Yellowstone Redemption
Book 2
Yellowstone Romance Series
By Peggy L Henderson
Copyright © 2011 by Peggy Henderson
Smashwords Edition
Visit my blog: http://peggylhenderson.blogspot.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author.
Acknowledgement
Without the constant support and help from my critique partner, Carol Spradling, this book would not have been written. Sometime I think she knows my characters better than I do, and doesn’t hesitate to point out to me what works, and what doesn’t. So, thank you, Carol, for keeping me going on this journey, and helping me bring these characters to life. Also, once again, to my husband Richard, for supporting me in my writing efforts, and continued advice about basic survival skills.
“Sarah.” Chase’s voice was close to her ear, sending shivers of apprehension down her spine.
“Please leave,” she whispered, trying to control her erratic breathing. He leaned in closer. Sarah forgot to breathe. She tried to back up, but her backside bumped into the workbench. Chase slid his hands to her shoulders, then up her neck, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, swiping away her tears. Her knees went weak at his touch.
“Sarah…” he whispered, then covered her mouth with his. Lightning currents swept through her system. The slow movement of his lips against hers melted her resolve. Her arms reached up of their own will, sliding around his waist and up his back, until she gripped his shoulders. His kiss grew more demanding, and he pressed his body to hers with a throaty moan.
Sarah’s head spun in a dizzying spiral. It felt so natural, so right, and so good to be in this man’s arms. His hands seemed to be everywhere. She hadn’t even realized his arm had gone around her waist, until he pulled her tightly to him. He abandoned her mouth to trail kisses down her face. He nuzzled her neck, rooting with his face in her hair. Sarah gasped. She shuddered at the delicious chills that shot up and down her spine.
His hands trembled as they traveled up along her waist and arms, cupping her face again. He leaned into her, pressing her back against the workbench. Her own hands had somehow moved up along his chest, and his heart drummed strong and fast against her right hand. His mouth claimed hers again, and his hands slid down her front. She gasped a second time and stiffened when he covered her breasts, his palms hot to the touch through the fabric of her shirt.
His hands continued their exploration of her body, traveling down along her ribcage and settled at her waist, and he pulled his head back. In the darkness of the cabin, Sarah couldn’t see his face, but his breathing was as shallow and sporadic as her own.
“Angel? Say something. I can’t see your face.”
“Please….will you……would you kiss me again, Chase?”
Chapter 1
Madison Valley on the Yellowstone Plateau, 1835
“Please, mama, why can’t I go?” Sarah Osborne implored in a high-pitched voice. She followed close on the heels of her mother, who stormed through the front door of the cabin. Although her legs were much longer than the older woman’s, she almost ran to keep up with her strides.
Her petite mother ignored the question, threw her hands in the air in an overly exaggerated movement, then quickly brought them back to her sides, and balled them into fists at her hips. She turned more fully towards the man sitting at the table in the middle of the room. The thick long braid of her blonde hair swung like a whip behind her back. The man finished tying an obsidian arrowhead to a long wooden shaft, biting off the end of the sinew strings. He set it aside and raised a questioning brow in her mother’s direction. Her eyes glowered, and she took a step towards him.
“Daniel, talk to her. She’s your daughter.”
Sarah watched her father push the chair away from the table. He didn’t look at her. Instead, his brown eyes met her mother’s stare unflinching, and he raked a hand through his black hair to sweep back some unruly strands that had fallen into his eyes. Threads of silver mixed in with the black and reflected like icicles off the bright sunlight streaming into the room from the glass-paned window on the wall to the right. A lazy grin spread across his face, creasing the lines in the corners of his eyes. Her mother’s features appeared to relax. His hand shot out, and he grabbed her wrist, then pulled her onto his lap with one swift pull. She gave a little squeal, and placed her hands on his shoulders. Good grief! Not now! Why did they always have to act this way? Heat rose up Sarah’s neck into her cheeks, watching her parents’ display of affection.
Her father nuzzled her mother’s neck, and whispered in a low growl, “No, gediki. She’s most definitely your daughter. “ Her mother turned her neck to give him better access, and reached a hand up to caress his cheek. His arms tightened around her waist.
Sarah stood just inside the front door, arms around her waist, and shifted weight from one foot to the other. She rolled her eyes, and let out an exasperated snort. Her parents always acted like a newly wed couple, even though they had been married for twenty-five years. Time to put a stop to this outlandish display. “Would you two stop it already,” she cried out. “Honestly, mama. The way you and papa carry on is downright embarrassing.”
Sarah watched her mother sit up on her husband’s lap, then turn blue eyes on her. A warm smile brightened her features, the annoyance from a moment ago apparently forgotten.
“Sarah, one day you’ll meet a man and fall in love. Time will stand still whenever he’s near, and the outside world forgotten when you’re with him.”
Sarah laughed and let out a most unfeminine snort. “I can ride, track, and hunt better than any man in these mountains, including my brothers.” She lifted her chin, then paused and met her father’s amused gaze. “Well, maybe with the exception of you, papa.” She flashed him a smile she knew always won him over. “So what would I need a man for?”
With his eyebrows raised and lips drawn up in a boyish grin, he shot his wife an unmistakable I told you so look. Sarah’s insides swelled with satisfaction, and she gloated silently, her chin raised high in a defiant gesture towards her mother. Too late, she realized she should have approached her father with her request first.
“I recall words like those coming from you at one time.” Daniel swiped a finger down his wife’s nose, a devilish grin on his face.
“Yes, well, a girl has the right to change her mind,” Sarah’s mother replied haughtily and patted his cheek, then pushed herself off his lap. She turned to face her daughter. “But I’m not changing my mind about this.”
Sarah groaned silently at the stern look in her mother’s eyes. “Why not?” she challenged.
“Do you remember what happened last year?” Her hands were back on her hips.
Daniel rose from the table, his size dwarfing his wife. He stood next to her, and put a hand around her shoulders, pulling her up next to him
“What’s going on?” her father directed his gaze on her.
Sarah’s shoulders drooped. His dark eyes stared right through her. Trying to convince him might not be so easy after all.
“Mama says I can’t go to the rendezvous this year,” she blurted out. “She doesn’t think it’s appropriate for me anymore.”
“Darn right it’s not,” her mother’s voice sounded adamant. “You’re nearly nineteen years old, Sarah, and not married. You know what sort of riffraff shows up at those gatherings. Last yea
r, your dad, Matthew, and Sam spent all their time fending off your wannabe suitors. You have no idea what effect you have on men. And most of those characters have questionable morals.” She took a few steps forward.
Even though Sarah was a couple inches taller than her mother, the woman had an imposing presence, and didn’t leave much question as to who was in charge. She stood no chance once her mother was this unyielding. Worse, she had her father completely wrapped around her fingers.
Sarah didn’t begrudge them their happiness. She’d met other trappers’ wives before, mostly Indian women, and had to listen to complaints of how unhappy some of them were, and how badly their men treated them. The way some made it sound, they were nothing more than a commodity to their husbands.
Not so with her parents. Daniel and Aimee Osborne were equal partners in everything. Neither did anything without the other’s knowledge or approval. The love between them was unmistakable in the way they looked at each other and touched whenever they were within reach. Sarah was proud to be their daughter. What would life be like with a father who beat her mother, or made his woman work from dawn to dusk with little regard for her well being. Without a doubt, both her parents would lay their lives down for each other without hesitation, as well as for their children.
Along with her three older brothers, she’d been raised here in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, a place her mother called the Madison Valley on the Yellowstone Plateau. No one else she knew used these words. It was a man’s world, and she had learned early on to adapt. Her father had taught her how to survive in this harsh environment right alongside her brothers. And Sarah loved him dearly for it.
She had the best of both worlds. She could go out into the woods and hunt and foray like a man, but she also enjoyed the chores more associated with her gender, such as cooking, tanning hides, and making pottery. Her Tukudeka aunt and cousins had certainly never let her forget that she was female. Her mother encouraged her to follow whatever made her happy, and also taught her in the art of healing. That was her mother’s special gift, and Sarah was an eager student.
Just the idea of being tied down to a man made her shudder. It would have to be quite an exceptional man to draw her attention. Her father had set a pretty high standard of how a man treated his woman. Over the last few years, she’d become more curious about men, she had to admit. She’d watch some of the Tukudeka hunters discreetly, especially in the summer months when they wore no shirts, fascinated by the movements of the muscles on their chests and arms. However, no man she’d met thus far had made her heart beat faster, or sent her mind spinning. That’s what her mother told her love for a man was like. Sarah doubted she would ever find a man who could elicit such a response from her.
“Sarah Marie Osborne. Are you listening?”
“Huh?” Sarah was pulled out of her thoughts at her mother’s voice in her ear.
“I also need you here to take care of Snow Bird. She’s due to have her baby while we’re gone, and she needs you to midwife for her. We’ve already discussed this.”
“There are other midwives,” Sarah mumbled.
“I agree with your mother.” Daniel’s deep voice brought Sarah to full attention, and she looked to her father. “With your brothers gone to St. Louis this year, it’s too dangerous for you. And I don’t wish for you to be exposed to the sort of men - or women - who attend the rendezvous. Understand this is for your own good. We trust you to be safe here by yourself while we are gone.”
“But no doubt you’ll have Elk Runner or one of my cousins checking up on me regularly.” Sarah tried to keep her eyes from twitching. She swallowed her disappointment. She had lost the argument. Once her father sided with her mother, it was all over. She ventured a glance at him. His dark eyes glowed warmly at her. His slow smile melted her anger.
“I understand your disappointment, bai’de. But I intend to keep you out of harm’s way. No matter how much you may fight it, you have become a grown woman, and men take notice of such things.”
Sarah swallowed, lowered her eyes, and nodded in defeat. The annual trapper rendezvous held to the south of here amongst the Teewinots drew mountain men and trappers from all over the Rocky Mountains. It was an event that lasted for weeks, a time for men to gather and trade furs, supplies, and adventure stories. She looked forward to these meetings every year, which her parents attended to trade necessities to other trappers.
Her father hadn’t trapped for beaver in years. At her mother’s suggestion, they had set up a trading post to supply other trappers in this remote wilderness. Her mother had predicted a decade ago that the beaver would be trapped out in the mountains soon, and demand in the east would cease. Her prediction had come true. Now, along with offering supplies to the dwindling number of fur trappers, the family supplied the ever-increasing number of westward explorers.
“Your mother will be busy tending to the sick and injured,” her father’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“But I’ve always helped her with that,” Sarah tried one more time. At this point, she had nothing to lose. She glanced from one parent to the other. Her mother strode towards her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders in a warm embrace, then held her at arm’s length.
“Sarah, I know this is disappointing. But you’re a beautiful young woman, and you don’t have a husband’s protection. Where I grew up,” she turned to glance at her husband. Sarah wondered at the conspiratorial look that passed between them. “That wasn’t such an issue. But here, an unmarried woman is fair game. You know that.”
Yeah, Sarah sighed inwardly. She did know that. Her mother was right, as usual. She’d been revolted and alarmed at some of the ways men tried to fawn themselves at her at last year’s rendezvous. It had gotten worse each year. And she had caught the hungry looks of some of the men who came to trade here with her father.
She was well aware that the only reason none of them had ever acted on their obvious intentions was her father’s reputation. Daniel Osborne was known throughout the mountains as a man who protected his family fiercely and without mercy. There wasn’t a trapper who had heard his name who dared make rude comments or suggestions towards his wife. And the services and goods her parents provided to the mountain men in this remote wilderness were highly valued. No one wanted to get on Daniel Osborne’s bad side. But at the rendezvous, trappers came from all over the Rockies. Her safety, and virtue, may not be ensured simply based on her name.
Sarah nodded in defeat, hanging her head. She resigned herself that she was stuck here in the valley this summer, doing…what? She’d be bored out of her mind for the six or so weeks while her parents were gone.
Chapter 2
Chase Russell groaned. The pounding in his head increased when he tried to lift it off the hard ground. He squinted his eyes into the bright sun overhead, then closed them again, fighting off the dizziness. The loud roar of the nearby waterfall drowned out all other sound. A shadow, then a sudden unexpected gush of hot air on his cheek made him flinch. It happened again, and this time it was accompanied by the sensation of sandpaper scraping across his face.
Chase forced his eyes open, and hauled himself off the ground. He stumbled over the slippery rocks and landed several feet in the frigid river. A cold wave slammed into him like a lineman’s tackle, and threatened to push him further into the rushing current. He gasped in surprise and shock. Quickly, he scrambled on hands and feet over the jagged rocks, back to the safety of dry land. The icy jolt had brought him fully awake now. A couple more feet in, and the tremendous current of the river would have swept him away.
A creature with pointy horns, and tan-colored fur that hung in thick tufts off its shoulders and back stood where he lay moments ago. Dripping wet and shaking from the cold, he hauled himself off the ground, keeping a weary eye on the…what was that? Hell if he knew one animal from another. It wasn’t a bison, he was sure of that. He’d already seen plenty of those. Luckily, it wasn’t a bear. It looked more like a goat on steroids. It
didn’t look intimidating anymore, now that he was a safe distance away, out from underneath its coarse tongue. He remembered seeing goats at the fair one year when he was little. His mother had encouraged him to enter the goat-milking contest, but he’d scoffed at her. Touch one of those things? Hell no. The closest he let himself come to animal skin was the pigskin covering of a football.
The creature stared back at him, its mouth moving in a rhythmic, circular motion. It appeared to gloat at him.
“Shoo! Get out of here!” He waved his hands in the air and took a step towards the stupid thing. Alarmed, the walking cheese factory jumped away, and gracefully sprang up the steep incline of yellow and red colored rocks about twenty yards away from the river.
His gaze followed the effortless movements of the animal, as it sprang up the sides of the canyon. Shit. It was going to be a long haul back up. The top was barely visible, some nine hundred feet from where he stood. His feet were still blistered from the hike down. Damn those guys anyways! Why the hell did he go along with their idiotic schemes? Just to prove he wasn’t some nansy pansy city boy? They all wanted to be here, had volunteered for this. He didn’t have a choice. He was here to keep his nose clean, not get in more trouble. But trouble always had a way of finding him. At least it had the last four years.
It hadn’t been his idea to come to Montana to do the community service portion of his drug conviction. He’d finished rehab. Montana was his mother’s suggestion. Her sister’s husband had connections in Yellowstone, and he’d pulled some strings with the Department of Corrections. Now he was stuck here for the summer, part of the trail maintenance crew that cleared the popular hiking trails of downed trees, controlled erosion, and other crap. It was hard physical work, but it beat picking up trash in L.A. At least he’d stay in shape, since there was no workout gym close by.
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