A Yellowstone Christmas (Yellowstone Romance Series (Christmas Novella))

by Peggy L Henderson

  “Come have some food,” Aimee said. “Is your baby asleep?” She approached the girl, and guided her to the table, indicating for her to sit in one of the empty chairs.

  “Will you tell me your name?” Aimee asked, and ladled porridge into a bowl. She set the food before the young woman, and waited. The girl glanced up, her expression one of indecision. Finally, she nodded softly.

  “I am called Kimana. My father is Iniwa, chief of the Piikani.”

  These words weren’t familiar to Aimee. She knew the Piikanis were a subtribe of the Blackfoot people, but she didn’t know the meaning of the names the girl gave her.

  “Red Fox called me Butterfly,” the girl said with a smile. Her eyes quickly filled with tears.

  “Is that the meaning of your name in your language?” Aimee gently touched the girl’s shoulder. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for this young mother. How would she react if anything ever happened to Daniel? The idea was unthinkable.

  Pushing the unpleasant thought aside, Aimee moved to stand before the window, inhaling the fragrant aroma of her pine tree. She wondered about the rest of this young woman’s story. How had the daughter of the chief met a Tukudeka hunter, and then ended up being married to him? The Shoshone and Blackfoot were enemies. The details hadn’t seemed important at the moment to Daniel after Kimana divulged her husband’s name. Daniel had quickly deduced that the young couple was running from her people. Obviously the Blackfoot were not happy about a match between the two. Aimee’s curiosity about the rest of the story ate at her.

  She was about to turn back toward the table and ask Kimana about it, when movement along the river caught her eye. She craned her neck for a better look, and recognized four figures moving quickly toward the cabin. Her heart sped up, and her hands began to tremble. These men were heavily armed with bows and quivers of arrows on their backs. Even from a distance, she could tell they were not Shoshone.

  Aimee wheeled around and faced the four people sitting at the table.

  “Matt. Zach. Take Sam up to the loft,” she ordered, her voice clipped. The twins looked at her for a moment. No doubt they could see the urgency in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong, Mama?” Matthew asked.

  “Remember what your papa taught you if there is danger, and we tell you to hide? I want you three to hide in the loft, under the bed, and not make a sound. No matter what you hear, do you understand?” Aimee pulled Sam from his chair, and ushered her older boys toward the ladder leading to the loft.

  “You be real quiet with your brothers, Sam,” she said, and handed the little boy to Zach. “You have to pretend to play hide and seek, and no one is allowed to find you, all right? Now hurry.”

  The boys scrambled up the ladder. Aimee rushed to the door and grabbed for one of the rifles. Kimana stared out the window, and shot Aimee a wide-eyed look. Terror filled her eyes.

  “Go into the bedroom, and close the door. Hide under the bed. If your baby wakes, keep him quiet,” Aimee said.

  Kimana shook her head. “I cannot allow you to risk your life for me,” she said.

  “Do what I tell you,” Aimee ordered firmly, and pushed the girl in the direction of her room. Trying to control her shaking hands, Aimee grabbed the bowls off the table and threw them in the bucket of water on the workbench. Spotting a skinning knife laying on the counter, she hastily wrapped it in a piece of cloth and stuffed it between the lacings that kept the warm fox fur wrapped around her calves. Seconds later, the cabin door burst open, and she wheeled to face the four warriors who rushed inside, their weapons drawn and pointed at her.

  Chapter 6

  Daniel led the way up a steep incline, using a long wooden pole to help him trudge through the deep snow. Even with his snowshoes, walking was difficult and slow going up the mountain. He wondered how the woman had managed to descend into the valley without injury in her pregnant condition. Elk Runner breathed heavily behind him.

  According to the Blackfoot woman’s description, Red Fox had fallen down a snowy ravine less than half a day’s walk from the cabin. His tumble had apparently loosened the snow, burying him under an avalanche. In her condition, she had been unable to find a way to reach him and find out if he was even alive.

  Daniel adjusted the heavy coil of rope he’d brought with him around his shoulder, and pushed onward. The quicker they retrieved the young man’s body, the faster he could get back home. Leaving Aimee and the children unprotected, knowing that there were enemy warriors in the area, left him with an unsettled feeling. If that Blackfoot raiding party followed the young couple’s tracks, they would come this way to get to the valley. Daniel was confident that they wouldn’t get past him undetected. He wouldn’t have left his cabin at all, but a small part of him wondered if they might not find Red Fox alive.

  Reaching the top of the rise, Daniel stopped to catch his breath, and scanned his surroundings. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, belying the frigid cold air. His breath swirled like smoke all around him. Off in the distance to the east, heavy plumes of steam rose in the air as if the winter forest were on fire. Heat from nearby hot water springs, an area Aimee called a geyser basin, met with the icy air, creating the dense steam. Far below them, the Little Buffalo River meandered along the valley floor, the large boulders in the river powdered with a heavy coating of snow.

  Elk Runner came up alongside Daniel. No doubt his brother was thinking the same thoughts as he. During the laborious trek through deep snow, Daniel had wondered about the young Blackfoot woman, and the fact that she had married a Tukudeka. The Blackfoot often adopted children and women into their tribe from raids on other tribes to replenish their numbers, but he had never heard of a Blackfoot woman leaving her people to join an enemy tribe.

  In some ways, this couple reminded him of his relationship with Aimee. His wife had left her old life behind, and sacrificed everything she’d ever known in order to be with him. Not a day went by when Daniel didn’t thank whichever higher power was responsible for the gift that was given to him when Aimee had literally fallen into his life. With a soft shake of his head, he remembered how he almost lost her due to his own stubborn pride and insecurities.

  Had the young Blackfoot woman abandoned her tribe to be with Red Fox? The answer seemed obvious. It was also clear that her tribe wanted her back. Why else would they conduct raids in the middle of winter?

  “If Red Fox has been alive all this time, why has he not returned to his father?” Elk Runner broke the silence between them.

  Daniel stared at the white landscape before him. “We won’t know the answer until we speak with the woman again. I do believe that they must have been in hiding. I don’t think the woman married Red Fox with the consent of her people.”

  Elk Runner nodded. His forehead was scrunched together in deep concentration.

  “I see trouble ahead, White Wolf,” he said, making eye contact with Daniel.

  “How so?” Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

  “Fallen Eagle has a grandson he knows nothing about. Once I return his son’s body to him and he finds out, he will want the child. The Blackfoot won’t willingly give the woman or her child up.”

  Daniel hadn’t thought about that. “We will find a solution,” he said absently. Right now, he simply wanted to find the body of the unfortunate hunter so he could return to his cabin. He knew how much this time of year meant to Aimee, and he wanted to be home with her to share in her excitement and joy. Although he acted gruff and surly each year as soon as Aimee mentioned that it was time to start looking for a Christmas tree, her steadfast hold on her tradition warmed his heart, and she knew his disagreeable manner was only an act. She’d remind him daily for weeks before it was the day she called Christmas about a tree, and he would grumble and complain about it.

  Over the years, it had become an acceptable game between them. He would pretend to not care about her tree, and she’d nag him relentlessly until he finally agreed to go out searching for a young pine to chop down
and bring into the cabin. Daniel smiled softly. Sudden heat warmed him more than his thick buffalo robe could. It was a game he enjoyed playing; a game that usually ended in the bedroom.

  Pulling his fur gloves off his hands, Daniel drew his water bag out from under his robe, tugged the stopper from the opening, and took a long drink. He wiped the back of his hand against his mouth, then said, “We must be getting close to where Red Fox fell.” He scanned the area for any evidence of an avalanche.

  “Perhaps a little further along the ridge,” Elk Runner suggested, and led the way along the edge of the rim of the canyon that took them closer to the falls of the Little Buffalo River. Daniel had found Aimee on a ledge, hanging on for her life over six years ago not too far from this area. If he hadn’t gone to investigate his brother’s wild claims of a lost white woman in the wilderness, she would have died.

  Elk Runner glanced over his shoulder, then pointed further up the ridge. A large amount of snow had dislodged from the area recently, creating a deep and wide impression that led over the edge of the ravine. Daniel peered over the side. It wasn’t far to the bottom, and the large amount of snow could have cushioned a body’s fall. What had probably killed Red Fox was the avalanche that buried him after he hit the ground.

  Scanning the area below where the snow accumulation was heaviest, an almost imperceptible movement along the side of the canyon wall caught Daniel’s eye. He blinked, then narrowed his eyes and adjusted his focus. Perhaps it was a predator that had smelled a dead body.

  Elk Runner also pointed at the spot. “Is that a person?” He’d obviously seen what Daniel had seen. “Red Fox is alive,” he said, carefully leaning further into the canyon.

  Gathering a handful of snow, Elk Runner formed it into a tight ball, and threw it down toward where they had seen the movement. Shouting and making a lot of noise might cause another avalanche. Instantly, the figure at the bottom of the ravine glanced up, then limped and ducked behind a snow-covered boulder. If it was Red Fox they had found, he was wisely being cautious, no doubt wondering if his enemies had found him.

  Elk Runner reached under his heavy fur robe and pulled something from the pouch around his neck. He hurled the small object toward the man huddled behind the boulder. Several minutes passed. No one spoke or moved. Slowly, Red Fox reached for the object that had fallen and sunk into the snow a few feet from him. He raised his head upward, then pushed himself away from the boulder, dragging one leg behind him. He held both arms in the air and waved.

  “Throw the rope to him,” Elk Runner said quietly. “We can pull him up.”

  Daniel removed the coil of rope from his shoulder and, holding on to one end, threw the length into the ravine. Red Fox limped slowly toward it, and grabbed hold. With Elk Runner’s help, Daniel pulled the young man to the top of the ridge. After several minutes, the unfortunate hunter emerged, groaning loudly. His dull eyes filled with gratitude.

  “Butterfly,” he whispered hoarsely, before his unnaturally pale and blue-tinged face sank into the snow.

  Chapter 7

  Aimee raised the rifle in her hand, aiming it toward the men who barged into her home. A forceful blast of icy air hit her in the face. Not all of the warriors had crossed the threshold into the cabin, and the door stood wide open. The first two Blackfoot warriors stopped when they spotted her by the hearth. Momentary surprise flashed in their eyes, then they leered at her. The first man, tall and wide-chested, stepped toward her with long strides. There was only one shot in her flintlock. It would be futile to even try and shoot him. The other three would kill her before he hit the ground.

  With a pounding heart, Aimee lowered her weapon, and held her hand out in front of her. As long as her children remained quiet and were safe, she’d do whatever these men wanted. The tall warrior yanked the weapon from her hand and tossed it to the ground. The rifle slid across the wooden floor, and hit her bedroom door with a dull thud. The warrior grabbed her forcefully by the upper arm, his teeth bared as he sneered at her. His eyes lingered on her hair.

  “Take whatever food you want,” Aimee said in Shoshone. She glared at the man, refusing to cower before him, even as her heart beat wildly in her chest. She doubted these Indians even understood what she’d said. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to tell Daniel to teach her some useful words in the Blackfoot language. I might not live long enough to need to know any.

  The Indian pulled her away from the hearth and toward the center of the room. The rest of the men filed into the cabin, leaving the door open. Aimee shivered from the cold air that hit her. Her cotton shirt wasn’t enough to keep out the frigid winter air. Her captor spoke in quick, harsh tones, and Aimee simply shook her head. She didn’t understand what he was asking. He made a jerky sweeping motion with his free hand, and gestured with his chin at his companions. The three rummaged through her sacks of supplies stacked under the workbench, and one opened the door to her bedroom. The other two spotted her bare Christmas tree standing by the window, and their foreheads wrinkled in puzzlement.

  “You’d better leave my tree alone,” Aimee said under her breath in English, and her eyes narrowed on the intruders. The man who had a hold of her arm, his fingers biting painfully into her skin, shot her a bemused look and cocked his head to the side. He obviously realized she wasn’t speaking in an Indian dialect. Suddenly he shook her forcefully, and shouted at her. Aimee squirmed to free her arm, but knew her efforts would be futile.

  The second bedroom door opened suddenly, and Kimana emerged, her infant in her arm.

  “Kimana,” Aimee’s captor shouted, his eyes suddenly wide with surprise. He released her, and rushed to the girl standing silently in the doorframe of the bedroom. The other three men stopped in their tracks, and stared from the girl to the man who Aimee assumed was their leader. The man’s eyes blazed in anger when his gaze fell on the baby in Kimana’s arms.

  The warrior stopped inches from the girl, his hands fisted at his sides. Suddenly, he reached for the knife hanging from his belt.

  “No!” Aimee shouted, and without thinking, rushed to the man and grabbed his hand. His intent couldn’t be any clearer; he meant to kill the baby. The warrior’s head snapped around, and he swung his arm, flinging Aimee against the wall. The air left her lungs when her back collided with the hard wooden logs. With a groan, she sunk to the ground.

  Loud shouting ensued, and Aimee raised her head, scrambling back onto her feet. Kimana stood her ground against the large warrior, one arm moving animatedly through the air as she spoke to him in a shrill voice. Her baby began to cry. The three other warriors stood back and watched the heated exchange. Two whispered to each other, the third took a tentative step toward his leader and spoke in an even tone. The big man turned to his companion, anger blazing in his eyes. The other man continued to speak and gesture with his hands.

  Aimee wished she understood what was going on. Slowly, she pushed herself along the wall toward Kimana. The girl’s eyes darted to her, and she reached for Aimee’s arm. They huddled together, the young mother trying to soothe her upset infant, while the warriors held their discussion.

  “What’s going on?” Aimee whispered.

  “Kitche Keme . . . Brave Thunder, has found me,” Kimana said in a hushed tone.

  “Brave Thunder? That big lout?” Aimee gestured at the imposing warrior standing a few feet in front of her. “He’s not the nicest man, is he?” She tried to hide her apprehension with humor. Her eyes darted to the loft for a split second, relieved that her boys remained in hiding, then quickly returned to face the other warriors standing quietly by while Brave Thunder and the other man conversed. The discussion seemed to be getting more heated as Brave Thunder sneered and threw his arms around in a manner that reminded Aimee of the gorillas she’d seen at the zoo many years ago. Thankful that her sons obeyed her instructions, she hoped they wouldn’t make their presence known. She turned back to Kimana.

  “Who is he?”

  Kimana’s chin dropped. �
��He is the man who would have been my husband.”

  Aimee’s eyebrows rose. She couldn’t contain her surprise, but his anger became clear to her now. She could even see why he would want to kill an innocent baby. He was like a wild predator that killed the offspring of competing other males.

  “What are they saying?” Aimee leaned closer to the Indian girl. Her baby had finally settled down again.

  “Kitche Keme wants to kill the son of Red Fox. The other warrior is advising him not to act in haste, that it would be best to see what my father wants to do.”

  “How did you—”

  A rough hand suddenly grabbed Aimee by the arm and yanked her away from Kimana. She found herself staring into the black eyes of Brave Thunder. He roughly passed her along to the other man he’d been debating with.

  “They are taking us with them,” Kimana said hastily from behind her.

  At least they aren’t killing us. Yet. How much of a head start would they have before Daniel returned home?

  The warrior pushed her toward the door, and Aimee quickly grabbed her warm winter buffalo robe off the peg on the wall before she stepped out into the cold. She glanced over her shoulder at her home. Knowing that her sons were unharmed, she wanted to get away from the cabin as quickly as possible in case these Indians decided to conduct a more thorough search. Daniel had taught his sons well. From a very early age, he insisted on instructing them to hide when told, and only make their presence known to familiar family members, no matter what they saw or heard. This training had no doubt saved their lives today, and Daniel would find his sons unharmed when he returned.

  Comforted slightly that she had tied the skinning knife to her leg, Aimee pulled the robe around her shoulders and trudged through the snow behind the warrior leading the way.

  Chapter 8