Free ChasetheLightning by Madeline Baker

not for the same reason he was.
    She tapped her fingers on the arm of the sofa. What now?
Impossible as it seemed, she actually believed he had somehow come here from
the past. Thank goodness the phone lines had been down. She hated to think what
would have happened to him if she had called the police. No doubt he would
either be in jail for a crime he’d committed over a hundred years ago, or in a
rubber room wearing a straitjacket.
    “How on earth did you get here?” she asked.
    “I don’t know. One minute Relámpago and I were ridin’ hard,
and the next I was here.”
    “Relámpago?”
    “My horse.”
    “So that’s his name. I’ve been calling him Lightning, you
know, because of that scar on his rump. What does Relámpago mean?”
    Trey stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “Lightning.”
    She stared back at him as an icy shiver ran down her spine.
“Imagine that,” she said.
    He nodded.
    Amanda shook her head. There was no reason to feel eerie just
because she had called the horse Lightning, not when it had that zigzag scar on
its flank.
    It was nothing more than a coincidence.
    “So,” she said brightly, “you expect me to believe you and
your horse were just zapped here?”
    “Zapped?”
    “You know, just showed up here from out of the blue.”
    He shrugged, grimacing as the movement pulled on the wound
in his back.
    “Are you all right?” she asked. Leaning forward, she placed
her hand on his brow. “You still have a bit of a fever. I think maybe you
should go lie down for awhile. You look like you could use a nap.”
    He nodded. He needed some time alone, he thought, time to
mull over everything he had seen and heard.
    “I’ll be in later to check on your wound.”
    “I reckon you saved my life. I’m obliged.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    His eyes were dark, dark brown, intense as they gazed into
hers. She felt a pleasurable shiver steal down her spine, a curling heat in the
pit of her stomach as sexual awareness sprang to life between them. He was tall
and dark and sexy as hell with his tousled hair falling over his broad
shoulders and the beginnings of a beard shadowing his jaw. He looked rough and
dangerous and far too appealing for her peace of mind.
    Finding it suddenly difficult to breathe, she inhaled
deeply, let her breath out in a long, shuddering sigh.
    A slow smile spread over his face. He was all too aware of
his effect on her, she thought irritably, but she couldn’t deny it. She tried
to tell herself it was nothing. Just a simple case of lust. After all, he was a
ruggedly handsome man, and she was a healthy female. It didn’t mean a thing.
Besides, she was engaged to Rob. She tried to summon Rob’s image, but all she
could see were Trey’s eyes, suddenly heavy-lidded as he watched her.
    She felt warm all over, knew her cheeks were flushed.
“Well,” she said briskly. “I think I’ll go and…”
    “Running away?” he drawled.
    She stood abruptly, angry that he saw through her so easily.
“Of course not. But, I’m…I’m hungry.” They hadn’t had anything to eat except
some ice cream while watching the movie. She picked up their dirty dishes. “I
think I’ll go make a sandwich. Do you want one before you go to bed…” She bit
down on her lower lip, chiding herself for her choice of words. “Before you
take a nap?”
    He nodded, his expression telling her she hadn’t fooled him
for a minute.
    She didn’t care. She practically ran out of the room.
    In the kitchen, she stood with her hands braced on the
counter. She had to get him out of here. Now!
    She gasped as a pair of well-muscled arms slid around her
waist and drew her up against a masculine body that was, without doubt, well
aroused.
    “What are you doing?” she exclaimed.
    “What we both want.” He turned her slowly to face him, his
hands lingering at her waist.
    And then he kissed her.
    It never occurred to her to push him away.
    She closed her eyes, leaning into him as awareness spiraled
through