Page 48 of Canyon Killer
He shut off the water and turned to her. “Go ahead.”
“You seem to be okay with Ian. Why is Carter so against him?”
“He doesn’t really hate Ian,” Dalton said. “I think he’s a little envious because Ian’s getting all the attention from the local women that he used to get.”
“He’sjealousof Ian?” In a way, it made sense. Carter was good looking and charming, and when he had first moved to Eagle Mountain, every woman in town had seemed to go out of her way to stop by the tour company to introduce herself. He’d kept a busy social calendar for months, but come to think of it, he didn’t seem to be going out as much anymore.
“He’ll get over it,” Dalton said. “It looks to me like Ian isn’t interested in those other women. They’ll figure that out soon enough and be back to fawning over Carter.”
“You really think Ian is the reason Carter hasn’t been dating as much lately?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Dalton said. “It’s what Carter thinks. He got used to all the attention when he first came here, and now it’s disappeared. It’s probably because the novelty of a new guy in town wore off or because he dated everybody in the small-town dating pool. But it’s easier to blame Ian. Plus, Carter would give his left ear to have a car like Ian’s Porsche.”
“What about you?”
“Nah, I’d rather have a Jeep.”
“You’re a new guy in town, too,” she said. “And you’re Carter’s twin. Why aren’t the women fawning over you? Or are they?”
“Nonidentical twin. I don’t have Carter’s smooth-talking charm. And I don’t really want to juggle a bunch of women. One is enough for me.”
“Any particular one in mind?” she asked.
“No. But I’ll know when I meet her. Until then, I’m keeping my options open.” His expression sobered. “But seriously, Bethany, be careful with Ian.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but you don’t really think he’s going to stay with you, do you?”
“You don’t think I’m good enough for him?” It was a good thing her brother had moved away because if he hadn’t, she would have been tempted to kick him.
“You have to be realistic,” he said. “You want the house and family and living happily ever after right here in Eagle Mountain. Ian has spent his adult life traveling the world, dating supermodels and conquering mountains. He’s not going to be happy with the kind of life you want. You two might have fun for a while, but he’s going to leave, and then you’ll be hurt.” Dalton spread his hands wide. “I don’t want that. You’ve already been hurt once. Don’t set yourself up to go through that again.”
She wanted to tell him that wasn’t going to happen. Ian had said he could depend on her. Didn’t that mean she could depend on him? But the truth of Carter’s words was like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She was famous for letting her feelings overrule logic. Was she making the same mistake with Ian?
* * *
“We found thekid who called 911 the night you fell,” Gage said. He’d invited Ian into his office Tuesday to update him on the latest in their investigation of the vandalism in Humboldt Canyon. “He said he was there that day because he wanted to see the via ferrata, figured he could sneak in and take a look after the construction workers left. He didn’t know you were living there.”
Ian scratched the back of his head. “I can’t really see a kid cutting through the supports on that catwalk. How old is he? How big is he?”
“Not big, and not that old—twelve,” Gage said. “We don’t think he’s responsible for the vandalism. He was pretty terrified when we questioned him. His mom and dad came with him. They seemed like good parents, and he’s a good kid.”
“I owe him for calling in the accident. No telling how long I would have lain there if he hadn’t.”
“How are the ribs?” the sergeant asked.
Ian shifted. “They’re okay.” He had dealt with worse. “Did this kid see anyone else lurking around that day?”
“He says he didn’t.” Gage sat back, studying him for so long Ian began to feel uncomfortable.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We talked to your father,” Gage said. “He said he was in Paris the night you were injured…and for four days prior to that.”
“He called me.”
“Did he say anything you want to share with me?”
