Yellowstone Heart Song Page 3

  The tracks continued through the forest. “Whoever made these prints is mad.” His face darkened while he leapt over more deadfall. What fool would travel this way rather than seek out a deer trail?

  “She will not be able to continue this course much longer. The canyon and falls are not far,” Elk Runner commented.

  The footprints finally led to a clearing overlooking the canyon. He stopped suddenly and held up his hand in silent warning before they were completely out of the forest. Several ravens were perched on downed logs and in trees, making loud “kaah-kaah-ing” noises. He scanned the area, and quickly found what he already suspected had drawn the ravens to congregate here. He pointed to the bony remains of an elk that lay strewn about. A coyote eagerly tore at some leftover tendons.

  “This kill is several days old.” Daniel exchanged a meaningful look with Elk Runner.

  The two surveyed their surroundings and recognized the telltale signs of a bear charging at something. They didn’t have to find more tracks to know what had happened. The person they’d been following had carelessly walked up on the kill. The bear had charged, sending the person over the cliff. The coyote’s presence and unconcerned demeanor satisfied both men that the grizzly had left the area. Hurrying to the edge of the canyon, they peered down.

  Daniel couldn’t believe his eyes. His gaze fixed on the female form that filled almost the entire area of a narrow outcropping along the canyon walls. Recovered from his initial surprise, he cleared his throat and shouted, “Hello down there.”

  Receiving no response, he called again in French. “Etes vous bien.” This time he noticed a slight movement.

  “Find some twine and make rope. I’m going down there.”

  Elk Runner hurried off to do as he was asked.

  Leaving his long rifle behind, Daniel climbed down the canyon wall, using jutting rocks and tree roots for support. His mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation as to how a white woman appeared in this wilderness. As he reached her, she let out a soft moan. Barely audible, he heard her say in English, “please, …help me.”

  Her eyes fluttered open briefly, and she tried to raise her head, but it seemed to cause her too much effort. She lowered it back to the rocky ground with a quiet moan, and lay still.

  His eyes roamed over her. Dust and debris covered her strange-looking clothing, and cuts and bruises marred her face and hands. Her hair was matted with dirt and twigs. She had no outward injuries that would indicate a bear attack.

  Daniel pondered her unfamiliar clothing. Whites back east dressed in fine clothes, but he had never seen this type of material before. Her body curled around some sort of traveling pack, but this, too, looked unlike anything he had ever laid eyes on.

  He removed his water bag from around his neck, uncorked the opening, and put one hand under her head to raise it slightly. “Can you hear me?”

  The woman moaned faintly, but made no other sound.

  “You need to drink.” He touched the tip of the water bag to her cracked lips, letting small amounts of water trickle out. She swallowed weakly, and gave no resistance when Daniel took the water bag away. “Just a little for now. I’ll get you out of here.”

  “Leg… hurt.” He barely heard her raspy whisper.

  He stared at her legs. She flinched and let out a faint cry when he touched her right ankle.

  Elk Runner finally appeared at the top of the canyon. He threw one end of a freshly braided twine rope down to him. “I’m going to tie this around her, and you’ll have to pull her up,” He shouted up to his friend. “It’s too steep for me to carry her.”

  Elk Runner nodded. Daniel tied the stiff makeshift rope around the woman’s mid-section, and called to Elk Runner to start pulling.

  The woman half awoke and grabbed hold of the twine in an effort to help get up the canyon. He was about to put a hand on a rock above him to begin the ascent, when she motioned feebly to her pack. He picked it off the ground and turned it in several directions, then slung it over one shoulder. Supporting her the best he could without falling himself, he proceeded back up the canyon wall. When they finally reached the top, she slumped to the ground again.

  He hoisted himself up over the edge of the canyon. “She needs warmth or she will die,” he said, his tone impassive. “Let’s find a more sheltered place to make camp.”

  “She will need nourishment as well. I will go make meat,” Elk Runner offered.

  Daniel eyed the woman. What the hell was he going to do with her? A white woman, of all things! With a shake of his head, he bent down and scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing. Scanning the surrounding woods once more for any sign of the bear, he strode off in the direction from which they had come.

  *****

  Daniel carried the woman to a sheltered area about a mile from the canyon. He placed her on a bed of leaves and covered her with his blanket. Gathering kindling and wood, he quickly built a fire. He observed the woman’s body shivering violently. He realized she would not have lasted much longer on that ledge. It was remarkable that she had survived an entire night.

  Every few minutes, he knelt beside her with his water bag, carefully dribbling the liquid into her mouth. Several attempts to speak produced no coherent words. Daniel had plenty of time to openly study her while he sat waiting for Elk Runner to arrive with some fresh meat.

  Who are you? How is it even possible for you to be here?

  His eyes drank in her angelic face as she slept. The color of her long wavy hair reminded him of autumn buffalo grass, and his hands curled into fists to keep from reaching out to touch it. The memory of her soft small body in his arms, the curve of her breasts brushing against his chest, sent an unexplained heat through his veins. He could still smell the intoxicating scent of flowers on her clothing and hair, even through the layer of dust. Despite the numerous cuts and streaks of dried blood on her face, Daniel wondered if her skin would feel as soft as it looked if he ran a finger down her cheek.

  Most curious about her appearance was her clothing. Daniel had never seen a woman in britches before, and it intrigued him. None of the Tukudeka women wore leggings, even in winter. Certainly no white woman in the eastern cities, or even St. Louis, would wear britches. The many layers of material they covered themselves with kept a man guessing as to the woman’s shape underneath it all. Those pants, along with the shirt this woman wore, hid none of her feminine curves.

  He couldn’t even begin to explain where she might come from. With the exception of his birth mother, he had never heard of a white woman in this region. She must be the wife of some French trapper, he concluded. Was she a willing wife, or had she met a fate he’d heard about. River pirates were abundant along the Missouri, and women were often bought and sold. Perhaps she had been one of the unfortunate ones, and had been traded or sold to some Frenchman. Was she alone because she had escaped him? Daniel scowled. Men got lonely in these mountains, but to take a woman against her will was despicable. He swore that if he found this woman’s man, and she had been an unwilling wife, he might have to kill him. He stood abruptly and ran a hand through his hair, clenching and unclenching his jaw as he paced by the fire. Why this sudden strong emotion to hurt someone over a woman – a white woman! - he didn’t even know?

  Elk Runner found Daniel’s camp sometime after dark. He brought two rabbits and a grouse. Silently they skinned, plucked, and gutted the meat, then skewered it on sticks to roast over the fire.

  “What will you do with her?” Elk Runner finally spoke.

  “You are the one who found her.”

  “I already have a wife,” Elk Runner shrugged. “I give her to you. Besides, she is too small for my taste. She hardly has any meat on her bones.”

  “Take her to your village and have Little Bird tend to her until she is recovered.” Daniel didn’t relish the thought of spending any time with this woman. He had learned his lesson well years ago. Thankfully, he only encountered white women in St. Louis when he traveled
that far to trade his furs. That amounted to once every couple of years.

  “We do not speak the white man’s tongue,” Elk Runner reminded him again. “She would be better off with you at your cabin. You know the white man’s ways.”

  “Perhaps we should find her man,” Daniel suggested.

  “I did not see any tracks that indicated she had a companion,” Elk Runner said. “But I will go in the morning and retrace her trail. Perhaps I can find out where she comes from. Someone is probably looking for her. No one leaves a woman behind in these mountains. Unless,” he added thoughtfully, “she is crazy like I said, and her man was trying to get rid of her.”

  Daniel’s eyes perused the feminine creature laying there. She appeared small, frail, and helpless. Was she crazy? He couldn’t believe that any man would deliberately get rid of her. In this wilderness, she would be a most sought-after prize.

  “You can help me build a travois in the morning before you go. I can’t carry her all the way back.” He resigned himself that he didn’t have a choice but to take her back to his cabin with him. As he studied her some more, a peculiar sense of protectiveness took hold in him. The sensation was puzzling. Hadn’t past experience taught him that a white woman was nothing but trouble? Even so, he would make damn sure no more harm came to her while she remained in his care. He would do no less for anyone else in need of help.

  *******

  Aimee stirred awake. She heard what sounded like faraway voices echoing in her head. There wasn’t a spot on her body that didn’t scream out in pain. She could feel her pulse throbbing in her injured foot. Lifting her heavy eyelids slightly, reality set in. Someone had rescued her. Her skin tingled as life-giving heat seeped into her body, although she still shivered under the blanket. Her mouth and throat didn’t feel as if she’d swallowed a wad of cotton anymore, but she knew she had to be dehydrated. When she opened her eyes a bit more, the silhouettes of two men sitting by a campfire several yards away came into view. They were talking in a strange language, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized they must be Indians.

  Oh God, I hope they’re friendly. Her mind conjured up a vague memory of strong yet gentle arms carrying her. Or had that been a dream? If these two meant to hurt her, wouldn’t they have done it by now?

  She had never felt so vulnerable in all her life. She suddenly became consumed with anger as she thought about Zach. He should have known better than to send her off like this on her own, or at the very least, prepared her better. What had he been thinking? He must have known how dangerous this would be for her. Then again, what had she been thinking? She’d been thinking he was lying, that’s what. And she had convinced him she was up to the challenge of a wilderness survival trip.

  Snippets of her conversations with Zach echoed in her mind as she lay there, wondering how she was going to deal with this new predicament she found herself in.

  “If you had the chance to go back in time to the era of the trapper, live in the wilderness, just for a while, and experience it for yourself, would you do it?”…….. “Can’t tell anyone” …… “I’ll come for you in three months to send you home…”

  She realized she shouldn’t be angry with Zach. He had warned her, and she just hadn’t taken him seriously. But who in their right mind would believe stories about time travel? The last few days had certainly made a believer out of her. And wasn’t this exactly what she had wanted for so long – to escape her reality - if only for a while?

  One of her rescuers rose from his spot near the fire and moved towards her, jolting her mind back to the present. Her heart pounded in her chest. She tried to take deep calming breaths. Okay, Aimee. You deal with all sorts of people on a daily basis in the ER. You can handle this.

  The man knelt in front of her and wordlessly held out a water bag.

  “Thank you.” She reached for the offering while straining her eyes to see his face. She could barely make it out in the darkness, and the only light coming from the campfire’s dancing flames cast moving shadows on his features.

  “Are you hungry?” His deep voice and perfect English startled her. She hadn’t expected him to speak her language.

  “A….. a little, but I need water more than anything else right now. I’m really dehydrated.” She eyed the man, what she could see of him, warily.

  “Let me know if you need more.” He gestured to the water bag.

  “Thanks.” Aimee smiled weakly. She felt terribly uncomfortable and vulnerable just laying there. He hadn’t moved, and she could feel his eyes on her. It was quite unnerving. She wished he’d leave. As if he heard her thoughts, he abruptly stood and turned away to return to his place by the fire. He said something unrecognizable to his companion.

  As soon as he turned his back, she managed to raise herself to a sitting position, waiting for the pounding in her head and dizziness to subside. She put the tip of the water bag to her mouth, and moaned in pleasure at the wonderful sensation of the water soothing her parched throat. She warily eyed the men several yards away from her. The one who had brought the water sat with his broad back to her again. The other man sat across from him, staring at her boldly while picking pieces of meat off one of the skewers over the fire.

  If you think you’re going to intimidate me, you’re going to be disappointed, Aimee told him silently. I’ve stared down much worse. Dr. Ashwell immediately came to mind. The man had the uncanny ability to make nurses cry.

  Aimee’s annoyance by the man’s stare grew, along with the fact that she couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying. Something told her it had to be about her.

  ******

  Daniel called himself a fool for gawking at the woman after handing her the water bag. The light of the flames from the fire had illuminated different parts of her face, but he saw soft eyes looking back at him, and a smile that made his heart beat faster. He mentally shook his head, pondering his reaction to her. The woman’s soft voice and manner of speech, which sounded different than anything he’d ever heard, even in the big eastern cities, held his attention.

  “Maybe if you paid more notice to the meat, it wouldn’t be burnt now,” Daniel said gruffly when he took his place by the fire again.

  Elk Runner grinned. He reached for a skewer of rabbit while looking in the direction of the woman in the shadows. “The woman has spirit,” he remarked. “She is not afraid.”

  “Why would she be afraid of you?”

  “All white women are afraid of my people.”

  “And how many white women have you known?” Daniel snorted.

  “I’ve heard it to be so,” Elk Runner shrugged.

  “Maybe I will have a bite of food.” Daniel heard her call out from behind him. He had to admit that his adoptive brother was right. This little woman sure didn’t seem to fear them, which was foolish. She should be afraid. A woman alone anywhere, much less in this wilderness, was a prime target for a lonely man.

  He reached for another skewer and brought it to her, once more kneeling in front of her. As she reached for the meat, her hand brushed his lightly. His own hand lingered when he felt the satiny touch, holding on to the skewer longer than necessary. The bewildered look on her face finally prompted him to let go. The sensation of her cold hand on his remained, however, and burned into his skin. It left him itching to touch her again.

  “I’m sorry for being an inconvenience,” she said. “I don’t want you to have to wait on me. I injured my foot when I went over that cliff. I don’t think it’s fractured, but I’ll have to take another look in the daylight to be sure.” Her soft melodious voice kept him rooted to the spot in front of her.

  “I’m Aimee Donovan, by the way, and it goes without saying that I am very grateful for the rescue. One more night on that ledge, and I would have been done for.” She extended her hand in offer of a handshake.

  His gaze moved from her face to the delicate hand she offered, baffled by the gesture. No woman had ever wanted to shake his hand before. Here was his
chance to touch her again, to feel her soft skin on his once more, but he held back. A moment later, he noted a slight frown on her face, and her hand moved away to rest in her lap.

  Ask her where she comes from.

  Her confident and self-assured manner had him question his original assumption that she might be on the run from a captor. This was not the behavior of a woman who had been abused by a man.

  “We will travel in the morning. You should eat and rest.” He turned and took his place by the fire again.

  *****

  Aimee chewed the meat slowly. She waited several minutes between bites to make sure she could keep the food down, taking small sips of water in between. When she felt sure her stomach would not reject the nourishment, she pulled her backpack towards her and unzipped it. She cringed. The sound of the zipper seemed to be amplified a hundred fold. She threw sheepish glances at the men by the fire. The Indian who faced her shot her a curious glance, but his companion didn’t react to the sound. Once she found her ibuprofen, she discreetly opened the bottle and popped a couple of pills into her mouth.

  She curled up in the soft bed of leaves, pulling her backpack under her head for a pillow. She shivered under the blanket, and pulled it up to her neck. The subtle hint of rawhide and pine, and something else she could only describe as clean and pleasant, woodsy male scent permeated off the blanket. It was an oddly comforting scent.

  After spending two nights alone in the wilderness, the presence of these men was a reassuring welcome. The occasional cracking sounds coming from the underbrush in the darkness no longer haunted her into thinking she was some predator’s next meal. Her common sense told her that she should be afraid of them, but they hadn’t given any indication that they meant to hurt her. She was determined to show no fear. Wasn’t that what they did in the movies? Didn’t Indians supposedly hold bravery in high esteem?

  Sometime in the middle of the night, she became vaguely aware of how much warmer she felt. Another person’s warmth radiated into her body from behind, and instinctively, even in her sleep, she moved closer.