Yellowstone Heart Song

by Peggy L Henderson

  “Okay, Jana. Will do. Nice talking to ya.”

  Daniel watched as the woman folded the black device in half again.

  “She says she’s on her way, and I should tell you to stay put.”

  “What about Aimee?” He was almost afraid to ask.

  “Didn’t say nothing about her,” Felicia shook her head and shrugged. “You can go wait over there.” She waved in the direction of a row of chairs lined up against the wall. “Jana should be here in twenty minutes or so.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Daniel said sincerely, and strode over to take his place in one of the oddly shaped chairs. He discretely watched the people sitting around, and noticed some of them eying him as well. His heart sped up excitedly. At least he had found Aimee’s roommate.

  Daniel didn’t have long to wait when a slim woman with short brown hair, who looked vaguely familiar to him, walked through the glass doors. She wore blue form-fitting britches and a green shirt with only straps for sleeves. The shoes on her feet could barely be called shoes, Daniel observed. They were merely soles with the tops missing, and only a small band wrapped around one toe and the top of her feet. A black pouch was strapped over one shoulder.

  Daniel quickly rose to his feet, and rushed over to meet her before she was barely in the building.

  “Jana Evans?” he asked hopefully. The last time he had seen her, his mind had been foggy. The woman glared at him.

  “Daniel,” she addressed him coldly.

  “You remember me?”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember you,” she said, not too friendly. “You’re the guy who broke Aimee’s heart.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, and inhaled deeply before he spoke. “I have come for her. I have no words to correct my mistake, only that I am sorry for the way I treated her.”

  “How do I know you’re not going to hurt her again?” Jana asked accusingly.

  “She is my heart song,” Daniel said simply.

  She watched him for a few intense moments. Daniel could see her mind working, trying to come to a decision. Slowly, she nodded. “If you hurt her again, I’ll kill you,” she said.

  Daniel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at her words, sizing her up. Then his face lit up in a brilliant smile. “If I hurt her again, I won’t stop you.”

  Chapter 25

  Aimee adjusted the flow rate on Mrs. Jenkin’s fluids that fed into the old woman’s arm. She looked up and across the expanse of the emergency room. She had no idea what had prompted her to do that. Just inside the double door that led to the waiting room stood a tall, wide-chested man with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in tan buckskin britches and an off-white, loosely fitted cotton shirt. The string that held it together at the chest was tied in a loose knot. A wide leather belt encircled his waist, and a small leather pouch dangled around his neck. The moccasins he wore were a shade darker than his britches, and looked well worn.

  Aimee inhaled sharply, and her hand flew to her mouth. “Daniel!” The name escaped her lips in a whispered gasp. Her other hand grabbed the safety rail of Mrs. Jenkin’s hospital bed. Adrenaline flooded her system, and her knees turned to rubber.

  “Are you all right, dear?” the elderly woman asked. Her eyes followed the line of Aimee’s gaze. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed. “Isn’t he a handsome fellow?”

  Several nurses had stopped what they were doing, some whispering to each other while others stared openly.

  “Ex . . . Excuse me for a moment,” Aimee said softly to her patient after her breath returned. Her heart pounded so fiercely, she thought her ribs might crack. Time stood still, and everything moved in slow motion. Aimee’s entire focus centered on the man across the expanse of the room. He stared back at her, his intense dark eyes drawing an invisible rope around her, beckoning her to him.

  She didn’t know how she’d moved across the room and stood before him now, her eyes glazed with unshed tears of disbelief. She still couldn’t believe he was real and actually standing there. She had given up weeks ago, hoping to ever see him again. But three months of dreaming about Daniel after he vanished from her life hadn’t erased the pain of her loss. What was he doing here now? His eyes, those intense eyes she knew so well, were locked onto her, smoldering dark with unspoken yearning. They seemed to devour her as she stood there, unmoving and unspeaking.

  Her voice was shaky and weak when she finally spoke. “Daniel, what are you doing here? I thought you’d have destroyed the snake by now. Is it your father? Is he alright?”

  “My father has joined my mother,” he answered quietly.

  “I’m . . . so sorry.” Aimee raised her hand as if to touch him, then thought better of it and curled her fingers around the stethoscope draped around her neck instead.

  “Then why are you here?” she managed to ask. Seeing him now, after all these months, brought back all the feelings she had been trying so desperately to overcome.

  Daniel continued to stare at her, unmoving. His eyes seemed to drink her up. Aimee’s gaze didn’t waver. It was as if they were the only two people in the world. No one else existed. The noise from the many heart monitors in the room faded, and people’s voices were muffled in the background.

  “I left something behind,” he finally spoke, his voice soft and deep.

  Aimee looked puzzled. She didn’t know if she should be angry. Why would he do this to her? Why would he come back, to tear her apart all over again. She knew she had hurt him deeply, and he hated her for her lies and deception. She blamed herself for his rejection of her three months ago, after his surgery.

  “I didn’t come across anything of yours, except your destroyed clothes, after you left. What is so important that you would feel the need to travel all this . . . time . . . to retrieve?”

  “My heart song.” There was no hesitation in his husky answer.

  Aimee wasn’t quite sure she understood correctly. “Your . . . what? What are you

  saying . . ?” It couldn’t be what she thought, could it? Her heart sped up anew, the tears now spilling over her eyes.

  “My life has been empty these past weeks. It holds no meaning anymore without you. I came here, asking for your forgiveness.”

  Aimee didn’t need to hear any more. She threw herself at him, her arms around his waist, inhaling his wonderful woodsy scent that was his alone, and spilled her tears onto his chest. His arms crushed her to him, a long sigh escaping his lungs.

  “I once said that I would follow you to the ends of the world.” Aimee felt rather than heard his words. “I now know that I would follow you across the expanse of time as well.”

  Aimee raised her head, and blinked away the tears to get a clearer view of his face. His eyes were dark and warm, reflecting the love in his heart. Cupping her face in his hands, Daniel tilted her head up as he bent down and claimed her lips in an agonizingly slow kiss.

  Several whistles and good-natured catcalls from her coworkers brought her back to her senses. She cleared her throat and stepped away from Daniel, smiling brightly.

  “We’ve never had an audience before,” she whispered.

  Daniel’s wide unabashed smile melted her heart.

  She reluctantly took a step back, afraid he would disappear again if she let go. She ushered him out the double door behind him into the empty waiting room.

  “How did you find me?” She barely spoke the words when Daniel pulled her into a fierce embrace that sucked the air out of her lungs, and lifted her off the ground.

  “I am a good tracker.” Aimee felt his breath in her hair.

  Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them, and Aimee pulled herself out of Daniel’s arms. Jana stood in the corner, a wide smile on her face.

  “I haven’t seen you light up like this in five months,” Jana commented. “It’s good to have the old you back.”

  “You knew?” Aimee asked, her eyes darting from her to Daniel. “You brought him here!”

  “Long story.” Jana waved her off. “He found me, actuall
y. I’ll tell you later. Right now I think you should get Daniel Boone out of here.”

  Aimee was still in disbelief. She touched Daniel’s face, and ran her hands down his arms just to make sure he was real, terrified she’d wake up any moment now to a dream.

  “I was just about to do change-of-shift rounds,” she said. “You’d better be here when I get back,” she looked up into the deep brown eyes that had followed her into her dreams each night.

  “I’m not going anywhere without you,” he promised.

  “We’ll wait here. I’ll make sure he stays put,” Jana assured her.

  Aimee clasped his face between her hands and kissed him one more time, then headed back into the ER. Half an hour later, she returned, ready to go. Jana held her back. “Um, drive slow, okay.”

  Aimee gave her a questioning look.

  “Your hero here is terrified of cars, especially riding in one,” she whispered. “You should have seen his face on our drive over here from Anaheim Memorial.” She grinned. Aimee nodded in understanding. She turned to a silently waiting Daniel, when Jana called to her once more. “I’ll see you at home?”

  Aimee understood what she was really asking. She nodded in reassurance. “Yes. I won’t leave without a proper good-bye this time.”

  ****

  Aimee pulled into her designated parking spot at the condominium complex and put the car in park. She glanced over at the passenger side again for the millionth time since the drive home from the hospital. Daniel had suggested walking when she led him to her car. It took some coaxing for her to finally get him to agree to get in. The entire drive home, he had sat silently, his hands in his lap, curled into fists, knuckles white.

  “Payback, Daniel,” Aimee said with a mischievous grin, helping him undo the seatbelt. He looked up at her, his face ashen. “Payback?”

  “I was scared to death on that travois when you practically walked us through a herd of bison that first day,” Aimee explained. The color slowly returned to Daniel’s face after extracting himself from the car.

  “This is your home?” Daniel asked, and followed her through the front door into the living room of her condo. His eyes roamed the bright interior of the room, lingering on the painting over the fireplace.

  “This was my home up until five months ago,” Aimee said. She turned to face him, reaching up and touched his face. “My home has been with you since the day I went back in time,” she explained.

  Daniel covered her hand with his own. His deep brown eyes bore into hers. “You are sure you want to leave your life, everything you know, behind, and live with me?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I missed you so much.” Her voice was raw with emotion. “There were days I wanted to die, thinking then I might be with you again.”

  “Shhh,” Daniel whispered. He put a finger to her lips. “Don’t ever wish that.” He ran his hands through her hair, cupping her face again and tilting her head back. He claimed her mouth hungrily, making her go weak in the knees. They both gasped for breath when they broke apart.

  “I never wanted to lie to you, Daniel. I hope you can forgive me. You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you everything, and now I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders, because I can finally be completely honest with you.”

  Daniel stroked her hair as he held her to him. “My father told me you were bound by a promise to him. I should never have doubted you. I’m sorry for my behavior when he brought me here.”

  She looked up and searched his face for several moments. “Are you okay with everything he’s told you?”

  Daniel inhaled deeply before answering. He shrugged. “It doesn’t change who I am. It’s been a difficult thing to comprehend, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? All I know is that

  this . . . device brought you to me, and that’s all that’s important.”

  Aimee led him into the kitchen. “Jana should be home soon,” she said as she turned to face him again. “I want to say goodbye, and then we can leave.”

  Daniel nodded. His eyes roamed around the kitchen. He ran his hand across the smooth granite countertop, the oak cabinets, the black cooktop. She enjoyed watching him, captivated. It was like watching the wonderment on a child’s face making a first discovery.

  She was pulled out of her trance when the door opened and closed, and Jana walked in hurriedly. The urgent look on her face startled her.

  “Brad’s on his way. Apparently he saw you leave the hospital with Daniel.”

  Aimee groaned loudly. All this time, Brad had still not given up. She saw Daniel’s expression darken.

  “The man you were promised to?”

  “He has no hold on me,” Aimee assured him.

  “I always knew I’d have to face him some day,” Daniel said.

  Aimee shot him a worried look. “Oh, no you don’t,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. They all turned their heads at the loud knock on the door.

  “Should I let him in?” Jana asked apprehensively.

  “Let’s get it over with,” Aimee sighed. She walked to the door and opened it slowly.

  “Can I come in?” Brad asked gruffly. He didn’t wait for an answer, and elbowed his way past her.

  “What do you want?’ she asked. She saw the direction his eyes had traveled, and turned to see Daniel standing a short distance behind her.

  “What the hell is he doing back?” Brad roared angrily, and pushed further into the room.

  The two men sized each other up. Brad was actually several inches taller, but Daniel was broader, with more muscle mass from a lifetime of hard physical activity. He took a step in front of Aimee to put himself between her and Brad. His stare was unwavering.

  “I have returned for my wife,” he said in a low tone.

  Brad stared, dumfounded. “Your wife?” he bellowed. He looked at Aimee. “What the hell is going on, Aimee?”

  When Daniel moved a half step closer to Brad, she put a hand on his arm.

  “Please, can we all just calm down,” she croaked. “Brad, you shouldn’t be here. You and I have been over for a long time now. I keep telling you that. When are you going to understand that you can’t have everything you want. Including me.”

  “Dammit, I’m going to say my peace,” he shouted, stepping around Daniel and advancing on her. “He’s nowhere near good enough for you, don’t you see? You’re used to the finer things in life, not some backwoods existence. Don’t you dare tell me you’re going to go off with him again.” Brad grabbed hold of her arm and continued shouting, “You are supposed to marry me!”

  “Unhand her now.” Daniel’s voice was deathly calm as he spoke. Aimee recognized that tone as the same one he had used moments before he killed the two French trappers.

  “You ruined everything for me.” Brad wheeled to face Daniel. “Ever since she came back from that trip where she met you. What kind of crazy notions did you fill her head with? She was supposed to marry me. I can give her anything she wants. She can have a life of luxury and comfort. You look like you’re nothing but a vagrant, what can you possibly offer her?” The look he gave Daniel was one of pure contempt. With a furious roar he took a swing at Daniel, his fist balled up tight. Daniel ducked easily, and Brad’s momentum sent him stumbling forward. With a lightning fast move, Daniel grabbed Brad’s arm. He twisted it behind his opponent’s back and stepped around him. At the same time he put a chokehold on him with his other arm.

  “Daniel, no!” Aimee cried. “Don’t hurt him, please.”

  Daniel’s eyes blazed with fury, his jaw clenched, and he stared at Aimee. He didn’t lighten his hold on Brad, who gasped for air, unable to move.

  “Daniel,” Aimee pleaded. His jaw unclenched, and his body relaxed. The fire in his eyes still simmered, but he brought his arm away from Brad’s neck, and pushed him away. Brad stumbled across the room, and leaned forward, one hand on his neck, coughing and gasping for breath.

  “No man touches my wife and lives,” Dan
iel said in the same low, calm tone he’d used before. He seemed completely at ease again, as if he was merely passing the time with someone. “You are fortunate that she is a kind hearted woman.” He grabbed the back of Brad’s shirt and slammed him into the front door. Pulling him back, he yanked the door open and shoved him out, giving the door a kick to shut it behind him.

  Daniel slowly turned to face her. Jana stood in the small hallway that separated the kitchen from the living room, her hands to her mouth.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jana finally said, and moved to stand by Aimee, actually giving Daniel a wide berth. “He could have killed Brad without even blinking.”

  “Yes, he could have. But he’s not a violent man,” Aimee reassured her friend.

  “He’s positively hot,” Jana whispered. “He would absolutely kill to protect you. Brad got what he deserved. He needed to have his ass kicked a long time ago.” She smiled as Aimee stared at her, then the two women giggled.

  “Your very own superman,” Jana finally commented, appreciation in her eyes as she glanced at Daniel, who still stood at the door, a solemn look on his face. Her eyes darted from Aimee to Daniel. “Um, I have something I need to do upstairs,” she said abruptly, then rushed off.

  Aimee walked up to him. What was going through her mountain man’s mind now, she wondered. She didn’t like the somber set of his face.

  “He’s right,” Daniel said, taking hold of Aimee’s hand. She shook her head slightly, puzzled by his words. “I have nothing to offer you. Nothing but a life full of danger and hardship.”

  Aimee inhaled sharply. “A life I gladly accept and want, as long as I can be with you,” she choked out. She threw her arms around him, pulling his head down to kiss him in desperation. He was not changing his mind now about taking her with him, was he? Daniel wrapped her in his arms, melting into her kiss. He pulled away to kiss her nose and eyes, her mouth again, then her neck. He cradled her head in his hands, and Aimee opened her eyes.