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she gave back nothing.
    All three of them wanted her. She’d grown up sheltered, but the past year had taught her a few things about life and one of them was that hungry look in a man’s eyes. Beauty was about her only possession at the moment.
    At any time, they could have easily taken what they wanted. Defenseless and alone, she was all too vulnerable. But they hadn’t. They wouldn’t .
    No, but as shocking as the idea was, she could give it.

Chapter Four
    It didn’t say much for their powers of observation, but it took them a good half a day to realize Victoria was hurt. Part of it was trying to ride out of the devastation of the prairie fire, though the river had really slowed it down. Still it had been dark, the night full of smoke and places where small blazes smoldered. Victoria had ridden gamely until dawn, and when it became obvious from her sagging figure she was exhausted, Robert had taken her up with him and she had fallen asleep in his arms almost right away.
    But when they finally stopped to eat and rest on a small knoll, the wind rippling the long grass, and he slid from his horse to reach up to help her down, she visibly winced.
    What the hell?
    “You were burned?” Robert ignored her protest, gently turning her by her shoulders so he could look at her back. Sure enough, the material of her shirt was singed right below her left shoulder blade, the hole the size of his thumb, which was a relief because it was probably painful but not serious. However, he didn’t want it to turn septic.
    “It’s nothing,” she said. “I barely felt it at the time, and it’s a bit sore, but hardly worth bothering over.”
    “Let me be the judge.” He lifted her soft, fair hair, the curls tangled after the dousing in the river, all of them and their belongings still smelling like smoke, but at least they were alive. He peered at the wound as best he could through the hole in her shirt. It looked angry and red enough to give him concern.
    “It’s nothing,” she repeated.
    “I bet it hurts like hell,” he said bluntly. “Let me take a better look.”
    There was a small spring feeding a little creek and he took a clean cloth from his saddlebags and soaked it in the cool water. He had some salve he used for everything from bee stings to gunshot wounds, and he brought that also to where she now sat with her legs primly to the side. Cole was deftly doling out hard biscuits and dried beef strips as a makeshift lunch.
    What a far cry from a London ballroom, but she endured it all with a poise Robert found gave him a whole new respect for the English aristocracy. He knelt next to her. “You can go ahead and turn your back, but you’ll need to unbutton your shirt and slip it down.”
    Victoria stared at him with those lovely, luminous blue eyes. “I…”
    When she faltered, he said in his best calming tone, “I took medicine at university until I decided to ride west. I may not be a practicing physician, but I do know what I’m doing. Let me treat the burn, we’ll eat our meal and then be on our way. Trust me, you’ll be more comfortable.”
    Burns were notoriously painful and the muscles in her slender throat rippled as she squared her shoulders and complied. Kneeling in the grass, the sun showing the dazzling highlights in her golden hair, she worked the buttons of her shirt free and slipped it down, using her hand to sweep the long fall of her curls to the side, exposing her graceful back.
    Her very naked back. Meaning her breasts were also bared, even if they couldn’t see them. Robert could sense Cole’s and Jace’s riveted attention, and he really couldn’t blame them, but he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. The welt was ugly, marring her otherwise flawless skin, and he first gently washed it and then applied the salve. During the process she didn’t move, her head slightly bowed, the loose, stained material of her shirt pooled around her waist.
    “Better?” he asked, and then cleared his