He was teasing her again and Alanna smiled easily. Then she reached up to brush a stray curl off her forehead, and realized her hair was badly tangled. "Oh, no, I must look like—"
When she was unable to name a suitably unkempt example, Hunter supplied it. "Like a woman who's been sleeping in the woods?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I wish I had a brush, or at least a comb."
"You look very beautiful, like a wood sprite. Is that the word?"
Flattered, Alanna nodded shyly. "Where did you hear about wood sprites?"
"They were in a book I read once."
"You like to read?"
She sounded merely curious rather than incredulous, so he chose not to take offense. "Yes, very much. Living in the forest can be lonely."
"I've asked about white settlements, but how far are we from your people?"
"Do you want to meet them?"
Alanna licked her lips slowly. "I feel safe with you, but I can't promise that an Indian village wouldn't be overwhelming. I'd not want to embarrass you."
She looked truly pained by the possibility. "How could you embarrass me?"
"By being afraid. Wouldn't that insult everyone?"
Hunter shrugged slightly. "Why shouldn't you be afraid of a pack of savages?"
"I didn't say that."
"No, but it's what you meant."
"No, it wasn't. Please don't twist my words that way."
Hunter had not meant to deliberately antagonize her, but the remark about savages had slipped out before he could censor it. "Our villages are peaceful, happy places," he finally said. "People would be curious about you. They might stare, but they wouldn't be cruel."
"You didn't answer my original question. If your village is close, I could go there and get help for you."
Hunter laughed at her offer. "If you don't think you can find Johnson's trading post, you'd never be able to find my village. If by chance you did wander into it, by the time you got back, I'd already have recovered and gone on my way. No, stay here. You'll be of no use to me, if you get lost in the woods."
Alanna couldn't argue with that, but she wished he had at least appreciated her willingness to try and bring help. Still tired, she covered a wide yawn. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can stay awake much longer."
"Come to bed then."
His invitation was uttered in a soft, husky tone that frightened Alanna far more than their discussion of his village had.
His chest was still bare, and clad only in his breechclout, his powerfully built body took on both an appealing and a threatening quality. Torn by the desire to reach out and caress his bronze skin, as she had while he'd been delirious, and the equally compelling urge to flee, she hurriedly rose and made a great show of cleaning up the remains of their supper.
She took the bucket down to the lake to fill it, but then left it on the sandy shore and went to look for a new place to camp, while there was still light enough to see the terrain clearly. Once out of sight, however, she just sat down and hugged her knees. She knew precisely what was happening to her: she was growing much too fond of Hunter. He kept her continually off balance emotionally, and although she did not think he was deliberately trying to confuse her, he most certainly did.
She took a deep breath to clear her mind, but rather than a moment of peaceful calm, she felt Melissa's presence so strongly, she turned, expecting to see her cousin approaching. There were moments when that happened, when for a few seconds she forgot that Melissa was gone, but such forgetfulness seemed inexcusable here. Now she couldn't help but wonder what had really happened between Melissa and Hunter. Had he tortured her cousin with alternate displays of affection and scorn, the way he did her?
She supposed she could ask Hunter that question, but would he tell her the truth, or merely a lie that flattered him and his cause? Certain that he would prefer a lie to revealing a damning truth, Alanna dismissed the thought of questioning him as foolish. She would simply have to trust her instincts where he was concerned, and pray she would not be led astray.
Alanna didn't return to their camp until after dark, and although she found Hunter already asleep, she couldn't bring herself to again lie down beside him. She took apart the flimsy awning and, moving several feet away from the handsome brave, spread out her shawl on the ground. After a little wiggling around, she found a comfortable pose and closed her eyes, but she couldn't overcome the anxiety memories of Melissa had brought. Hunter might be attractive and bright, but Alanna didn't intend to repeat her cousin's mistakes with him. Feeling lost and confused, she hoped Hunter would soon be well enough to guide her back to the trading post, so she could go home.
Hunter had not really been asleep, but merely dozing while he waited for Alanna to join him. When she chose not to, his first impulse was to get up and bring her back to his bed. He would have gone no farther, as weak as he was all he could hope to enjoy was her closeness, but that she had not willingly come to him stopped him from making an issue of where she chose to sleep. When he awakened the next morning, she was already up, and because he knew how badly she wished to leave, he struggled to get up, too.
"Scatter the pine branches," he suggested. "Cover the ashes, and no one will ever know we were here."