Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle: Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story)

by Peggy L Henderson

  Lucas nearly laughed out loud. He shifted his arm slightly, and gritted his teeth when blood rushed into his hand. Tori grumbled in her sleep, but didn’t move. He had no desire to wake her yet. Obviously he’d been just as exhausted since he hadn’t noticed her sidling up to him while he slept. He’d stayed a respectable distance from her when he crawled into the shelter to get some rest. He was absolutely sure of it.

  He’d been asleep all night, judging by the light streaming in through the opening of the crevice. The eagle screeched again, but that wasn’t what had roused him awake. His fingers closed over his rifle. Some ingrained sense that something wasn’t right raised the hair at the back if his neck. Except for the eagle, it was too quiet all of a sudden. Not a second later, a shadow appeared at the opening to the shelter, followed immediately by the figure of a man with a tomahawk raised over his head.

  Lucas yanked his arm out from under Tori’s head, and bolted upright. He raised his rifle with both hands, holding the weapon horizontally above him to ward off the blow of the man’s ax. He pushed forcefully against his foe, and kicked at the heavy buffalo robe that was still draped over him. Damn! The confining covering kept him from using his legs against his assailant.

  His quick move had roused Tori awake. She scrambled away from him, pulling the buffalo robe with her as if she realized that he needed to be free of the cover. Lucas kicked up with both feet against the man’s gut, sending the Indian backward. He immediately charged at him again before Lucas had a chance to get to his feet.

  Still crouched on the ground, Tori lunged at the man’s legs from the side, and wrapped her arms around his calves. His momentum stopped, and with a surprised look on his face, the warrior fell forward with a loud snarl. Lucas rolled to the side, then brought the butt-end of his rifle down onto the man’s head. The Blackfoot’s body slumped into the dirt, and didn’t move again.

  “Let’s go.” Lucas reached for Tori’s hand, and pulled her to her feet. His rifle ready to fire, he inched his way to the opening of the shelter. They couldn’t stay inside the hollow, but how the hell was he going to get Tori out of there safely? Where there was one Indian, more were sure to follow. Damn. How did Black Sparrow and his warriors find him here?

  Lucas moved cautiously toward the opening, motioning with one hand for Tori to stay behind him. The instant he emerged from between the boulders that had served as their shelter for the night, two more Indians rushed at him. Lucas raised his rifle and fired. One warrior hit the ground like a felled log. The other man charged with a loud roar.

  With no time to reload his Sharps, Lucas swung the weapon like a club against the Blackfoot’s head. The Indian ducked to the side in that instant, and Lucas’ swing collided with nothing but air, sending him off balance. He wheeled around, narrowly avoiding his opponent’s strike with the tomahawk. Fully out in the open now, Lucas yanked his own ax from his belt. The Indian faced him, his back turned to the crevice. Lucas had no chance to lunge at his adversary. Tori sprang forward, her arms raised. The Indian dropped to the ground a second later, a large rock next to his head.

  Lucas blinked, then raised his brows. A wide grin spread across his face. He stuck his tomahawk back in his belt. “Remind me never to get on your bad side when there are rocks lying around.”

  He reloaded his rifle, and pivoted on his heels. More warriors would descend on them at any moment. Damn! He shouldn’t have slept so long. He’d told Tori they were safe here. An overpowering need to protect her at all cost swept over him. Pride and some other emotion he didn’t care to explore at the moment swelled in his chest. She’d reacted instantly, and remained level-headed in the face of danger, just as she’d done the night she rescued him.

  Movement down the trail caught his eye. Sure enough, nine more Indians charged up the incline toward them on foot, Black Sparrow in the lead.

  “Looks like Black Sparrow’s brought reinforcements,” Lucas shouted. He reached for Tori’s arm, and yanked her away from the granite wall. He broke into a run, pulling her along behind him. He couldn’t fight off nine more warriors by himself, not without risking Tori’s life.

  “Where are we going?” Tori called, her voice frantic. “You said they wouldn’t find us here. That’s a dead end up ahead.”

  “No, it’s not.” Lucas increased his pace, heading toward the rocky trail that led to the waterfall. His gelding and the Indian pony picked at some grasses growing between the stones along a level outcropping. Lucas bent and sliced his knife through the animals’ hobbles, then waved his arms and shouted at them.

  Startled, the gelding raised its head and looked at him as if it wondered what the commotion was about. Then the animal squealed and kicked out with its hind legs, and charged down the hill. The horse had probably been waiting for just such an opportunity to run off. The paint followed. The trail was narrow enough that the warriors had to scramble out of the way to avoid the approaching horses.

  “There is a way out of here, Tori. You need to trust me.” Lucas caught her accusing stare, which didn’t conceal the worry in her eyes.

  Tori looked off in the direction he led her. “I don’t see anything but rocks and boulders up ahead. And that waterfall.”

  “Exactly.” Lucas shot her a quick smile of encouragement. He pulled her along toward the edge of the canyon. The falls roared loudly down from the mountain, sending up a thick spray of water. Lucas glanced over the edge at the pool some fifty feet below. The narrow switchback trail down into the gorge began to their right. Less than a hundred yards behind them, the Blackfoot warriors whooped and hollered. There was no time to take the dry route. Luckily, the Indians were still too far away to shoot their arrows. Lucas aimed and fired his rifle, and one of the Indians fell to the ground.

  “I need you to trust me, Tori.” Lucas gripped her upper arm and faced her.

  “What are you planning to do?” she squealed, her forehead wrinkled.

  “We can get away, but we have to go now.” He motioned with his head over the edge of the falls. This was the only way to escape from the Blackfoot. Luckily, he’d successfully made this leap before. They were effectively trapped otherwise.

  Her eyes widened when comprehension registered in their depths. “You mean . . . jump?”

  She leaned away from him, looking over the edge into the gaping gorge, then turned her head to where the Indians approached before her eyes met his. With a determined lift of her chin, she nodded, and pulled her arm out of his grip.

  “What are we waiting for?” She backed up several steps.

  Something jolted in Lucas’ gut and chest at her words. It hit him again that she was an incredible woman. If he hadn’t admired her before, her willingness to leap over the edge of this canyon at his suggestion solidified his intense feelings for her. He’d already been prepared to haul her over his shoulder and leap off the edge with her kicking and screaming.

  “Jump as far out as you can, and try and hit the water with your feet first. Then get to the banks of the pool where the weeds are tallest. They’ll provide cover,” Lucas shouted over the roar of the waterfall. He backed up alongside her, and grabbed her hand.

  She nodded, and together they ran toward the ledge, and leapt without hesitation. Lucas lost his hold of her hand during the free fall, and hit the icy water, just as he’d done all those years ago. Only it hadn’t been as cold the last time. The water enveloped him, and Lucas kicked to the surface, the urge to catch his breath stronger than usual from the shock of the frigid water to his system.

  He shook his head when he broke through the churning water, and gulped in several rapid breaths of air. His eyes darted around for Tori. Off to his left, he caught a glimpse of golden hair as her head emerged. An arrow whirred too close to him, and loud shouts and cries echoed from above.

  “Swim,” he commanded, and pulled himself through the water with long strokes, staying close to her side. If an arrow were to hit one of them, he wanted it to be him. Tori swam right beside him. When she tried
to scramble through the vegetation up the edge of the pool, he pulled her back.

  “We can’t leave the water yet,” he said, trying to catch his breath. Her chattering teeth and rapid gasps for air didn’t go unnoticed. Lucas cursed under his breath. Black Sparrow might not be the death of them after all. The cold water might kill them before the warrior had another chance.

  “Keep moving. The current gets stronger at the outlet of the pool. It’s the quickest way to get downriver.”

  By now, the warriors would have discovered the trail that led directly to this pool. It would take several minutes for them to descend the steep incline to reach the bottom of the gorge. Would one of them be brave enough to jump off the cliff after them? Lucas groped for the knife at his belt with numb fingers. His rifle, which he had refused to let go of during his leap, and still gripped in his right hand, would be useless at the moment.

  Tori nodded, her lips drawn in a determined line. Keeping to the tall reeds and shrubs that lined the banks of the pool, Lucas led her toward the outlet. The current pushed them along, until they were swept over a short but steep ledge that marked the beginning of the river. The current increased in intensity, and the water churned forcefully all around them.

  “Let the water do the work. Don’t fight it,” he shouted to her. “Grab hold of my rifle and keep your feet in front of you.” He held out his arm. Tori reached for one end of the weapon, and together they were swept away through the gorge. Both sides of the river were enclosed in steep granite walls. The trail that he and Joseph had ridden along the shoreline was no longer there. The water level from the spring snowmelt had to be considerably higher than the one other time he had traveled through here. Soon, the canyon should widen on the right, and open up into a forested valley. They had to get out of the water quickly. The cold had already numbed his feet and hands.

  No more than a mile downriver, Lucas pulled himself toward shore, dragging Tori along as she clung to his rifle. She hadn’t loosened her tight grip on the weapon, which kept her anchored to him, but she’d become too quiet, and her lips had turned an alarming shade of blue.

  They hadn’t been in the water more than five minutes, but they’d both die of exposure if they didn’t get out of this river. He threw his arm around her waist, and pulled her up the bank when his feet touched the rocky bottom. Together they stumbled onto dry land. Tori collapsed to her knees.

  Lucas pulled her to her feet. “Just a bit further, into the timber. Then we can rest.”

  “I’m . . . too . . . cold,” she stuttered. She wrapped her arms around her waist, and her entire body shook violently. Lucas ignored his own discomfort, and wrapped his arms around her.

  “We’ll both die if we don’t move further into the trees. I’ll get a fire started.” He hugged her close, and they both shivered from the cold. This had been a difficult ordeal even by his standards, and this woman continued to amaze him. He’d be damned if he would allow her to go weak on him now.

  Reluctantly, he unwrapped one arm from around her waist, and coaxed her forward. She stumbled along, and Lucas led her to a sheltered stand of conifers. He glanced up at the sky. The rays of the late morning sun would do little to warm them here on the valley floor.

  “So cold,” Tori mumbled.

  “I’ll get you warm soon.” Lucas rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “This is a good place to rest. I’ll have a fire started in no time. Keep moving. Don’t stand still.”

  Lucas clenched his jaw. How was he going to get her warmed up? Their clothes were soaked. Without a fire, they would die. He highly doubted that any of the Blackfoot had jumped off the cliff after them, but a fire might lead them directly to this spot. He’d have to think of something when the warriors caught up to them.

  Lucas pulled his shirt off over his head and wrung out the excess water. He shivered, but he’d dry and warm faster without his clothes. Gathering deadfall, he piled small branches and dry leaves into a heap, and struck his flint to his knife. Hopefully the fuel was dry enough to produce a smokeless fire. In no time, a small blaze ignited in front of him, and he added more wood.

  Glancing up and over his shoulder, Tori stood behind him. His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat. She’d removed not only his shirt that she’d worn all this time, but also her own. Mercifully, she clutched one of the articles to her chest. Lucas tore his eyes away from her exposed shoulders and slender arms. He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes back to the fire. Tori Williams had a way of igniting a man’s body without even realizing it. It was doubtful that he’d be cold for much longer. His insides were ready to boil over after just one glimpse of her exposed skin.

  Tori squatted down beside him, and held one hand to the fire, the other over her chest. Lucas turned his head toward her. He couldn’t stop from staring. Her nude back was exposed fully to his view, and his eyes followed the water droplets that ran down her spine from her wet hair, and disappeared along the gap at her waist between her skin and britches.

  “When are you gonna stop gawking at me, Lucas?” Tori shot him an annoyed look. “If I have to sit here in the nude to warm up quicker, then that’s what I’ll do, but I’d appreciate it if you’d look away. And please, keep your lecherous thoughts to yourself.”

  Lucas raised his eyes to hers, and met her challenging stare. His lips twitched in the corners, and slowly rose. If she only knew what sort of lecherous thoughts were going through his mind.

  “I’ll try not to stare too much,” he drawled. “Am I safe to assume you’re not gonna run off with my clothes this time?”

  “Are you planning to remove all your clothes in front of me again?” she challenged. Her lips curved upward slightly. A mischievous spark ignited in her eyes.

  Lucas leaned toward her. “Only if you do,” he whispered, his lips grazing along her cheek. His hand reached up to cup the side of her face. Tori slapped his hand away.

  “Perhaps if you were a little more focused on survival, we wouldn’t be in this predicament now,” she said impatiently. “Maybe this entire incident with Black Sparrow could have been avoided, and I wouldn’t have had to rescue your sorry hide.”

  Lucas chuckled. “The way I see it, just this one time, being caught by Black Sparrow was all worth it.”

  Her eyes widened. “Worth it?” She pointed at his chest. “What could possibly be worth being tortured to death?”

  “You.”

  Lucas met her incredulous stare at his admission. He reached for her again. His fingers lightly touched her cheek, swiping away some damp strands of her hair. A pained expression passed over her face. Her forehead wrinkled, as if she was trying to make sense of what he’d said.

  “Don’t, Lucas,” she said almost inaudibly. The sassy fire in her eyes extinguished. She turned her head away and fixed her gaze on the bright flames in front of her. The muscles along her jaw clenched.

  “You kissed me yesterday,” he reminded her. “In fact, I think you rather liked it.”

  Tori drew in a deep breath. “How soon is Black Sparrow going to catch up to us?” she asked quietly.

  Lucas reluctantly dropped his hand and sat back on his haunches. If she didn’t want to talk about their kiss, he’d play along for now. She was right. What the hell was he thinking? His mind should be first and foremost on getting them safely to the Jackson Valley, yet he couldn’t keep his hands to himself where she was concerned. Especially not after kissing her the other day, and the way she’d responded.

  “He’s got to backtrack, and then ford this river where it meets up with the Snake. “I’d say we have a good half day on him.”

  “You said he wouldn’t find us when we stopped yesterday,” she accused. “What are we going to do, Lucas? We have no horses, your rifle is useless, and come nightfall, if he hasn’t found us by then, we’re going to freeze to death. Have you even thought of where we’re heading?” Her voice rose in agitation with each word she uttered.

  “Yeah, I know exactly where we’re heading.
Where this river meets up with the Snake, it’s only a day’s walk to my folks’ homestead in the Jackson Valley.”

  “Your folks?” Her eyes widened.

  “Yeah. That’s where I planned to take you. You’ll be safe there, until you tell me why you’re hiding in the mountains.”

  Tori immediately dropped her gaze at his words.

  “You must have done something pretty bad for your pa to hide you like he did,” he prodded.

  Slowly, she raised her head. A storm brewed in her eyes. Several silent moments passed before she spoke. “My father sprung me from jail the eve I was going to hang for murder.”

  Lucas ran a hand through his damp hair. He held her gaze and hardened his face to conceal his surprise. Hanged for murder. Tori?

  “Who’d you kill?” The question was out before he could stop himself.

  She blinked, but she didn’t look away. Moisture pooled in her eyes. “The man I would have married, but I didn’t -”

  Loud snapping and cracking sounds came from behind them. Lucas instantly jumped to his feet, and whirled around, the rifle in one hand, his knife in the other.

  Chapter 14

  Tori leapt to her stiff and frozen feet at the sound of loud rustling in the underbrush behind them. Lucas’ reaction had been much quicker than hers. His question from a moment ago had caught her off guard. Memories from the past had come rushing back, momentarily erasing their dire predicament. Why had she been compelled to open up to him and divulge her deepest secret?

  She pushed hazy images of Timothy aside as renewed fear that the Blackfoot had found them flowed through her. After everything that had happened in the last few days, the idea that Black Sparrow had been her friend at one time had vanished. Lucas had been completely correct when he warned her about the man.

  Tori clutched her wet and cold shirt to her chest, and turned to face their adversary. Lucas stepped in front of her, his rifle in one hand, and his knife drawn. It would seem hopeless for him to defend them both with a useless gun. Even so, he took up a protective stance, shielding her behind him.