Time and Again

straps.
    Libby shrugged. "Well, I suppose if you want to do it the easy way." She bent over the back wheel, planted her feet and braced herself.
    "What are you doing?"
    "I'm going to help you lift it." She took a firm grip and blew the hair out of her eyes. "Well, come on."
    Cal tucked his tongue into his cheek. "Okay, but don't strain yourself."
    "Do you have any idea how much equipment we lug around on digs?"
    He smiled at her. "No."
    "Plenty. On three. One, two, three!" She let out an astonished breath as they lifted the cycle shoulder-high. It couldn't have weighed more than thirty pounds. "You're a riot, Hornblower."
    "Thanks." He secured the cycle quickly. "You going to let me drive this time?" When she dug the keys out of her pocket and jiggled them, he went into his pitch. "Come on, Libby, there's no one around."
    "Be that as it may, you never showed me a driver's license."
    "If we're talking technicalities, I don't think it would apply. Libby, if I can pilot that-" he jerked his thumb in the direction of the ship "-I sure as hell can drive this. I want to see what it's like."
    She tossed him the keys. "Just remember, this vehicle stays on the ground."
    "Got it." As pleased as a kid with a new toy, he settled behind the wheel. "It works with gears, right?"
    "I believe so."
    "Fascinating. This pedal here?"
    "The clutch," she said, and wondered if she'd just taken her life in her hands.
    "The clutch, right. That's what disengages the system so that you can change gears. Higher gears for higher speeds. That's the idea, isn't it?"
    "The other pedal? The one beside it? That's the brake. Pay attention to the brake, Hornblower. Pay very close attention."
    "Don't worry about a thing." He sent her a cocky grin, then turned the key. "See?" They went in reverse for two fast feet before they came to a jarring stop. "Just a minute. I think I've got it now."
    "You've got to put it in off-road."
    "Off what?"
    Though her palms were slightly damp, she showed him. "Take it easy, will you? And try to go forward."
    "No problem." The Land Rover bucked the first few feet, causing Libby to grip the dash with both hands and pray. Cal was having the time of his life, and he was a little disappointed when the ride smoothed out.
    "Nothing to it." He sent her a cocky grin.
    "Just watch where you're going. Oh, God!" She tossed her hands in front of her face so that she wouldn't see the tree they were about to ram.
    "Are you always a nervous passenger?" he asked conversationally as he maneuvered around the tree.
    "I could grow to hate you. I'm sure of it."
    "Loosen up, babe. Let's take a little detour."
    "Cal, we should-"
    "Run for the gusto," he finished. "Isn't that the phrase?"
    "I think it's 'Go for the gusto,' but this isn't a beer commercial." She bit her lip and clung to her safety belt. "Anyway, you can keep it. I think I'd rather live a long, dull life."
    He plunged down a rocky slope, driving as if he'd been born behind the wheel. "This is the next best thing to flying." He shot her a look. "Well, maybe not the next best, but it's close."
    "I think several of my vital organs have jarred loose. Cal, you're going to go right through that-" The water swooshed up, two glittering curtains on either side of the Land Rover. Libby was drenched when he shot up the opposite bank. "Stream," she muttered, dragging her soaked hair out of her eyes.
    As wet as she was, he gave a delighted whoop and swung around to go through the stream again. She heard her own laughter as the water slapped over her a second time.
    "You're crazy." They left the ground briefly, then jolted down with a thud. "But you're not dull."
    "You know, with a few modifications, this would go over big at home. I can't figure out why they don't make them anymore. If I came up with a prototype I could send my credit rating through the ozone."
    "You're not taking it with you. I still have fourteen payments to make."
    "Just a thought." He could have driven for hours. But the air was chill and she was beginning to shiver.
    Cal circled back.
    "Do you know where we are?"
    "Sure, about twenty degrees northeast of the ship." He tugged on her wet hair. "I told you I could navigate. Tell you what, when we get back we'll take a hot shower. Then we can build a fire and have some of that brandy. Then we can-" He swore and hit the brakes hard. A group of four in hiking gear was a few feet ahead.
    "Damn," Libby muttered. "We hardly ever get anyone this close in so early in the season." It