Free Violets in February by Clare Revell

tracks.
    Something wet fell on his head. Followed by a succession of drops. The rains were here.
    It’d take a miracle for them to get to a hospital now.
    And for folks like him, miracles didn’t happen.
    ~*~
    Lucy sat quietly in the truck as Jed drove.
    He hadn’t put the music back on, choosing instead to sit in silence, his attention fixed on the track which had already turned to a river of mud.
    The rain poured against the fabric roof, bouncing off the windows, the noise deafening.
    She kept her window open as much as she could without letting the water in.
    Rather than bouncing, the truck slid on the road, into and out of ruts.
    Jed’s driving was laced with more colorful metaphors than normal.
    She gave up asking him to stop swearing. She had to admit again, albeit grudgingly, that he scrubbed up pretty well. At some point, he’d tied his hair back, exposing a strong jaw line, pricked with five o’clock shadow around his short beard. She’d never been a huge fan of beards, preferring the clean lines and fuzz free look. But her fingers itched to touch him, touch his beard. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if kissing someone with a beard felt as scratchy as it looked. Her gaze moved down over his neck, chest, arms…
    What had she done to deserve this? He wasn’t the type of man she should fall for. She shouldn’t even fall in love at all. Especially with him.
    He was everything she detested in a man—he swore, smoked, had tattoos, an earring, and rotten taste in music. He’d scared her, but being this close to him, she realized something.
    He was the one who was scared.
    Running scared at that.
    Was he scared of her?
    Scared of what she stood for?
    Scared of God? Is this why God had thrown them together like this? So she could help Jed not be scared? What was she meant to—?
    The truck swerved violently, swinging across the track.
    Lucy screamed and grabbed tight hold of the dashboard.
    Jed swore as he frantically tried to gain control of the sliding truck.
    The truck continued its circle, finally coming off the road and half into a ditch. The engine stalled.
    The abrupt stop threw Lucy forward into the seatbelt. Pain jarred her chest, piercing her knee with an agony so intense, tears sprang to her eyes.
    The silence was broken only by the last scrape of the wiper blades, and the thud, thud, thud of the rain.
    “You all right?” Jed asked.
    Her heart pounded, threatening to break loose, and she had to struggle to get the words past the lump in her throat. “Think so.” She looked at him. “What happened?”
    “Slid off the freaking road.” Jed’s tone was short. “You sure you’re OK? Didn’t hurt yourself?”
    “I’m fine. What about you?”
    “Fine.” He turned the key several times before the engine caught. He tried to move the truck, but nothing happened. He thumped the steering wheel. “Come on.” He tried again and swore as once more the truck didn’t move. “Stay here.”
    Jed clambered out into the pouring rain and vanished from sight.
    Lucy sent up a series of prayers. She didn’t want to be stuck in a rut for the rest of her life. She’d come to Africa, not just to serve God, but because she wanted adventure. Well, she’d had enough adventure now. She just wanted her knee fixed and to go back to the mission base where it was safe.
    She jumped at a tap on the window. Cranking it open she looked at the drenched figure standing there.
    “Ute got bogged,” he shouted. “Gonna have to dig it out.”
    “OK.” She sat back in the seat, wishing she could get out and help. If it weren’t for her, neither of them would be in this position right now. She could hear Jed swearing as he dug. How could such filth flow so easily from someone as good looking as him?
    And where did that come from?
    Some days she struggled to remember she was as vile a sinner as he was, the only difference being she’d been saved by grace and he hadn’t.
    Yet.
    After a further ten minutes, the