Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (10 page)

Sarah watched him. He was such a strong man. He had managed the strenuous journey yesterday without faltering. Today he had climbed into the Yellowstone canyon, then rescued her, and climbed back out. He was a man made for this environment. A warm feeling doused her. She sighed quietly, then her eyes followed his line of vision and gazed up at the stars.

“I never tire of looking at the stars. It’s a beautiful night,” she said softly.
“Yeah, it sure is.”

She peered over at him. He wasn’t looking at the stars. Their eyes met.

 Her heart must have skipped a beat, and her mouth went dry. She quickly averted her gaze. Trying to divert his attention, she looked at the sky again.

“See those stars up there?” She pointed straight up.  “They form almost a square, and a tail coming off one side? It looks like a pot with a handle. My mother calls it the Big Dipper.”

“Big Dipper.” Chase said simultaneously.

Sarah’s eyes widened, and she stared at him. “How do you know this?” Several times already, Chase had used words and phrases that only her mother would use.

“Isn’t it commonly called the Big Dipper? The Greeks called it Ursa Major, the big bear. But I don’t see a bear in those stars.” Chase propped himself up on his elbows.

“I don’t know,” Sarah shook her head. “Perhaps you are from the same place my mother grew up. She also comes from a big city. She tells different stories than my Tukudeka relatives.”

“You’re part Indian?” Chase looked her way, his eyebrows raised.

Her own eyes narrowed. “Would it matter if I was?” She couldn’t disguise the anger in her tone. Was he one of those white men who despised the Indians?

“No, I was just curious. If you call them your relatives, that implies you’re related.”

“My father was raised by them as one of their own. We consider the Tukudeka our relatives.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. There was no hint of disdain in his voice. Sarah relaxed. She added more wood to the fire.

“So, what kind of stories did your mother tell you?” He rolled to his side, facing her, his head resting in his hand.

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the long winter nights when she and her brothers would sit in the cabin, a roaring fire blazing in the hearth. Her mother would entertain them with tales of a magical world.  Sarah would snuggle on her papa’s lap, rolled up in a blanket, and they all listened in fascination. Her mother had a wonderful imagination.

She smiled at the memories, then cleared her throat. “Well, she would tell us of a magical place where the sky was filled with giant birds, and people rode inside the bellies of these birds, and flew all around the world in a day. And people could speak to each other, and even see each other, even if they were great distances apart. And men walked on the moon.”

On the other side of the fire, Chase jumped up suddenly. He slid down on the ground on his knees in front of her so quickly, she pulled her knife in surprise. He gave it no notice, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Where did you say your mother is from?” His face was inches from hers, his intense stare startling her.

“New….New York,” she stammered. Squirming, she tried to break away from his grip. “You’re hurting me, Chase.” His mouth relaxed, and his eyes softened.

“I’m sorry.” He released his hold on her, but his hands lingered on her arms, his thumbs rubbing the fabric of her shirt up and down her skin. Warmth spread throughout her body, and her skin tingled from his touch. She forced her breathing to remain steady.

Chase sat back on his heels. “How did she end up here in the wilderness?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Sarah shook her head, her eyebrows narrowing. “I think my father just… found her.” Her voice trailed off. She’d never asked or questioned her parents about that. It was just as natural as breathing that her mother and father should be together. How that came about had never been important.

“He just found her here, in the wilderness?” Chase repeated her words.

“Why is this important?”

“Sarah,” his eyes bored holes right through her, “the stories your mother told you, the magical place, it’s real. The things she told you about are real. They exist in my world…in my time.”

Her head shook more vigorously. How could that be true?  She laughed. “Those are just children’s stories.”

“No, they’re not, Sarah.”  He ran his hand up and down the back of his head. “Are there any other stories? Did she ever mention other magical things? Cars, maybe?”

“No.”

“Okay, maybe she didn’t use that word. What kind of transportation vehicles do you have in this time?” He wasn’t directing the question at her. Sarah had heard him think out loud before.

“I’ve seen horse-drawn buckboards in St. Louis,” she offered.

“Okay, has she mentioned stuff like that, only they aren’t pulled by horses? People ride in them, and can go real fast. Anything like that sound familiar?” 

Sarah’s stomach dropped. It did sound familiar. Even her father had added to the stories and talked about colorful monsters that moved at incredible speeds on smooth roads. Her eyes met Chase’s stare, her mouth slightly open.

“Your mother is from the future, Sarah. She’s from my time.” He sounded absolutely sure of himself.

She could only shake her head. How could this be true? Her mother knew things that no one else seemed to know. She talked differently, too. Chase used similar words. 

“There’s no other explanation how she could know all this stuff. You know it’s true, don’t you.” Chase leaned towards her. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“I . . . don’t know,” she whispered softly.

Chapter 11

“I have to talk to your mother, Sarah.” Chase couldn’t believe what Sarah had revealed. She was clueless, but to him it was as obvious as day and night. No one could make up stories as accurate as what Sarah described. If her mother had time traveled, perhaps she knew how it was possible, and it would get him home. But why did she stay in this time? A sinking feeling came over him. What if it was a one-way ticket? Had she been stuck here, too? Without any other recourse, had she married Sarah’s father out of necessity? Chase frowned. As difficult as it was for him to be here, he couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for a modern woman, stranded in the past.  Marriage to a man from this time was probably her best option. Chase had to have some answers.

“Can you take me to this rendezvous place?”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “No, that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am not allowed to travel there on my own.”
Chase frowned. “I’m going with you. You wouldn’t be alone.”

“The way leads straight through Blackfoot country. Any white man, especially one traveling alone, will put his life in danger. The Blackfoot are a hostile tribe.”

He shook his head, and his eyebrows drew together. He didn’t get it. “But your parents are white,” he argued.

Sarah laughed. “My father trades with them as well as all other tribes in this region. My mother is a skilled healer. If anything happens to them, the wrath of many other nations will descend on the Blackfoot, and they know it. They would not harm my parents.”

Chase sat on the hard ground, the chill of the earth seeping up into his body. The fire crackled loudly. Sarah’s features danced in the shadows, illuminated by the flames. He held his head between his hands.

One month.

Somehow he had to convince Sarah to take him to her parents sooner. He didn’t want to be here that long. He needed some answers now. He glanced at her. She sat quietly, stroking her dog’s neck. Her fingers moved slowly through the mutt’s fur. Chase pictured her hand in his hair, stroking him . . . Irrational jealousy swept over him.
You’re insane, Russell. Jealous of a dog?

These feelings for her confused, and scared, the hell out of him. All the more reason he needed to get home.

“All right. I’ll go back to Madison with you,” he blurted out. “I hope your mother can give me some answers.”

Her blue eyes stared at him from a few feet away. She nodded slightly. “Then you’d better get some sleep,” she said softly. “The trip back is not any easier.”

“We can take our time. I’m not in a rush now.” He got up and moved to his blanket on the opposite side of the fire.  For a long time, he gazed at the Big Dipper. 

*****

An animal howled in the distance, the ominous sound reverberating through the trees. Chase woke with a start. His breath created whitish swirly patterns above him each time he exhaled. The gray sky held no hint of sunshine in the early dawn. With a groan, he rolled onto his side. His back ached from lying on the hard ground. The campfire crackled loudly, and the flames eagerly consumed the wood that looked like it had been freshly added. The flames were just beginning to envelop all the branches.  He raised his head. Sarah’s blanket was empty. Did this girl ever sleep?

He sat up and rubbed at his stiff neck. Reluctantly, he pushed himself off the ground. How many nights had he been here in the past now? Yesterday he’d hoped to be home again. Today he would return with Sarah to her home. Memories of the day before came back to him. The way she’d trembled in his arms, and the tears in her eyes. Her vulnerability had stirred something in him unlike anything he could remember. Would it really be so bad to spend some time with her?

No, Russell. You can’t get involved with her. She’s not that kind of girl.

He had to figure out a way to get to this rendezvous place, and find her mother. She had to know how to get back to his own time. But what if she didn’t? What if she’d come here the same way he had? It was unthinkable for him to remain here.

“Okay. Just take it one day at a time,” he said out loud. He looked around between the trees. He had no intention of walking up on Sarah again the way he’d done yesterday.

“Sarah,” he called. His voice traveled through the trees. A few birds chirped in the canopies of the lodgepoles, announcing the new day. Sarah’s dog barked in the distance. He called her name again, and followed the barking. Pushing through the trees, his eyebrows raised in surprise.  Sarah was perched precariously on one of the lower branches of a pine tree, a stick in her hand, swinging it at some of the higher branches above her head. What was she doing? Chase laughed.

“Is this your early morning exercise routine, or did a bear chase you up that tree?”

She glared down at him. “If you must know, I’m trying to get us some breakfast.”

“We’re eating pine needles?” He grinned up at her.

“I’m trying to reach that cluster of pine cones up in the higher branches. This is a white bark pine tree.”

Pine cones didn’t sound any more appetizing than pine needles. “Get down before you hurt yourself, Angel.” Chase moved to stand directly under her. He sure didn’t want her falling out of that tree.  He reached his hand up, and grabbed her ankle to keep her steady.  Sarah shrieked just before she lost her balance. Apparently his intent had the opposite effect.  Her arms flailed wildly in the air as she tried to prevent a fall. It was no use. She toppled out of the tree. 
Fly into my arms, Angel
. He was ready for her below. He held his arms out and caught her, cradling her against his chest.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

His face grew serious. “Keeping you from breaking that pretty neck of yours,” he said.

Chase swallowed, mesmerized by her blue eyes. His chest tightened while he held her up against him, until she squirmed in his arms. Reluctantly, he set her feet on the ground. Her eyes turned wide as saucers, and she drew in a sharp breath. Chase grudgingly released her completely, his hand lingering at her waist. He wanted to kiss her. She was close enough that he could, but he held back.

Russell, you’re embarrassing her.
The only time she acted unsure of herself was in his presence. Didn’t she ever have a boyfriend or whatever they called it in this day?

He cleared his throat. “Which pine cones are you trying to get?” he asked, putting some distance between them, trying to act unaffected by her nearness.

Sarah stepped back, and looked up, pointing. Chase’s eyes followed her line of vision.  “See that branch up there? It has quite a few cones on it.”

Chase pulled the tomahawk from his belt. Stepping a few paces out from the tree, he aimed and threw the ax. It sliced cleanly through the thin branch. Both branch and ax landed on the ground with a thud.

“Where did you learn to throw with such accuracy?” Sarah asked. The admiration in her eyes warmed him to the core.

“It’s a quarterback’s job to throw the ball to the receiver. If the throw isn’t accurate, the ball could end up in the hands of the opposing team.”

“Quarterback?” Her forehead wrinkled.

How could he explain football to her? “Yeah, a quarterback is sort of the leader of the team. He makes decisions to get the ball in the hands of his teammates to score points. His teammates have to defend him and the ball from the opposing team.”

“I don’t understand this game.” Sarah shook her head. She bent down and picked the pine cones off the branch.

Chase reached out his hand. “Here, I’ll take some of those.”

She glanced up at him, and held his gaze for a moment. Then she handed him a half dozen cones.

“So, how do we eat these?” Chase rotated an egg-sized cone between two fingers. It was hard as a rock.

Sarah laughed. “You don’t eat the cone. The pine nuts inside are what we’re after.”

“Oh.”

“Come. I will show you an easy way to get the cones to open and release the nuts.” She headed off back to camp. Chase shook his head, and followed. Never in a million years would it have occurred to him to look for pine cones as a source of nourishment.  First roots from a flower, and now this.  He’d never be able to survive here. 

The campfire had burned to simmering coals. She threw her pine cones on top of the hot ashes and gestured for Chase to do the same. He watched in amazement as the pine cones burst open, one by one, just like popcorn. Sarah pulled them back out with her stick, and picked the seeds out of the centers.

“It doesn’t look like a lot,” she said, offering him a handful, “but they are very nourishing.”

Chase popped them in his mouth. He wasn’t too keen on nuts, but his stomach growled loudly.

“Not bad,” he said, chewing the crunchy corn-kernel sized seeds.

 Sarah rolled up her blanket, kicked some dirt on the ashes to completely douse the fire, and picked up her weapons. He followed suit, shouldering his rolled up blanket.

“Will we get back to Madison today?” he asked.

“You decide,” Sarah answered.

“Let’s take it slow,” he said, falling in step beside her when she headed out away from the canyon. He glanced over his shoulder once more at the deep scar in the earth. With a determined set of his jaw, he turned his head and stared straight ahead.

*****

Sarah led the way west. She followed a different path than the way they’d come. It would mean camping out one more night, but even she didn’t want to repeat the same brutal trek from two days ago. The way led through mountainous lodgepole forest, and lush green meadows. Sometimes she had to alter course when the area became too marshy. Not much was said by either of them for most of the day. Chase seemed to be absorbed with his own thoughts, and Sarah didn’t wish to bother him.

She found berries along the way for them to eat, and Grizzly had stirred up several ptarmigans in the tall grasses. She’d killed two, which would make a nice supper when they stopped for the night.

Her own thoughts wandered to the man who walked tirelessly next to her. He continued to amaze her. For someone unaccustomed to the wilderness, he had taken to it remarkably well.  His dismal survival skills nagged at her, but he learned fast, and seemed to remember everything she’d told him the last few days. He had no problem starting a fire when they set up camp along a shallow tributary of the Little Buffalo River, and he even plucked and cleaned one of the birds, and skewered it to hang over the fire.

It was still early, and the sun slowly descended into the western horizon. They had eaten their meal, and Chase had wandered a short distance from camp, Grizzly at his heels. She smiled, watching this big man play with her dog, repeatedly throwing a stick for him. Grizzly wagged his tail, and barked happily, retrieving the stick each time to continue the game.

Sarah sat by the fire, unbraiding her hair, and ran her hands through her thick tresses. Tomorrow, when they reached home, she would need a bath. She only hoped Chase would give her the privacy she required. Apprehension filled her at the thought of bathing with the knowledge that he would be so close by.

A branch snapped in the trees behind her. Sarah whirled around, her knife drawn instinctively. A man emerged from behind the forest.

“Hello the camp,” he called.

Sarah stood, and darted a nervous glance towards the creek. Chase and Grizzly had wandered further downstream.

“Hello yourself,” she answered, hoping her voice sounded steady. The man came closer. She recognized him, and her heart leapt up her throat. Jean-Luc Briard! This man had pursued her like a fly on fresh bison dung the entire four weeks at rendezvous last year. Her brother Matthew had almost gotten into a fist fight with him.