Starseed Read Free

hand. “Look at me.”  Sara glared at her. “It's gone,” Elle continued. “It’s not coming back. We're okay.” 
    As quickly as the storm had surrounded them, the wind ceased blowing and the sand disappeared . Bright stars and a full moon hung in the southwestern sky. Then the dashboard lit up and Sheryl Crow’s song, “Rolling Thunder” jarred the silence and caused Elle and Sara to jump.
    Elle turned off the music . Giving her friend time to compose herself, she said, “Sara, we can't tell anyone what we saw. Not a word.”
    “ Are you kidding me? Who would I tell? If we say anything, people will start treating us like Crazy Herman.”
    Elle winced . “Yeah, poor Herman. He’s probably more sane than most of the people in town.”  She turned the key and listened to the engine grind. Switching it off, she slapped the dash. She checked her phone, only to see zero bars and a no service message. “We’re on our own.”
    They climbed out of the car, propped up the hood and stared down at the engine . In the glare of the full moon and the headlights, Elle jumped back. A lone wolf sat on a nearby hill watching. Great. They couldn’t very well walk to town with wild animals lurking about. She beeped the horn and the wolf ran away. Just then, lights from a car appeared on the roadway behind them. A nervous twitch ran through her. They were vulnerable, out here alone on the dark deserted highway.
    Sara let out a squeal of relief . “Thank goodness! Someone’s found us.”  
    The black Jeep pulled off the road beside them . A man spoke from his open window. “You ladies need help?” 
    “ Yes, please,” Elle said.
    He stepped out of the auto and sauntered toward them like a jaguar on the prowl . He looked friendly enough. But then so had Ted Bundy. Still, even though her palms were twitching, Elle trusted her psychic senses when they said, “You can trust him. He’s here to help you.”   Dressed in a paisley shirt and bell bottoms, their rescuer was clearly a throwback from the sixties. But as the moonlight illuminated him further, there was no getting around it. He was gorgeous.
    Elle found herself lifting the bangs out of her eyes to take in his long dark hair, his razor-sharp cheekbones and a jaw as hard as chiseled granite . He had a full, sensuous mouth, and as she scrutinized him further, she thought he might be Native American.
    Until she noticed his eyes—his piercing blue eyes—and Elle felt a wave of attraction . Ordinarily she went for the traditional type, not someone who might have performed at Woodstock. Nevertheless she found herself saying, “I slid into the ditch in a sandstorm.”
    “ Let me take a look.”  He held out his hand. “By the way, I'm Kole, Kole Stith.”
    She accepted his handshake . It was a cool strong hand. He had a confident grip with none of the funny business that men sometimes indulged in, such as squeezing her hand too hard to show how masculine they were. “I'm Elle Thomas.”  She nodded toward her friend. “And this is Sara Banks.”
    “ Hello, Sara,” he said before he returned to look deep into Elle’s eyes. Slowly, he pulled his gaze away and pointed toward a pool of leaking water. “I don't know much about automobiles, but that probably isn’t good. It must’ve happened when you slid into the ditch.”  As if he sensed her eyes upon him, he met her stare straight on.
    A tremble rumbled through her heart as though it had been kick started . She knew him, and she didn’t. In the harsh angles of his face, there was a beauty that kindled something to life in her inner soul. His eyes were an incredible blue—the long dark lashes hiding a surprising innocence, yet there was nothing childish in the direct way he looked right through her, past her defenses right to the center of her being.
    He seemed to be staring right through her, making her feel things she hadn’t in a long time . Neither looked away from the other, and an unexpected warmth