When Lightning Strikes

Below, there was silence. The gunfire and the voices had died.

Suddenly the black lurched forward and disappeared.

Lainie gasped. A cold sweat slid down her back. She felt the animal beneath her bunch up, quiver. "Oh, no."

She just had time to fall onto the saddle horn when her horse followed the stallion over the edge.

The horses crashed and slid down the sandy, tree-strewn slope, their hooves flailing for purchase. Dust engulfed them, stung Lainie's eyes, and clogged her

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nose and mouth. She gagged and gasped and tried to hang on.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. They'd reached the level ground on the other side of the hill.

Killian stopped and turned around in his saddle, staring back up the slope. The air around them was quiet, dusty.

Lainie slumped in her saddle, feeling the miles they'd ridden as sharp, stabbing pains in every muscle of her body. Her eyes slid shut, her breath expelled in a shuddering sigh.

She felt a moment's utter, debilitating defeat. It took everything from her, twisted her insides with despair, left her feeling broken and afraid and alone.

But she wasn't alone.

Joe will follow. Forever.

The words moved through Lainie like a balm, returning to her a spark of hope and courage. Joe would rescue her; she was sure of it. All she had to do was wait.

And stay.

She straightened. She'd ridden all day, eaten enough dust for ten lifetimes, and been shot at. Shot at, for God's sake.

Enough was damn well enough. She wasn't going to let the dream keep manipulating her. It was time for her to take control, time for her to call Mr. Macho's bluff. Time for Alaina Costanza to make her stand.

She was waiting for Joe. Right here, right now. He'd done his part; he was here. Now it was time for Lainie to stop playing the victim.

She wrapped her reins around the saddle horn and slid to the ground. The minute her feet hit, shards of pain shot up her legs and radiated outward.

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"What the hell are you doing?"

"Staying."

"Get on that goddamn horse right now."

She flipped him off. "It's over, Killian. I'm taking my dream back."

"Don't start with that again. Not now."

"You better hurry. Joe's probably on his way up the hill now. When he gets to the top .. ."

Killian cursed and vaulted out of the saddle, striding toward Lainie. Yanking the gun from his holster, he pointed it at her. "Get up and get on that horse."

She moved toward him. As she closed the distance between them, surprise widened his eyes. She kept moving, inching toward him until the cold steel of his gun touched her breast.

From far away came the first cracking sound of a horse moving up the hillside. The sound gave her strength, renewed her spirit. Joe was coming.

She smiled coldly. "Go ahead, shoot me."