"I didn't notice how far I was wandering this evening."
"It can happen to anyone."
He continued to eat, ignoring her presence, and she squirmed in her chair.
"You're not going to lecture me about it?"
He glanced up at her and frowned. "Lecture you? Why? Everything turned out fine and you learned a lesson. What more could I say?"
She smiled at him gratefully. "Behind that facade of indifference, there's a very nice person."
His brows lifted in genuine surprise. "Me?"
She wrinkled her nose at him. "You."
He shrugged nonchalantly, but his gaze rested on her thoughtfully for a few moments before he finished his meal.
The storm passed quickly, but the night remained warm. There was probably another one brewing. It was that time of year. When she crawled into bed and turned off the light, the night sky performed a fireworks display in the distance. She stretched and tried to relax, but her mind kept returning to Cade - thinking of his warm touch on the palm of her hand. Funny how little things like that could stay in a person's thoughts for hours. He was clumsy at expressing verbal emotion and physical emotion was beyond him, but his eyes. She shook her head. It was all wishful thinking. Gradually her eyelids drooped and then she was dreaming again.
She was riding behind Cade, her hands clinging to his lean hips. Lightning flashed around them and thunder rumbled. He leaned forward as he helped her dismount at the barn, rain rolling off the brim of his hat in a stream. His fingers caressed her palm warmly. He brushed the hair away from her cheek. She stood on her toes and stretched upward to kiss his lips. He was leaning down to meet her, but they couldn't seem to touch.
She came awake with a start as thunder rattled the entire house. A stream of rain was splattering on the patio. A bolt of lightning lit up the bedroom. She threw the pillow over her head, drawing the light blanket up against her chin. Her heart was pounding and the storm wasn't the only reason. She shivered in her light cotton nightgown and curled up into a ball. How could it be so cold during an electrical storm? A brilliant flash of lightning was immediately followed by thunder so loud that it rattled the windowpane. A rumble began and it took her a moment to realize the sound was hail pounding on the roof.
She threw the covers back and dashed to the patio doors, staring outside. Hail meant turbulence, and turbulence meant there could be a tornado close. She took a quick step back. If it was a tornado, standing next to glass doors wasn't the smartest thing to do. What was? She wracked her mind for tornado safety rules. Get to the lowest story, in a central location away from hallways and windows. She grabbed her blanket and hurried down stairs. Where was Cade? Was it possible for him to sleep through this weather? As she entered the family room, a warm glow beckoned from the fireplace. A dark form hunkered before the fire, feeding small twigs to the flames.