She squeezed them shut and obeyed, doing her best not to flinch as a few larger stones found her body, despite John’s efforts to protect her. Winston's steps slowed, in spite of the escalating intensity of the storm, and for a horrified moment she thought that he had been damaged. But then she realized that they must be searching for shelter. A blast of wind hit them and Winston staggered, but John urged him forward. Another blast, then she heard John cry out.
Was he hurt? No amount of practiced poise could conceal the terror of that thought but before she could truly panic, Winston made a few last scrambling steps. The wind dropped and the roaring died down to a dull background noise. Her eyes flew open to find John smiling down at her.
“Are you all right?” she asked anxiously, checking his face for any signs that he was in pain.
“I’m fine, love. Just relieved to find a place to wait out the storm.”
For the first time she looked around. The storm had blocked most of the sunlight, but despite the dimness, she could make out the walls of a small cave surrounding them. The entrance was angled away from her but she could see clouds of dust eddying past the opening.
“I should have known you would find a way to protect us.” Her voice broke on the last word as the fear she had tried to suppress resurfaced.
“Winston brought us here. I just used my cybernetics to find the cave.” He flashed a grin at her. “You should thank him.”
“Of course. Thank you, Winston,” she murmured as she bent forward to stroke the horse’s neck. The smooth metal skin was not quite as smooth as usual. “He’s all scratched up! Is he hurt?”
The horse’s head swung around to regard her with what appeared to be an incredulous look. John laughed. “No, he’s fine. I can buff those out. And before you ask, I have a few scratches but they’re already healing. But what about you? Your skin is much more delicate.”
“I’m fine,” she said immediately. Truthfully, the few parts of her body that had been exposed felt sore and uncomfortable but she wasn’t going to worry him.
He gave her a searching glance but didn’t argue as he swung down from the horse. “Wait there for a minute. I think we have just enough room to put up the habitat.”
As he turned away, she bit back a horrified gasp. The back of his shirt was in shreds and even with the dark fabric she could tell that he’d been bleeding. A few scratches, indeed! But she could also see through the gaping holese that only a few faint marks still marred his skin and she decided not to press him.
It took some maneuvering, but he did manage to erect the habitat and a short time later, he lifted her down.
“Is Winston going to be all right out here?” she asked. There wasn’t much space left in the small cave.
“Of course. He’s protected from the storm.”
“But he can’t move around much.”
“After that run earlier, it’s probably a relief,” he said dryly. “He’s fine, love.”
Despite his assurances, she spent a few more minutes cooing over the horse before she reluctantly entered the habitat. John followed her in, watching as she gratefully removed the breathing mask.
“That’s almost as exciting as watching you remove your clothes,” he said thoughtfully.
“Probably because my clothes don’t cover much as this point.” She gave her ruined outfit a rueful glance. “Back to coveralls from now on.”
“No, love. It’s because I can see your face again.” He cupped her cheek. “See the thoughts racing through that smart brain of yours. And, of course, because I can kiss you.”
His mouth descended over hers, gentle at first, and then with increasing urgency until she melted against him. She was smiling and breathless when he finally raised his head.
“That’s definitely an advantage,” she agreed. “So now what?”
“Now we wait out the storm.”
“And do a lot of kissing?”
“And do a lot of kissing,” he agreed as he drew her into his arms once more.
Chapter Twenty
The storm only lasted for another day, but it took them three more days to reach the Judge’s homestead. John didn’t mind. Neither of them were in a hurry. They rode slowly and he stopped early each day to put up the habitat. They made love and they talked, and each day, Serena seemed to settle more comfortably into this new version of herself. The person he suspected she could have been if tragedy hadn’t damaged her so badly. It wasn’t until they were riding up the embankment to the Judge’s habitat that a remnant of the old Serena appeared, her face settling into the icy calm he remembered.
He started to mention it, then decided to let it go. If she felt more comfortable masking her emotions, he wouldn’t try and stop her.
As they reached the top of a small plateau, a big black horse appeared in front of them, his posture not threatening, but watchful.
“That’s Blackie.” Serena bent over and murmured to Winston as they came to a halt. “His family lives here.”
The two horses regarded each other, then a tiny girl came running up. Without a mask, he realized with a start. “She’s not wearing a mask.”
“I know, but she’s fine. I’ll explain later,” Serena said quickly. “Hello, Kami.”
“Auntie Seena! Daddy went off to help you and he said you were fine, but then the bad man came and Mama melted him and then no one knew where you were!”
By the time the little girl had finished speaking, Serena had dismounted, and Kami threw herself happily into her arms. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sweetheart.”
His chest ached as he looked at the two of them. She would have been such a wonderful mother. Kami finally stopped talking and turned to look at him. Her eyes widened.
“Who’s that?” she whispered.
“This is John. John, come and say hello
