Lucy cursed vehemently. She could still hear Dan's sardonic voice. "Here, a real juicy assignment for you, Luce. Laredo, Texas. An old western town, full of ghost stories! Sort of like Blair Witch meets the Lone Ranger."
And now here she was, stuck on this godforsaken dusty old road in the middle of nowhere, not a car in sight, her beat up old Ford conked out five miles behind her. Tumbleweeds, cactus, dirt. She cursed again, but this time at herself for not having her car tuned up in over a year. The sun was setting and her water bottle was half-empty. Luckily, she had her cell phone and her backpack. She would just have to ration her water and test her cell phone range every fifty feet.
The air was starting to cool. Forty eight, forty nine, fifty. Stop. Dial. No service. Okay. She'd try again in another fifty feet. Images of snakes were starting to seep into her mind. Shuddering, she looked behind her and saw the last vestige of the sun, disappearing behind the mountain range. She would not give in to fear. Maybe the other items in her backpack would save her. A hairbrush, tape recorder, notebook, three sharpened pencils. This time she cursed her mother for not insisting she become a Girl Scout.
The cactus and tumbleweeds were now eerie shadows. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, something swooshed down on the other side of the road. A giant bird? At this hour? Deserts had vultures, just lying in wait for stupid stray humans. She did not stop to investigate. Forty seven, forty eight, forty nine, fifty. Stop. Dial. No service. Curse. "It's hard to find service in these parts." The deep masculine voice nearly knocked her off her feet. She swung around, her mobile held out in front of her like a butcher knife. He stood there. Tall, broad shouldered, muscular. Snug jeans, long legs, black boots, cowboy hat. "Ma'am." The hat came off. Jet black hair. Their eyes met. He was stunning. "I didn't mean to frighten you." He smiled. Perfect white teeth. "I saw your wagon a few miles back and thought you might need a lift."
He put two fingers into an inverted v, whistling expertly. A jet black stallion appeared out of nowhere. "Don't be afraid now, Ma'am." He held out his hand. "Name's Drake." His eyes never left hers. She reached out her hand. He pulled her to him. With both hands around her waist, he lifted her up onto the horse. In an instant he was behind her, his arms encircling her as he grabbed the reigns. The horse began to run and Lucy leaned back. She could feel his warm breath on her bare neck. The horse galloped faster. He whispered into her ear. "Don't be afraid now." She felt his lips brush her skin. They were soft and warm. "Don't be afraid." Her heart was pounding, her blood racing. Don't be afraid now Lucy."
