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Across the Cyber-Dixon Line

By: darkstone57



"They lay back in the sweet smelling grass beside the stream and he ravaged her mouth even as he moved in and out of her. He loved the feel of her tightness around him and he took all she had to give while giving back anything..."

Shandi Abbott looked over her mom's shoulder and read the lines from her mom's newest Bad Boys Series. Connor Harris would be one of the most popular from what she had seen from the notes she had read, but it was clear he was not coming along as well as her mother had hoped. "Mom, shouldn't that be, while not giving back anything?" She walked to the fridge and opened it. The juice was just what she needed. It had been a long day and she had skipped both breakfast and lunch due to both the heat and nervousness. She hated job interviews and this sudden heat wave had made it worse by making everyone both irritable and more conscious of how they sweated. It seemed like every place she had gone the air conditioning was broken or just working so hard it failed to work right.

Claudia Abbott rubbed her eyes and looked at the computer screen in front of her. "Oh, now how did I miss that, thanks hon...?" She typed in the missing word. "How did the interviews go?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Shandi drank her juice then refilled the glass and put the empty container in the sink. "They sucked. There much have been a hundred applicants at each place I went." She went to the kitchen table that served as her mother's desk when it suited her. "Where is everyone?"

"The twins are at the pool swimming, Grace went to see her friend Marci, Twyla is spending the night with Karen and Josh, and I have no idea where your father went...I think he told me but..."

"But you were deep in Connor Harris' latest sexual escapade and you didn't hear him...its okay mom, we all understand when you zoom out into the world of bad boys, hot women and fast moving machines." Shandi lit a cigarette and blew a smoke ring up toward the ceiling. "Not that we blame you, Connor and his six brothers have been a part of this family for as long as any of us can remember. Personally, I always preferred Tanner; that was when you had to be more subtle, remember? Tanner always seemed the most romantic of them all."

"Bad boys are not romantic, they are hot and sexy and they help pay the bills." Claudia saved the words on the screen and shut down the computer. "Maybe I should call his cell, see if he'll bring home burgers or pizza for dinner. It's too hot to cook..."

Shandi smiled at her mom's absent minded tone. It was nothing new, just let her mom get working on a new book and she forgot everything Her dad was no different when he was designing a new house or working on one of the old cars scattered around the property. It was no wonder that she and her siblings took advantage of them at moments like that. To make it worse, even when neither of them were doing anything but sitting on the soft together watching television or playing a game of cards, it would never be very long before they looked at each other and made some excuse or another to go to bed early or maybe go for a drive to "talk".

She was glad her parents were still in love with each other, found each other sexually attractive and thrilling, but there were times that she just wanted to vomit and tell them that people over forty shouldn't be so hot for each other's bodies. Or tell them that maybe they should spend a little more time paying attention to their children, all six of them.

"Speaking of how hot it is, I for one am soaked with sweat and I need a shower. "It's a hundred and five out in the shade, and if this heat wave doesn't break pretty soon I will."

Leaving her mom to decide if she was going to call her dad about dinner, or work on Connor Harris more, Shandi went up to her room. Once the door was closed, she began to strip off the lightweight blouse, the skirt, nylons and her short boots. Next was the bra that housed her 44D breasts, and the matching thong. She let her waist length dishwater blonde hair down from the bun that she had needed to reset at least three times during the day, and found her makeup remover. The sparkle of her bright jade green eyes belied how tired and dried out she felt, but when she finally stepped into the lukewarm shower, she let out a happy and contented sigh.

Thank god for air conditioning that worked and water. She felt almost human when she stepped out to towel herself off and wrap one towel around her hair. Going into her room she was mentally wondering if she could talk her folks into making tomorrow a free day, she could make it up once the heat wave broke. A movement on her bed caught her attention and the scream that escaped her throat would have rivaled any horror movie scream she had ever heard.

She was still screaming when her dad, mom and older brother Justin came barreling into the room, which startled her even more and she screamed again. The long, lean well built man lounging on her bed gave a smile and looked as unconcerned as she had ever seen anyone. "What's the big deal sweetheart; you said you preferred me over Connor."

Her mom looked as shocked as Shandi felt and her dad and brother were both wondering how to handle the man who seemed to know both who he was talking to and quite at leisure in the house. Finally her dad spoke, "who the hell are you and how the hell did you get in the house, let alone my daughter's bedroom?"

The man sat up and lit a cigarette before answering. "Tanner Connor and I have no idea, one minute I am getting it on hot and heavy with a gal I met at a bar, and the next here I am, watching this nice set of tits come out of that door toward me. Don't normally go for big girls, but in your case I could make an exception..." His eyes, the color of deep, dark Obsidian moved up and down Shandi's full length and he licked his lips in a way that was both obscene and exciting at the same time. "For that matter I haven't got the foggiest idea where the hell I am, so how about you clue me in and we'll both know."

Shandi looked at her folks and her brother. "This has to be a dream or some massive hallucination right? I mean if I close my eyes, and open them, he will be gone and this will all just be some heatstroke induced hallucination...Justin, you're the pre-med student here, tell me I'm right..."

Her brother looked at her. "How the hell would I know, we haven't gotten this far in our textbooks yet. Maybe it has something to do with the power surge we had a few minutes ago. Maybe we all got some kind of shock and it's scrambled our brains. Try touching him dad, see if he's real..."

When her father hesitated, Shandi sighed. "Oh hell, I'll do it...he's in my room, lying on my bed...maybe you're all just hallucinations for all I know." She clutched the towel to her harder and moved closer to her bed. Tanner or whoever he was grinned harder and she had to swallow back the effect it had on her body and her brain.

"Oh please honey, touch me, I love to have a woman touch me, but should I tell you where you can you can touch me and make sure I am the most real?" His grin turned to a leer and she prodded his denim covered leg. He felt real to her. "Oh honey, a little higher next time, in fact..." He reached out and gripped her wrist and started to pull her hand up higher than his ankle.

Her dad snapped out of whatever fog he was in. "That's enough, I don't know who the hell you are, but that is enough. Justin, go call the police, Shandi you go back in the bathroom and your mother will bring you some clothes. And as for you, Tanner or whatever your name is, you will stay right where you are until the police arrive, understood?"

Tanner shrugged. "No problem, but does she have to get dressed. I like the view from here just fine."

Shandi did as her father told her and a few moments later; her mother appeared with a shirt and shorts. "I didn't bother with underwear, I thought it best if you just get dressed and then come downstairs with me until the police arrive. How did he get in there Shandi, do you have any idea who he might be or where he came from?"

"No, I've never seen him before, but at the same time, he looks familiar." The more she looked at him in fact the more familiar he seemed. As she buttoned up the last button of her shirt, a thought crossed her mind. "Oh hell! It can't be."

Claudia looked at her, "Can't be what Shandi."

She had to be wrong, there was no way it was possible. Going back into her room, she went to her bookcase and ignored the man on her bed, as well as her father and mother. Where was it...? She had been reading it just the other day, and... She found the worn paperback and looked at the front cover. Hell, it was him, or a damn close double. Right down to the rip in his shirt and the small scar that marred his chiseled chin. And those eyes, those damn eyes. They had haunted every erotic dream she had known since she had first began to experience them.

At nineteen, Shandi had always harbored a secret desire for the man on this book cover, a photographer's perfect rendition of her mom's visions of Tanner Harris. She had always found herself comparing every man, every boy she had met against him, and always found them lacking. Now, she was seeing him in the flesh, or whatever he was and she had no idea how he had come to life as he had.

Justin came back into the room. "Sorry dad, I can't get a hold of the police, all the cell service in the city is affected by the power surge and the company says it might be hours before we can get through. The landline, computer, cable and such are all out as well." He pressed a button his phone and turned on the speaker so they could all hear the voice repeating what he had said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, be assured we are doing all we can to restore service as soon as possible..."

Shandi looked at her parents. "Mom, dad, I think I know who he is, and even if we call the police, I don't think they can help here..." Her voice quivered. "Look..."

Holding out the book, her father reached out and took it, and she watched as his eyes flickered from the cover to the man on the bed. "It can't be..."

It was her mother who resolved the issue, "there is one way to tell. I never put it in the book, but if he is who Shandi thinks he is, he has a tattoo, a very distinctive tattoo in a very private place."

The man on the bed smiled. "So in order for me to convince you who I am you want to see the tattoo on my dick. No problem..." He began to open his jeans and they all cried out at once.

"No!!!" Her dad frowned. "Just tell us what it is."

"Oh, too bad, I'm rather proud of the thing actually, the tattoo and the dick, but I guess you got a thing about guys showing your daughter their dicks, most father's are. It's a bottle of cherry soda, you know, it stands for..."

Claudia groaned. "Cherry popper, it's a joke my brother used to say when he'd come home from a date and he had gotten some. He'd walk in all proud of himself and look at dad and say his cherry popper had struck again. Dad would laugh and mom would groan and the phrase stuck with me. When I came up with the idea for Tanner I wanted to use it, but the editor said no, that it wasn't a good idea, so I deleted that part and it went off into where ever it goes in cyberspace."

Before anything else could be said or done a chorus of voices sounded from downstairs and Shandi looked at her mom, "Sounds like the twins, and Grace are home..."

Her mom looked at her and nodded. "I better go down and make sure they don't come up, oh lord the pizza. What do we do with him Tom? I mean if Shandi is right, we can't take him to the police, how do you explain a fictional character just popping in out of nowhere and you want him arrested for it."

Tom Abbott looked at his wife, son and daughter. "A better question is; how the hell do we get rid of him?"

Tanner Harris smiled as he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his hips. This was a nice place, better than anything he or his brothers had ever known. The company was a lot better too, that Shandi was a hot looking woman and she had one fine set of tits on her that he wouldn't mind spending an hour or two mauling. Her mom was okay, but too skinny, she had some nice tits he supposed, but nothing compared to her daughter and even the better figure couldn't make up for it, plus she was too old for him. He preferred the women who were just becoming aware of their sexuality. Shandi definitely fit that description.

He knew his brothers would agree, she would in Rye's words be one tasty lady and he would like to see just how tasty he was. Well Rye could eat his heart out if and when Tanner ever got back home. He'd have plenty of tales to tell. And hopefully before he left this place, he would be able to describe all there was about Shandi.

Toweling off his long black hair, he checked as he always did for any white or silver streaks, he was getting older and he knew like his dad and brothers that one day he would have the Harris family trademark of one lock of white hair somewhere on his head. Sometimes it was a stripe down the middle or in his dad's case a perfect square right in front. Personally, he was hoping for the square, the stripe reminded him too much of a skunk, like the woman happy one in all those old cartoons.

Going in to what Shandi had called the guest room, he found a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt advertising some heavy metal group. He didn't like metal but the skull was nice and he liked how it fit his upper body. The jeans were well fitting too. Low slung and showing off what he had underneath. He wasn't vain about his looks, he knew he was hot and he used it to his advantage. Didn't he have women just panting to get in his pants and let him in theirs? That hot little lady he had been banging when all this happened had been easy pickings for him and he had been enjoying all her soft little grunts and groans as he plowed in and out of her in the back seat of her daddy's Lincoln. When he got out of here, he would have to remember her and go see if she wanted to finish up when they had been interrupted.

When he got out of here, if he got out of here, how the hell had he gotten here in the first fucking place? It was clear no one knew the answer to that. All he remembered was fucking that hot little piece and a bright blinding light had happened just as he was getting ready to shoot his load. The next thing he knows, he's on Shandi's bed and this big breasted gal comes out in nothing but a towel and the body the good Lord had given her. Talk about an eye full. Those big green eyes, the full, plump, but nicely made body, the patch of hair between her legs, he bet she had some nice plump juicy lips hidden there. Not to mention a sweet little clit that would be a joy to spend some time sucking on, and her nipples were sweet too. He bet she would be just as hot as the gal he had left, given the right attention. 

A crash of thunder and the light from a bolt of lightning caught his attention and he went to the huge window looking out over trees and a lush green area out in back of the house. At the same time he heard loud voices coming from the room next door.

"How the hell do I know Tom? I mean one minute I am writing about Connor and Shandi mentions that Tanner was her favorite, she comes up here, I hear the shower come on while you and I are discussing dinner and then wham, there's a power surge and you no more walk in the door and we hear Shandi scream."

"Well he had to have gotten here somehow Claudia, he couldn't have just popped in out of nowhere, for all we know he could be some escaped convict, or some nut case from the mental hospital. And this thing about the tattoo, are you sure it never came out in any of the books? I mean even a hint of it, for all we know he could be some obsessed fan of yours. Some stalker or serial killer..."

"Tom, you're over reacting. Outside of him being so outspoken, he hasn't made a move to hurt anyone. And he seems more proud of what he has in his pants than being some psycho killer. No, I'm sorry I have to agree with Shandi, I think somehow he is Tanner Connor and he's out of the pages of my book. More real to life than I ever expected him to be but still..." She sound amused somehow.

Her husband growled and Tanner smiled. "I think you're enjoying this Claudia, if you're right and if he is one of your bad boys, I can see the wheels turning in your head, you're thinking how good this would be for a book..."

"What if I am...you have to admit it would be a best seller..." She giggled. "Tom, be realistic, you know as well as I do that the security system would have never let a real intruder in, you designed the damn thing. And most folks don't even know this house is here unless you know where to look, we picked this place just for that reason. Besides, we have you and Justin to protect us, and I don't think Tanner, or whoever he is is any match for a former SEAL or two sons who knows five kinds of martial arts; and face it, none of us are exactly small in size. Hell, Tanner is more obsessed with getting in a woman's pants then worrying about getting the crap beat out of him. Which I have seen you do on various occasions to various men..."

"Maybe not, but I would still feel better if I knew for sure who he was and what the hell he was doing here."

Tanner had to agree with the wife, he was a lover, not a fighter, but he understood her husband's worries too, he knew how he would be if some stranger showed up in his home the way he had here.

Shandi sat on her bed and tried to concentrate on the novel in her hand. The thunderstorm had passed both in and out of the house and things were quieting down. At least everywhere but inside her, and she knew the reason for her turmoil was right on the other side of the bathroom just a few feet away. Was she right, had Tanner Harris been somehow brought from her mother's novel to this palace and time and if so, why and how? A part of her hoped that after they all got a goodnights sleep they would wake up to find it was some sort of mass hallucination, or a dream. The other part found her mind on Tanner and the fantasies she had had about him.

She had never known a real man who affected her the way the fictional character had. The copy of her book was worn from her going back and reading it so much, not just about his looks and attitude, but the descriptions of how he touched this woman or that, or made love to them in such a way that they all hungered for him long after he had left. Even the ending, when he had finally realized how much he loved Hannah and would die for her if he had to, it had made her cry, not with joy but jealousy. She had so wanted to be Hannah, wanted to hear him tell her over and over how much he loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

For so long she had wanted to meet a man like him, a real man, someone who would look at her and desire her so much that his whole body was set on fire by just her presence in his life. His brothers, they were all like him, but he had been the one who stood out most in her mind, and she had foolishly believed that somewhere out there was a man like him, a man who was meant for her and her alone.

Well she knew better now, it had all been like her mother's stories, fiction. She was never going to know such passion or such desire in her life. She would be like her sister Kate, finding a man who loved her, settling down to raise a family and having a simple everyday life. She could never picture her brother as the kind of man who would inspire passion or fire in any woman. No, she couldn't imagine any man she knew causing such feelings.

She put the book down and laid back to stare at her ceiling. Well, she knew one now, but that was only a dream, an hallucination and she wasn't going to be fool enough to think that some cosmic door had opened up to bring him to her. No in the morning she would wake and he would be long gone. Her family would laugh about it and say it had just been some sort of brain spasm, and forget it ever happened, until her mother wrote it all down and turned it into a novel that would be a best seller and make her lots of money. Maybe if she was lucky, in time she would even forget this day had happened, and she could forget the man that lay beyond the bathroom door.


Across the Cyber-Dixon Line



The Abbott household woke to a gray, gloomy sky and rain falling outside the house. Marcus and Matt were up first, it was Friday and they had their martial arts class at nine. Grace was next; she was meeting Karen, Josh and Twyla at the mall to look at baby clothes. The two younger Abbott girls were as excited about the new arrival as any of the family and insisted on being a part of everything. When she woke, Shandi could hear them all running around looking for this and that and her mother's voice calling them down to breakfast. Stretching she stumbled into the bathroom and relieved herself then back into her room to get dressed. At least she wouldn't have to go out looking for work today; that had been settled at dinner last night and...

She stopped short as memories of yesterday washed over her. Tanner or at least someone who believed he was Tanner. Putting her hand on the door to the room on the other side of the bathroom, she turned it. The room was empty, the bed looking as if it had never been touched. She knew a feeling of regret and relief. It had been a dream after all, just a dream.

Dressing in worn jeans, a faded t-shirt advertising some long forgotten band, and tying her hair back in a tail, she went out into the hall and headed downstairs. The routine family chatter was almost a relief to her. Until she walked into the dining room and saw him sitting at the table, drinking coffee and acting as if he was part of the family. Her dad looked at her and shrugged.

"We can't let him starve; I called Josh this morning, no current fugitives running around in this part of the woods. He came by an hour or so ago to take a copy of his fingerprints; no wants or warrants as they say on television, so I guess your theory is the one we have to go with for now."

Tanner grinned at her over the edge of his coffee cup. "Nice to know I'm no serial killer huh?"

No, just a serial heart breaker and as Shandi went into the kitchen for coffee and toast, she had a feeling her heart would be the next in line. So what did they do with him now, send him on his way into a world that he didn't belong in, or find some way to send him back into his book where he belonged? Back in the dining room she broke her toast up into smaller pieces and ate them slowly.

Justin she noticed was buried deep in his laptop and when he lifted his head he was frowning. "I can't find anything that even begins to explain what happened. Now I did find reference to a professor at some obscure college back east who has this theory of electrical interference causing some kind of rip in time or space, but nothing concrete. I have a lecture this morning with Professor Carter, so I'll do some more research at the library after I get done. Come to think of it, Professor Carter might have some ideas too. I'll ask him if he's ever heard of this guy." He looked at the twins. "Hurry it up guys; if you want me to drop you off, we need to get a move on. Dad, it's eight-thirty, don't you have that meeting this morning too?"

Shandi looked at her family going about their daily business and wondered if they were all insane or if it was her. Yesterday they had all been crazy, now they acted like nothing was out of place at all. It didn't help that her mom was reminding Grace that if she wanted to go to the mall, they had better hurry themselves because she had an appointment with her gynecologist and she didn't want to be late. Shandi groaned and wondered what the hell was going on.

When they were alone, Tanner looked at her. "Give them a break honey, parents are a strange breed. I think they aren't anymore sure of what to do with me than you are." He stood up and reached for her coffee cup, "Want a refill?"

"Yeah, thanks..." She was done with her toast and she reached for an orange from the fruit bowl on the table. She knew what she wanted to do with him; her dreams had been filled with it last night. To know that he was still here was not helping either. She had learned how to watch what went on around her without being seen, and this morning, his presence was bringing it into play. She almost wished her mom hadn't left, this house was too quiet and it didn't help when he came back from the kitchen and set her coffee cup in front of her.

"Penny for your thoughts, or can I guess?"

She took a bite of her orange and then sucked out the juice from the other half. "No comment."

He smiled. "Hmm, I envy that orange; I bet the guys around here love your lips"

"Not that I know of, most of the guys I know aren't all that interested in a gal built like me. Not that I am very interested in them either..."

"Now why do I find that hard to believe? Unless you're a lesbian and to be honest, I don't think you are; not with you sitting across from me and those nipples of yours standing out the way they do. Your momma should have never left us alone sweetheart; because I can smell your heat and all that sweet juicy cream you've got flowing out of you right now."

He was right and she couldn't deny it, it just bothered her that to him she was so transparent. Each breath she took was a sort of divine pain from her nipples rubbing against the inside of her bra and her panties were soaked. "So, what's the problem? Women do that don't they?"

"Hmm honey, you don't have much experience do you, because if you did, you'd know the male response to it. That a man can tell when a woman is in heat and honey you are burning up right now." He stood and walked around the table to stand beside her, her face was at crotch level and she could see the bulge in his jeans. Even as she watched, he unfastened them and drew himself out to her view. "This is my response to you Shandi, I'm hot and heavy and I want to feel your lips on him, just a little, not a hot and heavy suck job. Just a little taste to get us started so we can go upstairs, get naked and make each other even hotter and more intense then we are right now."

A part of Shandi wanted to do just exactly what he said, but the saner part was working better this morning and she shook her head. "Not going to happen ever dream boy, I don't know how you got her, but I am not going to lie down and spread my legs for a guy who might disappear next week or right in the middle of it. So put it back in your pants, or when you go back you won't have very much to brag about."

He smiled even as he did it, "I like you Shandi, and not many women will stand up to me when I turn on the charm, most of them do just fall down and open wide."

"That's the way mom wrote you, all of you. But every one of you falls in love in the end, and you always change." All but Connor, her mom was having problems with him. "What's the deal with Connor by the way, he doesn't seem to want to act like the rest of you..."

Tanner smiled. "Connor is different from all of us, for one he is the only one who believes in love. No idea where he got that concept, he still likes to break the rules now and then and have his fun, but he's on some kind of mission, he wants to fall in love with someone he's been dreaming about for years."

That sounded familiar, well her dream had come true to an extent and she was sorry it had ever happened. Tanner was the top of the heap when it came to bad boys and she wasn't going to play his games. Let him go back to his pages and find Hannah, fall in love and learn what people like her understood more than most.

A crash of thunder caught her attention and she saw the sky had darkened outside. Terrific, another damn storm, and she was cooped up with this sex happy bozo. She shook her head and didn't notice the blinding light until she heard Tanner curse and felt the pain in her head grow to cause her to pass out.

She landed with a groan in a patch of tall grass and it took several moments to catch her breath from the jar. The first thing she saw was that the sky was a perfect clear blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The second think she saw was that she wasn't at her house anymore. Instead, she was in an area surrounded by trees and grass and she could hear water running somewhere. What the hell...? Where the fuck where she was? And where was Tanner, had he been zapped back to where he belonged? Was it possible she had been zapped somewhere else herself?

She heard male voices and moved behind a particularly large tree that was not far away. Even as she watched six men came into view and she felt relief as she recognized Tanner, but the relief quickly died away as she saw the changes in him. He was a few years older now, a patch of white at the corner of his forehead, and he wasn't neither as lean as he had just moments ago. Did she take a chance on revealing herself and making a fool of herself, or did she keep hiding like the coward she was appearing to be.

Well hell, she wasn't going to find her way home just hiding like this. With a shrug she stepped out from behind the tree and began walking toward the talking, and laughing group of men. All they could do was think she was crazy.

"Tanner!" She called his name and he turned with surprise in his eyes.

"Shandi, what are you doing here, the last time I saw you..." He paled. "Oh lord, what are you doing here?"

She shook her head, "I have no idea, how long has it been since...?"

"Ten years my time, how long has it been for you?"

"Just a few moments...I think I hit wrong when I landed." She rubbed her shoulder. "Where am I Tanner?" Her eyes went to the five other men looking at her curiously. "This is your home isn't it, Little River?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we're all here for Jeremy and Violet's wedding..." He was giving her clues and that helped.

Jimmy and Violet were the last of the brother's before Connor. The one her mom had been having so much trouble with. This was where you really met Connor and got everyone ready for his great adventure into the world the Bad Boys Sextet. Looking at Tanner's brothers, she wondered which one was which, they all pretty much looked alike and it bothered her to have all those gorgeous eyes looking at her. It would help if she hadn't begun to hurt like hell in her shoulder. Rubbing at it again, she felt the reason; she had not only landed on it wrong; she had done some serious damage to it.

"Uh Tanner, you wouldn't happen to know how to reset a dislocated shoulder would you, I think I messed mine up big time when I landed..."

He looked at her with alarm. "Let me see, I'm no doctor, but I can tell you if you're right." He moved up behind her and ran his hand softly over her. "Come on Shandi, we need to get you back to the house, dad's pretty good at things like this, he did it enough for all of us at one time or another."

His brothers walked on ahead of them and Tanner glanced at her as she stumbled a time or two. "I'm okay Tanner, just not used to landing in one of mom's books, but at least I have an advantage over you...I know most of the stories."

Tanner grinned. "Yeah, well that seems like a long time ago to me, but you being here is bringing it all back. Uh, we won't mention what an ass I made of myself okay?"

"No, so how are things going with you and Hannah?"

"Damn good, got three little boys and she's the best thing that ever happened to me. But you already know that don't you?" He gave her that grin.

"Yeah, but I am still glad for you, I hated her at first, but after a couple days with you, I admit, I don't anymore, she had to be damn patient to put with you..." The reality of what had happened was slowly sinking in. "Tanner, what if I can't go home?"

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight, "don't worry, we'll figure this out somehow. Right now, let's get that shoulder looked at."

Connor Harris looked back over his shoulder and wondered how his brother knew the girl walking beside him. It wasn't like the old days, when Tanner was drifting all over the country, he hadn't left Little River since him and Hannah had settled here after their marriage. But both he and the girl were acting like they had just seen each other a short time ago. And what the hell was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Where had she come from, that was no Arkansas accent she had. More west coast, he'd heard enough of it these past couple years while he had been out there working that construction job.

It felt good to be home, a person never knew how much you missed a place until you were away from it for a while. Even Jeremy and Violet were thinking about settling down here like the others had done. That had been a surprise, considering how much Jeremy had swore up and down he was done with this town a year ago. Done with the town, the family, everything. Now he had that pretty little fiancée and they were going to get married like the rest of them and have a bunch of kids.

Connor sighed silently. He found himself wondering when it would be his turn, he was already tired of being alone, and the women he knew weren't bringing more than a sexual relief to him these days. To be honest with himself, even the sex was getting old, which was why when he came home, he had come alone and hadn't visited the local bars looking to renew old acquaintances.

The house was all her mother had described, and Shandi saw that like in the books, it was every inch a home. A deep sadness overcame her as she wondered if she would ever see her home again. See her mom and dad, her sisters and brothers. She was all alone here except for Tanner, and while that gave her some comfort, he had his own life now, and she needed to think about how she could go home and get back to her life.

"Tanner, does anyone here have a lap top or a computer I can use?"

He chuckled. "Shandi, this is Arkansas, not the moon. I think we can find one or two..."

She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try.

Claudia couldn't sleep, she hadn't been able to since she had come home three days earlier and found not only her fictional creation gone, but her daughter as well. She didn't mind Tanner leaving, but where was Shandi? It wasn't like her to just up and disappear. But that was how it seemed, no note, no nothing but an empty bed and her daughter gone. The whole house felt cold and lonely without her.

Going into the kitchen, she put on a pot of coffee and looked at her computer. Maybe if she tried to write, it would help. At least the computer was faster than the coffee pot; it would give her mind something to concentrate on while she waited. Her email was first, but as she had seen the past three days there were no messages from her daughter. Next stop, the adventures of Connor Harris. The coffee pot beeped, signaling it was done, and she filled a cup with the rich black liquid. Turning back to the computer, she stared at the screen, and the cup hit the floor the same time her eyes registered the words she saw and the scream escaped her mouth.

Shandi felt the soft touch of the old man and braced herself for the pain she knew was coming. Jake Harris was an older version of his sons, and she fixed her gaze on the white patch in his hair as the pain crashed through her. Her scream was loud, and her last memory as she passed out was that maybe she should have had Tanner take her to a doctor.

"Just let her rest, she's going to be sore when she wakes up." Jake looked at his oldest son and wondered what this girl was to him. She was just a girl, despite her being tall and full figured like his Maggie. She was a pretty little thing too, her eyes were about as green as anything he had seen in his sixty plus years, and she had long flowing hair that framed her face to perfection. Nothing that pretty around here, he would know or one of his boys would. If the Harris clan had nothing else, it was an eye for a good looking woman. "I don't suppose you'd care to tell me just how you know that little girl so well would you Tanner?"

"It's a long story daddy, and one I don't think you would believe even if I did tell you."

Jake put his hand on his son's shoulder, "well, let's go have a drink, and you can tell me anyway."

Shandi came awake and found it dark inside and out, the house was quiet and she guessed that a mixture of pain and that whiskey Mr. Harris had suggested she drink had knocked her out. She wasn't used to drinking hard liquor and it had burned all the way down to slam into her stomach like a hammer. She moved slowly to see how much pain remained, and while it hurt, it was nothing like earlier.

A touch to her shoulder said it was either wrapped or taped up until it healed, and she sighed. Terrific, not only was she in a place she didn't belong but she was injured in the process of getting here. And she needed to use the bathroom.

Well, from what she had seen, the house was laid out a lot like her own, and her mom had done a great job of describing it, so if she was right, if she turned on a lamp she should be able to get her bearings. Using her good arm, she found the lamp switch and looked around. Closet to the left, bathroom to the right, and the door to the room faced the bed, so that should be right.

She was lucky; everything was running true to form. Back in the bedroom she found a night gown on the bed, and a note attached from Tanner.

"Shandi, 

This is one of Maggie's night gowns, since the two of you are about the same size, she thinks it should fit. She and dad know what is going on, and while I don't know if they completely believe me, they are willing to go along with it. As far as anyone else knows, I met your family about ten years back and stayed with you all for a while. So there is no need to say anything about my little lapse the last time we saw each other...

Tanner

As if she would say anything anyway, he has been ten years younger and living true to his character then, and she would have been about nine or so. So, the point now was getting back to her place and time for real. She hoped her folks weren't too worried and later today, tomorrow? She could get to a computer and try her idea. For now she was going to take a couple of the pain relievers she had seen on the night stand and try to get some more sleep.

As she lay down she heard her stomach rumble and ignored it. Food was the last thing she wanted right now, even if her body said different. Before drifting off to sleep, she thought of one good thing that had come out of this. She had a good excuse for not going out job hunting.

Connor lay back on his bed and listened as the house grew quiet again. He took a deep drag off his cigarette and the embers flared red in the dark. He wasn't sure if he believed his brother's story of meeting her years ago as a kid and staying with her family for a while. Why hadn't he mentioned it before? There had been that period when he had come home for a few days, looking as if he had been in some kind of accident, but he had quickly recovered, and he hadn't mentioned Shandi. Connor knew he would have remembered a name like that.

Still, what difference did it make, she was here, and he had to admit she was like a breath of fresh air from the normal day to day life he knew. It was her eyes that caught him off guard. That bright jade green that seemed to turn into some kind of liquid whenever he looked at them. He had never seen eyes do that before, and he doubted he ever would see it again.

Shandi woke to the sounds of voices and a car revving up, then backing off. It sounded like her dad was working on that old Dodge Charger he kept saying was next on his list of restore. The more she listened though, the more the fact that something didn't sound right occurred to her. What kind of bird was that, and why did the air have a different smell to it? Sitting up suddenly, she felt a stab of pain and a wave of nausea pass over her. It turned to dismay when she saw the room she was in.

Still in Little River, Arkansas, still not a dream and still not home where she belonged. Stripping off the nightgown she pulled on her own clothes and used the bathroom to put herself in some kind of semblance of order. She had to find a computer today; she had to find out what was going on. Hopefully her brother had talked to that guy or found out something after his lecture.




Across the Cyber-Dixon Line



Going down stairs she found Maggie Harris in the kitchen and the full bodied redhead gave her a smile. "Morning, feel like some breakfast?"

Shandi felt her stomach rumble. "Yes ma'am that would be great. It's been a while since I had breakfast yesterday."

"Well have a seat, coffee?" She brought the pot to the table and Shandi eagerly held up her cup. "Tanner will be over a little later, he's bringing you his lap top so you can try and contact your family. They must be worried sick about you."

"Yes ma'am, mom can be a little scatterbrain when she's writing, but she's still busy with the family and dad keeps a close eye on us." She felt her throat tighten and a feeling of wanting to cry but she swallowed it away. This was no time to get all teary eyed and give up hope. She would find a way to go home, she had to.

Maggie gave her a plate of breakfast, and Shandi ate slowly. Which was hard considering how good it tasted and the urge to just shovel it in was strong. Her standing rule was eat half of everything, that way she was full and wouldn't spend a lot of time snacking. She hated having to watch her weight, but it was a constant battle and one she was determined to win. Even if she was trapped in an unfinished novel with people she knew only from pages of the prior ones.

Maggie, she remembered, was Hannah's aunt. She had come for the wedding in the second book and caught Jake's eye with her bold nature and tolerance for the man who had raised his six sons to be as much of a hell raiser as he had been himself. His motto in life was fast cars, fast women and a bottle of whiskey by your side at all times. Maggie had changed all of that.

A screen door slammed and Shandi jumped a little at the unfamiliar sound. It was one of the boys who came into the kitchen and she tried to place which one it was. Connor or Jeremy if this was before the wedding. She took in the tall, broad shouldered man and when a flash of gold in his left year attracted her, she knew it was Connor. His brother was allergic to gold. She watched as he strode to the counter and filled a cup with coffee.

"Dad and I need to go into town, need to get a part for the Charger..." He didn't waste words like his brothers did at times. "He wanted me to check and see if there was anything you needed while they were there Maggie."

His step-mother shook her head. "No, we're fine."

His eyes went to her. "What about you Shandi?"

Her name rolled off his tongue too damn easy. Reaching to the back pocket of her jeans, she pulled out her stash fund. Just a few spare bucks that she kept in her nightstand for a soda or a pack of cigarettes if she was downtown. "Could you pick me up a couple packs Marlboro red's. I got a feeling I am going to need them until I can get in touch with my folks."

"Sure, but are you sure you're old enough to smoke?"

"Last time I looked I was nineteen that makes me legal for most things in most states..." She didn't mean for it to come out rude, she was just under a lot of stress right now. "Sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded, really."

Connor grinned. "That's okay, I get the impression you been through a lot lately."

That was putting it mildly. "You have no idea..."

He didn't, but the more he saw her, the more he wanted to. He had dreamed of her last night, and when he woke this morning not only had he sported a boner like he hadn't had in years, but he knew why she looked so damn familiar. He had been dreaming of her since he was a kid. She had been the cause of his first wet dream and quite a few since. Hell, she was even the reason he had taken that job out in California and spent two years wondering if she was real or not. Well, it had turned out he hadn't needed to leave home after all. She had come to him.

"You want kings or hundreds?"

"It doesn't matter, I can smoke both."

During the ride into town, Connor found himself thinking about Shandi and felt his body react every time he thought about her eyes. "Hey dad..."

"Yeah?"

"You ever had a dream and then you find out it's a real person you've been dreaming about?" He lit a cigarette and looked out the windshield.

"Once or twice, but the dreams never turned out the same way in real life. Her husband always came home early." His dad began to laugh and Connor shook his head.

Leave it to his dad, man never stopped. Let him and Maggie get in the mood and the whole house shook. He knew if he told his dad about the dreams about Shandi his dad would laugh his damn ass off. Be just his damn luck his dreams would turn out like his dads and not end the way he wanted.

Shandi turned on the lap top and went to her email first, three letters from her mom popped up and she opened them quickly, all three asking the same question, "WHERE ARE U?"

She clicked on reply and wrote quickly. :"Little River Arkansas, with Tanner and his family, Jeremy and Violet getting married in a week, send money if possible. I will get bus or plane as soon as possible. Don't know if it will work, but need to try. Love and miss you all, S." She hit send and watched as it seemed to work.

Tanner looked at her. "Here's hoping kid..."

She nodded and took a deep breath as the message seemed to go as planned. When it finished, she let out the breath slowly.

Almost as if her family had been waiting a reply came back. "Will wire money, what the hell happened?"

Knowing this worked, she felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. "Tanner, will you answer them? I need a couple minutes to get myself together okay?"

He nodded. "Go ahead; I'll do what I can..."

Going outside, she lit a cigarette and sat on the porch to look around. The tears were running down her face and she let them fall. So close, yet so far away. She had been afraid that the idea might not work, was some kind of bridge in place? Was she the bridge? Or was it just a fluke, how long before it closed and she was cut off from her family forever, trapped in a novel that her mother hadn't written yet.

Connor saw her sitting on the porch and she was crying. Without even thinking, he walked across the yard and sat down beside her. "Shandi, what's wrong?"

"I...I want to go home, I shouldn't be here." She began to cry harder and he acted on impulse. He put his arms around her and let her cry until she had nothing left. He had some vague idea of how she felt, alone, in a place she didn't know, her only link to home a man who she hadn't seen since she was a kid.

Her depression lasted through dinner, and he watched as she helped his stepmom clear the table and do the dishes. It hurt him inside to know she was so unhappy. Without thinking he looked at her and spoke. "You want to go for a drive Shandi, check out the local scenery?"

She looked shocked and so did those sitting around. Tanner looked at her then at him. "That might not be a good idea...Shandi?"

She gave him a weak smile. "Oh come on Tanner, what's the worst that can happen he ends up in my world like you did? Just next time I'll be careful not to let him be too close to me when a thunderstorm shows up..."

Connor got the idea that there was more being said than what he heard and he wondered again how Shandi and Tanner knew each other so well. His dad, Maggie and Hannah looked as if they understood, but he, Jeremy and Violet looked confused. "So do you want to go or not?"

She smiled and nodded. "I think I do, yeah..."

Seeing the scenery didn't include sitting up on a spot above town with Connor Harris. Still, here she was and it wasn't so bad. He pointed out different areas, and she had to admit it was pretty. Connor wasn't as blunt or outspoken as Tanner, and she felt a lot safer being alone with him then she had with his brother. That was the problem; Connor was in his own way, a totally unknown factor to her. There had been mentions about him in most of the books, but just little glimpses and teases. One thing she did know was that for the last two years he had been on the west coast, working for a construction company, only to return home for the wedding. "So how did you like California?"

"I didn't, too expensive and the people are too full of themselves. I like folks who are a little more down to earth." He took a drink of his beer and turned in the seat to look at her. "What happened between you and Tanner?"

That caught her off guard. "Nothing, why...?"

"Because you and Tanner don't act like two people who haven't seen each other in ten years, I got the impression yesterday that you had seen each other recently. Not to mention that you showed up in the middle of an area that not even many locals fear to tread. Also you trust him to a certain extent, but at the same time I get the feeling that there's more to it than you two are saying. So are you like having an affair with him, or something?"

Despite her shock, Shandi began to laugh. She laughed and laughed until her side hurt and she had tears running down her face. When she was able to calm down she reached out and touched him on his arm. "Thank you Connor, I needed that. And the answer is no, I'm not having an affair with Tanner...he isn't my type." She had discovered that when they had been alone at her house.

"Am I?"

That left her speechless. To hide her discomfort, she lit a cigarette and looked out the window. "To be honest, I don't know you well enough to say yes or no..."

"Okay, what about as far as first impression, would you consider it based on that...?"

Just her luck; he was another one like Tanner, not wanting to give up until you gave them a solid yes or no. Taking a long look at him and thinking of him in both sexual and non sexual situations, she was a little disturbed to discover that she would without hesitation. "Yes..."

He grinned and sat back as if satisfied with her answer. "Then I guess we'll have to work on you getting to know me better won't we, because I would sleep with you in a heartbeat."

What was it about him and his damn honesty? It was what she saw the most in him. Honesty, and in his own way a man who kept his emotions bottled up except when confronted with the person who aroused them. Tanner, she understood, he was just a sex happy maniac. Connor was the kind of man who could break a heart and never even know it unless it was his own.

Once the questions were out of the way, he seemed interested in learning more about her, and her family. That was a safe subject, even if she was still hurting from being so far away from them. She talked about her mom and the books she wrote, her dad and his love of old cars and designing houses, her brother who wanted to be a doctor and her sister who was expecting a baby. She talked about the twins and their love of all things connected to martial arts, and she talked about Twyla, her kid sister who enjoyed being a girl while she preferred being a tomboy.

They talked long past when the sun went down and when she realized how late it was, she looked at him, "Why did you let me keep talking for as long as you did?"

"Because I like listening to your voice," He gave her a lazy smile. "And it kept me from giving in to impulse and kissing you."

There he went again. It also reminded her how enclosed the car was and that darkness surrounded them. "Maybe we should go back to your folk's place, see if my parents have emailed me again."

"In a minute, because now you're not talking and I always did like to give in to impulse."

He tasted of beer, cigarettes and his lips were hard and yet gentle on hers. She felt his fingers on her cheek and when he slipped his tongue over her lips, she parted them all too willingly. It was all he needed to deepen the kiss and take full advantage of the moment. Shandi found herself responding as if he had been kissing her forever, and she felt herself touching his face and liking the feel of the five o'clock shadow he had.

She knew she should pull away, should run away from him as fast as she could. Instead she was pulled toward him by some magnetic force that involved having him put his arms around her and getting as lost in her mouth as she was in his. To make it even worse for her, he had lit a fire inside her that she had never felt before. A fire she never wanted to have put out.

Connor couldn't believe how hot he felt, like someone or something had put them in an oven together and kicked it up to broil. This was it, this was what he had been looking for so long, a woman who made him feel the way Shandi was and he didn't want to move for fear he would find it was all a dream. Oh sweet mother, how much he wanted her, in his bed, in his life. This was no one night woman he held in his arms, this was a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life waking up beside and filling a house with their babies.

His hand roamed over her at will, discovering each curve and bump of a body made to be with him. He was sure that the first time they made love he would find her tunnel fit him like a glove and their sex would set the world on fire.

Claudia Abbott looked at the words that appeared on her screen even without her touching the key board and shivered. What did she do, if her husband read this, he would go ballistic. At the same time, she knew that this was happening somewhere in cyberspace to her daughter and she knew how badly Shandi needed a man like Connor in her life, a man who loved her as she was. Not that her headstrong, stubborn daughter would ever admit it, she would rather die than admit how lonely she was at times. Claudia understood; she had been the same way in school and in her college years. That had been one of the major reasons she had changed her major to writing, to let all her feelings and emotions flow freely onto paper.

Now she watched in an almost voyeuristic way as her daughter and a creation of her own mind tasted the first new delights of discovering their other half. Her only fear was of the damage that might be done in the end.

Hannah touched Tanner's shoulder and he smiled at her as he turned from looking up at the moon. "It will all work out Tanner, it always does..."

"I know, but what gets me is that I almost envy the little shit, remember I've seen what she looks like naked."

Hannah chuckled. "Do you regret not...before you came home?"

Gathering his wife up in his arms, he kissed her long and hard. "I did, she shut me down pretty good, but I think I understand now. I wasn't intended to be the one, I had to meet you and find out what real love was. I just don't know how and if she will ever be able to get home Hannah, and when she does, what happens to her and Connor? One of them will have to choose."

"They'll make the decision that's right for them, just like we did." She began to stroke his chest, and gave him her soft smile. "The kids are asleep, let's go inside and..." Her whispers sent chills up and down Tanner's body and he picked her without hesitation. Things would happen and no one had any control over them. For now, he would love his wife, his kids and he would be there to help one or the other survive the final chapter.

Shandi licked her lips and saw the smile in Connor's eyes. "Wow..." It was all she could say and it seemed so inadequate. His kisses were like being in the middle of a raging storm and you knew that all around you chaos was happening, but you were safe and secure from it. She didn't want to stop, and it was clear he had no intention of it either. "Connor," his name came out more a whisper than anything and he kissed her throat with a hunger that she felt as well.

"I've dreamed of you so long, and to have you here, now, with me...if this is a dream Shandi, I never want to wake up." Finding her mouth, he claimed it again as his and his alone. She answered it in a way that she had never dreamed possible. Where was all the inexperience and fear she had known?

They had lost track of time, and she wanted to stay lost. She felt his hand on her breast, caressing, teasing, and making her shiver with need. The amount of heat her body was generating right now would heat up both the north and south poles, turning them to slush if she were there. Connor didn't seem any cooler about what was happening either. They were both being careful not to touch each other below the waist, but she knew if she did venture to brush against the front of his jeans, she would find not throbbing male flesh, but a rod of pure carbon steel. A part of her was tempted to check and see, but she knew that if she did, both of them might explode.

A sobering thought crossed her mind. What happened when she went home? If she went home, she would lose this, lose him. But if she stayed with him, she lost her family. It wasn't fair; she wanted both, him and her family. But to ask him to choose wasn't fair either, this was his world, and her world could offer him nothing. She shivered, not with passion but with fear and he felt it.

"Shandi honey, you okay?"

She shook her head, afraid to speak. "Connor, just hold me please, hold me and make me feel like you'll never let me go."

He held her even tighter and she knew that in the end she had to be the one who let him go, he had to find his own love of his life. Just as Tanner and his other brothers had. She was no romance novel heroine, but he was a hero and the hero always got the girl of his dreams.

Connor didn't know what had frightened her so suddenly, but he held her tight and knew he never wanted to let her go. This was Shandi, his Shandi and this was where he belonged. With her and he didn't care anymore that somehow Tanner and she were connected in some way beyond what they were both saying. Nothing mattered to him but having her here and now.

He knew his thoughts were selfish, but he didn't want her to go home, he wanted her to stay with him. Be with him always. He was tired of one night stands and being alone. As he considered what he could do, it came to him. He had planned on going back to California as soon as the wedding was over; Portland wasn't that far from Sacramento. She could stay for the wedding, then they could go back to his place, pack up what he had left behind, then drive up to see her family. After that, well they'd worry about that when it got to that point.

"Shandi, do you really have to leave so soon?"

She looked at him confused. "What?"

"I was thinking, the wedding is in a week, you could stay here until after it was over. I need to go back to Sacramento and get what I left at my apartment. The job is over, and I was planning on taking some time off before I decided what to do next. Suppose after the wedding, you and I drive out to Sacramento, get my stuff, and then go up to your folk's place. I need to meet them anyway; a man needs to know hiss before the wedding. Portland isn't so far from Sacramento is it?"

"No, just a nine or ten hour drive," understanding entered her eyes. "Oh! Yeah, that would work. I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't mind, and I could use the money they send me to get new clothes, if I have to live in them for a week..."

He grinned. "So does my idea work for you?"

She gave him a soft smile and nodded "Oh Connor, I think it's a wonderful idea..."

He kissed her then and he noticed that the tension he had felt coming from both of them was gone. Yes, this was the right thing to do, he was sure of it.

Claudia smiled at the last page finished. She couldn't have written it any better herself, and if the idea worked, maybe her daughter could have her own happy ending. She hit save and once it did, she turned off the machine. "Sleep well my little girl, and know we all love and miss you, but we can wait for you to come home a few extra days."

Shandi stepped out of the shower and began to towel off before looking in the mirror. Her neck looked like a vampire had feasted on her, but she didn't mind. Connor's wasn't much better. Tanner had arched an eyebrow and grinned at the same time when he had seen the love bites. "No freak thunderstorms I see..."