Yellowstone Awakening (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 3) Read online

  “Where are we going?” Katelyn asked.

  “I have to slow Laughing Badger down a bit,” Kyle answered. “This’ll keep him guessing for a while. He knows I’m heading home, but I’m sure he’s hoping to get to us before we reach the cabin, and he won’t know which route I’m taking from here on.”

  Kyle zigzagged in and out of the creek several more times, backtracking twice, until he finally set a course through the forest heading west.

  They rode in silence through the dense trees, Kyle letting his horse pick her own way through the deadfall, when Katelyn asked, “Will I get to stay with you at your cabin?”

  The question caught him off guard. What did she mean by that? “We’ll figure out something when we get there,” he answered slowly. “I’m sure there’s family you want to contact back east. The closest town from the Madison Valley is Virginia City. I can probably take you there in a couple of weeks. I have some horses to deliver there anyways. Until then, I guess you don’t have much of a choice but to stay with me.”

  “Good,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and rested her head under his chin. Kyle’s arms on either side of her tightened involuntarily.

  Chapter 5

  Kate watched in awe as they rode through an ever-widening canyon along the banks of a fast-flowing river. The beauty of the landscape was mesmerizing. Tall cliffs rose on either side of the river, making her feel small and insignificant. The peacefulness of the land was in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle she’d grown up with in Boston, and again in Helena. She never knew a place such as this existed. Every once in a while as they rode, Kyle pointed out some elk in the distance, or a deer between the trees in the forest.

  She watched in fascination when Kyle guided his horse around an area where the ground turned gray, almost white, and the vegetation became sparse. Steam rose from the earth in heavy white plumes. Hot water hissed and bubbled underground, and her body tensed. Ezra had perished in an area similar to this.

  “What’s wrong?” Kyle leaned forward, speaking softly in her ear. How could he be so tuned in to her body language? She hadn’t said anything to indicate apprehension, but then realized her back had stiffened.

  “Isn’t this dangerous?”

  “Extremely,” he answered, which made her tense even more.

  “Then why are we here?” she asked, her voice raised in a high pitch.

  “Relax, Katelyn,” he said, and chuckled with no apparent concern. “It’s dangerous if you don’t know where to put your feet. Rosie here knows this area well. She won’t step wrong. We have to get through here to get to my home. It’s not much further.”

  Kate looked straight ahead into the distance, trying to picture where in these mountains Kyle made his home. All she saw was more trees up ahead, but the canyon they’d been riding through for quite some time widened more and more, and a vast meadow began to stretch before her in the distance. Beyond that, a huge, dark-colored mountain amidst more rolling hills rose into the sky.

  Absently, she rubbed her hands together. He’ll never find me here. He wouldn’t consider searching in a place such as this. Ezra had made a wise choice when he brought her to the wilderness, rather than head east as she’d suggested. Her first impulse had been to head back to Boston, where things were familiar, but she realized that would be the first place he would look for her. Here, among the grandeur of these mountains and forests, she could get lost forever.

  A warm sensation suddenly swept over her. Kyle’s even breath against her neck sent goose bumps down her spine. She almost laughed out loud at the irony of it. The man she knew intimately, who considered himself a gentleman and was a highly respected member of polite society, was cruel and barbaric behind closed doors. Yet this backwoodsman, a mere stranger to her, who cared not one bit for society’s propriety and refinements, was the gentlest man she’d ever met. He treated her with respect, and spoke to her as if she mattered, not like an adornment or plaything, to be used and then discarded until next time.

  Kate sighed heavily. If only she were truly free. Kyle evoked feelings in her she’d only hoped for and imagined as a young girl. Back then, fantasies of a knight in shining armor sweeping her away to his enchanted castle were the fanciful dreams of innocence and childhood. Those dreams had died a swift and cruel death, and all her aspirations had been squashed like a pesky bug, six months ago. She’d learned rather quickly that life was not a fairytale, and knights did not exist. Until yesterday. Kyle may not sit astride a white steed, wearing armor and wielding a sword, but he’d rescued her nonetheless. She imagined his cabin as his castle, and he would surely keep her safe.

  “How long have you lived in these mountains?” Kate wondered, breaking the silence.

  “All my life. I was born here,” he answered.

  “Where is your family? You mentioned your cousin, but what about your parents?”

  She felt him shift his weight behind her slightly, his thighs brushing up against hers, sending renewed sensations coursing through her veins that were completely foreign to her.

  “My parents live in Virginia City. They own a mercantile business there with my uncle. Three of my sisters are married and live in various parts here in Montana Territory, and my other sister, Hannah, still lives with my folks. She teaches school.”

  Kate turned slightly to see his face. “You are the youngest sibling?”

  ”Yeah. I think my pa was glad to finally have a son.” His facial features hardened.

  “But if you were born here, that means your mother and sisters lived here . . . in the wilderness.” Was it possibly for a woman to live here? Might he allow her to stay if she asked? Surely she could learn to live and make due with only the barest of essentials. Anything was better than her life in the city.

  “Yeah. They all packed up and left three years ago. After my grandparents died, they didn’t see the need to stay here. They used to trade goods with trappers and mountain men, but there are so few of them left, it wasn’t worth it anymore.” Kyle adjusted the reins from his right to his left hand. “When the gold fever struck, and towns started sprouting up everywhere, they packed up and moved to Virginia City. They’re quite successful there.”

  “And your cousin?” Kate enjoyed the easy conversation, and was eager to learn about his family. The way he spoke of them revealed how close they were. She sighed wistfully. There was no closeness in her family.

  “Josh, he’s Uncle Samuel’s son, and I, decided to keep up the homestead, which makes my mother happy. I’m not sure she really wanted to leave, but knew that times were changing. My sister wanted something more than live here in the wilderness.”

  “More?”

  “Yeah. The same thing all women want, a husband and family of their own. The pickings are pretty slim out here when it comes to decent white men.”

  “You seem to be decent enough.” Kate blushed, and faced straight ahead. She couldn’t believe the forward words that came out of her mouth.

  Kyle chuckled. “I guess I had good role models.”

  Silence prevailed for a time. Kate watched the huge dark mountain loom before her, standing sentinel to a gateway into what would surely be paradise.

  “What about you, Katelyn?”

  Kyle’s deep whisper made her shiver all over. “Me?” she asked, the apprehension back. Her right thumb and forefinger grazed over her ring finger on her left hand, as if making sure it bore no evidence of her enslavement. Kyle must never find out. He was such an honorable man, he would return her to Helena in a heartbeat.

  “Yeah, you. Wouldn’t you rather sit in a fancy parlor back in Boston, sipping tea while the rich gentlemen stumble all over themselves to gain favor with you? A pretty girl like you must have dozens of men lining up at your front door. Instead, you’re riding through the wilderness with the likes of me?”

  Kate stiffened. A year ago, even less than that, that was exactly what her life consisted of. Until six months ago . . . She slammed the door shut on her memo
ries. That was all behind her now.

  “No, I don’t miss Boston at all,” she said with more force than she intended. She felt the horse stop beneath her. “Why are we stopping?” she asked, swallowing nervously. Kyle’s hand was on her shoulder, turning her so she’s look at him. His eyes studied her.

  “Why are you here, Katelyn?” he asked.

  Her heart leaped in her throat. He couldn’t have guessed! Panic caused her breathing to become shallow, and she forced herself to take a deep breath.

  “I . . . I already told you. My guardian brought me here. He sought his fortune out here, looking for gold. I had no choice but to accompany him.”

  His eyes on her left her weak and exposed. It was as if he could see right into her mind. He knew she was lying. She straightened her back, and raised her chin as she’d seen her mother do when she forced her will on others.

  Kyle laughed. “Don’t get you back up, sweetheart. If you’re running away from some amorous suitor, and don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

  Kate relaxed. He didn’t know. It’s much worse than that, Kyle.

  “But someday I hope you’ll trust me enough to tell me the truth about those bruises,” he whispered in her ear, running his hand up and down her waist for emphasis. His words made her tense all over again, even as his touch sent delicious chills down her spine.

  The horse underneath her moved off again. Kate tried to relax and slow her uneven breathing. She knew it was wrong of her to lie to him, but she had to think of herself, and telling him the truth would only hurt her more.

  Just around another bend, the meadow opened into a lush green valley, and the river they’d been following flowed in a wide arc to the right. Another river roared loudly to the south, just at the base of the magnificent dark mountain, and joined this river. The two converged into one, flowing steadily westward. Kate’s eyes grew wide at the sheer beauty of the valley. To the north, she spied several log buildings, and as they drew closer, she realized they were cabins. One appeared newer than the other, and in between them, nestled further into the trees, stood a small, nearly dilapidated structure. Only the stone chimney seemed to stand erect. A half-dozen horses grazed in the meadow near the river.

  “Is this it? Is this where you live?” she asked, unable to contain the excitement she felt.

  “Welcome to my little spot of paradise, Miss Devon,” Kyle said, in mock formality. “I hope you’ll find the accommodations to your liking, even if they aren’t to your standards.”

  “It’s beautiful here,” Kate said in awe, her eyes drinking in the beauty of her surroundings.

  Kyle rode his mare into the yard between the two larger cabins. “This big house belongs to my parents. It’s where Josh lives, when he’s here.” He pointed to the home on the right. “That one is my grandparents’ home. I live there.”

  “Why do you not live in your parents’ home?”

  Kyle chuckled. “I think I got tired of living with a bunch of girls when I was about seven, and begged grandpa to let me share the loft with Josh. I grew up in my grandparents’ house, and I prefer it to this day.” The house he pointed to on the left was somewhat smaller than the one on the right, and looked older.

  “What about that old little cabin over there?” Kate nodded toward the woods.

  “That was my grandpa’s first cabin. It’s where he grew up, and where he brought my grandma when he first found her wandering the wilderness. That was some sixty years ago,” Kyle explained.

  “Found her in the wilderness and brought her here?” Kate echoed. “Like you’re doing with me?”

  Kyle didn’t say anything. He dismounted his horse and led her by the reins toward his home. He stopped just in front of the heavy-looking front door, then turned and looked up at her. “Yeah, sort of like that,” he finally answered. His expression was unreadable. He reached up to her, and she bent forward, placing her hands on his shoulders, and he pulled her from the saddle. She clenched her jaw at the pain in her side, as Kyle supported her waist. He set her gently on the ground, but didn’t release her immediately.

  Kate wasn’t sure how to interpret the look in his eyes. She swallowed, her face growing hot. Kyle had called her pretty earlier, and sweetheart. Why she recalled those words now, she wasn’t sure, but the way he looked at her, brought on a feeling of belonging to someone who truly cared for her. Not as a piece of property to be used and abused.

  “Welcome to my home, Katelyn,” he said, the tone of his voice deep and husky. His lips curved in a lazy grin that made her heart do flip flops. He stepped away from her, and opened the door, allowing her to step inside ahead of him.

  Full of curiosity, Kate entered the cabin, and looked around. The large glass-paned window on the right illuminated the entire room. It offered a spectacular view across the river and mountains. In the middle of the room stood a long table with six chairs around it. The furnishing looked well-used, and homemade. Along the opposite wall was a huge stone fireplace and hearth. Shelves were built into the wall above a long wooden workbench, and a ladder led up to a second-story. Kate surmised it was no more than a loft. Doors at opposite ends of the room must lead to bedrooms.

  Kate turned to find Kyle standing just inside the door, watching her intently. She offered him a bright smile. This place felt like a home. It was as if she could feel the warmth and love of many years of family in this room. While the entire cabin was no larger than the kitchens in the fancy houses she’d known all her life, none of them had ever given her such a heartfelt feeling of homecoming.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said softly, suspecting Kyle expected her to say something. He kept referring to her as a socialite, and probably had many misconceived ideas about her. Most of them had probably been true at some point, but Kate was no longer the naïve girl she’d been a year ago. There was more, much more to life than wealth and privilege. If this place was any indication, Kyle was one of the richest men she knew, and she envied him. In comparison, she was nothing but a pauper.

  Kyle finally moved completely into the room. “I’m sure it ain’t what you’re used to, but it holds a lot of memories for me.”

  “It’s perfect,” she replied, looking up at him. “Thank you for offering me sanctuary here.” Kyle’s eyes narrowed. Too late, she realized her wrong choice of words. She held her breath, but he didn’t say anything.

  “You can use this room over here,” he said, walking toward the door on the left, and opening it. Kate came up behind him and looked inside.

  “This was my grandparents’ bedroom. I use it mostly for storage now. I’ll clear out some of the stuff.”

  Kate’s eyes widened as she entered this bedroom. A large bed stood along the back wall, the wooden bedframe obviously carved by hand. Her eyes followed the intricate patterns along the headboard. Kate didn’t know what they represented, but someone had put a lot of time, and no doubt love, into building this frame. The sun shone through a small window on the left wall, illuminating the patterns in golden light. The mattress was covered in various animal furs. Above the bed hung a bow and arrow, and a white pelt of some animal. Much of the walls were adorned with Indian-style artwork and weaponry. A simple homemade chest of drawers leaned against the wall to her right. The only things that seemed out of place here were the piles of saddlery, harness, and leather equipment in the corners.

  Kate stepped further into the room, her eyes drawn to a single photograph in a simple wooden frame that stood on the dresser. A handsome dark haired man dressed in buckskin pants, and simple cotton shirt stood with his arms lovingly around a petite blond-haired woman, also dressed in buckskins. The woman’s head leaned against the man’s chest, and although they posed looking directly at the camera, the love and contentment in their eyes shone through as if they were standing here in front of her.

  Kate guessed them to be in their fifties. She’d never seen a couple posed in such a way, being more used to the formal photographs of wives standing unsmiling behind and off to the si
des of their equally stiffly posed husbands. The beautiful relaxed pose of this couple brought a burning sensation to her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling.

  “These are your grandparents?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

  “That picture was taken a long time ago, probably before I was even born,” Kyle said, and stood beside her.

  “They must have loved each other very much.”

  Kyle inhaled deeply. “Yeah, they did. They passed away within a couple of months of each other. My grandpa just couldn’t go on living after grandma died.”

  Kate turned her head to him. His voice held an unusual high pitch, and he cleared his throat. She put her hand on his arm. “And you loved them very much,” she said, looking into his eyes.

  Kyle’s muscles bunched beneath her touch. His face held an intense seriousness she hadn’t seen before, and his deep brown eyes stared raptly at her. What was it she saw in his eyes? Deep longing, but for what? Abruptly, she turned and glanced at the image of his grandfather again. Those eyes, that look, were one and the same. Kate’s mouth suddenly went dry, and her heart rate increased.

  She dropped her hand from Kyle’s arm, and turned away. What was happening to her? With a sudden jolt of adrenaline, it became clear. Her own knight in buckskins was sweeping her off her feet, had been doing so over the course of this entire day. No, it just couldn’t be. This fairytale could only end in a nightmare, for both of them.

  Chapter 6

  Kyle rummaged through the old trunk, tossing aside shirts and britches he couldn’t remember ever wearing. There had to be some old dresses here that belonged to his sisters. He was sure they hadn’t taken all of their belongings with them to Virginia City. Since Josh wasn’t home, he’d let himself in to his parents’ cabin. Hannah’s room had been turned into another storage area, and it was here he found the trunk of clothing.