Samantha believed Faren, in her heart, it was her head that wasn’t relenting easily. She swallowed hard and took another deep breath.<br/>“Maybe we can take a walk and try that again in a little while,” she said, bravely, with a bravado she didn’t quite feel.<br/><br/>She loved Faren and he loved her. He wasn’t fooled by the folds of cloth that stood between them, covering her inadequacies. She had felt the evidence of his attraction as they had ridden Susan here.<br/><br/>They left the blanket and the remnants of the meal. Faren pulled Susan farther into the clearing and tied her to a tree.<br/><br/>“She can guard the picnic” Samantha said with a little giggle.<br/><br/>They made their way to a small deer trail that led to a little stream. Faren made a great show of skipping rocks, handing one to Samantha. She smiled at him. Throwing rocks was a sport at which she excelled.<br/><br/>“Ha.” She said in triumph as the stone skipped five times merrily down the stream. “I haven’t skipped rocks in some time. That was fun.” Not wanting to show off , she sat demurely on a sunny spot and admired Faren as he bested her throw several times over. She spotted several places that in the spring she could come to gather medicinal plants and even take back to start in Nimue’s kitchen garden.<br/><br/>Faren held out his hand, pulling her to her feet. They followed the stream more until he pulled her into his arms again.