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

by Peggy L Henderson

  * * * * *

  The air left Tori’s lungs when Paul slammed into her, pinning her against the tree he’d forced her up against earlier. Her mother’s heavy satchel that she’d slung over her shoulder and chest when they fled the expedition’s camp pushed into her ribs. Confusion filled her at the sudden weight of the lifeless body against her. The sound of a gunshot had reverberated through the canyon a split second before, and the shaft of an arrow was just visible behind Paul’s shoulder. Her mother’s scream filled the air. Had she been shot?

  Tori braced her hands against the heavy body, but couldn’t push it away. Wide, lifeless eyes stared at her, and blood trickled from Paul’s gaping mouth. Her mother screamed her name, a horrified look on her face. The trunk of the tree behind her groaned, then shifted, first slowly, and then faster as if it was picking up momentum to free-fall over the canyon’s edge. Tori lost her footing as the ground beneath her heaved upward, then crumbled beneath her feet. The toe of her moccasin caught on a protruding root, and she yanked it free in her futile attempt to push away from the falling tree.

  She shoved against Paul’s body with all her strength even as the world tilted. Shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, she found herself staring down into the yawning canyon. Tori swallowed the fear that consumed her, and sucked air into her lungs. Her heart slammed furiously against her ribs, and she pushed harder. The tree lurched again, then stopped, and Paul’s lifeless body gave way, rolling off of her and over the edge. With nothing to hold onto, Tori’s arms flailed through the air as the man’s weight dragged her with him.

  Grasping in desperation, Tori reached for something, anything to grab hold of and prevent a fall that would send her to her death. The river churned wildly below her, and although the distance was less than the jump she’d made over the waterfall with Lucas all those months ago, this plunge would kill her. Too many large boulders made a leap into this water too unpredictable, and the strong undercurrent alone would be her demise.

  The tree trunk tilted some more, and Tori groped into the air above her. She wasn’t going to survive this. She was already in a free-fall when her hand connected with one of the branches, and suddenly the satchel around her neck lurched upward. She fumbled for the branch with both her hands, her legs dangling freely below her, when something tightened around her neck. Her head snapped upward, and the air was cut off from her lungs.

  Tori gasped, forcing in a breath, but her airway constricted painfully. Wide-eyed, she glanced upward. The front strap of the satchel had caught on a branch in the tree, causing it to pull around the front of her neck. Her left arm had been trapped in a vice-like grip as it had slid between two branches.

  The pain in her arm as it twisted above her head became almost unbearable, but she couldn’t scream. Struggling to release her arm proved futile as she attempted to detangle it from the strap and the branch. The more she tugged, the tighter the strap cut into her skin. More terrifying than her arm caught in the strap, however, was the constricting feeling around her throat. The leather looping around her windpipe wasn’t tight enough to snap her neck, but it cut off her airflow.

  Dizziness washed over her, and dark swirls passed before her eyes from lack of air. She blinked, and used her free hand to grope at any of the branches above her. If she could only wrap her fingers around one, she might be able to pull herself up enough to ease the tension from the strap and put some slack in the noose. With the slightest movement of her body, the entire tree swayed precariously.

  You can either die falling when the tree’s roots let go completely, or by suffocation.

  Hysteria flooded her with an almost euphoric feeling. She would have laughed, if she could have, at the irony of it. Because of Paul, she would hang after all. There had never been any hope for her of escaping the gallows.

  Tori’s head pounded, and a feeling of weightlessness washed over her. Peace and contentment filled her as her vision blurred. At least she hadn’t died back in St. Louis, with a town full of eager spectators watching her swing from a rope. There was no better place to die than here among the wild and rugged mountains she’d come to love. At least she’d been given a chance to experience happiness. Lucas Walker had made her whole, set her free, and taught her the meaning of true love. He’d shown her what it meant to truly be alive.

  I love you, Lucas.

  Somewhere in the distance, somewhere far away, a woman called her name as if from a tunnel. Mama. At least she was safe. That bastard had nearly killed her. She had almost succeeded in getting away from the expedition camp without detection. Almost. Paul Holden must have anticipated their escape, or perhaps he’d decided to come pay Tori a visit in the middle of the night. Just as she and Mama had mounted their horses, he’d called out to her, warning her not to escape. If it hadn’t been too dark to see, Tori would have put a bullet in his worthless hide. Instead, she and her mother had ridden in the direction of the mountains as fast as the darkness allowed, knowing that Paul wasn’t far behind.

  He had followed them relentlessly, and after her mare took a bad step, she’d had to ride double with her mother until the terrain became too steep, and they abandoned their horse. In her haste, she’d forgotten to pull her rifle free of the scabbard on the mare’s saddle. Hoping to lose Paul in one of the many smaller slot canyons, she’d urged her mother to climb up the mountain. Her mother’s skirts and inexperience had slowed them down, and Paul had caught up to them. Too late, Tori had realized she’d made a mistake and led her mother to a dead end.

  “I will put a bullet in her head, Victoria,” Paul had sneered, pointing his rifle at her mother’s temple. Tori had contemplated a jump off the canyon into the river, but she’d quickly realized that the rocks in the water below eliminated that option.

  “I’ll give you one final chance to come with me, Victoria, or your mother pays the price if you refuse.”

  “You are the lowest, sorriest excuse for a human being, Paul Holden, and I hope you rot in hell.”

  Paul had laughed, and in the next instant he’d suddenly slammed up against her. A shot had fired, an arrow stuck from his back, and he was dead.

  And now it’s your turn to die, Tori. Paul got his final wish. Since he couldn’t have you, no one else will have you, either.

  “Tori,” a male voice shouted above her mother’s screams. Tori raised her heavy lids. Her vision was blurred, and she couldn’t see anything beyond the blue sky above.

  Lucas. I love you, Lucas.

  “Hold on, Tori. I’m coming. Dammit, hold on.” The desperate voice faded in and out of her pounding head. Her pulse slowed, and her grip on the branch above her loosened. All feeling in her trapped arm was gone, leaving only a numb sensation throughout, as if she was no longer part of her own body.

  The entire tree rocked and lurched violently. This was it. This was the end. The tree had given up its final precarious hold in the soil. She’d rather die quickly from a fall into the river than continue her slow slip into unconsciousness from lack of air.

  “Tori, don’t you die, do you hear me?” Lucas’ voice was so close. His demanding tone rang in her ears. Not even his overbearing attitude could save her now. The tree trunk bounced again, and something tugged at her arm. A strong hand wrapped around her wrist. The noose around her throat loosened.

  “Breathe,” he commanded in her ear. Sharp pain raced through her shoulders and up her arms, slicing like daggers through her limbs.

  Tori forced air into her lungs, and coughed at the fire that seared her throat. She gulped in another lungful of air, then another, her limbs screaming in pain as they tingled back to life.

  “Lucas,” she rasped, and was immediately overtaken by a coughing fit. The tree swayed with her slightest movement, and an ominous groan filled the air.

  “Grab hold of the trunk, Tori. Swing your legs up and hold on. Your arm is free.”

  Tori blinked to clear her vision. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, then upward. Lucas was perched on the tree, h
is legs firmly straddling the trunk. The only thing keeping her from falling to her death were his hands gripping her wrists. Grimacing, he pulled her upward, grabbing her under her arms until she could reach some stronger limbs. She opened her hands, her fingers groping for any kind of hold.

  She gasped for air when her hands finally wrapped around solid wood, and swung her legs up, wrapping them around the trunk.

  “That’s my girl,” Lucas whispered, his breathing ragged. His face was covered in sweat, his eyes etched with fear.

  The tree trunk groaned again, and inched further downward.

  “Climb toward the ledge, Tori, as quickly and carefully as you can. You don’t have much time.” Lucas touched her face. He smiled softly while sadness filled his eyes.

  A jolt of fear raced through her. She didn’t have much time? What about him?

  “Lucas?” she gasped.

  “Don’t waste time, Tori. Get going. Don’t look back.”

  The truth about what he planned to do hit her like an arrow to the chest. Frigid terror gripped her. She shook her head. “Lucas, no.”

  Lucas glared at her, his eyes devoid of their usual sparkle and mischief. “This tree’s roots aren’t strong enough to hold us both much longer, Tori. If I move at all, the root is going to give. Do what I tell you. For once, obey me.” His jaw clenched as he stared at her.

  “You . . . you can’t do this. I won’t let you.” Tori rasped, unable to scream fully at him. She wouldn’t let him sacrifice his own life for her.

  “When I let go, it’ll give you enough time to get to safety. Don’t think about anything else but survival.”

  She shook her head from side to side. “No, Lucas. I love you . . . Please . . . we can both make it back to the edge.” She inched her hand to touch his face. Tears blurred her vision.

  He smiled. “Thank you for showing me what it means to love a woman. We’re a good team, Tori. We look out for each other. Survive, and be free. I love you with all my heart. Always.”

  The tree lurched again. Lucas eased his leg over the trunk, and let himself fall.

  “Lucas, no!” Tori screamed. She squeezed her eyes shut, too horrified to watch as the man she loved plunged to a certain death.

  Survive.

  Tori scrambled toward the edge of the canyon. Jagged branches cut into her hands and legs, but she was too numb to register the pain. Trembling arms enveloped her and pulled her against a soft body, rocking her like a little child, whispering quiet words into her ears.

  For once, obey me.

  She had obeyed him, but at what cost?

  Chapter 29

  Cold water washed over him, and his body slammed into something solid. Despite the pain, Lucas kicked with his legs in an effort to bring his head above water. He surfaced, and gulped in a quick breath of air. A wave crashed into the side of his face with the strength of a punch to his jaw, and the current dragged him under again. His feet scraped against the rocky bottom of the river as the force of the water churned him through the rapids. His lungs burned from lack of air, the urge to take a breath renewing his determination to break through the surface of the water. His hands reached up, just as a powerful surge thrust him against another boulder. Intense, jolting pain ripped through him, and then there was nothing.

  * * * *

  The heels of his feet dragged over rough ground, tearing at his moccasins. Somewhere, a river roared, its sound unnaturally loud before fading away. His body shivered uncontrollably, the fabric of his soaked shirt clinging to his skin. Firm hands gripped him under his arms, then eased his back onto hard ground. Men’s voices mingled with the sounds of rushing water, voices he didn’t recognize. They spoke in hushed tones, the words making no sense to him. He should understand what they were saying. They conversed in a different language than what he was accustomed to, but it was familiar nevertheless.

  “You would spare the life of your enemy?”

  “Perhaps he has cheated death again. He will not die by my knife.”

  Lucas moved his lips. He couldn’t lift his eyelids, no matter how hard he willed them to open. He sucked air into his lungs, and it was as if a knife had been thrust through his chest. Someone groaned in agony. He moved his head toward the sound, but it was impossible to tell where it had come from. He lifted his right hand. More pain. Another groan. Then mercifully, the pain was gone and everything else around him faded away.

  * * * *

  Her warm scent filled his senses. Soft hands stroked his cheek. A quiet sob, then she whispered his name. Her voice alone soothed the throbbing in his head, but combined with her silky touch, the pain in his body disappeared. He concentrated his senses on the sensations of her fingers on his skin, the melody of her voice. He mouthed her name.

  Tori.

  Sweet lips brushed across his, and a drop of wetness hit his jaw.

  “That’s my girl.” A harsh, raspy voice drowned out her quiet sobs. His voice?

  “Lucas. I love you, Lucas. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

  He forced his mouth into a smile. His eyelids opened slowly, and she gazed down at him, her golden hair framing her face, her emerald eyes clouded with worry.

  “You’re free, Tori. Live, and . . . be free.” Each sound was agony in his throat, but she needed to know that no one would ever try and hurt her again. He raised his arm, grimacing at the pain that shot like hot knives through his chest at the simple movement. Closing his mind to the pain, the tips of his fingers touched her face, the contact like a healing medicine. She leaned in closer. She brought her lips to his again, and Lucas drifted off to heaven.

  * * * *

  “The people call you the Ghost Woman. The spirit of these mountains lives within you. You have shown bravery few men possess. You have helped others no matter if they consider you a friend or enemy. You have saved my life, and today I have repaid this debt. A warrior’s heart beats beneath your breast, and I know that your path is linked with that of this man, not with me.”

  Lucas shifted his legs, and hissed at the sharp pain the movement brought to his back. He couldn’t take in a full breath of air. The walls of his chest threatened to crush him. Something sounded familiar about the deep voice of the man who spoke somewhere close by, but his words sounded odd, as if he wasn’t used to speaking in the language he used.

  “Walker and I have been enemies for many seasons. He has been a worthy opponent. Many times, he has beaten me. Many times, I have beaten him.”

  Black Sparrow? Lucas’ chest heaved in a laugh. Instead, he hissed at the agony that wracked his body in the attempt, and his jaw clenched. He groaned, and cursed silently. The Blackfoot had beaten him many times? In whose dreams? Lucas moved his head. His eyes fluttered open, but there was only darkness, and an orange flickering glow. Wood crackled nearby. He gritted his teeth when the Indian spoke again.

  “Walker has the heart of a warrior. He will not die at my hand. He has given his life for you, and only the spirits will choose whether he will live or die. May our paths never cross again as enemies.”

  Lucas cursed his broken body for making him so damn weak. He couldn’t even raise his head to look at his old nemesis. Black Sparrow wanted to call a truce? Images of the Indian standing behind him, a bow in his hand, an arrow lodged in Holden’s back just as his own bullet pierced the man’s heart, drifted in and out of focus. Memories of someone dragging him from the river. Despite the pain, Lucas raised his arm. A strong hand gripped his.

  “Napi,” Lucas rasped.

  “Napi,” the warrior replied, and then he was gone.

  * * * *

  He groaned, forcing his heavy eyelids to open. Colors of different hues floated in and out of focus, but he couldn’t clear his vision. He moved, and sucked in a deep breath at the pain that shot through his back. The intake of air sent a renewed slice of pain through his chest. Every gasp, every slight twitch of a muscle brought agony to his body. How much longer would he lie here, his body broken? Every time he woke - ho
w many times had he drifted in and out of awareness? - there was only pain.

  There was also the woman he loved more than life itself. She was always there. Even when he wasn’t aware of anything else, her presence surrounded him, gave him comfort, urged him to fight and claw his way back to consciousness. It would have been easier to simply drift away, but her soft voice, and the touch of her hands brought him back each time.

  “Tori.” Had he even spoken her name out loud, or had he simply thought it? He smiled. At least that action didn’t hurt.

  Lucas paused. The world wasn’t muddled and hazy. He wasn’t floating in the endless fog he’d been in for . . . how long? Muffled voices came from somewhere nearby. He blinked again, and the world came into focus.

  Gritting his teeth, he lifted his head, then quickly lowered it again, groaning in frustration at the tightness in his chest and the excruciating pain even the slightest movement brought to his ribs. Where the hell was he, and what had happened after . . .? He shouldn’t even be alive.

  Lucas turned his head. His cheek scraped against something soft, the scent of freshly laundered linen filling his nose. The golden glow of sunlight streamed in through the window to his right, the hues of reds in the sky indicating that it was nearly sundown.

  His eyes drifted downward. Rather than hard ground, he was lying on a mattress, his old mattress, in fact, in his old bed. He was in his room at the homestead.

  While a quilt covered his lower body, his nude torso was wrapped in white bandages. No wonder every breath he inhaled caused him pain. Someone had bound his ribs. His right shoulder was also wrapped, his arm hanging in a sling.