Paralyzed with fear, Lisa waited, expecting the car to slide over the edge. She closed her eyes and prayed fervently. Only a few minutes ago she had flaunted death. In fact, she had spent the last two weeks wallowing in self-pity. If only she could have one more chance.
Possibly in answer to her prayers, the front of the car climbed into the air. Once again the rear end was on solid ground. She opened her eyes, afraid to move or even take a breath. Her first instinct was to scramble to the back of the car and climb out. But if she moved, the car might start rocking again. Her heart was beating so wildly she was finally forced to gasp for air. The car remained solidly in place.
Nothing could be gained by remaining still. At any time a gust of wind could send the car over the cliff. She had to act now. Carefully she moved her feet into a position with better leverage. Snaking her upper torso over the back of the seat, she began to shift her weight toward the back of the car. She tentatively lifted a foot into the front seat, and knew a moment of panic when her sandal heel caught in the hem of her dress. In spite of the cool day, moisture broke out on her forehead. She carefully worked the sandal loose and slipped into the back seat. There she sat for a few moments, gasping for breath. The muscles in her legs were contracting painfully. She closed her eyes and said another prayer before she clamped a sweaty hand around the cold door handle.
"Hurry up!" A deep masculine voice commanded so gruffly that she jumped.
The man on the horse! She had forgotten about him.
She opened the door and slid her legs out one by one, trying to avoid contact with the car. Once free of the vehicle she took a deep breath and turned to face her rescuer.
The man lifted his hands gently from the trunk, and the rear wheels of the car lifted a few inches from the ground. It had high-centered on the gravel ridge left by a road grader. That ridge was the only thing that had kept her from plunging over the edge . . . that and the man who was now glaring at her.
Dark bushy brows drew together over flashing blue eyes. "You fool!" He shouted at her. "What were you trying to do, kill yourself? If you weren't concerned about your own life, you might have thought about your chances of taking someone else with you."