Free Desiring the Highlander by Michele Sinclair Page B

not a persevering one—it was unrelenting. She survived on pure stubbornness, enforcing her agenda however and whenever she could. Before it was by not bathing, and tonight it was by bathing.
    Thump. Splash. Thud. Thud. Splash. Cole resisted the urge to turn around. “Just what are you doing? How long does it take an Englishwoman to simply wipe herself off?”
    “Maybe if a certain Highlander had not made it so very clear how bad I smelled, not very long. But as I am going to wash my hair…or at least rinse it, I shall be a bit longer.”
    Without thinking, Cole spun around. “How the hell are you…?” His voice caught in his throat as he answered his own question. Thud. Splash. Thud. Two more rocks added to the formation of a crescent-shaped wall cupping the current of the stream. It resulted in about a foot or more of water.
    Ellenor pointed at her accomplishment and smiled. “Well, what do you think? Pretty smart, even for an Englishwoman.”
    Cole just nodded and turned back around. Seeing the genuine pleasure in her face made his stomach do flips. It had reached her eyes, her voice, her whole body radiated with delight over such a simple thing. He guessed it had been a long time since she had felt true accomplishment, almost as long since he had felt the urge to laugh.
    Something white flashed in his peripheral vision, landing on the thicket beside him. It was her chemise. He didn’t know why, but he had assumed she would bathe in the thing. “Are you crazy?”
    “You know I am not,” Ellenor replied and lay down in the cool water, letting the current play with her hair. She had no soap, but this was still next to heaven. It had been almost two weeks since she had last washed herself and the experience had been hell, itching constantly, dreaming of warm water laced with rose petals.
    “What kind of woman strips down to her skin when a man is just a few feet away?”
    Ellenor stared up at the star-filled sky. She had not considered if she should undress or not. It had been instinct. For years, she had slipped out of the house and gone skinny-dipping in the small pond near her home. No one had ever known. Consequently, she had never wondered what a temptation it would be to a man.
    But this one is untemptable , Ellenor whispered to the large crescent-shaped moon. Untemptable and honorable. Cole would keep his back turned, and it was not because she was English. A man intent on rape had no need to like his victim. No, Cole wouldn’t turn around because he had one thing most men of her acquaintance didn’t—integrity. Keeping his self-respect meant more to him than any quick romp ever would.
    “Are all Englishwomen so bold?”
    Ellenor mulled over his question, wondering if he had known other women from her homeland. “Only those who have no other choice,” she finally answered. “Or would you have me return to camp and fall asleep soaking wet? Not the most intelligent idea, even for a Scot.”
    “Well, this Highlander is leaving and I am not leaving alone.”
    Ellenor gulped and sat up. She had pushed Cole enough. He might not rape her, but he definitely wasn’t above walking over and pulling her out of the water—nude or not. “Wait. I’m getting out. If you could, just reach over and throw my shift back to me.”
    He did as she asked and she mumbled thanks. A minute later, she was back on the bank donning her chemise. Her bliaut, still damp from her earlier fall, was not so easy to put on and she mumbled her aggravation.
    Cole turned around to see what was causing her so much frustration and felt the wind rush out of him.
    The semibath had worked a miracle. Along her arms and the small of her back, the thin worn fabric hugged her damp skin, hinting at the shapely figure hidden beneath. And though both her garments were still soiled with multiple days of dirt and sweat, she now looked fresh and unspoiled.
    “Can you get them?”
    Cole blinked. “Get what?” he asked, realizing she had just asked