KRISTEN THORPE swung her Dodge pickup behind the detectives’ sedan and crunched on the emergency brake. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, though she wasn’t sure why. Nothing had changed since she left the office thirty minutes before. Except that her heart was beating a tad faster. Detective McAllister was in on this one, and she liked the idea of seeing him again. He liked her—or at least found her interesting. So what if he was engaged? He wasn’t married yet. She still had a chance. Thorpe, you are out of your mind. The last thing you need is a relationship with a cop. She had a kid at home, for Pete’s sake. She also had needs—needs that weren’t fulfilled by the job. She liked her work, but she sometimes longed for the company of a man— someone nice, like Mac, who didn’t find her work offensive. At least not too offensive. He respected her—that much she knew. Kristen rolled her eyes and grabbed an ink pen from the sun visor, pulling off the cap with her teeth.
