Page 70 of My Heart Will Find You

“That sounds nice.” She leaned against a tree and went back to sleep.

Again, Max woke her. “Here. Drink this. It’ll help you for a while.” He held a flask to her lips. She took a big swallow, then coughed. “That is truly nasty.”

“Red Dog’s finest. Come on, get that off.”

She woke up enough to see that they were at a pool of water by a stream. “A hot tub,” she said dreamily. “Steaming warmth.”

“You’ll wish it was.” When she fumbled at her buttons, he brushed her hands away and began undressing her.

“You were wonderful today,” she said.

“You think so?”

“I think—no, Iknow—that you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” She slipped out of her filthy shirt.

“That whiskey went to your head.”

“It hit another part of me,” she said suggestively.

He laughed as she held on to his shoulders, and she stepped out of her gaucho pants.

“Where did you learn to ride like that? To shoot? Did you keep those G-string panties?”

“The what?” She didn’t answer. “I spent some time with the Kanzas when I was a kid. Anything to escape my father. You were the surprise. It was like you knew the chief.”

She was in her underwear. Not that it should be called that as it covered her like winter clothes. “Chief? Oh. You mean Lester. He looked good, didn’t he? I should have guessed who he really was.”

Max pulled her away from the tree and led her to the water.

As soon as her foot touched it, she turned back. “It’s too cold. I really need to sleep.”

He pulled her back, then guided her into waist deep water. “You walked straight through those buffalo but a little cool water scares you?”

Her teeth were chattering.

Max turned her around. He had some sort of soap, and he began washing her hair.

“That feels wonderful.”

As his soapy hand moved downward, he slipped off her big cotton underwear and threw it on the bank.

With her eyes closed, she felt his hands run over her body. Her breasts, between her legs. Every inch of her. When he lifted his head, she put her arms around his neck.

He pulled her to him. He was naked and she wrapped her legs about his waist, her breasts against his warm, bare chest.

He held her tightly as they made love in the water.

She collapsed against him. “I think I need to be washed again.”

“If I must,” he whispered against her neck.

They held each other for a while.

“Let’s get some sleep,” he said.

She didn’t release him. He carried her out of the water, then stood her on the ground. She was cold again. Max went to the saddles and pulled out a pair of trousers. He took clean underclothes out of the bag she’d packed and handed them to her. As she dressed, she was shivering.

Max handed her the leather jacket Cornelia had given her. “Put this on.”

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