An hour later, most of the deer meat hung up to dry in the sun, as well as the hide. Daniel leaned against the cabin, and watched her walk to the river. She hadn’t backed down from his challenge. She had performed the task without complaint, and she’d done it well. Was it possible that she could survive in these mountains? She obviously had managed to be on her own for a short time already. The thought nagged at him.
His father had always told him how frail and weak his mother had been. She had followed her husband into the mountains without question for she loved him, but she had neither the strength nor the spirit for this kind of life. Daniel could not picture Aimee as frail and weak. Everything she had done thus far spoke of strength and courage.
Aimee walked back from the river, a wide smile on her face. Something tightened in his gut.
“What else can I do?” she asked eagerly.
“That’s enough for today,” he replied. “I would look forward to some of that bread you plan to bake, though. It has been a long time since I’ve had bread like that.”
“If you put some meat on a spit over the fire out here, I’ll bake some bread to go with it.” Daniel caught the satisfied look on her face before she turned and headed back to the cabin.
*****
Aimee woke the following morning, and didn’t see her usual cup of coffee and breakfast on the table. She brushed her hair quickly and gathered it into a ponytail. After unwrapping and inspecting her foot, she decided that today she would try putting her boot back on. She stood and was about to pull her pants up over her hips, when the door swung open, and Daniel walked in. His expression hardened as his eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. She hastily zipped and buttoned her pants.
“I know this is your cabin, but how about you knock first next time before you just barge in.” She shot him an exasperated look.
“I brought you these,” Daniel held something out to her, apparently unperturbed by the heated look in her eyes.
She stepped towards him and reached for what he offered. Fingering the soft leather in her hands, she recognized a pair of moccasins, and her face brightened.
“You made these?” she asked with delight. “For me?”
“You need foot coverings. Your boots don’t yield to the swelling in your foot.”
Aimee was speechless. She wasn’t used to a man’s complete awareness of everything. His thoughtfulness surprised her beyond belief. She caressed the soft leather, tracing a finger along the even stitching on the sides. Her eyes stung, and she hastily tried to blink away the sensation. He was right. She hadn’t been able to get her foot into her boot yet. She slipped the soft leather moccasins on. They were a perfect fit. Her feet felt wonderful surrounded by the downy rabbit fur that lined the insides of the shoes.
“They’re so comfortable. How did you know my size?”
“Your footprints by the river.”
“Oh, clever.” Impulsively, she stepped up to him, put her hands on his shoulders to lean up and gave him a casual peck on the cheek.
“Thank you, these are great,” she said warmly, drawing away. Her cheek grazed his for a mere second.
Daniel’s hands reached out and spanned her waist. He held her for a moment before abruptly letting go. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down several times, and his eyes darkened considerably.
Oh God, I hope that wasn’t a wrong message. Aimee’s heart began to beat faster when she plainly saw the look of raw desire in Daniel’s dark eyes.
“Well, um, should I make some breakfast?” she asked, stepping away from him. Her skin still prickled from where his hands had been moments ago.
“No,” Daniel said, to her surprise. “This morning, you will find your own food.”
“You’re taking me with you today?” Her face lit up again.
“Only if your foot is well enough.”
“I can walk fine on it,” she said quickly. I’ll be sure to take some ibuprofen, though.
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as you are ready.”
*****
Daniel turned and left the cabin. Just outside the door, he ran a hand through his hair while his other hand was clenched tightly in a fist. He had decided that he would start showing her around his mountains, just to see what she was capable of, but mainly to keep her out of trouble. Now, recalling the sight of her half-undressed, he reconsidered his decision. How could he spend an entire day in her presence after that vision, and her reaction when he gave her the moccasins, and still think straight? The brief glimpse of her exposed thighs combined with the innocent kiss she had given him had almost been his undoing.
“Damn.” He couldn’t remember any other time when he had to exercise such self-control. All he wanted to do was pull her in his arms, and lose himself in her sweet body.
He smiled to himself as he recalled her sharp reprimand when he’d walked into the cabin. Good thing there hadn’t been a weapon handy. He wouldn’t put it past her to throw a knife at him just then.
“Okay, I’m ready to go.” Aimee emerged from the cabin. He took a deep breath and tried to erase the mental images in his head.
“You’re still favoring that foot.” He hoped he might be able to leave her behind. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t agree to that.
“I can keep up. I won’t slow you down.”
The corners of his mouth rose in a lazy grin and his eyes boldly appraised her from head to toe. “I doubt you could keep up with me even if your foot was completely healed,” he challenged.
“Oh yeah? Well I’ll have you know I run at least 5 miles every day back home,” Aimee countered, her hands on her hips.
His eyes narrowed. “Who do you run from?”
“No one, just to stay in shape.” Aimee shrugged. “I bet I could give you a good run for your money. I also work out, you know.”
More words and phrases he didn’t comprehend. This woman was such a mystery to him. He shook his head, gathered his rifle, and set off in the direction they had come from when he first brought her to the cabin.
“Where are we going?” She fell in step beside him, carrying her strange pack on her back.
“We will follow the Little Buffalo River for a while. There are places in the woods along the way where you can pick fresh berries.” He avoided looking at her, but kept his eyes straight ahead, always scanning.
“Is that what you call this river?”
“Why were you trying to follow this river when we found you?” He turned his head to look at her for the first time.
“What makes you think that?”
He scoffed. Her evasiveness was annoying the hell out of him. “The tracks you left made it quite obvious. You were following a tributary for days before your accident.” He actually stopped walking now and gave her that hard stare she found so intimidating. “Why do you avoid answering my questions? What are you afraid of?”
“Look,” Aimee let out a long sigh. “There are things about me I can’t talk to you about. Believe me, I would tell you, but I just can’t. Can we please just not talk about my past?”
“I don’t understand why you lie to me. If you are in danger, I can protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting. I just need a place to stay for a while.” Aimee started walking again. She kept her eyes straight ahead, avoiding his stare. “So, where are these berry bushes? I’m getting hungry.”
Daniel clenched his jaw in frustration. Scowling, he picked up the pace again. After about a mile, he veered away from the river and entered the forest.
“Should we be worried about bears?” Aimee asked. “They hang out near berry patches, don’t they?”
Hang out? “There is always danger from bears.”
“Have you tangled with a lot of bears?”
“A few.” He shrugged. “Why are you asking all the questions, but you won’t answer any of mine?”
“Because you’re supposed to be teaching me about the mountains, remember? And a good student asks questions.
” Aimee grinned.
Daniel shook his head. He inhaled deeply to maintain calm. Why did she have to act so elusive?
“Well, then you need to begin to open your eyes. Look for tracks on the ground. Become aware of the things around you. Had you read the signs better, you would not have encountered that grizzly.”
He pointed to a spot in the dirt. The grass all around was shorter and sparser than the surrounding area.
“Looks like bison tracks,” Aimee said confidently after bending down to look closely at the ground.
He raised his brows in surprise. Young boys among the Tukudeka learned early on to distinguish between elk and bison tracks. They looked very similar. That this white woman knew the difference impressed him. He nodded affirmation.
“How long ago?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. This question wouldn’t be as easy to answer.
Aimee looked again and seemed to ponder his question. His lips raised in a smile when she didn’t answer. Finally, she said, “not too recently, perhaps late yesterday.”
His smile faded. “Why do you think that?”
“Because most of the grass is standing up again after having been trampled on.”
He studied her face. How did she know to read bison tracks so accurately, yet she couldn’t see the signs of a bear kill? He looked at the lodgepoles to his left, and walked up to one. “What about this mark on the tree?” He pointed to the trunk of a pine that had some of its bark stripped off.
Aimee walked up next to him, and ran her fingers across the yellowed scars. “A bison made those marks, rubbing his head against the tree. There’s even a little fur hanging on, see?” She pulled a tuft of brown fur from the bark and held it up to him. His jaw clenched.
*****
Aimee smiled sweetly. He could ask her all he wanted about bison. This was basic, junior ranger stuff to her. How many countless ranger-led hikes had she gone on in her life? And a favorite topic of discussion on those hikes had often been bison. She could practically lead one of these bison talks herself. She had to admit, though, that her guide this time was far more interesting than any ranger she’d met in modern times.
When Daniel didn’t speak, she finally asked, “Well, how am I doing so far?”
He studied her for a moment with that intense look of his. “Where would you expect to find berries here?” he asked, rather than answer her question.
“I’d be looking around for sunny spots, I suppose, for berry bushes.”
Daniel pointed out some strawberry patches on the ground, and huckleberry bushes among the thickets. She moved eagerly in their direction, when he took hold of her arm and pulled her back. She turned her head, and raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
“Bears, remember?” he warned. He scanned the area for a moment, and inhaled deeply. “Often, you can smell a bear before you see him,” he explained.
“What do bears smell like?” She remembered the death and decay smell of the elk carcass, but she couldn’t remember now if the bear smelled like rotten meat as well, or just the air around him.
“Most of the year, bears smell like the places they visit,” Daniel explained. “In the early part of summer, they smell like the wet grasses.”
“Sweet?” she asked. He nodded.
“The tundra smells like the earth and sage, and a bear has that smell as well. It is only much more distinct. You need to train your senses to pick up the differences. Bears like to roll in their food, or anything with a strong odor, so whatever they have eaten, they will smell like it.”
“Ew. Okay. Kind of like dogs. They do that, too.” She took a deep breath, but all she smelled was the pine scent of the forest. “What else?” she asked eagerly.
“Listen to the forest. What do you hear?”
She closed her eyes and inhaled. The tranquil sounds of the forest birds, the smell of fresh pine and musty earth, even the distinctive cow scent left behind by the bison, and the rushing sound of the breeze through the tops of the tall lodgepole pines all had an intoxicating effect on her.
“I hear the wind and birds,” she said softly.
“What kind of birds?” Daniel prodded.
She tried to concentrate on the different sounds. “Oh! A woodpecker,” she said in surprise. She had never paid attention to different bird calls before. She turned her head to listen closer. “I hear ravens, and probably some kind of jay?”
“Any other animals?” Daniel pushed her further. “You must learn to separate all sound.”
She sighed, but kept her eyes closed. She was amazed that she could, indeed, sift through the cacophony of chirps and make out individual animals. “Hey, that’s not a bird…that was an angry-sounding squirrel.”
She opened her eyes. In front of her, Daniel stared intently at her face. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Is it safe now?” she whispered.
Was he going to answer? She shifted her weight nervously. His intense eyes drove straight to her heart. She couldn’t read his expression, but she wasn’t about to back down and be the first to look away. Finally, he cleared his throat. “There is no bear here,” he answered, his voice sounding a bit raspy. He motioned with his chin to the berry patches.
Relieved for the excuse to move away from him, Aimee began picking handfuls of berries, and between mouthfuls carefully placed some in her backpack. “There are so many. I would love to take some of these back and make a pie!”
Daniel stood off to the side while she ate her fill, casually popping a few berries in his mouth from time to time. He was like a security guard – constantly trained on her to make sure she didn’t make a wrong move. She tried to ignore it and concentrate on her task, but his eyes seemed to reach straight into her, leaving a tingling sensation all over her skin.
“Okay, I think I have enough,” Aimee said after her pack was rather full. She wished he would catch her double meaning. She’d definitely had enough of his continuous perusal, and was ready for a diversion. Daniel led the way out of the forest.
“The last time I ate pie was in Philadelphia seven years ago,” he said wistfully when the trail widened and they walked side by side. Aimee was surprised he volunteered this information.
“You’re in for a treat, then. I make a mean berry pie.”
*****
For the better part of the morning, Daniel led her through the forest, showing her how to read different tracks, other signs to look out for that an animal had been in the area, where to look for edible roots and plants, and how to watch the skies for changes in the weather. Along with the berries, she filled her backpack with mint, wild onions, licorice, and various other roots and plants.
She had listened attentively as she tried to absorb everything Daniel told her. Some things she already knew, others were completely new to her. The subtle animal signs he picked up on astounded her. Silently, he had pointed out a black bear sow and her twin cubs in the distance, a moose in the thickets that she would have completely overlooked, and countless other smaller animals. He knew which critter made every track they came upon. He read the forest for information as someone in her time would read a newspaper. It was most refreshing to get a glimpse of this wilderness that she loved so much in her time from this man who carved out a living here
Aimee savored the beauty of her surroundings. Aspen trees grew in abundance. Beaver lodges could be seen all along the streams, and countless otters played in the waters. With the coming of the fur trappers to these mountains within a decade of this time, the beaver would be trapped to near extinction. Wolves would be hunted until none remained, and without this predator, the elk would take over, causing the destruction of the aspen from overgrazing. This was a Yellowstone unfamiliar to her, but it was as nature had intended before the encroachment of man.
Despite the differences, the landscape still held a certain familiarity, and she realized Daniel was leading them back in the direction of the cabin sometime in the early afternoon. Her foot throbbed with every step she took,
but today was one of the best days of her life. The raw, undisturbed landscape exhilarated her. No other hikers, no roads. Just me and this gorgeous backwoodsman.
Oh, geez, where were her thoughts taking her now. Daniel had proven to be an excellent teacher, and she enjoyed seeing her beloved Yellowstone through his eyes. Yet as the day wore on, she found it harder and harder to concentrate on her surroundings, while she became more and more aware of him. He was as untamed as this land, and by far the most virile man she had ever met.
Chapter 8
For the next hour or so, they walked single file along the banks of the fast-flowing Gibbon - Little Buffalo - River. Aimee couldn’t help but watch the display of muscle movement on Daniel’s back and broad shoulders that his shirt couldn’t disguise. Visions of his nude upper body from the day before shamelessly infiltrated her thoughts.
“Damn.” she let out a quiet curse. She’d been too busy staring at Daniel’s backside to watch the ground beneath her. She carelessly tripped on a large rock, causing her to lose her balance. Lightning fast, Daniel reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her close before she tumbled into the river. Aimee held on to his upper arms and balanced herself. His eyes burned into her. He held her so close, it felt like a lover’s embrace.
“Easy,” he whispered as he steadied her. She’d regained her balance, yet he didn’t relax his hold around her waist. Aimee stared wide-eyed into his deep brown eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew it wasn’t from the adrenaline of almost falling into the frigid water.
She forgot to breathe. No one had ever looked at her with such smoldering intensity before. It was as if he was staring straight into her soul. Get a grip on yourself, she chided.
“I won’t fall, you can release me now,” she said softly. Daniel held her for a moment longer, took a deep breath, and slowly loosened his hold around her waist.
“This has been too much for you today. I shouldn’t have brought you this far.” The frown was back.
“Are you kidding?” She regained her composure. “I’m having a great time. I stepped on a rock is all.”
Yellowstone Heart Song Page 8
