looked at Vala before fastening her gaze on Davis. "Secrets." She hissed the word at him.
His eyes widened. "Really?"
Pauline nodded. "As soon as we get rid of those two. They didn't bring me back the roots I need so they got to hunt for them today. Once they're gone...." She let her words trail off and smiled conspiratorially at Davis.
He smiled back, obviously impatient to be rid of Bram and her, Vala thought, admiring Pauline's deft handling of her son.
But when breakfast was over, cleared away and she and Bram were saddling the horses, Vala wasn't so sure it was a good idea for the two of them to go off alone together. Not that she expected or anticipated a repeat of last night, but for the first time since they'd met again in Apache Junction, she didn't feel at ease with Bram.
Once they were mounted, the trail he took only allowed for single horse passage. She followed, not attempting conversation. Pauline had given Bram the directions and her the basket with the digging and clipping gear. All Vala had overheard was Spanish something.
They rode farther than they had yesterday, through rocky defiles and between huge clumps of cacti, until Bram made a sharp right turn between two mesa-like rises. She was surprised to see a clump of paloverde trees. Before they'd only been visible in the ravines and crevices where they'd get the most water, but here they were on the flat.
Bram stopped in the midst of the trees where a tiny spring seeped out and ran into a shallow depression in the rock where it trickled over the edges. It wasn't big enough to be called a pool, but it was water and she gazed at it with avid interest. She hadn't had a decent wash since their second day on the trail.
"Bet I can read your mind," Bram said, dismounting and letting his horse have a drink, tugging him away and tying him to a tree before the gelding bloated himself.
Once Susie-Q had her turn at the water and was tethered, Vala said, "We don't get in that pool together."
"You don't get your back washed by yourself," he said, grinning at her.
"My back is the least of my worries. What if someone else is in the vicinity and shows up? One of us needs to stand guard."
"Not everyone knows about Spanish Horse Spring. A chance traveler isn't likely."
"Maybe not, but it's still no."
"That sounds regrettably final. Too bad. Ladies first, then."
"You can't look," she told him before starting to undress.
"Why not?"
Maybe it was unreasonable of her, considering what had happened between them during the night, but she couldn't bring herself to take her clothes off in front of Bram.
"I'm not used to--I mean, I'd be, well, embarrassed," she stammered.
He raised his eyebrows, sighed and turned his back to her. To make sure of as much privacy as she could in case he peeked, she also turned her back to him as she undressed. Naked, she splashed into the shallow pool.
"I forgot to give you Pauline's soap." Bram's voice sounded so close behind her that she whirled.
Soap in hand, he was just stepping into the pool--as naked as she.
Chapter 8
"You may not need someone to wash your back, but I sure do," Bram said, handing her the soap as he turned his back to her.
With him standing in the small, shallow pool next to her, no room was left. "I thought you promised you wouldn't come in until I was done," Vala scolded.
"I didn't promise, you made that assumption," he countered. "My rule is, no promises, no grief. You told me your objections and I appeared to agree, that's all." Deciding she'd been out manoeuvred, Vala muttered, "Never tangle with a lawyer."
Making the best of it, which wasn't all that difficult to do, she crouched and splashed water up along Bram's back. "Cold," he complained.
"You're here on sufferance. Don't disturb the back-scrubber with trivia," she warned as she soaped his back. Running her hands over his smooth skin and feeling the powerful muscles bunched underneath, she found, was really disturbing. She'd
His eyes widened. "Really?"
Pauline nodded. "As soon as we get rid of those two. They didn't bring me back the roots I need so they got to hunt for them today. Once they're gone...." She let her words trail off and smiled conspiratorially at Davis.
He smiled back, obviously impatient to be rid of Bram and her, Vala thought, admiring Pauline's deft handling of her son.
But when breakfast was over, cleared away and she and Bram were saddling the horses, Vala wasn't so sure it was a good idea for the two of them to go off alone together. Not that she expected or anticipated a repeat of last night, but for the first time since they'd met again in Apache Junction, she didn't feel at ease with Bram.
Once they were mounted, the trail he took only allowed for single horse passage. She followed, not attempting conversation. Pauline had given Bram the directions and her the basket with the digging and clipping gear. All Vala had overheard was Spanish something.
They rode farther than they had yesterday, through rocky defiles and between huge clumps of cacti, until Bram made a sharp right turn between two mesa-like rises. She was surprised to see a clump of paloverde trees. Before they'd only been visible in the ravines and crevices where they'd get the most water, but here they were on the flat.
Bram stopped in the midst of the trees where a tiny spring seeped out and ran into a shallow depression in the rock where it trickled over the edges. It wasn't big enough to be called a pool, but it was water and she gazed at it with avid interest. She hadn't had a decent wash since their second day on the trail.
"Bet I can read your mind," Bram said, dismounting and letting his horse have a drink, tugging him away and tying him to a tree before the gelding bloated himself.
Once Susie-Q had her turn at the water and was tethered, Vala said, "We don't get in that pool together."
"You don't get your back washed by yourself," he said, grinning at her.
"My back is the least of my worries. What if someone else is in the vicinity and shows up? One of us needs to stand guard."
"Not everyone knows about Spanish Horse Spring. A chance traveler isn't likely."
"Maybe not, but it's still no."
"That sounds regrettably final. Too bad. Ladies first, then."
"You can't look," she told him before starting to undress.
"Why not?"
Maybe it was unreasonable of her, considering what had happened between them during the night, but she couldn't bring herself to take her clothes off in front of Bram.
"I'm not used to--I mean, I'd be, well, embarrassed," she stammered.
He raised his eyebrows, sighed and turned his back to her. To make sure of as much privacy as she could in case he peeked, she also turned her back to him as she undressed. Naked, she splashed into the shallow pool.
"I forgot to give you Pauline's soap." Bram's voice sounded so close behind her that she whirled.
Soap in hand, he was just stepping into the pool--as naked as she.
Chapter 8
"You may not need someone to wash your back, but I sure do," Bram said, handing her the soap as he turned his back to her.
With him standing in the small, shallow pool next to her, no room was left. "I thought you promised you wouldn't come in until I was done," Vala scolded.
"I didn't promise, you made that assumption," he countered. "My rule is, no promises, no grief. You told me your objections and I appeared to agree, that's all." Deciding she'd been out manoeuvred, Vala muttered, "Never tangle with a lawyer."
Making the best of it, which wasn't all that difficult to do, she crouched and splashed water up along Bram's back. "Cold," he complained.
"You're here on sufferance. Don't disturb the back-scrubber with trivia," she warned as she soaped his back. Running her hands over his smooth skin and feeling the powerful muscles bunched underneath, she found, was really disturbing. She'd
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