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She looked down at the baby in her arms, bit her lip, then shook her head. She reluctantly took his hand and he lifted her away from the rock, carrying her back across the water. Her body was stiff the entire way, but he had no desire to pull her closer. As soon as he put her on the ground, she crouched down next to Ida and Tommy.
“I told you the countryside was a bad idea,” she muttered.
He frowned, finding it an inappropriate remark, but Ida choked a laugh and then both of them were laughing.Females. Tommy gave him a confused look, but he just shrugged before going to retrieve his saddlebags.
“I have blankets.” He handed each of them the small silver square, then showed them how to unfold them. “And one dry shirt. Perhaps for the infant?”
“Oh, thank you,” Ida said, flashing him a quick smile. “We’ve been holding her against our bodies to keep her warm, but it would be nice to put her in something dry.”
A vision of a child pressed against Ida’s delightfully large, naked breasts threatened to reawaken his arousal, but he forced himself to turn back to the saddlebags.
“I also have emergency rations, if you’re hungry.”
“I’m hungry,” Tommy announced. He already seemed to be recovering from his ordeal, inspecting Temel thoughtfully as he took one of the protein bars. “You have horns.”
“Yes, I do.”
Ida also took a protein bar, but Dora shook her head.
“Whatta they for?”
“My ancestors used them for fighting.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“Thath cool.” The words were half-muffled by a mouthful of protein bar, but his excitement was obvious.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Ida said firmly, but her eyes were equally curious. “You don’t fight with them anymore?”
“They are no use against blasters.” His voice sounded more bitter than he intended, so he shrugged. “I suppose now they are simply… decorative.”
“Does that mean the bigger the better?” A pretty wash of pink covered her face as soon as she realized what she’d said, and Dora gave her a scandalized look. “I mean…”
“Size is a factor,” he said calmly. “But so is skill.” The pink intensified before he continued. “We hold ceremonial bouts to demonstrate.”
“You mean you still fight with them?”
“Only for display.” He rose, then held out a hand to her. “Now let’s get you back to the house so you can get warm and change into something dry.”
“Thank—”
“We should be getting back to town,” Dora interrupted.
“You can’t go back along the road until the water subsides, and even then you don’t have a vehicle. Or a horse. I’m not yet familiar with the entire area, but while you’re getting dry, I’ll see if there is an alternate route.”
“Thank you,” Ida said.
Dora didn’t look happy, but this time she remained silent. As he helped Ida to her feet, she swayed, and he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist.
“What is it? Your leg?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled down at Tommy’s worried face. “Just a little stiff.”
He didn’t entirely believe her, but she didn’t appear to be bleeding and it would be better to tend to any injuries once she was warm and dry.
“I believe the horse will carry all of you.”
“But what about you?”
