How Important is Conflict?

Rhobin has chosen another interesting topic: Confrontation creates powerful drama. This month, use one scene you've written (published or not) that shows confrontation between characters with a brief explanation. Conflict is a major part of any story. It helps develop the character. It moves the plot. And it helps the plot to keep moving and hopefully grabs the reader.  Interesting - I’ve been thinking about scenes in my books with conflict.
I had a challenge picking a scene, hopefully this one works. It's from Targeted, the third in my Hawkins Ranch series.

Another shot hit the rock behind her. She rolled over on to her stomach, shaded her eyes and squinted into the sun. He must be up on the cliffs straight ahead of her. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have caught a reflection off the gun barrel.  Terrific! Now what? Her gun was in her purse. She could fire back, but that would be a waste of bullets ace.  She yanked out her cell and punched in 911.

 

Damn--no reception.

A pounding pulsed through the ground and came closer. Janna could feel the vibrations. It felt like horses. She glanced around, without raising her head, to see what was coming.

Suddenly there was a hand in front of her.

“Grab it and jump on.”

The deep, rumbling voice was not asking. It was an order.

Janna grabbed the strong hand. In one smooth motion she swung up behind a man on his horse. Seconds later she had her hands wrapped around his well developed, muscular chest as the big chestnut thundered across the ground out of the bullets’.

 The man was wearing a leather jacket over a sweater. Her hands slid under the jacket for better grip. Her hands met sinewy muscles under the sweater as she bounced behind him. She laid her head against his back and took a breath in, inhaling the rich scent of leather, trying to calm her racing heart rate.

He had a familiar woodsy scent that made her think of sex under pine trees, not that she’d ever made love there. In fact her sex life was pretty negligible.

She rested her head against his well-developed shoulders. The muscles bunched and relaxed as he led the horse at a gallop across the field. She felt safe for some unfathomable reason.

They’d been riding for several minutes when Janna leaned forward. “You can put me down any place. I can manage now.”

“Really? And just what are you going to do out here, miles from town, by yourself, with someone shooting at you?”

The voice was deep, but soft, and rolled over her like warmed brandy. It triggered something in the back of her memory. The earthy scent, the sinewy body, the voice; she knew this person who had ridden up out of nowhere to save her.

“I have my cell. I’ve already called 911,” she snapped.

“And did you get an answer?”

Janna yanked her cell phone up where she could see the screen again and re-tapped in 911. And there was that famous phrase--No Service.

 

Please check out what our other authors have to say, I’ll be checking them out.

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Dr. Bob Rich http://wp.me/p3Xihq-FD
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Helena Fairfax  http://helenafairfax.com/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com