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hadn’t been there?”

    “Your shoulder was dislocated because I was holding on to it. I was so afraid of drowning, I wouldn’t let go even though I almost pulled you under with me.”

    He smiled. “I’m a very strong swimmer. You didn’t almost pull me under, and I think I was holding on to you.”

    He touched her lightly again, his hand warm and gentle. “Maybe I held on so tight because I didn’t want to be alone.”

    The seriousness in his tone sent her heart racing, but it didn’t feel like fear coursing so hotly beneath her skin. “You wouldn’t have had to catch so many fish and crabs if you were alone.”

    He withdrew his hand and grinned again. “True. But I also wouldn’t have anyone to stand watch while I slept.”

    “And we better get some sleep now.” She rolled to her back and folded her hands across her middle. The air would cool by morning but there was no need to roll up in her blanket yet.

    She didn’t look as Brady moved and grunted until he made himself comfortable. Men were so much noisier than women. Quiet settled on their camp and she felt him looking at her.

    “Thanks for telling me your story, Cara.”

    “I owed it to you after the way I acted. Juston made allowances for me and that got Mia killed. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

    “I guess I’ll never be able to convince you Mia’s death wasn’t your fault.” He was quiet for a little while before speaking again. “You won’t get me killed. If we can go over those falls without dying, nothing can touch us.”

    She snorted. “Are you really such a good swimmer?”

    “Best I know.”

    She surprised herself by laughing, but then another thought occurred to her. “Could you swim across the river and reach the southern bank?”

    “Maybe when the spring floods are done. It wouldn’t be easy. I was thinking if we can’t find another way, we might try building a raft, put in near the falls and try to paddle diagonally.
    We might reach the other bank before we hit the sea.”

    “You could probably swim it without me.” She looked at his profile in the dark. He stared up at the stars.

    “I wouldn’t leave you behind any more than you would leave me. We’re in this together.”

    The silence stretched for a while but it wasn’t uncomfortable. “I’m not afraid of the Savages. You can count on me.”

    “I know I can count on you. There’s no one I’d rather have with me.”

    “You’d be better served if you had Juston or Sky Turan here with you.”

    He turned to her again with his grin that made her own lips curl in response. “Hell no.
    Either one of them would have kicked my ass in that little wrestling match we just had. What would that have done to my male pride?”

    “Realm men have so much of that you wouldn’t even have noticed losing a bit of it.”

    His expression turned serious. “Oh, we don’t mind losing it for something important enough.”

    She turned away. “We need to sleep.”

    He sighed but before long his breathing settled into the steady, rhythms of sleep. She curled on her side facing him and stared at his broad shoulders and the dark curls riding against ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 39
    his collar. A few wild curls stuck up across the top of his head as usual. He was such a good man. Her heart knew it but the rest of her refused to believe it of any man. He would have made a great husband for Mia. For any woman. Any whole woman. Not a broken one like her.

    * * * *

    Brady woke to full alertness. A sound, something not of the night, had startled him from sleep. His gun sat within comfortable reach as he waited to hear it again.

    The out of place sound came again, from behind him. A soft, nearly inaudible whimper filled with pain and fear. His stomach tightened. A wave of fury, no less heated than the one he’d felt when she first told him, swept up from his gut and actually made his neck hot.

    He turned, careful to make no sound, and found her still