“That was my brother-in-law, Chase Russell,” he said, an apologetic look on his face. “I’ll introduce you later.”
He handed her clothing to her, and Della quickly dressed while Matthew broke camp. Mounting their horses, it didn’t take long to find the spot where the woodsman waited with his dog along the banks of the river.
“Chase, I’d like you to meet my wife, Addy,” Matthew said when they came up alongside his brother-in-law.
Chase’s easy grin enhanced his handsome features, and Della had no doubt that he knew it. He reached for her hand, and clasped it firmly in his.
“How’d you snag this guy?” he asked, nodding toward Matthew.
Della’s forehead scrunched in confusion. She’d had trouble understanding some of the mountain men at rendezvous, and this man’s words were just as strange, but in a different way.
His eyes widened suddenly, and he snapped his fingers, then he pointed from Matthew to her. “You’re the girl Matthew went to rescue from a band of Pawnee, when he got shot by an arrow. Zach told us.” He laughed. “Guess he left out the rest of the story.”
“I’m eager to get home and hear how Zach managed to get away from the Pawnee, too,” Matthew said.
He nudged his horse, and Della followed as he led the way along the banks of the river. Chase kept up a lively conversation, filling Matthew in on his parents’ reaction to the news of his death, about his wife and daughters, and general news of people they both knew. Della soon tuned him out since she didn’t know anything about what was being said.
She lost herself in the beauty of her surroundings instead. She marveled at the steaming water that ran into the river in areas, and the brilliant orange and green colors that lined these rivulets and run-offs. The men soon left the river, and followed narrow deer trails through a thickly wooded forest. Many times, the horses had to navigate over or around fallen trees that lay around in abundance.
By mid-afternoon, the forest opened into a lush green meadow, and a wide stream meandered through it. They guided their horses through the water to the opposite bank. The dog barked happily, and ran ahead of them. Della looked into the distance. Thin wisps of smoke rose into the air, and two cabins came into view. It appeared as if the stream met up with another river, and formed a wider body of water that continued to flow through the valley.
Matthew pulled his horse up alongside hers. He smiled broadly, and pointed toward the cabins, which were nestled along a hillside blanketed in pine trees.
“We’re home,” he said, and reached for her hand.
Della’s eyes roamed over the scenery. A steep mountain rose out of the valley on the left. The river created a wide arc and flowed westward, and the cabins stood to the right, overlooking the river. They’d have a direct view of the steep mountain.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, taking it all in.
“Happy homecoming,” Chase called loudly, and rode ahead of them. “I’ll let you tell the folks that you’re here.”
Chase stopped in front of one of the cabins, while Matthew guided his horse to the other. A dark-haired woman wearing britches rushed to greet Chase, then she ran toward Matthew, calling his name repeatedly. He dismounted and opened his arms.
“We thought you were dead,” She sobbed against him.
Matthew held her tight, then peeled her arms away from him. “We’ll tell you the story when we’re all together,” he said. “Sarah, meet my wife, Addy.”
Matthew helped Della from her horse. His sister, Sarah, pulled her into a firm embrace. “You don’t know how happy I am,” she cried.
“I’m sure Matthew’s homecoming must be such a relief to your heavy heart,” Della said quietly, when she pulled out of her sister-in-law’s embrace. She would have recognized her anywhere. Matthew had told her all about his only sister, and how she’d grown up always trying to best her brothers, and usually succeeded.
“Matthew? Oh my God. Matthew?”
The door to the other cabin ripped open, and a short woman with blond hair rushed out. She threw herself into Matthew’s arms just as Sarah had done, and cried loudly.
Matthew embraced his mother, who clung to him as if she’d never let him go. She was a petite woman, and Matthew lifted her easily off the ground. They stood and hugged for minutes. Della wiped at the tears in her eyes, and Sarah sniffled next to her, gripping her hand.
“Chase rode off to find Papa, Zach, and Sam,” Sarah said. “They went hunting to have meat for when they set out to look for you.”
“Mama, I’d like you to meet someone,” Matthew said, still holding his mother in his arms.
Aimee Osborne loosened her hold on her son, but not completely. She raised her head to look up at him, and clasped her palm against his cheek.
“When Zach told us you were dead, I . . . ” she whispered. Fresh tears rolled down her face, and she smiled.
“It’s all right, Mama. Zach didn’t know. He did the right thing by coming home rather than staying in hostile Indian territory.”
Matthew looked toward Della. He grinned. “Mama, come and meet my wife.”
Mrs. Osborne covered the surprised look on her face fairly quickly. Della held her breath when their eyes met. This was Matthew’s mother. Would she welcome her?
The petite woman pulled away from her son. Her eyes widened in astonishment. She glanced toward Matthew.
“Today is just full of happy surprises,” she said, then held out her arms.
Della hesitated. Before she could move, Matthew’s mother walked up to her and pulled her into a warm hug. Della’s heart melted. She wrapped her arms around the older woman’s back. The sensation of warmth filled her, as if this woman’s love was pouring straight from her into Della.
“This is Adelle, Mama. I call her Addy. She saved my life.”
Mrs. Osborne’s arms around her tightened, the strength in her grip belying her small stature.
“It’s so good to have you in the family, Addy,” she whispered. “Any woman my son thinks of highly enough to marry must be someone very special.”
“I’m happy to be part of the family, Mrs. Osborne,” Della croaked. Her throat constricted as she held back her tears.
“It’s Aimee, or . . . you can call me Mama.”
Della blinked, and looked into the woman’s soft blue eyes, which reflected love and joy. She wasn’t so petite, after all. Or perhaps, Della was just as small, since they seemed to be about the same height.
“Let’s go inside,” Aimee said brightly. She reached for Della’s hand, and also for Matthew’s. “We’ll wait for your father and brothers, and then you two have to tell us everything that’s happened. In the meantime, you’ve got to be hungry and thirsty.”
Della met Matthew’s glance and smile, and followed him and his mother into the cabin. She sat at the table while Aimee insisted on fixing them something to eat. Matthew pulled Della onto his lap, and kissed the back of her neck. Della’s face flamed when Aimee turned from working at the bench along one wall of the large room. She smiled brightly. Matthew’s display of affection didn’t seem to bother her, and Della relaxed.
The door burst open, and Chase walked in, carrying a little girl, followed by Sarah, who carried an even younger child in her arms. Three other men followed closely on their heels. Della stiffened, and slid from Matthew’s lap. He stood, and held out his hand.
An older man, with the same physique as Matthew, but black, shoulder-length hair, pulled him into his embrace, then slapped his back. Matthew clasped his father’s arm when they separated.
The ritual repeated twice more, first with Zach, then with a younger man, who had to be Matthew’s brother, Samuel. Aimee walked up to them, and Matthew’s father instantly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. The two exchanged a quick look that left Della staring. There was an unmistakable spark of love in that brief exchange.
After more tearful introductions and everyone welcoming her into the family, they all settled around the t
able in the center of the room. Matthew told the story of how Della had found him, their escape from the Pawnee, and their journey here.
“Didn’t I tell you I’d find him and bring him home?” Chase looked at Zach, then winked at Matthew.
“I searched for you. I thought those Injuns took your body. I followed the river to see if you’d been swept downstream. Had I known you were alive . . .” Zach broke off and shook his head.
Matthew chuckled. “You were never the best tracker in the family. No wonder Sarah always outsmarted you.” He glanced around the room. “We backtracked, and stayed out of sight for a few days while Addy tended to me. We headed south before going north again, once we were out of Pawnee territory.”
Daniel Osborne sat quietly, his wife on his lap. She leaned her head on his broad shoulder, a content smile on her face. The dark lines under her eyes were testament to her anguish since receiving the news that her son was dead, and she’d most likely endured a week of sleepless nights. She could rest peacefully tonight.
Della leaned against Matthew, who’d wrapped one arm around her waist and held her to him on his lap. She listened while he told his story, her eyes moving discreetly from Daniel to Aimee. Matthew shared characteristics with both his parents. While he had his mother’s quick smile and light hair, his features resembled his father, and so did his self-assured, quiet mannerisms.
Much later, when she lay in her husband’s arms and everyone else had gone to bed, Della smiled up at Matthew in the darkness. He held her close, and she rested her head against his chest, listening to the strong, steady beating of his heart.
“Your family is wonderful, and this place is spectacular beyond words,” she whispered.
Matthew’s arms tightened around her. “I hope you’ll be content to be a lowly doctor’s wife when we head back east in the spring.”
Della kissed his arm. “I don’t care where home is, as long as it’s with you.”
Matthew rolled her onto her back. “Wherever we are, I know you and I are going to do great things together.” He leaned over her, and kissed her long and slow. “But right now, I’m going to enjoy this Yellowstone homecoming.”
THE END
Thank you for purchasing and reading YELLOWSTONE HOMECOMING. I hope you enjoyed it. You can find the other books in the series here.
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Dear Reader
When a reader approached me with the request for Matthew Osborne’s story, I knew instantly what the basic plot for his book would be. Way back in 2012, when I was deep in research for a different book set along the Oregon Trail (Come Home to Me), I came across a true story about a father of an emigrant family who, half-jokingly, gave one of his daughters in trade to a Native American the wagon train encountered along the way. He never thought the Indian would hold him to his word.
The story stuck with me, and I had intended to use it for the second book in the Teton Romance Trilogy when I was plotting that series. Well, it never made it into any of the Teton books (I couldn’t resist to bring the Walker boys from the Teton stories into this book for a cameo). In the back of my mind, I always wanted the Osborne brothers to perhaps scout for a wagon train, but the time period just didn’t fit.
Emigrants didn’t start moving west in wagon trains until 1843, with the height of migration in the early 1850’s. There were, however, groups of missionaries who traveled west. In 1836, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, along with a few other missionary couples, were the first to head west for Oregon, led by fur trappers Milton Sublette and Thomas Fitzpatrick.
Jim Bridger was a famous trapper, mountain man, scout, and explorer. He was one of the first white men to see the geysers of Yellowstone. Because of his reputation as a “teller of tall tales”, no one in the east believed his stories of what he’d seen. His tales as written in this story are taken from actual accounts.
Fort Williams was the original name of Fort Laramie. In 1838 when this story takes place, the fort was a trapper outpost, not a military fort. It was founded by fur trapper William Sublette in 1834. The army bought the outpost in 1849 to establish a base to protect the wagon trains on the Oregon Trail.
The fur traders and mountain men held annual rendezvous, or get-togethers to trade and restock on supplies, from 1825 until about 1841. The 1838 rendezvous was held in the Wind River Basin, near the present-day town of Riverton, Wyoming, as described in this story.
Willow bark contains a chemical called salicin, which is similar to aspirin. Its pain relieving properties has been known throughout history. The ancient Greeks chewed on the bark to relieve pain and fever. The Native Americans made tea from the bark for aches and pains, and poultices to help heal abscesses.
I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into the lives of the Osborne family from the Yellowstone Romance Series. The series will continue with three more full-length novels planned. I am presently working on Book 6, which is titled Yellowstone Origins. The best place to stay informed on my writing progress and release schedule is through my Facebook Group, or on my blog. I also send out new release information through my newsletter.
As always, I couldn’t do this without my support team: My wonderful editor, Barbara Ouradnik, who not only makes me use proper grammar, but also keeps my characters and plot on track.
Also, my fabulous beta readers on this book, who find the little plot mistakes and pesky typos that are so easy to miss, and give me unbiased feedback: Heather Belleguelle, Lisa Bynum, Sonja Carroll, Shirl Deems, Kathie Hamilton, and Hilarie Smith.
Collin Henderson, my son and future rocket scientist, who creates my beautiful book covers.
A special thanks to Abby Braga, who campaigned relentlessly for this book to get written. Finally, thank you to a member of the Pioneer Hearts Facebook group who was the winner of a contest to name the heroine in this story.
Find out more about me and my stories here:
www.peggylhenderson.com
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I’m always happy to hear from my readers. Tell me what you liked, or didn’t like in the story. I can be reached via email here: [email protected]
Also by Peggy L Henderson
Find all my Books here on Amazon
Yellowstone Romance Series:
(in recommended reading order)
Yellowstone Heart Song
A Yellowstone Christmas (novella)
Yellowstone Redemption
Yellowstone Homecoming (novella)
Yellowstone Awakening
Yellowstone Dawn
Yellowstone Deception
A Yellowstone Promise (novella)
A Yellowstone Season of Giving (short story)
Teton Romance Trilogy
Teton Sunrise
Teton Splendor
Teton Sunset
Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series
Come Home to Me
Ain’t No Angel
Diamond in the Dust
Blemished Brides
In His Eyes
In His Touch
Yellowstone Homecoming: Yellowstone Romance Series Novella Page 12
