Whose Number Is Up, Anyway?. Stevi Mittman

a softer, easier piece, and he pulled her even closer. They fit together perfectly, his chin resting against her temple. His warm breath drifted across her forehead and shot goose bumps down her spine.

      Alcina groaned.

      “Am I holding you too tight?”

      “No…yes.”

      “Make up your mind. Which is it?”

      Alcina made a big show of adjusting the bouquet that lay along his back. She murmured, “There, that’s better,” as if holding the flowers had been her problem.

      “Mmm.”

      She wasn’t about to let him know that he was the cause of her discomfort. But now his breath was tickling her ear. A tiny thrill traveled all the way down to her toes. She tightened her hold on the bouquet, and the fingers of her other hand pressed into the garter.

      The significance of the wedding tokens didn’t escape her.

      Despite her being a rational, sensible, self-reliant woman, she wished—only for a moment—that old traditions had some basis in fact. That a bridal bouquet and a garter really were good-luck charms that could turn her youthful fantasies into adult reality.

      Then Reed turned his head to gaze into her eyes, and his face slowly inched closer, and a little smile played across his lips, and crazily—only for a moment—she thought he was about to kiss her.

      Pulse jagging, reality returning in a rush, Alcina ended that moment fast.

      She stopped dead on the dance floor and pushed at Reed’s chest until he released her. Staring at him, hardly able to catch her breath, she felt too foolish for words.

      “Something wrong?” he asked, that knowing smile still flirting with his mouth.

      “Something, yes…”

      Like her heart pounding as fast as a freight train…

      …and her knees softening to Jell-O…

      …and her brain turning to mush.

      “But don’t worry about it, okay?” she gasped.

      With that, Alcina rushed off the dance floor and cut through the noisy revelers.

      “Alcina, wait a minute,” Reed called.

      Not stopping, she nevertheless glanced over her shoulder and saw him still standing on the dance floor, hands on his hips and staring after her as if she were a crazy person. So much for any attraction that had sparked between them, she thought. After this, added to their earlier fight, he’d be sure to keep his distance.

      Chagrined, she fled toward the buildings and the refuge of her car that was parked on the other side. Not that she could go home, she realized—she’d promised Pru some quality time with her new husband.

      She was thinking that she’d go for a long drive and was trying to visualize where, when a series of weird noises cut through her jumbled thoughts.

      A muffled boom was followed by a high-pitched outcry…several horses, she realized…horrible noises tearing from their throats.

      Equine screams that sent gooseflesh down her spine.

      The music died abruptly and voices rose behind her as she ducked between buildings. Drawn to the disturbance on the other side, she gasped in shock and fear, and for a moment stopped, frozen at the sight.

      The barn was ablaze and three horses milled about before it. The animals were trapped in the small corral adjacent to the burning building.

      “Dear Lord!”

      The blaze was growing, and as sparks shot into the dry brush surrounding the fence, the lines of fire spread so fast that Alcina could hardly take in the reality of what she was witnessing. Inside the corral, the screaming horses—three of them—stood out in dark silhouette against the orange glow. One of them reared, frantic hooves slashing at the pipe and wire fencing.

      The gate!

      Dropping the bouquet, Alcina ran for all she was worth as another explosion shot the flames higher and wider. If the horses weren’t freed fast, they would either burn to death or injure themselves, perhaps fatally, while trying to escape.

      Unlatching the gate, she swung it open wide. Immediately one horse popped out as if greased and goosed.

      Alcina whistled and shouted, “C’mon!” to the others. She stood back to give them a wide berth.

      A second horse shot past her.

      But a third continued to screech and dance in circles, seemingly too terrified to recognize the safety of the opening. And another whistle from Alcina didn’t seem to cut through his panic.

      A roar of voices behind her told Alcina that help was on its way. Someone else who knew more about horses would have a better chance of rescuing the creature. A glance over her shoulder assured her that she was the only one close enough to help now before it was too late.

      Heart pounding, she ducked through the opening. Someone cried, “Alcina, stop!” but she was too focused on the terrified horse to heed the warning.

      “Easy,” she crooned. “I’m going to get you out of here. You’ll be all right.”

      The horse snorted, threw up his head and rolled his eyes at her in distrust. He wasn’t going to come easily, that was for certain. Maybe if she got around behind him, she could drive him out.

      As Alcina drew closer, the terrified horse acted cornered. Screaming, the bay reared, then bolted forward as if ready to drive right through her. Alcina tried her best to get out of his way, but she wasn’t fast enough.

      Half a ton of panicked horse glanced off her shoulder. Alcina flew back, stars of pain and orange flames and flailing yellow silk filling her vision for the few seconds she was airborne. Then she landed hard, all the breath knocked out of her.

      She couldn’t move.

      The fire raged closer…its greedy heat licked her.

      Stunned, she watched a spark land on the tip of her silk wrap.

      Like a fuse, it ignited.