One

There he was again. The motorcycle man sped past her for the third in the last half, shooting her a huge dazzling grin. Annie Simon's heart gave a startled little leap in her chest, and she forced herself not to smile back at him. It took real effort. 

He roared down the highway ahead of her like a bullet, drawing her gaze helplessly after him. His dazzling red motorcycle glittered with chrome, his helmet gleamed, his black leather jacket flapped wildly behind him. He was larger than life, bursting with brilliant energy against the leafless winter backdrop of dull browns and grays.

This was the third day in a row that he had followed her. She noticed him for the first time around Charlottesville,Virginia. At first she had figured that he must be going her way by sheer coincidence and was just flirting with her to amuse himself on the road, but she'd been stopping every day for hours to hike in almost every state and national park that she passed, and he never seemed to outdistance her. She didn't really mind. In fact, the few times she thought she'd shaken him off for good, she'd been surprised at how disappointed she felt-almost angry at him for not trying harder. Then poof, up he popped, flashing her a wild grin so full of rollicking good humour that she couldn't help laughing back