A Yellowstone Christmas (Yellowstone Romance Series (Christmas Novella)) Read online

  Using the dull side of his ax, Daniel drove two square iron nails through the wooden boards and into the base of the tree, creating a cross-shaped stand. He set the tree down, checking to make sure it stood straight. Aimee would no doubt inspect it with a critical eye from all sides. Satisfied with his work, he headed for the cabin. No sooner had he reached the door when movement along the edge of the forest to the west caught his attention. Instantly, his muscles tensed, then relaxed again just as quickly.

  Daniel’s chest heaved in a long sigh. Why did his brother always choose to show up early in the morning? Any normal man would remain under the warmth of his sleeping blankets inside his lodge unless it was absolutely necessary to leave his bed in the middle of the night. Elk Runner’s village was several hours’ walk from this valley, so he must have left well before daylight. Either he’d had an argument with his wife, or he came to taunt Daniel about Christmas.

  Daniel turned to meet his brother, setting the tree on its stand. He braced himself for the snide remarks and mocking that he expected would come as soon as Elk Runner was within earshot.

  Sure enough, a wide grin spread across Elk Runner’s face when he approached.

  “My ax is sharp. Would you like help chopping the tree into smaller pieces for firewood? Your hearth cannot possibly hold the entire tree.” Elk Runner pulled his club from his belt.

  Daniel frowned. “What brings you here so early in the day? Has Little Bird finally decided to toss you from her lodge?”

  “Will you invite me inside your lodge so I may warm myself by your fire before I tell you of my reason?” Elk Runner rubbed his hands together, then held them to his mouth. His warm breath escaped in gray swirls from between his fingers.

  “I hope Little Bird takes a willow switch to you for leaving your hut in the middle of the night in winter. Do you want her to be a widow and raise your sons by herself?” Daniel shot his brother a disapproving look, but turned to open the cabin door. Warm air greeted him, making his cold nose tingle. He grabbed the pine tree, and glanced over his shoulder.

  “If you mock my wife with even one word about this tree, you will find yourself out in the cold again.” He didn’t bother to wait for Elk Runner’s response to his warning, and stepped inside the cabin. He set the tree near the corner by the window, and removed his heavy buffalo robe. Elk Runner already stood before the hearth, holding his hands to the fire.

  “There’s coffee to warm you,” Daniel offered.

  Elk Runner pulled his own sheepskin robe from around his shoulders, and faced Daniel.

  “Your wife still sleeps?” Elk Runner’s eyes roamed the cabin, and rested on Daniel’s bedroom door.

  “She’s been tired over the last few weeks since we’ve had all this snow. I’m afraid she still hasn’t fully adjusted to the winters here,” Daniel said, and moved to the workbench. He reached for two tin cups, and poured coffee. Offering one to his brother, he pulled a chair from beneath the table in the center of the room, sat, and glared at Elk Runner. He waited for the Indian to join him at the table, and when his brother sat in a chair opposite Daniel, he raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

  “There has been a Blackfoot raid against a clan of Tukudeka to the north,” Elk Runner said, staring intently at Daniel. His usual relaxed facial features suddenly looked hard and serious. “The clan traveled for several days to reach our camp and seek aid.”

  Daniel’s eyebrows rose. It was the last thing he expected his brother to say. His eyes darted to the closed bedroom door where the young Blackfoot woman slept with her newborn. Her appearance in this valley couldn’t be a coincidence. Hadn’t he just thought about the chance of more Blackfoot in the area only a few moments ago?

  “How many dead?” Daniel asked slowly. His eyes narrowed. The Tukudeka were traditionally hunters and peaceful people. An unexpected raid could have a devastating outcome.

  “One woman, a young hunter and one child.” Elk Runner sipped his coffee. “It is bad enough that this clan’s shaman lost his son to the Blackfoot last spring. Now they are raided in the dead of winter. The spirits must be very angry with the clan for some reason.” He shook his head.

  Daniel didn’t think the spirits had been the reason for the raid, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

  “I remember Fallen Eagle’s son, Red Fox. He went on a spirit journey, did he not?” Daniel asked.

  “And he never returned,” Elk Runner confirmed with a nod of his head. “When his father went looking for him, there was evidence of a Blackfoot raid at the sacred rocks. Fallen Eagle never found his son’s body. It is assumed that he was taken alive, but no one survives a capture by the Blackfoot. He has not completed his spirit journey, so he could not have become a puha and been untouchable.”

  Daniel studied his brother from across the table. When a young man of the Tukudeka decided to go on a spirit journey, it was believed that some returned with the powers of the spirits, and became invincible to their enemies. Aimee, who had never been on a spirit journey, had been bestowed the title of puhagant by the elders of Elk Runner’s clan for being a powerful medicine woman.

  Everyone thought she had been touched by the spirits for her abilities to heal the sick, and word had spread to other tribes that she was a great healer. Before learning of his wife’s secret that she had time traveled from two hundred years in the future, he had believed the same thing.

  To this day, Daniel was convinced that it was because of the Sky People that Aimee was his wife. Whatever his or anyone else’s spiritual beliefs were, a higher power had to be involved when Aimee was sent to him. He didn’t know what he had done to please the spirits, but the woman with the golden hair sleeping in the next room, the mother of his sons, the woman who was his heart song, had been the best thing that ever happened to him, and he couldn’t imagine a life without her.

  Daniel sipped from his cup. “I have a young Blackfoot woman here,” he said slowly, bracing for his brother’s response. Elk Runner sat up straighter, his eyes so wide they threatened to pop from his head.

  “You place your family and yourself in grave danger, White Wolf,” Elk Runner said. His words were strained, and for once, it was the only thing he could apparently say at the moment.

  “She birthed a child in the old cabin yesterday, then tried to abandon the baby here. I found her several miles downriver, nearly dead. She wears the clothing of the Tukudeka, and speaks the Shoshone language.”

  Elk Runner stared, open-mouthed. Daniel had never seen such disbelief on his brother’s face. His eyes darted around, looking at Daniel as if he had suddenly turned into a winged buffalo. Elk Runner was no doubt wondering if the tables had finally turned, and for once, he was the one being played for a fool.

  “You don’t know of any Blackfoot women who live with the Tukudeka?” Daniel asked, breaking the silence.

  Elk Runner shook his head. “I don’t know of any such woman,” he said.

  “What I am wondering,” Daniel thought out loud, “is she running from her own people, or from something else? Aimee said her husband died a few days ago.”

  “What else do you know about this woman?” Elk Runner’s eyes narrowed. “This cannot be a good thing.”

  “She hasn’t said anything else. I plan to get some answers today.” Daniel stood from the table, and moved in front of the window, staring at the white landscape outside. The sun began to rise from behind the eastern mountains, making the snow shimmer and sparkle. A wave of dread and foreboding washed over him. His brother might be right. Blackfoot raiding in the middle of winter, a young woman who seemed to live between tribes; what did it all mean?

  Daniel's bedroom door creaked open, and he turned to face it. Aimee emerged from the room, her eyes falling on the tree standing beside the window. Her face lit up in a wide smile, and Daniel’s heart swelled, then sunk again. Her Christmas might not turn out to be the joyous celebration she planned every year.

  Chapter 5

  Aimee stepped from the bedr
oom into the main room. She immediately noticed the tree standing by the window. The fragrant aroma of pine needles mixed with wood smoke from the hearth and freshly brewed coffee. For a split second, she thought she might need to dash back into her bedroom as her stomach churned. Swallowing back her sudden queasiness, she stood her ground, and inhaled the smells that reminded her so much of the season; aromas she usually loved.

  Christmas time had always been her favorite time of year, and her mind wandered back to when she was little, living in New York, looking forward to going to the Christmas tree lot with her parents to pick out the perfect tree. She would help her mother bake Christmas cookies afterward, and they would all decorate the tree in the evening.

  Living the life she had chosen now, she was firmly determined to hold on to her tradition. During her first winter here in the Yellowstone of 1810, she had to explain to Daniel about Christmas and the tradition of a tree decorated with ornaments, and that it was a time of giving and joy. Daniel couldn’t understand her reasoning.

  The Sheepeater Indians he’d grown up with believed in sharing and giving all year long, so why would this time be different and special? He had experienced one Christmas season in Philadelphia when he was younger, and he hadn’t understood the holiday then, either. Aimee had explained the religious beliefs of various faiths to him, and how these might relate to the spiritual teachings he’d grown up with. Always wanting to please her and understand her different upbringing, Daniel had asked her detailed questions about her childhood and traditions, and respected her beliefs, just as she respected his.

  Aimee smiled at Daniel from across the room before she glanced at her brother-in-law, who still sat quietly at the table. She’d already noticed him sitting there, but hoped to prolong the sparring of words that always ensued with him. For once, he didn’t wear his perpetual grin. Aimee didn’t have time to contemplate what it meant, or why he was here so early in the day. Sam tugged on her pants, just as a baby’s cries overpowered the crackling of the fire in the hearth.

  Daniel rushed to her side, and scooped Sam up into his arms, then gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

  “See to our guest. Tell her I need to speak to her,” Daniel said, his curt tone taking her by surprise. Aimee’s forehead furrowed. It was hardly the good morning greeting she expected. Her eyes darted to Elk Runner’s serious face again as she rushed past him. What had Daniel told him about their guest?

  Quickly, she knocked on the bedroom door before she opened it and peered into the room. The girl sat on the edge of the bed, cradling her infant in her arms. Her wide eyes relaxed when Aimee stepped into the room.

  “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “I am well. Thank you for the food last night.”

  “I’ll get breakfast started in just a minute. You’ll regain your strength in no time.”

  “I cannot stay here, Dosa Haiwi. I must be on my way. I do not wish any harm to come to you or your family.”

  Aimee’s eyebrows furrowed for the second time this morning. She rushed to sit on the bed beside the young woman.

  “What are you talking about? You’ll never survive out in the cold. My husband and I will help you return to your people.” Aimee squeezed the girl’s hand, and tried for a reassuring smile. “You haven’t even told me your name.”

  The girl shook her head. “It is best that you do not know my name.”

  “Perhaps it would be best if you tell us who you are,” Daniel’s voice interrupted from just outside the door.

  Aimee and the Blackfoot girl both jumped and their heads shot up at the unexpected harsh voice.

  “Daniel,” Aimee hissed, and scurried from the bed, glaring at her husband. What had gotten into him all of a sudden? It wasn’t like him to pass judgment prematurely. She stood in front of him, staring up into his unwavering eyes as he glared at the woman who now cowered on the bed.

  “Who are you running from?” Daniel asked with a nod of his chin toward the girl, ignoring Aimee’s tug on his arm. He stepped fully into the room. “Why do you wear the clothing of a Tukudeka woman, and speak the Shoshone language?”

  The girl looked at him, wide-eyed. She couldn’t maintain eye contact with him for more than a few seconds. Daniel’s intense stare had sent the most hardened men cowering.

  “I am Tukudeka in my heart,” the girl whispered almost imperceptibly, dropping her chin to her chest.

  “Your people are making war on innocent families in the dead of winter. I want to know why.”

  Her head lifted abruptly. “My people?”

  “Blackfoot warriors. A clan of Sheepeaters was attacked no more than a week ago to the north of here. Why do you run from them?”

  The young woman gasped. She held her infant closer to her chest, and shook her head slightly.

  “We left before they could find us,” she whispered, staring at Aimee with pleading eyes. “I didn’t know they would attack an innocent camp.”

  “You make no sense, woman.” Daniel’s voice rose in anger, and his eyes darkened. Aimee pulled on his arm a second time, her own anger rising at Daniel for his uncharacteristic callous behavior.

  “Enough, Daniel,” she said firmly. “Why are you scaring her like that?”

  For the first time since coming into the room, Daniel’s head turned, and he looked at Aimee. His features softened slightly. “Blackfoot warriors have raided a Tukudeka camp, perhaps even others we don’t yet know about, and we have a Blackfoot woman in our home. I need to know why I’m putting my family in danger.”

  “My husband said we were safe. He told me no one would find us,” the girl spoke, and tears filled her eyes. “When we heard of the attack that you speak of, the elders of the clan who we were staying with said we had to leave, that the warriors would come to our village next.”

  “Who is your husband?” Daniel demanded, turning his stare back on the girl.

  “Red Fox, son of Fallen Eagle.”

  *****

  Aimee set a bowl of porridge in front of each of her sons sitting around the table.

  “Who wants honey?” she asked, already setting the crock in front of Samuel. She helped him spoon out the gooey sweet syrup and drizzled it over the contents in his breakfast bowl. Matthew eagerly reached for the crock when she replaced the spoon.

  “Not too much, Matthew,” Aimee warned. “We want it to last until spring when we can collect more. Bees don’t work in the winter, remember?”

  “Why did Papa and Uncle Elk Runner have to leave?” Zach asked, porridge dripping from his chin. “Will they be back in time to help decorate the tree?” His eyes darted longingly to the pine standing by the window. Aimee’s eyes followed Zach’s gaze. Her tree looked sad and naked, standing there without any decorations.

  The boys looked forward to the tree decorating as much as she did every year. Sam was still too young, but the twins had experienced Christmas enough times now to enjoy it, and looked forward to the festivities of decorating a tree, and baking treats they only received this time of year.

  “I hope your papa will be back soon,” she said after inhaling a deep breath. She gazed out the window at the snow-covered meadow. Daniel and Elk Runner had left more than an hour ago. “They had to go find the baby’s papa, remember?”

  Daniel had stood in stunned silence for a second after the young Blackfoot mother had revealed the name of her husband. Daniel quickly informed Aimee of what Elk Runner had told him about the Blackfoot raid. He explained to her about Red Fox, the young Tukudeka, son of one of the most powerful spiritual Sheepeater leaders, who had gone missing last summer and was presumed dead.

  “I will hear how you are his wife when I return, but I understand now why you run from your own people. Elk Runner and I will search for Red Fox’s body. His father will be glad to finally put his son to rest,” Daniel had said. Turning to Aimee, he took hold of her hands and pulled her aside, all anger leaving his face.

  “I’ll return before dark. We’ll find Red Fox, and
Elk Runner will return his body to Fallen Eagle. Then we can have our tree decorating celebration.”

  Aimee nodded wordlessly. This was definitely not how she had planned Christmas, but she realized that finding the body of the dead hunter was more important at the moment. Daniel wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her gently.

  “There are two loaded rifles by the door.” He gave her a meaningful stare. “I don’t anticipate any trouble. That Blackfoot raiding party is coming from the north. I expect they will be following Red Fox’s and the girl’s tracks. Elk Runner and I will detect any intruders before they can reach the cabin.” He offered a slow smile. Aimee knew that Daniel wouldn’t leave if he thought there was any danger to her or the children.

  “Just be careful,” she said, and pulled his head toward her for another kiss. With a final hug and smile on Daniel’s face that was meant to be reassuring, he and Elk Runner had left the cabin.

  Aimee turned toward her sons eating their breakfast. Zach and Matthew rolled marbles back and forth toward each other across the table, and Sam slapped his spoon into his porridge bowl, making the gruel splash up and over the bowl. He laughed loudly when some splattered across a wayward marble that rolled in his direction. Matthew hastily reached for it before Sam had a chance to grab it.

  “Don’t make such a mess, Sam,” she scolded quietly. With her thoughts on her husband, and concerned for his safety, a little spilled porridge on the table was hardly worth getting upset over. The bedroom door creaked open slowly, and the young Indian woman emerged. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the main room.