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back home to Serenity and Drake Hammond.
    As if echoing her mood, she heard the low murmur of thunder in the distance. Raising her face to the sky, Caitleen was alarmed to see the sky turning a deep, bruised purple. The wind was really blustering now, and the horses were restless in the harness. They could sense the impending storm, and by their reactions, it was going to be a big one. As she looked upward, the first fat raindrops splattered on her face and into her eyes. Letting out a startled cry at the contact of the cold water against the sensitive area, Caite shook her face free of water. Then she laughed a little at her foolishness.
    "Here it comes!” Jed wasn't laughing. Standing firmly on the bench, he urged the horses to go even faster. The rain began falling more heavily, spattering them both. “Good thing we're almost there!"
    Caite clung to the wagon as tightly as she could. If she had thought the ride bouncy before, she regretted her innocence. Riding on this wagon at full tilt was worse than being in a rowboat sucked up in a waterspout. White-knuckled, Caitleen closed her eyes and prayed for the strength to keep holding on.
    "Are you all right?” Jed shouted over the thunder of the storm and the horses’ hooves. He took his eyes off the team just long enough to shoot her a glance. “Can you hang on?"
    "Yes!” Caite cried back.
    Her teeth clattered, and she nearly bit through her tongue, but despite her fear and the pain in her fingers, she felt strangely elated. Maybe it was the sheer intensity of the storm, or the panting of the horses, but she found herself thinking of Jed's mouth closing on hers. His kiss had felt like this wild ride. She had no time to dwell on amorous recollections, however, because one of the wheels caught a dip in the road. Caite shrieked breathlessly as she bounced nearly six inches into the air and came down on her rump hard enough to bring up tears of pain.
    In the distance, she could begin to make out the small, square shape she assumed must be the cabin Jed had mentioned. At the sight of it, Jed clucked to the horses, coaxing a last valiant effort from them. The team pounded ferociously up to the building, nearly overrunning it. They scattered a clucking flock of scrawny, half-wild hens. Only Jed's superb handling kept the horses on their feet as they slipped in the sudden mud the storm had created.
    "Whoa, Ginger! Whoa, Nutmeg!” Jed pulled back on the reins just enough to slow the beasts.
    The rain poured down on them in blinding, chilling sheets, soaking them to the skin. A crack of lightning flashed blue-white, searing their eyes. Thunder rumbled brutally, close enough to make Caite jump. When the team stopped, prancing and snorting in the mud, Jed wound the reins tightly around the seat and jumped from the wagon.
    "I'll get you inside, then come get our things!” Jed yelled over the sounds of the storm.
    Caite nodded, prying her stiff fingers loose from the seat. Leaning over the side of the wagon, she tumbled topsy-turvy into Jed's waiting arms. Caite marveled at the way she always seemed to end up in this position. It must be fate, she decided. There was no time for lingering glances or caresses this time, however. Even though Jed's grip on her was strong, there was no nonsense in it. As she tried to stand, Caite realized before Jed that the hem of her skirt had become twisted around the bench. Before she could warn him that she was caught, he had tugged himself off balance.
    With a purr that sounded loud even through the thunder and wind, Caite's dress tore from ankles to waist. At the sudden give, Jed fell backward, carrying Caite with him. They landed in a tangle of arms and legs, mud splattering all over them. Caitleen felt rather than heard the rush of Jed's breath as her weight knocked it out of him. Her knee banged painfully into the ground, and she yelped.
    "Jed! Are you all right?” She scrambled off him. He looked green. She realized belatedly her knee had