Dreaming Of You by Marie Higgins

she was in an unfamiliar forest running for her life.
    Sir Rein’s footsteps pounded on the wet earth, and from the sounds of his grumbles, he grew closer. At times it sounded like thunder.
    She slipped and fell to her knees. Sobbing, she quickly stood, but her tender knees had been bruised, and it hurt to run. Still, she must forge onward and not glance back at him to see how close he was.
    Ahead of her, a clearing came into view. Dread sank in her chest. At least in the forest, the trees would hide her, but in the clearing, what would help her?
    The minute she reached the edge, a movement from the damp meadow caught her eye. A man riding on a white horse came toward her. His white shirt billowed in the wind, and his shoulder-length hair flapped through the air as if the wind’s fingers ran gently through his locks.
    The stranger’s gaze moved from her to Sir Rein whom she suspected was close behind her. The man on horseback urged his mount faster and reached her side in time.
    “My lady, take my hand,” the stranger called.
    Without another thought, she reached out and grabbed his hand. He tugged on her with superb strength and lifted her onto his lap mere seconds before Sir Rein Drops could douse her with his annoying, and most assuredly, demanding presence.
    Sir Rein glared at the man who had wrapped his protective arms around her waist. “Lord Shane Knight. I must say, I’m surprised to see you.”
    Her Knight! She sighed in awe and looked at the man’s face. Dreamy eyes illuminated smoldering heat, warming her soaked limbs completely. So he wasn’t in shining armor, but perhaps the Lord had heard her prayer and sent her the knight she’d dreamed about.
    The slamming of the jeep’s hood brought Katelyn out of her daydream. Shane hurried back to the driver’s door and climbed inside his truck next to her.
    “Well,” he said as he removed his wet jacket. “I have good news and bad news.” He wadded up the garment and tossed it in the back seat along with the flashlight. He looked at her. “Which do you want first?”
    She shook her head, trying to clear away the dream that still seemed so fresh on her mind. It would be extremely hard not to think of Shane as her knight now. “Good news, I suppose.”
    “Your jeep has seen better days.”
    She laughed.
    “No, seriously,” he continued, “I think you’d better start thinking of a funeral plan. That engine is beyond saving.”
    She nodded. “I was afraid of that. So then what’s the bad news?”
    “Bad news is you’ll have to spend the next little while with me while we wait for a tow truck.” He winked.
    Shane shifted on the seat, bending his right leg on the space very close to her. Yes, this was certainly bad news because how could Katelyn sit so close to the man who radiated such masculinity and not think about when she’d been in college and dreamed of him constantly?
    She swallowed hard, keeping her secret fantasies buried deep within. It was important to remember his rudeness when they met in the grocery store. He was not the man she’d wanted him to be. He was definitely not anything like the knight in her daydream or the heroes in her books.
    He reached across her. His elbow brushed against her coat as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call someone and have them come get your jeep.”
    “Okay,” her voice squeaked.
    As he talked on the phone, she watched his lips form each word with such caliber, she wondered if he’d taken speech classes in college just to make it look so good. Then the thought came to her—what would those lips feel like against hers in a tender kiss?
    The daydream she had only minutes before returned, and the overwhelming feeling of awe swept over her. She shouldn’t allow it to soften her heart, but it had.
    He clicked his cell off and put it back in the glove compartment. When his arm brushed by her again, her heart flipped uncontrollably. Her dreams of the past were coming