Free Rebel Kiss: A Historical Romance Novel (Scottish Rebels Book 1) by Jenna Stone Page A

Malcolm
called from further up the beach.  “D’ye hear that, Rowan?” Malcolm yelled
excitedly.
    Rowan stood up
reluctantly at Malcolm’s untimely intrusion.
    “What do ye hear?”
Rowan called up the beach as Malcolm trotted them.
    “Water!  There’s a
stream just up ahead.  Fresh water!” Malcolm cried out joyously.  “C’mon!”
    Rowan extended his
hand down to Anna and helped her to her feet.  “Thirsty?” he asked in jest as
Anna stood and brushed off her skirts.
    “No.  You?” Anna
asked with a teasing smile.  She was still shaken by Rowan’s words as she began
to walk beside him up the beach.  How could a man that she had only just met
affect her so greatly?
    Malcolm
led them up the beach to where a small stream fanned out before pouring into
the salty ocean.
    “We’ll
have tae walk up a bit so that the water will be fresh,” Malcolm said eagerly
as he skipped ahead of the group and bounded up the stream.
    “We’ll
be right behind ye,” Quinn said as he joined Rowan and Anna.
    The
three of them traveled up the stream silently, with Rowan stopping frequently
to help Anna over rocks and bracken that littered the sides of the creek bed.
    Quinn
bent amongst the mossy rocks that littered the edge of the creek.  He scooped
up some water in his palm, bringing it to his mouth so that he could taste it. 
“Aye,” he nodded approvingly.  “Tis fresh, and sweet,” he said with an
appreciative smile as he scooped more water hungrily into his parched mouth.
    Anna
dropped to her knees and dipped her hand beneath the cool surface of the water,
bringing her hand to her mouth.  She closed her eyes at the delicious taste of
the water, feeling more life return to her dehydrated body with each sip.
    “Tis
lovely,” she said between gulps as she held her hair back and drank greedily.
    “I’ll
run after Malcolm,” Quinn said as he hopped over the babbling stream.  “Who
kens how far he’s gone upstream,” Quinn chuckled as he ambled upstream after
his brother.
    Anna
sighed heavily and sat down on a rock beside the stream.  She leaned over and
dipped her hands in the cold water, using them to wash her face.  “This is
heavenly,” she whispered as she looked at Rowan, who was still quenching his
thirst from the stream.
    “Aye,
the simple pleasures,” he said, smiling up at her before rocking back onto his
heels.  Rowan took another sip of water and then bent forward to splash some on
his face.
    “I’d
not realized how many simple things that I have lived my entire life taking for
granted,” Anna said quietly as she removed her shoes and stockings and dipped
her bare feet into the chilly water.  Having spent the last few years scraping
to make ends meet at Stanton Place, Anna had come to consider herself as poor. 
She had the sudden realization that in fact, she had never experienced poverty. 
She had grown up in a lovely home, with plenty of food to eat and a warm bed to
sleep in each night.  Anna realized that her life in England had actually been
quite blessed.
    “What
do ye long for the most from home?” Rowan asked, suddenly feeling nostalgic. 
He had tried to put his memories of Scotland behind him, but Anna’s comment
made him yearn for the comforts of home.
    “Really?”
Anna asked, a smile turning up the corner of her broad mouth as she considered
Rowan’s question.  “Tea,” she whispered, feeling devilish for wanting for
anything after the recent blessing of fresh cool water to drink.  “Hot tea,”
she added.
    “Aye,”
Rowan smiled.  “What I wouldna do for a pot of hot tea.”
    “What
do you long for?” Anna asked as she ran her toes over the slippery rocks
beneath the surface of the stream.
    Rowan
smiled as he thought.  “A hot bath, or at least some warm water to get this
bloody salt off my skin,” he said wistfully.  Rowan unlaced his boots and moved
to sit next to Anna.  He dipped his feet into the water, shuddering as his toes
entered the chilly