Aimee Thurlo - Black Raven's Pride

Suddenly, the truck driver turned off his headlights, though she could hear him still accelerating toward her.

Instinct and logic warned her that the driver wasn’t behaving like a friend or neighbor. As the vehicle bore down on her, Eden took off running. She chose her path carefully, going uphill across a rocky slope. The boulder-laden terrain would slow the vehicle down.

Yet the truck continued to move relentlessly forward. Instead of accelerating to full speed and catching up quickly, however, the driver was toying with her, closing the gap and forcing her to sprint, then slowing down again, but remaining close.

Climbing farther up the slope was her only chance, but her lungs felt as if they were about to burst, and her legs were giving out. Ahead, she could see the lights of several buildings near the pueblo. If she could only make it a little farther, she’d be within shouting distance of Black Raven Ranch. Although she’d sworn a long time ago never to ask any Black Raven for help no matter what happened, she had no choice now.

Fear prodded her forward. As she glanced back, she realized that the hill was flattening out now, and the vehicle could outmaneuver her easily when they reached level ground. With no other choice, she kept running, though she knew it was a race she couldn’t win. The outcome would be entirely in the hands of the driver pursuing her. She thought of her son, still just an infant. He’d never even seen his father, nor did his father know about him. She wouldn’t leave him alone. Somehow, she’d make it through this, no matter what lay in store for her.

BRAVO PRANCED excitedly as Nick held the stallion in check for a moment, trying to determine the best path downhill. He had to get off the high ground. Lightning made the mesa he was on now one of the most dangerous places around, especially for a rider. The large black horse tossed his head impatiently.

“The rain’s dealt us a bad hand, Bravo,” Nick said. “We can’t go down the usual way. With all those new arroyos, you’ll break a leg for sure. Let’s try circling around to the north,” he said, turning Bravo’s head.

It was then he saw movement below. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of dust and sand raised by the angry wind. A long-haired woman was being chased by someone in a tan or yellow pickup. In another minute the truck would overtake her, and the woman would pay dearly if the driver meant to do more than intimidate her.

“I thought it was cowboys who were supposed to ride to the rescue, not Indians,” he muttered. “Let’s go, Bravo,” he said, applying pressure to the stallion’s flanks with his legs.

The horse, obeying the cue, bolted forward, hurtling across the slope, heading down at an angle to intercept her. As they drew closer, Nick tried to get a good look at the driver inside the truck. He appeared to be alone, but the dark hampered efforts to make out a face.

Nick focused on the woman. She was his priority now. Asking his horse for even greater speed, he leaned back, trying to make it easier on Bravo by keeping his weight centered. They’d get to her first, he knew that, and although Bravo wouldn’t be able to outrun a pickup, he could go places that the truck would never be able to handle.

Hearing hoofbeats behind her, the woman turned her head, glancing back. He couldn’t see her face clearly through the gathering shadows of night, but he could sense her fear. He slowed Bravo to match her stride, then reached down. “Let me help you.”

He grasped her by the waist and pulled her up before him onto the saddle. Smart enough to realize cooperation was her only hope, she shifted quickly, straddling the horse. Only then did she turn to look back at him. At that moment, he remembered the bandanna that still covered his face.

“It’s okay. Stay still,” he said, trying to keep his voice sure and steady. “Bravo’s not used to taking double, but he’ll adjust fast.”

The storm and the danger from their pursuers were nothing in comparison to the savage emotions that suddenly ripped through him as she eased against him, settling against his parted thighs. Familiar memories flooded his brain. He’d held this woman before—intimately. Although he hadn’t seen her face clearly, in his heart, the feeling was nothing less than utter conviction.

“Get me away from that pickup, please,” she managed, breathlessly.

Her gentle voice, so filled with fear, touched him deeply. The need to protect her pounded through him with every beat of his heart.

Glancing back and seeing the pickup now gaining ground, he forced himself to concentrate. “We’re going to have to jump that arroyo ahead. It’s our only chance. The landing will be rough, but don’t worry. Just hang on and let the horse do all the work. I won’t let you fall.”

“I’ll be okay,” she said, tightening her legs around the horse.

Together they galloped as one, the thump of pounding hooves and heartbeats and the creak of leather competing with the howl of the wind.

She did know how to ride. Nick was certain of that now. She moved with Bravo instead of against him and was shifting to a jumping position now, leaning slightly forward as she held on to his mane.

As her long, chestnut brown hair caressed his arms, dark whispers echoed in his mind. In a heartbeat, they were flying through the air and, in those precious moments, fantasy and reality merged. Their bodies, weightless, flowed into each other’s. As a union of purpose held them, a longing for something elusive and unnameable wrapped itself around his soul.

Tightening his grip around her waist, he pulled her back toward him just as Bravo landed on the other side of the wide chasm. They continued on for another fifty feet before Nick could safely rein in his mount.

As he spun Bravo around and faced the pickup, his breathing was as ragged as that of the animal’s. The challenge of danger, and the fire this woman had created in him, made him feel powerfully male and alive. Memories of another time and the only woman he’d ever loved whispered warnings from the edges of his mind.

The pickup slid to a stop just before reaching the rain-carved ditch, engine running, but unable to cross. Quickly, the truck was thrown into reverse, and the vehicle spun around, roaring away in a cloud of dust.

Nick smiled with satisfaction. They’d won the battle. Unwilling to linger out in the open, so far away from cover, Nick made a clicking sound and Bravo began a slow lope toward the gates of Black Raven Ranch.

Once they reached the main entrance, Nick stopped the tired animal. “Good job, Bravo.”

“I’ll get off here,” the woman said, then surprised him by swinging her leg over Bravo’s neck and dismounting with ease.

He slipped off next, and stood right by her. Seeing her face clearly for the first time, he sucked in his breath. After years of wondering if this moment would ever come, he was finally face to face with the girl who’d claimed his heart so many years ago—and, later, the only woman who’d ever walked out on him.

She looked up at him, and seeing the bandanna that covered his face, reached up tentatively. “I’d like to see who I’m thanking,” she said, her trembling voice betraying her uncertainty.

“You know who I am, Eden. Just as I knew, deep down, who you were from the moment you were back in my arms.” He covered her hand with his as she pulled the bandanna down.

Her eyes shimmered with excitement and desire as she saw his face. Following an instinct he couldn’t deny, Nick pulled her against him and, in a heartbeat, covered her mouth with his own.

His kiss was harsh, demanding everything she’d ever denied him. He’d expected her to resist and maybe slap his face, but her surrender was sweet and filled with passion. Her body softened against his, and her gentle sighs ripped him apart. Shock waves spiraled down his body.