Yellowstone Origins: Yellowstone Romance Series, Book 6

by Peggy L Henderson

  She'd lain awake for hours, listening to the forest come alive with the sounds of the night. The crackling fire, and Cameron's presence had given her comfort and a feeling of security amidst this foreign world.

  Could she ever get used to life here, if she had to? Cameron had been a boy when he’d come to this time, alone and unfamiliar with everything. A warm feeling spread through her chest. He’d grown up to be a remarkable man. She’d seen him stand down a fully-grown bear without flinching in order to protect her. There was nothing that scared him.

  She’d told him more about her past yesterday than she’d wanted to reveal. He’d pressed her for information, and she’d talked like an open book. Hearing him tell stories about his struggles when he was a boy had fascinated her. It seemed inconceivable that he’d have trouble with anything. There were moments during their conversation when she’d even had the feeling that he’d wanted to tell her that he was attracted to her. Even if it was true, there was no point in pursuing the idea.

  The kiss she'd given him the evening before had been on her mind all day, and it had made for a tense and awkward hike, especially once Cameron had brought it up. Luckily, that deer had interrupted him from probing her further, and she didn't have to explain her actions. What would she have said? That she had fallen in love with him?

  She’d sobbed quietly under her sheepskin, cursing her stupid feelings. Why did she have to fall for a guy who was so far beyond her reach? Why couldn’t she be attracted to the kind of guys with whom she shared common interests?

  Or guys who live in the same century as you, for starters.

  Jeffrey’s face had come to mind, and the unsure glances he’d cast her way. Jeffrey was sweet, and kind. He was safe, just like her books, but he was also bland, and boring, not to mention that he’d left her to an unknown fate. Cameron was the complete opposite. Although she wouldn’t label him ‘sweet’, he was caring in his own gruff ways, and he was definitely not bland or boring, and he protected her. Everything about Cameron promised excitement and adventure. Why did she gravitate toward guys like that?

  “My name means ‘brave, or hardy bear’. I’m not sure I can do that name justice, though.”

  It’s what she’d told Dan Osborne. Yeah, no kidding.

  “I think your words come from fear, not because it’s something you really believe.”

  Her conversations with the park ranger had merged with Cameron’s words, and had followed her into a restless sleep long after the fire had burned out. Her dreams had been an odd mix of images of Cameron, Wo’itsa, and faces of the people in the Tukudeka village. Suddenly, she’d been back at the Tower Ranger Station, facing the angry ranger she’d seen when she’d met Dan Osborne. A bear had come out of the woods, followed by a wolf, and they’d both stared directly at her. Cameron had appeared, putting himself between her and the predators until they and the ranger had vanished.

  Cameron had grabbed her hand, and the dream had changed again where they had stood in the middle of a wintry landscape. People dressed in thick furs had moved toward them through the snow. A pack of wolves, or perhaps it had been the Sheepeater dogs that looked just like wolves, had followed a short distance behind them. One of the figures, a woman, had stumbled to the ground, and a baby had wailed.

  Riley eased her head out from under the sheepskin. She squinted against the bright light from the sun streaming through the trees. She blinked several times, trying to recall the odd dream and images, but the more awake she became, the faster they faded away. Usually, her nightmares consisted of forgetting to turn in a term paper, or getting answers wrong on tests. Dreams like that usually sent her out of bed in a hurry.

  Wo’itsa had talked about bears and wolves yesterday, and it must have crept into her subconscious, especially because of her own terrifying encounter with that bear. The natural world and the animals that lived in it were a big part of the Sheepeater spiritual beliefs, so it wasn’t unusual for Wo’itsa to talk about them in metaphorical terms. As with most dreams, hers had made little sense. At least she hadn’t been chased by a calculus final with a big red letter “F” scrawled across it.

  Riley pushed herself to a sitting position, and rubbed her sore back. She should be used to the hard ground by now, but it had been far easier adjusting to a softer place to sleep the last several days than sleeping on dirt. Her head turned toward the fire.

  Cameron squatted nearby, dumping dirt onto the coals from last night’s campfire. He glanced her way, sending an instant surge of adrenaline through her. The hard look on his face softened, and he even cracked a smile. That was encouraging. At least he didn’t look like he was still mad at her, and they could both put yesterday behind them.

  Riley pushed the covers away fully, and stood. Cameron walked around the fire and wordlessly held out his palm. A piece of leather revealed some fresh berries. If this was his idea of a peace offering, she’d take it.

  “Eat these, and we’ll get going. I’m anxious to find Naatoyita, and I’m sure you’re eager to get back to your time.” He thrust his hand at her.

  Riley’s heart squeezed painfully at his words. Cameron was convinced that she was going home today, but at least he seemed to have forgiven her for yesterday’s mishap. Although she was still embarrassed at her failure to demonstrate the fire starting skills she’d learned, there was no use dwelling on it. She scooped the berries into her own hand, and nudged her chin toward the fire.

  "I promise I won't set any more forest fires today. If I had more time, you could teach me the right way to build a campfire, but it's kind of pointless now since I'll be going home. I think something might have gotten lost in the translation when Day Star taught me. I'll have to read about it in a book."

  She raised her eyes to his, stuffed the berries in her mouth, then reached for the sheep hide. Before she could grab for it, a warm hand clamped around her arm. Riley spun around. Wide-eyed, she raised her head to Cameron’s dark stare.

  "Riley, I'm sorry for getting mad at you," he said slowly and frowned as if he really wanted to say something else. "Just like making a lot of noise can be a danger in the woods, so is a smoky campfire. It alerts anyone to our presence. I told you yesterday that you've done very well so far, but I need to remember that there are things you simply don't know."

  Riley’s eyes widened at his words, and her brows rose. His intense gaze bore holes right into her heart. The last thing she expected was an apology. She laughed softly to stave off her nerves.

  "Well, I know I've put you in enough danger already, and I'm not sure how much more excitement I can handle unless it's in the pages of a book."

  She raised her eyes to his with a quick smile. She couldn’t tell Cameron that she’d rather stay in this time a little longer and learn how to build a proper fire, and how to tan hides, and make pottery, and spend more time with . . . him. She mentally shook her head. This was crazy. Her life was in academics, and Cameron’s life was out here, in this wilderness, not to mention that 300 years separated them.

  Cameron's fingers tightened around her arm, not in a painful squeeze, but more like he was struggling with telling her something else as if there was more on his mind. His eyes drifted to her mouth, and her heart exploded inside her chest. Was he thinking about kissing her?

  She blinked away her insane thoughts, and shifted her shoulder slightly to move her arm back. His grip loosened instantly, and he straightened. The recent looks he'd been giving her could even mean that he might have similar feelings for her, but it was best they went their separate ways now, and back to their regularly scheduled lives. Her adventures here in the past would be a wonderful memory, something to lock up next to her heart and keep to herself because she could never share it with anyone.

  Riley cleared her throat, and plastered a smile on her face, forcing her next words from her mouth. "Let's find Naatoyita."

  Cameron released his hold on her arm when she stepped aside. His jaw muscles were taut as a drum. Riley clamped her mouth shut,
or she might have made a fool of herself again by blurting out her feelings. What good would it do to tell him that she was in love with him hours before she might never see him again?

  After tending to her morning needs, Riley rolled up her sheepskin, and reached for her pouch. Cameron already had his own belongings slung over his shoulder. Her gaze roamed over his broad back, and the confident way he carried himself. The buckskin shirt she’d made him hugged his frame, and if not for his dark-brown, rather than black hair, he looked very much like a native from behind. It wasn’t hard to imagine what he looked like without the shirt. That memory would be etched into her mind forever, just like his eyes, and his smile would always stay with her.

  “Get a grip, Riley,” she sighed. Why did everything she loved and was passionate about have to be hundreds of years in the past?

  She lifted her eyes to the tall mountain that loomed ahead of her. It looked impossibly steep, and the summit miles away. The timberline stopped about halfway up, replaced by bare, alpine tundra. She drew in a deep breath, and followed the object of her desire. Cameron weaved through the forest, navigating over and around deadfall, and climbed steadily uphill.

  Several times over the next few hours, he stopped and waited for her to catch her breath. He’d already given her his full water skin, since she’d forgotten to fill hers back at camp. The trees were getting sparser and smaller, and even deep breaths didn’t pull enough air into her lungs.

  She’d just settled into a steady rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other, mentally counting her steps, when Cameron stopped abruptly. She nearly collided with him. He didn’t look at her, but rather down the mountain from where they’d come.

  “Walk ahead of me.” He moved past her several yards downhill, his eyes scanning into the distance. He stood like a sentinel, holding his bow confidently at his side.

  Riley followed his gaze to look down the mountain. There was nothing but dark forest and rolling hills as far as the eye could see. It seemed impossible that she’d already climbed this far. She looked uphill, and still couldn’t see the summit.

  "Is something wrong?" She tilted her head. She'd learned to read his body language enough to know when he was alert to something. Maybe he'd seen a bear or some other animal. Her heart pounded faster in her chest at the thought.

  “Keep moving,” he said, and headed back up the slope.

  Riley scrambled to get her momentum back to move up the steep incline. She reached for roots and tree branches to help pull her up. Cameron’s hand at her waist steadied her when she lost her footing and slid back several feet. He pushed her forward, obviously in a greater hurry than he’d been before. Something was definitely wrong, but he wasn’t telling her.

  Riley reached for a low hanging pine branch, using it as a lever to heave herself over a rock protruding from the ground. She didn't release it until she was comfortably past the rock, and it snapped backward. She realized what she’d done the instant she let go of the branch as it whipped out of her hand. She gasped, and her head flew around. Cameron was right behind her, but he ducked just in time, or the branch would have hit him in the face.

  “I’m so sorry,” she stammered, and her hand flew to her mouth.

  Her wide eyes connected with the hard look he shot her. If he stared down an opponent like this, they’d no doubt cower in fear. Cameron’s expression softened. The corners of his lips even twitched in a smile, and he gave an indulgent shake of his head. Riley’s heart melted a little more.

  “Good thing you have quick reflexes,” she said with a sheepish grin.

  He didn’t reply, but slowly straightened back to his full height, and glanced over his shoulder and down the slope again.

  “Can I trust you to follow this deer path up the mountain?” He hadn’t looked at her when he spoke. Something was definitely bothering him.

  Riley glanced uphill. The narrow trail that had been carved by deer or mountain sheep was easier to see in some places than others.

  “I think I can manage.”

  She looked back at Cameron. He finally turned his head in her direction, and she added, “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

  He held her gaze for a moment before he spoke in a quiet, cold tone. “We’re being followed.”

  Adrenaline rushed through her at his words. “Who’s following us?”

  “Bakianee.”

  Riley’s heart sank to her stomach. Cameron had chastised her that every Blackfoot for miles around would have seen the smoke she’d created with her botched campfire.

  “This is my fault,” she whispered. Her heart started to pound painfully against her ribs.

  Cameron’s hand clamped around her arm, and he looked at her with a feral intensity that locked her eyes to his. He leaned toward her, his face inches from hers.

  “I’m going to lead them off our trail,” he spoke in a low tone. “Just keep climbing up.”

  A rush of adrenaline surged through her, leaving her weak with a sinking feeling in her gut. “What about you?”

  “You will find the Sky People near the summit,” he continued without answering her question.

  Riley shook her head. Cold fear clamped around her heart. “What if I don’t find them?” she stammered.

  Cameron’s grip on her arm tightened. “They will find you.” His jaw muscles clenched. “I’m going to make sure that you’re safe. If I haven’t caught up by the time you find the elders, tell Naatoyita that I brought you here, and that it’s my wish that he sends you back to your time.”

  His eyes lingered on hers, then traveled lower down her nose, across her cheeks, and to her mouth, as if he was trying to scan her into his mind. He was so close, Riley counted individual beads of perspiration over his upper lip. She inhaled his distinct masculine scent. She’d never think of anyone else but Cameron whenever she smelled pine or buckskin.

  Her body trembled. Her limbs, already fatigued, weakened even more. Cameron was putting his life on the line for her again. She lifted her gaze back to his as if he'd beckoned her to look up at him. Along with his hard stare, his dark eyes revealed what she'd glimpsed the other night in the village.

  “Cameron,” she protested, barely getting his name past her lips. “Cameron, I –”

  “Do what I tell you,” he growled. “Remember what I said yesterday. You are strong, and you can do this. Find the Sky People.”

  Abruptly, he broke eye contact, and pushed her up the trail. Before she could turn back and reach out to him, he ducked beneath the tree branch that had nearly hit him in the face, and practically ran back down the trail. Quickly, he disappeared into the forest.

  Riley swallowed.

  “I love you,” she whispered, still looking to see if she could catch a glimpse of him, but it was as if the mountain had swallowed him up. “Please be safe.”

  What if she never saw him again? If she managed to find the elder, and he sent her back to 2011 before Cameron found her, she wouldn’t even get the chance to tell him goodbye, and thank him for all he’d done for her.

  Or tell him that you love him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Riley’s hands trembled when she adjusted the bulky sheep hide over her shoulder. With a determined set of her jaw, she raised her head to look up the steep slope of the mountain. She’d reached the timberline, and the rest of the climb would be over open tundra.

  Cameron's words from the day before came rushing back. She blinked away the tears that stung her eyes and heaved herself upward. Throughout all her years in school, she'd allowed the teasing of others to feed her insecurities, and send her into hiding behind her academics. Even her clumsiness was a result of that. She gritted her teeth.

  “I’m in control, not this mountain,” she said out loud.

  The deer trail became more difficult to see over the sparse vegetation until it disappeared completely. She continued to climb at an angle rather than vertically, picking her way carefully over rocks and shrubs. The wind started to pick up, whippin
g her hair around her face, and sometimes the gusts threatened to blow her right off the mountain.

  As far as the eye could see below her, the forest and meadows stretched in one long carpet into the horizon. Mountains rose in the distance while the peaks of others were far below her, and a wide crack in the earth was clearly visible in one direction. It ended in what looked like a vast, green valley. She'd heard of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and if she had to guess, that's what she was seeing from so high up.

  Riley stopped when she reached an outcropping of boulders, seeking shelter from the wind. Even filling her lungs to capacity with the thin air was a struggle. The sensation of drowning made her dizzy and light-headed. She caught her breath and scanned into the distance down the mountain.

  The timberline wasn’t too far below her. Obviously she hadn’t moved up as far as she’d thought. It looked much steeper from her vantage point than when she’d climbed up, and she grabbed hold of the rock behind her for support. The mountain dropped off in a sheer cliff. She’d never been fond of high places, and should really be looking up rather than down, but maybe she’d see Cameron.

  She straightened, and was set to continue with her climb when movement down the steep slope caught her eye. She leaned forward and squinted. Her heart leaped in her chest, then dropped to her stomach. Four figures were visible just beyond the line of some trees, where the mountain leveled out slightly, and then dropped off almost vertically. She'd recognize the one man facing three others anywhere.

  "Oh, no," she whispered when it became clear what was happening. Cameron looked to be in hand-to-hand combat with one of the men. He raised both arms, his bow held over his head, fending off an attack from the front, then kicked at his opponent, sending him to his knees. Faster than she could blink, he'd wheeled around and swung the bow like a club against an opponent coming at him from the side. The figures were visible one moment, then disappeared behind large boulders and shrubs, making it difficult to see what was going on.