Something's Different/Pepper's Way

Chapter One Gypsy hit her brakes instinctively and swerved as the small brown rabbit darted across the road in front of her car. Satisfaction and relief at not hitting the creature were short-lived, however, as a sudden and savage jolt informed her that her already battered VW had been rear-ended. Her head snapped back and then forward, banging into the steering wheel with enough force to give her a brief view of stars in broad daylight. She found herself fighting various laws of motion in an effort to bring the car and herself safely to the side of the road. Her heart lodged in her throat for one flashing instant, because the side of the road was a narrow strip of dirt bordering on a sheer drop. And, Gypsy thought, neither she nor the car had wings. Sputtering, the VW's engine voiced an unmistakable death rattle and expired as the little blue car with its bright yellow daisy decals lurched onto the strip of dirt. Gypsy heard a more powerful engine rumble into silence behind her. Automatically and needlessly she pulled up the emergency brake and turned off the ignition switch. Although her forehead throbbed painfully, and the sickening fear at her near-maiden flight over the cliff hadn't quite faded, Gypsy's thoughts were crystal-clear and crazily detached. Not again. This could not be happening to her again. It was the third time in six months, and poor Daisy was certainly dead. Judging by the sound of the impact, not even the best body-and-fender man would be able to pound the dents out. And Daisy's engine had quite definitely been mortally wounded. Gypsy abruptly became furious at whomever had murdered poor Daisy. The sound of the other car's door slamming was followed swiftly by a startlingly deep and coldly controlled masculine voice. "Are you all right?" it demanded, and then added icily, "Don't you know that it's illegal as well as unsafe to drive a car without brake lights?" Gypsy fumbled for Daisy's door handle and struggled out, letting her anger at Daisy's assassin have full rein. "You hit me, dammit, and Daisy did have a brake light--the left one! Now you've killed her--" She broke off abruptly as she got her first clear look at Daisy's assassin. He didn't look like a killer. He was slightly under six feet tall, wide-shouldered but slender, and finely muscled. His burnished copper hair was thick and slightly shaggy, a bit longer than collar length. Eyes of an astoundingly intense shade of jade-green shot icicles at her. But his obvious anger couldn't hide the shrewdness behind his eyes, and the rigidly held expression only emphasized his marvelous bone structure. Not a bit like a killer, Gypsy mused. . . . Recovering from her initial surprise, Gypsy was just about to light into the handsome stranger when he aimed the first thrust. "My God! I thought the last of the flower children grew up years ago!" She automatically looked down at herself; there was nothing unusual. Faded, colorfully patched jeans, a tie-dyed T-shirt, ragged sneakers, and a silver peace sign dangling around her neck on a leather thong. She supposed that his description fit, but the thrust didn't go home. In the first place one did not normally dress neatly to perform the errand Gypsy had just completed, and in the second place she didn't much care how she looked--and this man's distaste did nothing to change that. She rather pointedly eyed his neat, three-piece business suit, spending a long moment gazing at extremely shiny shoes. Then she let her gaze wander briefly to the gleaming silver-gray Mercedes before returning it to his face. Satisfied with his reaction--a slight reddening beneath the tan of his cheeks--she let the matter drop, refusing to correct his first impression. Dropping the easily assumed dignity, she spoke heatedly. "You hit Daisy from behind, and that makes it your fault!&Hooper, Kay is the author of 'Something's Different/Pepper's Way ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780553385229 and ISBN 0553385224.