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An especially, large fat-clawed crab clung to the big toe of his other foot. “Son of a bitch!”

    He hopped forward and fell into the dry sand on his behind. “Little hellion is taking his revenge on me for eating his friends.”

    “I thought it only a matter of time until they started hunting you.” Her mouth curved of its own accord. Brady’s infectious good mood made each day more difficult for her to keep her distance from him. Damn his charm.

    “I’m hardly to blame. If you didn’t eat dozens of the poor things at a time, I wouldn’t have to be so merciless in the hunt.” He grimaced and pried the sharp claws from his toe. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a comic sneer. “I think it’s you they actually want.”

    He tossed the wiggling crab at her. She jumped back with a shriek that sent him laughing.

    “You idiot.” But her heart lightened and their situation seemed less grim than a moment ago.

    He jumped to his feet and snatched up the crab before it could regain the haven of the waves. He plunked it into their cooking shell. “I think I’m going to grow claws myself if I eat one more of these things.”

    “We’re not starving.”

    He snorted. “You’re as sick of them as I am.”

    “We’ve seen no signs of live any bigger than a hare. Maybe you should do some more hunting again tomorrow.”

    “I can’t believe you’re the one to suggest it.” He raised an eyebrow, but she gave no answer.
    ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 25

    Truth was she did feel oddly secure. It was as if they were the only two people in the world. They’d fallen into an easy pattern of taking turns with watch at night and exploring the cliff-side during the day. Would it be so bad if they never found their way back home? They could build a winter shelter, stock up on food, live as ….

    Live as what? Husband and wife? Brady had pulled on his boots while her mind wandered. He strapped on his gun and sword and checked to see the hand pistol was in easy reach.

    She picked up the heavy shell with their dinner. The way they’d begun to work together with such ease must have led to her silly daydreaming.

    “What the hell?” Brady grabbed her arm and tugged her toward a high rocky formation jutting from the white sands.

    Old habit had her digging in her heels for a moment of resistance before her common sense let him lead her to cover.

    “What is it?” She set down the shell.

    “Look between the two white pines.”

    Many of the trees growing at the bottom of the cliff were pine trees. She squinted against the setting sun and saw it. “Smoke.”

    The cries of the seagulls suddenly seemed a warning. The tracks they’d made in the sand from the tree-line to the sea marked their presence as clearly as if they’d lit a beacon.

    “Looks like a small fire.” His hand rested on his gun. “I hope we don’t have to make a run for it. My damned toe hurts like hell.”

    Tension drained from her. Did nothing rattle Brady Gellot? “I’ll cover your backside while you hobble away.”

    “Don’t joke with me, woman. You never ran from a fight in your life. Go now or wait for dark?”

    “Lots of open ground between here and there.”

    “And we’re going to leave tracks in the sand no matter when we go.”

    “We don’t have any place to hide or run.” He turned his full attention on her.

    She hadn’t realized how close they were as they crouched behind the rock. His eyes were very clear in the bright sunshine and filled with that honest confidence she so admired in the Realm warriors. So admired and wished she had instead of her angry bravado.

    “We have to know who it is.”

    He smiled as if proud of her statement. “I think we’re about to have an end to our tedium. We’ll probably wish we could go back to complaining about boring crabs.”

    She poked at the shell full of crabs with her foot. It also gave her a reason to look away from him. “Guess dinner is delayed.”

    “Unless you