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| sun gets too hot for them," Ashton explained as he continued to arrange the blankets and skins. "It drives the fleas from the skin back to the blankets. The ants will be waiting to snatch them up. Then all we will have to do is shake the rest of the ants out of the blankets." |

| Sasha was surprised to see that this was exactly what happened. The ants appeared and acted frenzied while grabbing up the fleas. She took a quick step back when all of the blankets were snatched up and shaken, then hesitated when Ashton offered her one. |

| "It's safe to hold them now," he said, scratching his left thigh. |

| "All right, you got rid of the fleas in the blankets," Sasha said, draping a blanket over her arm. "How are we to get them off of us?" |

| "It seems that we all must take a swim in the river, clothes and all," Ashton said, chuckling as he saw a look of doubt in Sasha's eyes. "Now don't fret, Sasha. My clothes won't shrink on you. They've been washed countless times before." |

| "I had not even thought to worry about that," Sasha said, lifting her chin stubbornly. "It's that II don't relish the thought of bathing with all of you men. Not even to rid myself of these dreaded fleas." |

| Ashton shrugged. "I'm not going to force you," he said, then his eyes locked with Sasha's. "I shall never force you to do anything that you don't want to do. Anything," he said, and she knew what he meant. |

| Sasha blushed. She turned away, but the shine of the river beckoned at her through the trees. She |

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