Yellowstone Homecoming: Yellowstone Romance Series Novella Read online

  Yellowstone Homecoming

  Yellowstone Romance Series Novella

  Peggy L Henderson

  Contents

  Copyright

  Introduction

  1. Chapter One

  2. Chapter Two

  3. Chapter Three

  4. Chapter Four

  5. Chapter Five

  6. Chapter Six

  7. Chapter Seven

  8. Chapter Eight

  9. Chapter Nine

  10. Chapter Ten

  11. Chapter Eleven

  12. Chapter Twelve

  13. Chapter Thirteen

  14. Chapter Fourteen

  15. Chapter Fifteen

  16. Dear Reader

  Also by Peggy L Henderson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author.

  Copyright © 2015 by Peggy Henderson

  All rights reserved

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  Introduction

  “Matthew’s dead.” … News no parent wants to hear, but that's exactly what Daniel and Aimee Osborne must endure.

  On their way home to the Yellowstone country after spending two years at University, brothers Matthew and Zach Osborne are looking forward to a happy homecoming and family reunion. The long trip takes an unexpected turn when their path crosses with a group of travelers who shouldn’t be venturing through dangerous Indian Territory.

  Adelle Witmer’s journey west has brought her face to face with things she could never anticipate. Under her father’s stern and protective eye, she is not allowed to waiver from her strict upbringing. When two rugged woodsmen join their camp, she learns of a world beyond her wildest dreams.

  Neither one of the Osborne twins could have foreseen the turn of events their decision to accompany the group of missionaries would take. Matthew’s unlikely attraction to Adelle not only puts him at odds with her father, but may very well cost him his life.

  The recommended order of reading the books in the Yellowstone Romance Series is:

  Yellowstone Heart Song

  A Yellowstone Christmas (novella)

  Yellowstone Redemption

  Yellowstone Homecoming (novella)

  Yellowstone Awakening

  Yellowstone Dawn

  Yellowstone Deception

  A Yellowstone Promise (novella)

  A Yellowstone Season of Giving (short story)

  Find all these titles here

  Chapter One

  Madison Valley on the Yellowstone Plateau, Summer, 1838

  “Matthew’s dead.”

  Zach Osborne uttered the words that he hadn’t been able to voice in nearly six weeks. Words he’d refused to believe. Something about saying them out loud made it real. Final.

  His jaw tightened, every muscle in his body taut. Rage and anger surged through him, along with a pain so great, he wanted to shout into the wind at the injustice of it. He’d already blamed himself countless times for his brother’s untimely death. He’d sworn revenge on those responsible. He’d cursed himself, the men who’d killed Matthew, and even his brother, for letting them get the better of him.

  Zach mentally shook his head. He could place blame on everyone, but it wouldn’t change the fact that his brother was gone. Shouldn’t he be feeling different? Feeling something other than anger that Matthew was dead, yet he had survived? Matthew was his twin brother. They’d shared a bond that was unbreakable. They had a connection, knew everything about each other to the point of finishing each other’s thoughts. Shouldn’t he feel dead, too?

  You do feel dead. A part of you is gone.

  The worst of it was, he’d spent the last month dreading his homecoming to the Madison Valley. Dreaded what he had to tell his mother and father. The awful moment had arrived.

  Zach focused his eyes on his mother, who stood directly in front of him. Reluctantly, he looked down at her. While she was petite and short, and the top of her head barely reached his shoulders, Aimee Osborne was a force to be reckoned with. Right now, she stared back at him, incomprehension and confusion in her eyes. He darted a quick look toward his father. Of equal stature, he could face Daniel Osborne squarely and look him in the eye.

  “What?”

  Zach’s attention returned to his mother. Her feeble question tore at his already strained heart. She reached out and grabbed his arm, while his father reached for hers.

  Zach swallowed. He couldn’t bear to look at the pain and panic in her eyes. His usually composed mother, always strong in any situation, looked as if she was about to crumble to the ground.

  “Matthew . . .” Zach’s voice faltered, and he ran a shaky hand across his jaw, the heavy whiskers of his unshaven face scraping against his fingers. He swallowed, and cleared his throat. He sucked in a long breath, and tried again. “Matthew’s gone, Mama.”

  He reached for her, and she fell against him. Holding the small woman in his embrace, the woman he’d looked up to all his life, even if he’d had to look down at her since he’d been ten years old, tore him to pieces. She trembled in his arms, then pulled back and tilted her head to stare up at him. Moisture pooled in her blue eyes. His father came up beside him, and Zach broke eye contact with her. Pain such as he’d never seen before clouded his father’s dark gaze.

  “Pawnee,” Zach said quietly. His father would understand this single word. “Along the Platte,” he continued, even though further elaboration was unnecessary. “Nearly six weeks ago, after we crossed the Missouri.”

  Stoically, his father nodded. He reached for his wife. Zach released his mother. Daniel enfolded her in his arms as if he could shield her from the pain of losing her son, and she sobbed against his chest. Zach cursed under his breath, and his vision blurred.

  “Zach, you’re home,” a female voice called happily from somewhere in the distance.

  Zach ran a trembling hand across his face, and turned to face his sister. He couldn’t even force a smile. His sister, Sarah, rushed along the well-worn path that led from the cabin she shared with her husband to their folks’ cabin. She beamed a bright smile, and threw her arms around his neck. Zach embraced her, and inhaled deeply. In a second, he would have to repeat what he’d already told his folks.

  Sarah pulled out of his embrace. She looked so grown up, no longer the little sister who’d always tried to prove to her three brothers that she was capable of anything that they could do, and do it better. Although she still wore britches and kept her dark hair in a long braid down her back, she’d certainly matured in the few years since her marriage to the most unlikely man she could have chosen.

  Even though his brother-in-law, Chase Russell, had been a greenhorn several years ago when he came to this wild and remote land where Zach had grown up with his two brothers and sister, the man sure had learned fast. More important, he was a good husband to Sarah. He’d quickly become like a third brother to him. Zach’s chest tightened. No one could replace the one brother he’d lost.

  Sarah’s smile faltered. Her forehead drew together, forming creases, and she cocked her head to study him. She glanced toward her parents, then scrutinized him with her blue eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. She looked around some more. “Where’s Matt
hew? Don’t tell me he decided to stay in Boston?”

  A screech like the sound of an owl tore through the air, and Sarah wheeled around. A tiny person with long blond hair waddled toward them from Sarah’s cabin, followed closely by a tall man holding another blond-haired child in his arms.

  Zach shot a quick glance toward his folks. His father still held tightly to his mother. He gazed in the direction of the blond man heading their way. Chase was several inches taller than everyone else, lean, and looked every bit the confident woodsman. He reached them just as the little girl grabbed onto her mother’s leg.

  Zach stared down at his niece, Emily. He’d only seen her once, right after her birth two years ago, before he and Matthew had gone east to begin their studies at Harvard University in Boston. The other little girl in Chase’s arms had to be his newest niece, Kara. Although she was already a year old, he and Matthew had only found out about her just before leaving Boston several months ago. They had joked about Chase being blessed, or cursed, with two daughters already in less than three years of marriage.

  Chase beamed a bright smile, and held out his hand for Zach to shake, the little girl balanced easily on his other arm. Her face was covered in something white and sticky-looking, and her left thumb was firmly buried in her mouth.

  “Good to see you, Zach. All done with law school? Where’s the newest doctor in the family?”

  Zach didn’t respond. Chase’s grin faded, and he glanced at their parents, then at Sarah.

  “Why don’t we all go inside?”

  Zach startled at his father’s deep and solemn voice. Although spoken quietly, the words held a commanding edge. He led his wife into their cabin, and Zach followed. He caught the puzzled looks Sarah and Chase exchanged. Sarah gathered Emily into her arms, and walked ahead of her husband.

  “Where’s Sam?” Zach asked, when everyone had filed into the main room of his childhood home. The less often he had to repeat his tale, the better. If his younger brother wasn’t here, it would only mean he’d have to share his tragic news a third time.

  “He’s off hunting with Touch the Cloud. Unlike you and Matthew, he prefers to spend his time in the woods rather than sticking his nose in a book or living in the city. He won’t be home for several days.”

  Zach shot Chase a dry look. He fisted his hand at his side, ready to punch his brother-in-law and wipe that smirk off his face. Chase was a good man, but his constant baiting and teasing could get on a man’s nerves. The pent-up emotions inside Zach were ready to explode.

  “What’s the matter, Mama?” Sarah asked softly, moving toward their mother, who was still wrapped tightly in their father’s arms.

  Sarah glanced his way. Zach swallowed. He looked at each of them again. His body tingled, feeling hollow. If he could, he’d melt into the floorboards rather than say the words again that made Matthew’s passing final.

  “Matthew and I ran into some trouble on our way here,” he said, meeting his sister’s eyes. “We were attacked by a group of Pawnee, and while I . . .” Zach’s voice faltered. He cursed, and slammed his fist on the table.

  Sarah gasped. Chase swore out loud. Zach raised his head, the people in front of him – his family – staring back at him expectantly. Four pairs of eyes filled with pain and trepidation.

  “I watched Matthew get hit by an arrow while I was busy fending off a bunch of warriors. That’s the last I saw of him. There were too many, and they took me prisoner. When I escaped a few days later, I tried to find him, but couldn’t.”

  Zach sank into a chair. He raked his fingers through his hair. Why the hell had he survived? He couldn’t even give his brother a proper burial. He’d searched for days before finally giving up hope that he’d find Matthew’s body. The Pawnee, no doubt, had torn him to pieces and scattered his remains. Zach had been nearly starved, beaten, and weak, but he hadn’t stopped looking.

  “A family of Lakota took me in until I regained my strength. By then, it was too late to find any remains.” Zach stared up at his father. “I tried to find him. I tried, but . . .”

  His father reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We know. Don’t place blame on yourself. You would have died along with your brother.”

  Zach’s jaw clenched. He leaped from his chair, renewed rage engulfing him. “I should have died with him. He was my brother, dammit, and I failed him.”

  His mother rushed to him, and reached up, clasping his face between her hands. “I lost one son. I couldn’t bear it to lose another,” she whispered. “You did nothing wrong, Zach.” Her voice was hollow.

  “How do you know he’s dead?” Chase’s words sounded far away. “If you didn’t find a body, maybe he got away.” He shot hasty looks around the room. “I’ll go find Sam, and we’ll organize a search.”

  Zach’s scornful laughter filled the room. “It’s at least a four-week trek to where the attack occurred, even if we push hard. I couldn’t find him then. You’ll never find him after all this time.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Chase argued. “Where exactly were you and what were you doing when those Pawnee attacked?”

  Chapter Two

  Six weeks earlier . . .

  “Do you plan to get better acquainted with Miss Halsey when we get back to Boston?”

  Matthew frowned at the question. He shifted in the saddle, and nudged his horse into a faster walk. Zach’s lips twitched in the corners, casting a sideways glance at him. “I know you’ve seen quite a bit of her in the last few months.”

  Matthew continued to look straight ahead, his eyes trained on the swirl of dust in the distance. The endless grassland and flat, open prairie sent uneasy tingles down his spine. Time couldn’t pass fast enough before he and Zach were home in the mountains. Even after two years in Boston, the wild land and its wonders that no one seemed to believe existed or took seriously, called to him. Two years was a long time to be away from the place where he’d grown up and called home for the better part of his life. He’d chosen to move east several years ago, but it sure felt nice to come home for a visit.

  “I don’t have an interest in Miss Halsey,” he grumbled. “She’s the one who seems to have latched on to me. The last time we spoke just before you and I left Boston, I told her she might have better luck pursuing you.”

  Matthew shot a quick look at his brother to gauge his reaction. Zach grinned.

  “She’s a fine looking lady, but I’ve got my eyes set on Bethany Milner. Once I’ve worked in Mr. Lanstrom’s law practice for a while, I plan to court her.”

  Matthew grunted. His eyes continued to follow the dust swirls on the horizon. Talk of women and courting made his muscles tense. He’d done his fair share of mingling with society while attending medical college at Harvard, but no female had stirred anything in him that he cared to pursue further.

  He’d often wondered what sort of woman would finally hold his interest. He’d watched his fellow classmates attend socials and court the ladies, while he’d spent most of his time, when he wasn’t in school, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

  What was he even looking for in a woman, not that he’d ever taken a serious look? The ladies in Boston were nothing like the women of the Tukudeka band of Shoshone Indians with whom he’d grown up. There simply wasn’t a comparison between a native woman and those who’d been raised in white society. One wasn’t better than the other, but they were worlds different. Finding a native woman to hitch up with had been out of the question when he’d decided to pursue a medical certificate in the east rather than carve out a living trapping in the remote mountains his parents called home.

  Any woman who’d catch his eye would definitely have to be someone who could hold her own and not wilt or faint at the slightest provocation. She’d have to know her way around civilized society as well as feel confident in the wilderness. Someone like his mother. No woman could hold a candle to Aimee Osborne.

  Matthew shrugged. He’d had no time to think about women and courting. His focus
was on building a medical practice, now that he held his doctor’s certificate. He could have practiced medicine without one, but, aside from his mother, he hadn’t apprenticed with any other physician. Sadly, she wasn’t recognized as a doctor by eastern standards.

  “I suppose sitting in the lecture halls in medical college gave you no time to think about the softer gender,” Zach continued.

  Matthew smirked. “The only thing I learned during those lectures was how to hone my skills at patience and letting my mind wander while pretending interest. Mama taught me more about medicine and healing than I’ve ever learned from any of my professors. Any arguments I’ve raised against their so-called theories and methods were cast aside and rebuffed. I don’t know how it is with law, but raising questions of the established medical practices isn’t tolerated.”

  Zach laughed. “Maybe we should tell Mama to come back east with us and teach them how it’s done.”

  “Mama wouldn’t dream of leaving the Yellowstone.” Matthew smiled. The thought of his mother ever leaving his father or coming east, away from her beloved mountains, was incomprehensible.

  “Well, once you have your own practice, you can show everyone how to properly heal people, and perhaps even save a few lives in the process.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  Matthew’s attention drew back to the dust swirls on the horizon. He nudged with his chin, but before he could speak, Zach said, “I’ve been noticing that, too. What do you suppose it is? It’s not a dust storm.”

  “Guess we’d better find out.” Matthew kneed his horse into a lope, and Zach followed.

  Their horses covered several miles fairly quickly, and Matthew squinted into the distance. “Looks like wagons.” He reined his horse to a walk. “Seven, and several riders.”