Dani ran her hand up her chest, pausing to cup her breast before moving higher, circling her neck and pulling Harper closer. The kiss left Harper breathless. Breathless and wanting more. Breathless and wishing they were…where? Anywhere but here? Wishing that this was a real road trip? Wishing she was taking Dani back to California? Wishing they didn’t ever have to stop?

Those thoughts startled her. She had a house in Dallas, a job. That was her life…her lonely life where her only company was when Jan’s ghost came to visit. As she stared into Dani’s eyes, she realized that she hadn’t given Jan a thought since…well, she couldn’t remember when. Certainly not yesterday and certainly not this morning…not this morning while they were making love.

She pulled Dani into her arms, soaking in her closeness for a few seconds longer before gently pushing her away.

“I wish we had a day…to play. But we don’t.”

Dani nodded. “I know. Back to the real world.” She paused, again smiling at Harper. “The real world sucks.”

“That it does.”

Harper motioned for Dani to get behind her as she opened the door, leaving the security chain still attached. The sun was bright, the sky clear, the air cool. There were no cars parked near their rental. She closed the door and removed the chain.

“Stay close to me.”

“Like glue.”

Harper smiled when she felt Dani’s fingers link with a belt loop of her jeans. The smile was short-lived, however. A doll—a damn Raggedy Ann doll again—was propped against the small flower pot on the sidewalk. To her surprise, Dani walked over to it and, without much ceremony, gave it a quick kick, sending it flying out into the parking lot.

“I really hate this guy.” She turned to Harper. “And I’m beginning to really hate dolls.”

Harper laughed, glad Dani had disposed of the offending doll. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

“You probably don’t want to talk about this, but do you think there’s any significance to him using a Raggedy Ann doll?”

“Significance? Even if he was able to somehow get my name, I doubt he’d have the resources to find out that I was assigned the case in Tucson. I still think it’s just a coincidence. I don’t think he’s leaving them for my benefit.”