Chapter 7

	Two hours later they were traveling down the highway with Reese’s hands
gripping the wheel tightly as he swore under his breath.  The stars Mikki had been
admiring in the sky back at the gas station had been replaced by thick black clouds
shooting lightening across the expanse of open road in front of them.  About ten minutes
earlier, the clouds had opened up and now, with his wipers swishing across the window
as fast as they could, he could hardly see the nose of his truck, let alone the road.  He
blinked several times to clear his head, then swore again. There was no way around it,
he had to get off the road before he killed them both.
	A few hundred feet down the road he eased the truck off into a roadside picnic
stop and threw it out of gear.  “It’s no use.” he said, shoulders sagging as the tension of
driving began to drain from him. “I can’t drive in this.”
	He heard her sigh. “Thank God.” she said under her breath.
	He leaned back, stretched, and rubbed his eyes, listening to the heavy rain
hammering against the roof of the cab. 
	“Do you think it will ease up?” she asked hopefully.
	He shrugged. “It might,” he glanced at her. “or it might last all night.”
	She nodded and looked at the water sheeting the windshield, giving a very
closed-in feeling to the truck cab.
	“Who am I kidding, Mikki.” He said finally, his voice frustrated. “I need to get
some sleep.  Maybe it’s just as well this storm came to knock some sense into my
head.” Mikki nodded, but said nothing, and he went on. “The mattress and sleeping bag
are still set up in the back. If we make a run for it, we might not get too badly drenched.
I’ll let you in, and I’ll come back and sleep in here in the back seat.” He was leaning over
the seat moving things in the back as he spoke, then he looked at her. “Give me a
couple of seconds head start, I’ll get the cap unlocked and the tailgate open for you.” he
said, then he was gone.
	Just as Mikki opened the door to follow him, the sky lit up with lightning, followed
too closely by a loud crack of thunder that resonated through the sky before finally
trailing off.  She let out a shriek and slammed the door behind her.  The rain pelted down
on her and her heart was beating wildly, as she raced to the back of the truck as quickly
as she could.  He was crouched inside and reached a hand to help her in, then flipped
up the tailgate and closed the top door of the truck cap, just as another crack shook the
truck.
	“You OK?” he asked, resting his hand on her shoulder for a second.
	“I’m fine.”  she said, breathlessly, peeling her eyes open.  It was dark, and the
rain on the roof was loud in  her ears.  She could feel the truck moving as he looked for
something, and a few moments later a flashlight lit up the small space and she was able
to see where she was.  Just a little further into the truck from where she crouched, an
inflated mattress filled most of the rest of the floor space. A pillow and sleeping bag were
spread out on it, looking as if he had just climbed out of it, and she flushed at the
intimacy of the scene.  She reminded herself that he had, after all, slept in it while she’d
been at the shower all afternoon, and tried to calm the sensations that had stirred her
heart.  The next crack of thunder made her flinch and she let out another faint shriek,
embarrassed that this time he was there to see her reaction.
	Thankfully, he ignored her startled expression, and looked down at the bed. “You
should be OK back here.  The mattress is quite comfortable and you’ll be nice and dry.”
He glanced at her, then pointed the flashlight towards the sliding window between the
cap and the back seat of the truck. “If you need anything, just rap on the window.”
	“OK.” She nodded, as she hugged herself close, shivering.
	He hesitated, then handed her the flashlight and reached for the door of the cap. 
Another crack of thunder rattled through the truck just as he lifted the flap.  Startled, she
dropped the flashlight and let out a cry.
	“Reese.” she said, shivering and sounding more desperate than she liked.
	He picked up the light and held it out to her again. “Yeah?” he asked.
	She eyed the pouring rain cautiously through the open door. “Do you think -- well
-- maybe --”  The sky lit up again, but this time the thunder was more distant.  She
closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re going to get wet all over again if you go
back out there, there’s really no need, we’re both adults, surly  we can manage to figure
something out back here?” She spoke it all so fast Reese was wondering if she were
ever going to stop for a breath.  He looked at her as she crouched there, trembling, then
glanced at the sleeping bag.
	“It bothers you that much?” he asked, then quickly added. “...me getting wet
again I mean.”
	She chewed on her lip and nodded.  She knew he didn’t believe that was what
had prompted her to ask, but at that moment, with the rain hammering down on the roof,
she didn’t care. He’d been diplomatic about it, and that in itself, comforted her.
	“Well, OK then.” he said, closing the door again, and noticing that she seemed to
relax a bit. “We’ll work something out.” He looked at her, and for the first time realized
just how drenched she was.  Frowning, he started rummaging through some things on
the far side of the mattress, eventually producing a shirt, and handing it to her.
	“There, I thought I might have one in here. It’s clean.” When she looked puzzled,
he continued, “You’re soaked. You can’t sleep like that.” She reached for the shirt and
he switched off the light, allowing her to change in the dark.
	“OK.” she said, when her wet shirt and jeans were stripped off and piled on the
floor and the dry shirt buttoned up.  He switched on the light again  and she held back a
gasp when she saw him kneeling shirtless in front of her.  She swallowed hard as her
eyes took in his muscular, tanned chest, and curled her fingers into fists to curtail the
urge to touch him.  Embarrassed, she was thankful he was intent on searching the truck
for a blanket and wasn’t looking at her.
	“You can have the sleeping bag.” he said, breaking into her thoughts.  He’d
found the picnic blanket folded in the corner of the truck, and was wrapping it around
himself as he spoke. “I’ll just sleep like this on the mattress.  Don’t worry, I am a perfect
gentleman”
	“Oh” she said, in a small voice.  He looked at her, until she blushed and looked
away.  Carefully she climbed onto the mattress and slipped inside the sleeping bag.
When she was settled in, he turned off the light and she felt the mattress shift as he lay
down beside her.
	She rolled onto her side facing away from him and stared into the dark.  How was
she ever going to get to sleep when she could feel his presence only inches away from
her? Why had she asked him to stay, she scolded herself. A distant crack of thunder
rolled through the night, and she swallowed. Oh yeah, that was why, she reminded
herself, and pulled the sleeping bag up tight to her chin.
	“Mikki?” Reese said softly in the dark.
	“Yeah?”
	“You OK?”
	“Yeah, I’m OK.” she said, knowing it was childish of her to be afraid of thunder at
her age, but comforted to know she wasn’t alone. She felt him shifting behind her and
took in a deep breath.
	“Reese.”
	“Yeah?”
	“You must be pretty uncomfortable like that.  In those wet jeans, I mean.”
	He took a deep breath. If she only knew just how uncomfortable he was, he
thought. Laying so close to her, listening to her breathing in the dark, remembering how
she’d looked kneeling in the beam of the flashlight, her legs bare beneath his shirt. It
was all making him very uncomfortable, but he knew that wasn’t the kind of discomfort
she meant.  He’d promised her he’d be a perfect gentleman, and he intended to keep
that promise, though laying here beside her was making it pretty damn hard to keep it. 
Never before had he been so close to a woman that he wanted to scoop up in his arms
and make love to, and had to force himself not to do it.  Then again, he reminded
himself, there were a lot of things that happened when he was with her that had never
happened to him before.

	When the sun began to shine through the windows in the early morning, Mikki
was already awake. After Reese had discarded his wet jeans and settled back down on
the mattress behind her, she had lain there for a long time pretending to be asleep
before tiredness had finally taken over her other emotions and she had drifted off.  Now,
as she lay there in the early morning light, listening to his breathing beside her, she
dared to steal a glance at him before he woke up.  In her sleep, she had rolled over to
face him, and she just needed to lift her chin slightly to be able to see his face.  She lay
for a long time looking at him, while the birds chirped somewhere outside in the newly
rain-washed trees.  Her eyes lingered on his lips, remembering the kiss they’d shared
the day before. Even if that kiss hadn’t really meant anything, and if they never kissed
again; even if  he didn’t really like her very much, she decided that she’d remember that
kiss forever.  
	When he moved slightly, she quickly closed her eyes, afraid he’d wake and catch
her looking at him.  After what seemed like an endless wait, during which his moving
stopped and his breathing quieted again, she dared open her eyes again.
	“Good morning.” he said quietly, from where he lay propped on one elbow
looking at her. She blushed, and quickly closed her eyes again, then slowly forced
herself to open them.
	“Good morning.” she replied sheepishly, as she tried to define the curious
expression in his face.
	Finally he rolled away from her and sat up, pulling on his still damp jeans. Regret,
she thought, as she lay back and looked up at the roof. He’s wishing he hadn’t asked
me to come with him. After all, how was he going to explain her to his family when they
arrived? 
	She breathed a heavy sigh and crawled out of the sleeping bag.  As he lifted the
door and dropped the tailgate, she struggled to get into her own jeans.  He climbed out
and stretched his arms above his head, then leaned in and retrieved the shirt he’d been
wearing the night before.  She climbed out of the truck herself and stretched her legs. It
amazed her how peaceful it was, compared to the raging storm the night before, and
how fresh and beautiful the world looked after the rain.
	Reese watched her as she took in the scene around them, noticing that although
she had put her jeans back on, she still wore his faded denim shirt that he had found for
her. The sleeves were rolled up and the top two or three buttons were open.  Her hair
was still tousled  from sleeping and tumbled freely around her neck.
	“It’s beautiful.” she sighed, looking around her, taking in the early morning.
	“It sure is.” he said, not taking his eyes off her. She turned her head to face him
and smiled, and he could do nothing but smile back.  He’d been thinking that exact
same thing, he reminded himself, as he’d watched her sleeping in the dim morning light. 
Only the thought of where he was going had stopped him from reaching out to her and
kissing her again.  He hadn’t been able to get that earlier kiss out of his mind and one
thing was certain, he wanted to do it again. But he knew, that if he kissed her again, the
next time it wouldn’t stop there, and kissing her in bed while they were both half dressed
would only be asking for trouble.  He was determined to be a gentleman, and unless she
gave him an indication that she wanted it to go further, he would have to keep his
distance.
	He coughed, and turned to close the tailgate. “We better get going. There’s still a
good five hours ahead of us, and I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”
	“Don’t remind me!” she groaned, laying a hand absently on her stomach.
	“All right then,” he said with a grin. “it’s settled. The first restaurant we see,
beware!” and she laughed at him.
	When they pulled into a little town about an hour later, she was still laughing.
He’d been telling her stories of his youth, mostly about how they had plotted secret
revenge against Mrs. Crouthers in the third grade, though none had ever been brave
enough to carry out the pranks they’d thought up; and how they had pulled off a few the
following year when they’d had young Miss Knox, fresh out of teacher’s college.
	She continued to smile right through breakfast, as she kept up with him bite for
bite through a hefty helping of bacon, eggs and home fries, though  she admitted she
might not need to eat for the rest of the day.
	When they’d finally finished, she glanced at her watch, then at Reese, hopefully.
“I noticed a shop across the street. Do we have time to wait for it to open and pick up a
change of clothes?  I only have what I was wearing yesterday, which, you have to admit,
is a little worse for the wear after the storm, and I wouldn’t mind picking up a toothbrush
either.”
	He looked down at his own clothes and smiled. He could do with a shower, he
thought, but that would have to wait. She did have a point about the clothes, though.
They must look quite the sight, he thought.
	“I guess I could use some new duds myself, huh?” he said, with a gleam in his
eyes, and she wrinkled up her nose.
	“Well -- I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you mention it ...” she grinned
and winked at him, and he reminded himself to retaliate later.
	“OK” he said, sighing, as his mind was brought back to the purpose of the trip.  “I
don’t want to waste much time though. Meet you back at the truck in -- half an hour?”
	“Half an hour.” she promised, nodding.
	True to her word, Mikki was leaning against the truck a half hour later when
Reese rounded the corner. His heart nearly skipped a beat -- several beats -- and he
almost tripped over his own feet when he saw her. She wore a sleeveless white blouse,
and a very short skirt, dark blue with tiny white flowers on it. She’d brushed her hair
smooth and left it loose, tucked behind her ears.
	“I feel underdressed.” he said with a grin of appreciation as his eyes moved
visibly over her.
	She laughed, but looked suitably flattered. “It’s shorts, silly.” She turned around to
reveal that the skirt was indeed a pair of shorts in disguise. “And you look fine.”
	Mighty fine, she thought to herself.  Eyeing the jeans and black T-shirt he’d
picked up for himself.  They  accentuated his sculptured physique, obtained no doubt by
the manual labour he did for a living, and she was finding it difficult to drag her eyes
away. She wished he’d open the truck so she could sit down and get off her shaking
knees.
	“Why thank you Ma’am.” he said, imitating Cloe from the coffee shop, and Mikki
laughed at him. He made a mental note that he liked it when she laughed, and unlocked
the truck.  He took her bags from her and put them in the back seat, noting that she’d
obviously picked up more than one new set of clothes.
	The rest of the trip was quieter.  Though they spoke less, there seemed to be a
more comfortable atmosphere between them. The tension that had been here on the
way to Silverside was gone, and the uncertainty that had plagued her on the first leg of
the drive to Clay River was also gone. Where at first the silence between them had felt
strained and un-natural, now it seemed relaxed, like there was nothing out of the
ordinary about them being in his truck together on this trip.
	As they neared their destination, however, Reese brooded more and more and
spoke less and less. Finally, he turned on the radio, allowing it to fill the silence, while he
concentrated on the driving.  It wasn’t just the reason for the trip that silenced him
though.  He’d tried calling Patrick the night before, and again this morning while Mikki
had been shopping. There’d been no answer either time, although this morning the
answering machine had been on and he had left a message that he was on his way.  He
just wished he had more information; knew what to expect when he got there.  He had
left his cell-phone number with his message, just in case his step-father came home,
and now all there was left to do was drive, think about his mother, and whatever he did,
keep his eyes off those damn legs in the passenger seat!
	He didn’t know what had possessed him to ask her to come with him.  He may
have thought at the time that it was a quick solution to the question of what to do with
her without leaving her stranded. Perhaps, and more likely, it had been his own desire
for company to distract him on the long ride ahead.  He had a feeling there was more to
it than that, though, but as he stole a quick glance at those long, tanned legs, he was
sure glad he had asked her, no matter what the reason.  He told himself to remember to
find out what it was sometime.  For now, however, there was no time to dwell on it any
further, for the sign for Clay River loomed ominously up ahead.