Read Savage Desire (Savage Lagonda 1) for Free Online Page B

the way she cringed from him. Leading her over to his robe, he pushed her down upon it. He then lay down himself and folded the robe over the both of them. Tajarez turned his back on her, wishing he did not have to share his robe with her, but he could not find it within himself to let her freeze to death.
    Mara lay rigid beside him, fearing the worst. Not that she knew what the worst was. She and her best friend, Julie, had often speculated on the man-woman relationship, but neither of them had the slightest idea what it entailed. After a while she began to relax. She could hear his steady breathing that told her he slept. The warmth of the fur robe encased her body and she felt herself drifting off, wondering what an Indian was doing with a robe of mink.
    Mara awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. It was the first peaceful night's sleep she had had since she last slept in her own bed. Looking about her, she saw the Indian was nowhere in sight. His horse was gone, but the packhorse was hobbled nearby, so she was sure he intended to return.
    Rising from the soft robe, she folded it neatly and placed it under the tree. Mara found the remains of the roasted meat, which the Indian had apparently left for her. She ate it hungrily, then sat down on the folded robe to ponder her situation. She could take the packhorse and ride away, but where would she go? The Indian did not consider her his prisoner, or he would never have left her unattended with his horse. If she took the horse, she would never be able to find her way home unless she could locate the Mississippi River, which she could follow until she came to her home.
    No, she reasoned, she had no idea in which direction the river lay, and even if she did find it, she would have no food. It was all so hopeless. It would seem her future lay in the hands of the Indian, and he did not even like her. Still, she owed him her life, and because of him she was well fed, and last night she had slept beside him warm and safe. She had now lost her fear of him completely. Even if he did not like her, he had taken care of her.
    Mara sighed deeply. Her future was out of her hands for the moment, but she could do something about her present situation. Looking down at her soiled gown, she knew she could not go another moment without washing. She eyed the icy stream and shivered. Not only was it cold, but the current was quite swift, and she could not swim. Better to drown than to go one more day in her disgusting condition, she thought.
    Gathering up her courage, Mara walked downstream a way; then, sitting down on the bank, she removed her boots. "I guess the cold water will not kill me. It seems a small thing to endure after all 1 have been through lately," she said aloud.
    She quickly removed her gown and petticoat before she lost her courage. Slowly she tested the water with her foot. At first contact it felt like tiny needles piercing her skin. Get it over with, she told herself, and waded into the water until it was waist-deep on her. After the initial shock it wasn't too bad, even though she was shivering and her body had turned blue.
    Mara scrubbed herself all over until her skin tingled. Then she washed her hair. When she was satisfied she was clean she waded to shore, then washed her dress and petticoat, and hung them on a tree branch to dry.
    She found a huge rock that had been warmed by the sun and climbed up onto it, then lay down and spread her hair about her so it would dry. She wished she had a comb. Running her hands through the golden mass of curls, she found she could remove the worst of the tangles.
    Feeling drowsy and warmed by the sun, she smiled and wrapped her arms about her. How good it felt to be clean and free. How easily one took life's little pleasures for granted until they were taken away from you. Mara thought of her home, and Tess, who had always prepared her bath for her and saw that she had clean clothes. She thought of the wardrobe in her bedroom that was