arrived, she was bone weary.
Cole helped her dismount. His hands stayed around her waist much
longer than necessary, and she leaned into him, thankful for his
assistance.
Her legs were so shaky she was sure she would have fallen flat on her
backside if he hadn't held on to her.
She glanced up to thank him, noticed his clenched jaw, and quickly
moved away from him. He was obviously still irritated by her
inappropriate remarks.
She decided to ignore him until he was in a better mood. Her
surroundings enthralled her, for everything was so lush and green. She
worked the stiffness out of her legs by walking along the bank of the
basin. The waterfall wasn't anything like Rockford Falls. It was much
smaller and not nearly as grand, yet just as enchanting. A steady
stream of water poured across a jagged ledge above, and as it spilled
into the pool below, the drops of water, like prisms, caught the
sunlight and refracted it into a sparkling rainbow of colors.
While Cole took care of their horses, she prepared their camp. After
gathering sticks for the fire, she laid out their bedrolls and the
picnic Josey had prepared for them.
'Food's ready, ' she called out.
'I'll eat later, ' he called back.
He finished brushing the horses and let them graze on the sweet
grass.
The sound of the water rushing down the rocks was soothing and too
enticing to resist, and while she ate, he went to the edge of the
waterfall, stripped out of his clothes, and dove into the crystalline
waters.
The cold water did help him take his mind off of Jessica, and he was
able to remember why he didn't want to touch her. Strings, he thought
to himself. The woman was definitely desirable, but she came with
strings.
Besides, she wasn't the kind of woman a man could bed and leave. She
deserved better than thattsomeone better than he was, he qualified.
Why, then, did he get so hot and bothered when he pictured her with
another man? He had no right to be possessive, and yet that was
exactly what he was.
