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difference. She had saved his life and tended him while he was ill and helpless. She deserved his aid in getting to her journey’s end, more so now that he knew Jonas was a girl.
    As for her secret, he wouldn’t confront her about it, Cam decided. He still liked the lass. She was a brave bit of goods and smart and able. He would see her to MacKay and allow her to pretend to be a boy on the way there. But now he was curious to see what she looked like without all that bruising and swelling. Would he think her worth a tumble once healed?
    Cam rolled his eyes at himself. She had earned his respect as a boy and should be given at least as much respect now that he knew she was a woman. That being the case, it mattered little what she looked like. He would see her safely to MacKay and then continue on to Sinclair without divulging that he knew her secret. Unless of course she came to trust him enough to tell him herself, he decided.
    The situation resolved in his mind, Cam shifted to a more comfortable position and closed his eyes to attempt to sleep . . . and again couldn’t find that elusive state. Now that he knew Jonas was a girl, he felt he should be standing guard while she bathed. Ensuring no one troubled her, that she didn’t encounter difficulty and drown, and then to see her safely back to their camp.
    Not revealing that he knew her secret was going to be difficult, Cam realized suddenly. He wouldn’t have let her go traipsing off into the woods alone to hunt their supper had he known. Hell, now he was feeling guilty over it. As the man, he should have hunted down their dinner himself.
    Oh aye, this was going to make the journey more difficult.
    A rustling sound made him open his eyes and turn his head to look over his shoulder toward the river in time to see a small shape move into view. Jonas, or whatever her name was, was returning, he realized with relief. Relaxing into the cocoon his plaid offered, Cam closed his eyes to feign sleep and listened as the girl approached the fire. There was some rustling and movement and then silence.
    Several moments of silence passed and then Cam opened his eyes to glance about. The female who had introduced herself as Jonas had picked a spot not far from his own and lay on her side, hands clasped and pillowing her cheek. Her eyes were open though and meeting his gaze, she nodded, murmured, “Good sleep,” and then closed her eyes.
    Cam stared at her face briefly, but she was so misshapen from her beating he couldn’t tell what she would look like once healed. He also couldn’t tell what color her hair might be. She wore her woolen cap pulled low in the front, covering even her brows. He continued to stare at her for a long time, simply watching the flames cast light and shadow over her swollen face, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

 
    Chapter 3
    “ T ELL ME ABOUT YOUR BROTHERS .”
    Cam raised his eyebrows at that question. They had been chatting about various and sundry since setting out that morning, their likes, dislikes and so on, but this was the first time the conversation had taken a more personal turn. Cam glanced briefly over his shoulder to where Jonas was mounted behind him on his horse. Jo, he corrected in his mind. It just didn’t seem right to think of her as Jonas now. Not after seeing her naked. That thought made him grimace. The image of her naked in the moonlight had kept him awake until nearly dawn. It had seemed like bare minutes later when a combination of birdsong and Jo’s moving around had woken him. Now he was exhausted, and grumpy, and his back hurt with every step the horse took so that he had kept the mount to a slow trot. They were moving so slowly they may as well be on foot, but at least they were moving.
    “Why?” he asked finally.
    “Because I’m curious,” she said and he felt her shrug where her front pressed against his back. “Besides, ’twill pass the time.”
    He supposed that was true, and mayhap it would distract him