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He looked thoughtful on that one. Before he had a chance to say anything, a rumble overhead shattered the serene overcast afternoon. Adam jumped and his eyes grew wide. He shot a disgruntled look in her direction. “I told you we shouldn’t be out here.”
Faye didn’t know why she found this so amusing, but she did. She let out a small laugh. “A little rain never hurt anyone.”
The thunder clapped again and Adam flinched. It hadn’t started raining yet, so it was just the sound that he didn’t seem to like. He ducked down when it boomed then shook his head. “What if lightning strikes? What about the horses? Don’t they hate this sort of thing?”
Faint flickering light rippled through the clouds overhead. Faye was one of those people who actually liked storms. She didn’t care if she was out in the rain or safely tucked away in a shelter—thunderstorms were her favorite.
She tilted her face to the sky and closed her eyes, loving the smell of the humidity in the air. There was only a slight electrical current that seemed to hover over them. This storm was mild compared to some of the others she’d been in.
One large, fat drop of water splashed on her cheek like a missile seeking out its target. The impact caused that droplet to explode into several smaller ones. Faye smiled as she waited for the next one and the next.
He was watching her. She could feel it without even looking at him. Those serious eyes of his were probably judging her right at this very moment. Well, she wasn’t going to let him take this away from her. It had been a while since she’d been able to revel beneath the rush of raindrops that would soon wash over them.
“Shouldn’t we start heading back?” His voice was hesitant.
“Are you really that nervous?” Her chin dropped down and she stared at him with a teasing smile. “When was the last time you had a little fun? Have you ever just enjoyed the rain before?”
“Yes,” he countered.
She gave him a pointed look. Based on everything he had said since the start of their ride, she had a hard time believing that.
Adam squirmed beneath her stare. Then he sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “I just prefer enjoying my storms from the safety of my home. Behind a pane of glass.”
“You’re no fun.”
Raindrops were falling faster now. They were small and scattered all over, thudding against the ground and the blades of grass with soft sounds. They wouldn’t do much damage to their clothing unless they got larger.
As if her thoughts alone were the driving force for this storm, the rain suddenly fell from the sky in sheets.
Adam let out a curse and ducked, though there was nowhere for him to go. He held his hands over his head and gave her a dirty look. Lightning flashed, filling the sky with a bright, hot light. Thunder cracked, splitting the sky in two. The horse that Faye had ridden up here reared back on her hind legs and charged out of the clearing.
Adam’s mouth dropped open, his hands still holding tight to Blaze’s reins. “Is she going to be okay?” he hollered, blinking rapidly and then wiping the water from his face.
Faye nodded. She had to squint her eyes to see through the downpour. “She knows her way back. But we should probably head back.”
“Youthink?” His tone was sharper than it had been since she’d met him.
“You really don’t like the rain, do you?”
“This isn’t rain. This is Noah’s next flood.”
She couldn’t help but laugh even though her clothes were saturated and her horse had disappeared. The hair that wasn’t covered by her hat hung limply around her shoulders as rivulets of water trailed down the ends. “It will pass. We probably won’t get back before it does. You might as well enjoy it.”
He gave her a dumbfounded look. “Seriously?” His focus shifted to Blaze. “How are we even going to head back? We only have one horse.”
“You could walk.” Faye said it without humor, though she didn’t mean a word of it. Adam needed to lighten up. Where was the easygoing guy she’d been working with? It didn’t take any effort at all for his attitude to shift when he just got a little wet.
Okay, that wasn’t fair. He was drenched just like she was, and the storm actually didn’t look like it would be moving out any time soon.
The look Adam gave her was absolutely priceless. He gaped at her, presumably unaware of the water at this point.
She couldn’t take it. A laugh erupted from her throat and she shook her head. “You make it too easy. We’ll both ride Blaze back and I’ll make sure we hurry. Don’t worry. You can use the stirrups. Come on. Let’s get going.” Faye trudged toward him and motioned for him to get on the horse first. Then she nudged his leg. “I still need the stirrup to get into the saddle. Move back as far as you can if you don’t want to get my boot in your face.”
In one easy movement, she climbed up onto the front of the saddle and scooted as far forward as she could. Adam readjusted himself onto the saddle. She could sense just how stiff he was, seated behind her. He wasn’t holding onto anything, and there was no way he’d stay on the horse if they were going to move fast.
Faye twisted in her seat and gave him a look. “I’m not going to bite. Go ahead and hold onto me. I’d rather you not fall off the horse this time.”
His lips quirked up at the ends. “So you admit you wanted me to fall last time?”
