Call It Destiny

that was about a mile downstream from your dad’s place. Let’s give it a try. We need shelter for the rest of the night.“
    He was right. They were both exhausted and soaked. Not a good combination. To Heather’s relief the cabin proved to be on much higher ground than she had remembered. It was nestled into the hillside, well above the threat of flowing water. And when Jake pushed open the unlocked door the single room appeared relatively dry.
    „Do you think this place is safe enough? You’re more familiar with the dangers of this kind of storm than I am.“ Jake glanced around assessingly.
    „Yes, I think we’ll be fine. We should probably keep an eye on the level of the stream during the night. Check it a few times. But this place is higher on the hillside than I remembered. Besides, both this place and my dad’s have come through storms like this before. The people who built them must have had a certain amount of respect for the elements or the cabins would have been swept away years ago. One way or another, it doesn’t make much difference. I don’t think I could go another step.“
    „You’re shaking,“ Jake muttered, pulling her close to him for a moment. Then he abruptly released her. „I’ll see if there’s anything we can use to build a fire.“
    „Even a light would help. I’ll look for some candles.“
    Heather found the candles in a kitchen drawer before Jake discovered the small storage shed on the back porch. But even as she was using the matches that had accompanied the candles in the drawer, he was pushing back through the door with an armload of wood.
    „It’s fairly dry from what I can tell in the darkness. With any luck we can have a real fire.“
    „I can’t think of anything I want more at the moment,“ Heather said fervently.
    „See if you can turn up any blankets.“ Jake knelt down in front of the hearth to busy himself with the firewood and the matches. He had a small blaze going by the time Heather located a couple of dusty blankets in a narrow closet.
    „They’re filthy,“ she complained.
    „Better than nothing. Let’s get out of these clothes.“ He got to his feet, peeling off his wet shirt without any hesitation at all.
    His hands were on the fastening of his jeans when Heather’s shaking fingers finally started in on her own buttons.
    „What’s the matter, honey? My God. You’re so cold. Come closer to the fire. I’ll take care of you. Here, let me undo those buttons.“
    The warm concern was an invitation she couldn’t resist. With a small moan of relief, Heather moved into his arms and turned her face into the bare skin of his chest.
    „Oh, Jake, I was so scared,“ she confided huskily. „I’ve never been as frightened in my whole life as I was this afternoon.“
    „You think I wasn’t?“ he retorted hoarsely. „In between worrying about what kind of trouble you might be in, I worried about whether or not you’d told me the truth, whether or not you were really trying to get rid of me.“
    „You actually thought I might have wanted to spend a few days with Rick Monroe after spending a night with you? Never, Jake. Never!“ Convulsively she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding herself close to his comforting strength. „All the while I was telling you to get lost I kept praying you could read my mind.“
    „And I kept praying you were trying to give me some other message than the verbal one. Not that it would have made a heck of a lot of difference. One way or another I had no intention of letting you spend the night with Monroe. I told you last night that you belong to me.“
    „Yes, Jake.“ She nestled against him trustingly as he pushed the damp shirt off her shoulders and then unfastened her jeans.
    „I also had a hunch you knew it and that you wouldn’t have the courage to throw another man in my face.“
    „Never.“
    „Stop shaking, honey,“ he begged as he slid his palms inside her jeans and peeled them down over her hips. The wet underpanties went with the denim. „You’re so cold.“ His hands moved chafingly on her back.
    „Reaction.“ The single word of explanation came out on a slight stutter.
    Jake released her to pick up the blanket and wrap it around her. Then he hurriedly stripped off the remainder of his own clothing. The flickering firelight on his body captivated her. It danced along the solid male flanks and sent primitive golden shadows over his chest. She loved him and he was beautiful to her