Page 50 of Sultry Nights

"Dad does do a good job with that, doesn't he?"

"He certainly does."

Looking into the rearview mirror, he noticed a car coming up quickly behind him. He began watching in his rearview mirror regularly.

Turning right and taking an alternate route home, he watched as the vehicle continued to follow them.

Driving down First Street, he went past the Canning Ranch and pointed to it. "Does that look familiar to you?"

Hanna grinned. "It does. It actually looks the same."

He chuckled. "It does. They've done a lot of building further into the ranch, but from here it does look largely the same."

Finally getting a good view of the driver behind them, he recognized his ex. His jaw clenched when she turned to follow behind them. He sped up just a little bit and so did she. He'd deal with her later.

Hanna turned to look out the windows, then behind them to see the black Lexis. "Are they following us?"

"It sure feels like it."

He turned into Hanna's driveway, but before they got out, his ex slowed down and then sped up and took off.

Hanna said, "Who was that?"

He let out a deep sigh. "That was my ex. She followed us from your parents’ place."

Hanna swallowed and her brows furrowed slightly. He hated seeing the worry on her face.

"Do you think it would have been her that called?"

"I don't know. Those numbers didn't seem like anything that I'd ever seen before. And, when I answered your phone, that should have jolted her to say something. Whoever was on the phone just breathed heavily and didn't say anything."

"Okay." Hanna turned to look out the back window. "Is she dangerous?"

"My ex? No, she's devious. She's manipulative, but I don't think she's dangerous."

"You don't think? I mean, could it bother her that she knows that we're dating? I mean, clearly, she knows now that we're dating. I mean, Jared probably said something, not to be mean, but he knows."

"Right. Well, I don't think she's dangerous and I will have a chat with her about following me, and to see if she's actually the person who was on the phone."

"Okay, but..." Hanna took a deep breath. Her fingers twisted together in her lap. Her voice was soft when she asked, "Will you stay with me tonight? I mean, I'm nervous. I'm a little creeped out here. Between Isaac and your ex and people calling and not saying anything and hanging up, I guess I'm a little rattled."

He twisted slightly in his seat and took her hand in his.

"Hanna, I'm sorry this is all happening right now. And if it's Tisha that's been calling you, and just trying to be generally a pain, I'll make that stop."

Hanna's eyes shot to his and held. Her mouth opened. Her brows shot up into her hairline. "Tisha? Tisha Barkley? Tisha is your ex-wife?"

"Tisha, yes. Tisha Barkley is my ex-wife. Do you know her?"

"I met her at the thrift store when I was looking to buy my bathroom vanity. And she was there to drop one off. And she gave it to me. She gave me her bathroom vanity."

"No kidding. I had no idea. And for the record, that's normally not like her. The giving spirit doesn't reside in her body."

"Well, I can't..." She swallowed again. "I can't say anything about that because she's been nice to me. She gave me some flooring. She gave me a table. I don't know if she thinks I'm a charity case or what. I suppose I looked pretty pathetic when I was trying to buy a thirty-five-dollar bathroom vanity and I couldn't. I didn't have enough money in my bank account because Isaac had drained my account. So she probably thinks I'm pitiful.

"And then she called and wanted to have lunch and that's when she gave me the table and the flooring, and…oh my god." She stopped and stared deeply into his eyes. "Oh, Quinn, I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

---