgot about Seattle. I'll send another résumé when we get home. But there is one more thing, Dad." God, this needed to go well. Kate raised her left hand to show off her ring. "I'm engaged." She wasn't sure what her dad was going to say, so she was a little hesitant.

"Engaged!" Jim was up out of his chair before she could even blink. He took her hand so he could get a good look at it. It clearly had one main diamond in the middle and a ring smaller diamonds surrounding it. "What is this color?" He hadn't ever seen this color. He didn't remember this option when he had proposed to Jo.

"It's called rose gold. It's different. I like it; I picked it out myself." Kate watched to see if he was happy for her or not.

"I suppose Rick is your fiancé?" Jim looked at Rick again.

"Yes, he is. And I love him, so be nice."

"Why would I not be nice?" Sometimes he didn't understand his own daughter. "I can just see your mother now. A Navy SEAL, huh?" Jim looked him over a little more closely. He would say that he was handsome. Being in the Navy might be an issue, but it also said he was strong and healthy.

"Do you think Mom would approve?" Kate hadn't really given much thought about that.

"I can hear her! 'THANK GOD' is what she would say." Jim just knew it.

"Dad?" He was teasing her.

"Please, Katie! After some of the supposed boyfriends you put us through? Your mom would jump for joy over Rick." Jim shook his head. As if she didn't know. Johanna would be elated that Katie had found her special someone.

"Other boyfriends?" Rick remembered something about her being Rebel Becks but not much more.

"Oh, the stories I could tell you." Jim was more than willing to embarrass his daughter. She had just dropped being engaged on him when he wasn't even sure she was dating. And now she was getting married!

Rick looked at Jim and then said, "We need to talk."

"OH, GOD!" Kate put her head in her hands and groaned.