Yellowstone Awakening (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 3)

by Peggy L Henderson

  “Chase, need I remind you that in this day and age, a woman has no rights, and the law considers her nothing more than her husband’s property?” Sarah shot her husband a meaningful look.

  “It won’t always be like that, Angel.” He stared back at her intently.

  If only that were true.

  “That doesn’t help Kate now,” Sarah sighed.

  Kate rose from her seat. She stood to face everyone. “I’m so sorry to burden you all with my troubles. I appreciate everything Kyle and you all have done for me. I have to tell Kyle the truth as soon as he gets back. I’ve been extremely unfair to him. I suppose you can take me back to Hiram, and . . . collect that reward money.”

  Sarah stood and grabbed her arm. “Don’t be silly, Kate. No one is going to turn you over to that man against your will. Kyle would never hear of it.”

  “What am I to do?” Kate’s voice rose in desperation. “I can’t marry Kyle, and I can’t live with him in sin.”

  Sarah looked toward the two men standing silently in the room. “I don’t know, Kate, but we’ll think of something.”

  Kate allowed Sarah to pull her into a motherly embrace. She could only hope that Kyle would take the news as well as the rest of his family. Somehow she didn’t think so.

  Chapter 21

  Kyle gazed up at the cloudless night sky. It served as the perfect backdrop for the millions of stars that twinkled and sparked like rare jewels high above. The back of his head rested in his clasped hands, and his legs crossed at the ankles as he lay on top of his blanket. The soft crackling and occasional hissing of his campfire added to his contentment.

  The murmurs and occasional laughter of the men who sat around several other fires some distance away couldn’t distract him from his thoughts. Katelyn. She was constantly on his mind. How was she faring? Had she kept her promise, and stayed in Virginia City, or did she use the money he had given her, and returned home? She’d promised to wait for him. He had no reason to doubt her, especially after she told him she loved him.

  Kyle’s insides warmed, and his pulse quickened. Kate’s declaration of love played in his mind as clearly as if she stood before him, uttering the words at this very moment. He ached to hold her in his arms. Within the week he would be back in Virginia City. Nothing would deter him from finally claiming her as his wife. The Madison Valley would be their home, just as it had been his grandparents’ and his parents’ home. They’d raise horses and a few children, as many as she wanted. His lips curved in a slow smile when his mind conjured images of Katelyn’s body swollen with his child. He’d treat her like a queen. His mother would come and act as midwife.

  The laughter from the other men grew more boisterous. The whiskey must be flowing freely this evening. Kyle turned his head in their direction. Everyone seemed to be in a cheerful mood. The two week expedition was over. By this time tomorrow, everyone expected to be lying in a comfortable bed back in Helena, rather than sleeping on a hard, cold ground. Beyond the fires, in stark contrast to the darkness, stood Hiram Devereaux’s white canvas tent. It looked as out of place in this wilderness as the man who slept within.

  Kyle’s gaze returned to the stars above. Hiram Devereaux had been a difficult man to deal with, to say the least. They’d locked horns on several occasions, ranging from the route they traveled, the miles they covered each day, where to best set up camp each night, to the game they could kill for meat. Kyle never backed down when he made a decision, something he knew grated heavily with the older man.

  Kyle’s first impression of Devereaux back in Helena had held up these last two weeks. The railroad owner was arrogant to a fault, and used to everyone doing his bidding. He’d brought along not only several men that Kyle suspected served as his body guards, but also a personal cook, and an assistant.

  Kyle had never gotten a chance to approach the man about the railroad laying tracks into the general vicinity. It was clear to him from the beginning that Devereaux had a different agenda than looking at the geysers and hot springs as features deserving of protection. Kyle wouldn’t be looking to him for support. At best, he could hope that the man decided this area was too remote for the railroad to bother with. At worst, he might become an adversary when it came time to present Nathaniel Langford’s nation’s park proposal to Congress. Hiram Devereaux’s motivation for seeing this place was a mystery to Kyle.

  He stretched, and rolled to his side, away from the fire. After tomorrow, he’d be done with Hiram Devereaux. He closed his eyes, and let his mind wander back to more pleasant thoughts. I love you, Kyle.

  ”I love, you, too, Katelyn. I’ll be home soon.”

  *****

  Kyle tossed the remaining contents of his morning cup of coffee onto the dying flames of his fire. The hot coals hissed loudly in protest when the liquid splashed onto the embers. Dense gray steam, reminiscent of several geysers they’d seen in recent days, rose from the ground.

  “Mr. Russell. Excuse me, sir. Mr. Devereaux wishes to speak with you.”

  Kyle turned to face the haggard-looking assistant that Devereaux had dragged along on this journey. The man clearly never expected his job duties to include a trip into the wilderness. The black suit he wore sported not a speck of trail dust. The man kept himself as meticulously clean here as he obviously did in the city. His short, neatly trimmed fingernails were as shiny and clean as on the day he was born. Nervously, the squat little man pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose, and brushed the hair back over his forehead to cover the bald patch on his scalp.

  “I’ll be right there,” Kyle said.

  “He’s expecting you now, sir. In his tent.” The man gave him a pleading look, and Kyle took sympathy with the squirrely man.

  Kyle closed his eyes, and sighed. He could make it through this one last day. “Lead the way, Horace.”

  The assistant’s shoulder’s relaxed, and he expelled the breath he’d been holding with relief. “Right this way, sir,” he said.

  Kyle shook his head, and grinned. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t’ find his own way to the oversized tent twenty yards away.

  “Mr. Russell is here to see you, Mr. Devereaux,” Horace announced from outside the tent.

  “Send him in,” came the gravelly reply.

  Horace stepped aside, and opened the tent flap for Kyle to enter. The ever-present odor of cigar smoke filled the air within, and Kyle blinked back the sting in his eyes.

  Hiram Devereaux sat at the small wooden folding table that he had insisted on bringing along. Kyle had deemed it a frivolous object, along with the chair, and cot, and silver serving pieces, but unwisely had relented on these items when, at the last minute, another pack mule had materialized. Devereaux glanced up from the papers in front of him. Kyle approached the table, and crossed his hands over his chest.

  “Russell, I’m relieving you of your duties as of now. We can find our own way back to Helena from here.” He opened a metal box in front of him, and withdrew some bills. Counting them out onto the table, he handed Kyle the agreed-upon sum for his services. Kyle accepted the money, folded the bills, and stuffed them in the pouch around his neck.

  He hadn’t heard sweeter news since Kate told him she loved him. From their present location, he could cut a straight line back to the Madison Valley, and wouldn’t have to backtrack from Helena. He could switch out horses at home. Blackjack deserved some rest. From Madison, with a fresh mount, he could make good time to get back to Virginia City within three days.

  Hiram Devereaux pushed his chair away from the table and stood. The chain of his gold pocket watch snagged on the corner of the table. The force of the heavy man’s upward momentum caused the chain to break, and the watch pulled free from his vest pocket. It landed with a clank on the hard ground a few feet in front of Kyle. The impact caused the spring to release, and the watch opened. Kyle bent to pick up the expensive-looking piece of jewelry. His eyes fell not on the timepiece, but on the picture inside the case. A familiar woman’s face stared back at
him.

  Kyle expelled a breath of air as if he’d been punched in the gut. Adrenaline flooded his veins. He would recognize that face anywhere. She looked slightly different than the vision that was burned into his memory. The young lady’s hair in this photograph was perfectly coiffed on top of her head. Not a strand was out of place.

  The photo was cut off at the lady’s bust, but she wore an off-the-shoulder dark-colored gown that showed off her cleavage. A large jewel dangled on a satin band around her neck, emphasizing her slender features. Neither the haunting sadness in her eyes, nor the strained smile on her face could deter from her extraordinary beauty.

  Kate. His Katelyn. There could be no mistake. Why did Hiram Devereaux carry an image of her in his watch? A thousand questions flooded Kyle’s mind. She must be some relation to him. Why had she never mentioned that she knew Hiram Devereaux whenever Kyle spoke of his assignment? The man’s name had come up several times.

  “My watch,” Hiram said gruffly, holding out his hand.

  Kyle tore his eyes away from Kate’s image. He steadied his hand as he handed the timepiece back to its owner. Clearing his throat, he asked the question foremost on his mind, “Who is that woman in the picture?”

  Hiram chuckled, and it sounded more like a raspy cough. “Yes, she catches everyone’s eye, doesn’t she? Even the eyes of an ignorant backwoodsman who knows nothing of refinement and beauty.”

  Kyle ignored the comment. He’d been referred to as an ignorant backwoodsman several times over the last couple of weeks.

  Hiram opened the watch, and stared at the image as if appraising a rare jewel or fine piece of furniture.

  “Ah, yes. I am the envy of Boston Society,” he said smugly. “That woman is my wife.”

  Kyle stared at the man as if he hadn’t heard correctly. All the air left his lungs. A loud ringing in his ears, and the pounding of his heart overrode all ambient sound. The sensation of the ground opening and swallowing him up forced him to take a step back to steady his legs. Someone stuck a knife in his chest, and twisted it repeatedly like a key in a lock.

  There had to be some mistake. Katelyn couldn’t be married. Maybe that wasn’t her in the picture after all.

  “You just gave me an idea, son.” Hiram’s gritty voice penetrated Kyle’s mind. “I have a new assignment for you.”

  “Pardon?” Kyle said vaguely. He tried to focus his vision on the man in front of him. Kyle always prided himself on remaining composed and ready to act in any given situation. His grandfather had taught him that vital survival skill. At this moment, if his life had been in danger, he’d be a goner.

  “My wife was kidnapped almost two months ago. I have exhausted every effort in trying to find her, or the party responsible for her disappearance. I’ve even had my men in Boston looking for her.”

  Hiram groaned as he eased himself back into his chair behind the table. He leaned forward and folded his hands in front of him.

  “You’re familiar with this godforsaken wilderness. It never occurred to me that she could have been brought through here. I’d like to hire you to search for her. I have posted a five hundred dollar reward for her return. It’s yours, half in advance, if you take the assignment.”

  Kyle swallowed back the nausea rising from his throat. His eyes narrowed. “Your wife . . . what’s her name?” he asked. His own voice sounded unfamiliar in his ears.

  Hiram’s eyebrows rose. “To you, and anyone else, it’s Mrs. Devereaux. Her given name is Kate Ellen.”

  Kyle’s jaw clenched, and he balled his fists at his sides. A sudden wave of anger such as he had never known swept over him, and threatened to knock him over. An irrational urge to leap over the table and pound his fist into the beefy man’s face forced him to back up toward the tent’s opening. The flap swayed lazily in the breeze, and Kyle took hold of the canvas to steady himself.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Devereaux. I have other business that needs my attention.” Kyle forced the words out. “Since we’re done here, I’ll be heading out.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ducked between the canvas, squinting into the morning light. His hands, his feet, his entire body, were numb. Three days. It would take at least that long to get to Virginia City. Kyle needed answers. Covering the ground with long strides, he headed for his campsite to gather his saddle and gear, then moved to the picket line where his horse stood tied. His surroundings took on a surreal quality, as his mind tried to comprehend what he’d just learned.

  “Hey, Russell. Where are you off to in such a hurry? The old man finally get the better of you?” One of Devereaux’s men called to him. The rest laughed. They sat around their morning campfire, sipping coffee and playing cards. Kyle swore under his breath. If any of those men made one move toward him, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. He wanted to lash out, hurt someone, anyone, to temper the fury inside him.

  Damn her! She’d lied to him from the beginning, and played him for a fool. Kyle ran his hands through his hair. He threw his saddle over Blackjack’s back. The gelding jumped to the side, and pulled back on his rope. Kyle ignored his horse, and looped the girth strap through the cinch. The muscles in his jaw worked furiously.

  The night she had that bad dream, he’d . . . they’d almost . . .

  “Goddammit!” he growled. He’d asked her to marry him, for Christ’s sakes. She’d said she loved him. Why the hell hadn’t she told him she was married? She’d certainly misled him good. He had to admit she knew how to manipulate a man. Was that how she’d snagged a rich husband like Devereaux?

  Kyle yanked Blackjack’s reins free of the picket line, and pulled him away from the other horses. He grabbed hold of the saddle horn and vaulted onto the gelding’s back. Without securing his feet in the stirrups, he kicked the horse into a run. Heading westward, he urged the animal to greater speed, leaning forward and low over his mount’s neck.

  The wind whipped his hair around his face. Kyle wished fervently that the ground his horse swallowed up with its long strides would also erase the torment within him. It wasn’t to be. His anger grew with every mile that took him closer to Virginia City. He’d been completely smitten with Mrs. Devereaux from the moment he met her, which left him blind to her schemes. Was this a rich woman’s way to relieve boredom and find a little excitement?

  Kyle was forced to slow his hellish pace and rest his horse several times throughout the day. By the time the cabins in the Madison Valley came into view in the late afternoon, Blackjack was frothy white at the neck, between his chest, and between his hind legs. The gelding’s nostrils flared with each heaving breath he took, and Kyle walked him the last mile. A woman wasn’t worth killing his horse over.

  Josh emerged from his cabin before Kyle entered the yard. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked, staring wide-eyed from Kyle to Blackjack. Kyle wordlessly dropped the horse’s reins, and headed for the corral. Yanking a fresh bridle off the fence, he entered the enclosure and selected a chestnut horse from the group.

  “I need my saddle,” Kyle called gruffly, leading the horse out. Josh brought Blackjack up to the fence.

  “Since when do we run our horses to death?” Josh glared at him. “Was Laughing Badger after you again?”

  “I wish,” Kyle growled, but didn’t elaborate. “I need to get to Virginia City. Pick out another fast horse while I get this one saddled. That way I can trade off.” Ignoring his cousin, Kyle unsaddled Blackjack and refitted the chestnut with the gear. By the time he was done, Josh brought a second horse, and released Blackjack into the corral.

  “Are you in trouble? Do I need to go with you?” Josh asked.

  Kyle swung into the saddle and stared down at his cousin. “I’m not in trouble. But someone else is, and there’s gonna be hell to pay.” He grabbed the leadline of the spare horse from Josh’s hand and looped the end around his saddle horn, then kicked his new mount into a gallop.

  *****

  Virginia City sat sprawled out below him. Kyle rest
ed his horses for a few minutes, then headed down into the valley. The sun sank like a glowing orange fireball into the western horizon. He’d ridden through the night, as fast as the darkness allowed. His shirt clung to his sweat-soaked back and chest, and his hair stuck to his forehead. He was as exhausted as his animals. Kyle scoffed. Maybe this had all been for nothing. She’d probably taken his money and run.

  Kyle trotted down the main street of town, and didn’t stop until he reached his parents’ mercantile. He tied his horses in front of the store, giving them enough line so they could drink from the water trough in front of them. Without knocking, he let himself in through the side door that led into the kitchen, knowing the doors to the storefront had been locked at this hour.

  Warm air assaulted him, and the delicious smell of supper cooking wafted to his nose. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t bothered to eat since the morning he left Devereaux’s camp two days ago. Food wasn’t important at the moment.

  “Kyle!” His mother greeted in surprise. She stood by the stove, stirring a wooded spoon in a pot. Her brows rose before narrowing in a disapproving frown.

  “Where is she?” Kyle demanded, his voice hoarse.

  “Kate?” His mother guessed, turning fully toward him. She set the spoon on the counter and wiped her hands on a towel.

  He knew he was being rude, but didn’t care at the moment. “Yeah, where is she?”

  His mother hesitated, and studied him. “I think she’s getting ready for supper.”

  Kyle headed for the living room.

  “Why don’t you go wash up. You’re just in time to eat.” He ignored his mother, and dashed through the room. “Kyle!” She called after him, her voice uncharacteristically high.

  He took the risers to the upstairs bedrooms three at a time. Without knocking, he ripped open the door to Kate’s room, his eyes scanning the small space. Kate stood by the dresser, holding a hairbrush in her hands. She gasped, and her head shot up in his direction. Relief swept over her face, and she smiled brightly.