Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (112 page)

Jana emerged from behind some trees that led to the creek. Her shy smile sent his heart into overdrive. She was more beautiful today than she’d ever been. Her chestnut hair fell in waves to her shoulders, bouncing lightly as she walked. There was a certain glow to her cheeks, and his body warmed with the thought that he might be the cause of it.

Dan stepped toward her, and reached for her hand. He bent forward and kissed her. “Mrs. Spirit of White Wolf, you are gorgeous,” he whispered, inhaling deeply of the fresh scent of soap in her hair.

Jana stiffened suddenly. Dogs barked, and the people from the village behind him began to talk excitedly. Dan turned. Two men emerged through the trees at the other end of the village. Dan recognized one as Elk Runner. Walking next to him was a broad-shouldered man slightly taller than the Indian.

The confident, graceful way he moved gave him a commanding presence.  From a distance, he could easily be mistaken for one of the Sheepeaters. Instead of a buckskin shirt, however, he wore light tan-colored cotton homespun gathered at the waist by a large belt. A tomahawk and hunting knife hung off the belt on either side of his hips, and he carried a flintlock rifle in his left hand. Various pouches and a powderhorn hung from his shoulders, criss-crossing his chest.

Dan held his breath. He had no doubt who this man was. Not from the stories he’d heard as a child. Looking at him from across the expanse of the village, Dan felt as if he was staring at his own image. The main difference was the man’s long, shoulder-length hair, and the hard penetrating stare of his eyes that he directed first to Jana, and now locked onto him. The moment of truth had arrived.

Chapter 26

Jana gripped Dan’s arm tighter. He waited, unsure of whether to meet Daniel Osborne halfway, or simply wait for him to approach. He opted to meet him, otherwise he might come across as a coward, and swallowed the apprehension in his throat. He patted Jana’s hand, and strode toward the village. The people gathered, glancing from him to Daniel. The expressions of disbelief on their faces spoke volumes. Dan wondered what they thought of their sky people now. Suddenly, both versions of White Wolf were present in the same place. The looks of awe on some faces actually brought a smile to his face.

“Daniel,” Dan said, holding out his hand when they stood mere feet apart. This meeting couldn’t be any more bizarre. “I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

Daniel Osborne stood before him, not a hint of what he was thinking evident on his face. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly for a fraction of a second. He held out his hand, and shook Dan’s in a firm grip. Dan had the distinct impression that in that brief moment, he was being sized up and assessed.

Although they were probably the same age, Daniel’s confident and proud demeanor made him seem so much older. There was no arrogance or show of superiority in his behavior, but Dan’s feeling of awe in Daniel’s presence was akin to meeting some famous movie star. This was his ancestor!

“You’re named after the first Daniel Osborne,”
his grandfather had told him when he was little.
“You’re the last of the Montana Osbornes, so wear your name with pride.”

“My brother spoke the truth,” Daniel finally said in English, his voice resonating deep and full of confidence. If he was at all unsettled by this encounter, he sure didn’t let on. The man must have nerves of steel. Daniel turned his head slightly to his side and glanced quickly at Elk Runner, who stood silently by. “For once he spoke the truth,” Daniel added dryly. “When he came to my cabin with a tale of a man who shares my likeness, I believed it was another ploy to get me to leave the valley. I’ll wait to hear your explanation for your presence here, and who you are.”

And I’m dying to know what the deal is about you having to leave the valley.
Hopefully, this entire mystery could be solved now. Dan wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with Hastings.

Daniel’s head turned and he looked at Jana. For the first time, his features softened, and a slight smile formed on his lips. “Jana Evans, I did not believe you and I would ever meet again. You look well.”

“Hi Daniel,” Jana said quietly. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, either.”

“I am anxious to return to my cabin. It is only because Aimee asked me to come and bring you back with me that I left her side to follow my brother.”

“Aimee knows I’m here?” Jana asked eagerly. “How is she?” She released Dan’s arm.

“She is well, and looks forward to seeing you. She guessed correctly that it was you when my brother described you to her. This man,” he nodded toward Dan, “I am sure you will enlighten me as to who he is and why you brought him here.”

“I think we should talk about why I’m here when we’re all together,” Dan said quickly, before Jana could speak.

Daniel stared at him. “How is it that you and I share such a likeness?” he asked. “You are from the future, are you not? From my wife’s time?”

“Yes, I’m—”

“
Bia, bia
.” Elk Runner’s toddler son suddenly broke the silence around them, and waddled toward Daniel, his chubby little arms outstretched. Daniel kneeled, and in one swift move swung the little boy into his arms and over his head, holding him upside down. The toddler laughed with delight.

“You grow fast, little nephew,” Daniel said in Shoshone, and settled the boy on his shoulder. The smile on the man’s face transformed him from the hardened mountain man into someone much less imposing. He turned toward Elk Runner.

“I must return to my wife. I will take this man and woman with me.”

Elk Runner’s eyes widened. “You cannot take Spirit of White Wolf with you, White Wolf,” he said adamantly. “If you refuse to do your duty, he will take your place, so that you may be by Dosa Haiwi’s side. It is what the spirits want. That is why he was sent here.”

“I do not believe that is the reason he is here.” Daniel waved him off with a casual flick of his hand. He turned his attention back to Dan, ignoring Elk Runner’s incredulous look. “My brother says you have news of danger?” The smile vanished, and he once again stared with those penetrating eyes.

Dan inhaled deeply. “Yes. I think there’s another man here from the future, and your son is in grave danger.”

Daniel’s eyebrows drew together. “My son?”

“Yes, your son, Matthew.” Dan groaned silently. He realized a second too late that he said something he probably shouldn’t have said.

“I have no son, at least not yet.” Daniel’s forehead wrinkled. For the first time, his self-assurance wavered.

“Ohmygod!” Jana shot a wide-eyed look at Dan, then at Daniel. “Aimee hasn’t given birth yet, has she?”

Daniel stared at her stoically for a moment, then his features softened. Dan was surprised to see something close to fear or panic in Daniel’s eyes. “I am glad that you are here, Jana. Your knowledge of medicine eases my worries about my wife. Although my mother and sister-in-law are at her side, I worry about the birth of my . . . son.” He shot a quick look at Dan.

Dan kicked himself mentally for sticking his foot in his mouth. “We really need to get to your cabin,” he said quickly.

Daniel stared at him, then at Jana, and nodded. Turning to Elk Runner, he said, “I trust you to remain here. Speak to the elders. Perhaps they can tell you why the spirits have sent a man who shares my likeness. Until then, he will come with me, and give me his own explanation. Something you would not allow him to do.”

With those words of finality, Daniel set the little toddler on the ground, and patted him on the head. He nodded to the people standing around.

“Come,” he said with a wave of his hand. Without a backwards glance, he headed into the forest from where he first emerged.

“I guess that’s our cue to follow,” Dan said to Jana. “Go ahead.” He nudged her in the arm. “I’ll catch up. I have to get my backpack.”

****

Daniel set a fast pace after leaving the Shoshone village. His silence was unnerving. He picked his way easily through the dense forest, never glancing back to see if Dan or Jana followed. Something told Dan that Daniel knew exactly how far back he and Jana were. In his mind, he replayed his first encounter with the man who’d been painted as someone to look up to by his grandfather’s stories. Mountain men were always portrayed as larger than life, and their deeds exaggerated. Dan was sure that the stories about Daniel were closer to the truth than fiction.

His grandfather’s tales weren’t filled with stories about a man who killed a grizzly with his bare hands, or crawled hundreds of miles after being nearly mauled to death, or had defeated an entire war party of bloodthirsty Indians single handed. His grandfather had simply portrayed Daniel Osborne as a man of great integrity, who forged a living in this vast wilderness long before many other white men ventured into these mountains. He’d been brave enough to live here all his life, making his living as a free trapper without joining a fur company. Later on, he’d run a successful trading post to supply others who ventured into these mountains. He’d done all this, and raised a family that he protected with the fierceness of any wild predator, leaving behind a legacy that would forever shape the destiny of the Yellowstone area.

Dan clenched his jaw and cursed silently as he followed in this man’s wake. His lack of judgment, his own ambitions, might be the ruination of all that Daniel Osborne and his family had accomplished. Dan felt smaller than the caterpillar inching along on the moist leaf of the wild huckleberry bush he brushed up against. Self-loathing consumed him again, even as Jana’s words from earlier this morning echoed in his mind.
Everyone makes mistakes, or loses sight of what’s important. Let go of your guilt.

Dan reached for Jana’s hand and held on tight. Her eyebrows drew together. She was his crutch, his anchor. As if she read his mind, she spoke in a hushed whisper, “The first time I saw him, he was coming out of anesthesia. He fought like a bear. He was scary even then.”

He grinned. “So, you don’t think I could take him?” he teased. “I’m not scary enough for you?”

“Dan, you and Daniel may look alike. It’s bizarre that you two are the same age right now, too. But no, I don’t think you could take him. You’re a teddy bear compared to him.”

“Teddy bear, huh?” He enjoyed the easy banter at the moment. It took his mind off the turmoil within him.

“Yes. And you’re my teddy bear,” she said, and hugged his arm, stumbling over a downed log at her feet. Dan gripped her around the waist and pulled her up. “And I wouldn’t want you any other way,” she added after she stood securely on her feet again.

“Daniel wouldn’t have sold out the park, and certainly not his family,” he said before he could hold back what was on his mind.

Jana stopped in her tracks. Her amber eyes searched his face. She reached up and touched his cheek. “Dan, we’re not too late. Daniel didn’t know anything about Hastings. He obviously hasn’t reached the valley yet. We’ll make it right again.”

“I sure made a mess of things when I said his son was in danger.” Dan shook his head.

“It’s probably a good thing you didn’t mention the other baby.” Jana whispered almost imperceptibly, and smiled.

“What happens if Hastings shows up, and Matthew isn’t even born yet?” Dan asked suddenly. He spoke in hushed tones, wondering how good Daniel Osborne’s hearing was. He certainly didn’t want to give the impression of talking behind the man’s back. He glanced at the figure walking some twenty yards ahead. He couldn’t possibly overhear them.

No sooner had the thought entered his mind, when Daniel stopped abruptly, and turned, waiting for them to catch up.

“Do you need to rest?” Daniel asked, directing his question at Jana.

“Am I holding you up?”

Daniel’s lips raised in a grin. “There was a time when Aimee said the same thing to me. I should have learned by now not to question a woman from the future’s abilities. They take offense much too easily.” He directed his grin at Dan.

“Twenty-first century women are a bit harder to handle, I would imagine, than a nineteenth-century woman,” Dan said.

Jana shot them both an annoyed glare. “I see you two are going to get along just splendidly. How much further is it to your cabin?”

“Perhaps another hour,” Daniel answered. “If you are not too tired, we should keep moving. I do not like leaving my wife. Her time is close.”

Daniel started walking again, but he didn’t move ahead of them. The forest wasn’t as dense in this area, and they could all walk side by side.

“Elk Runner said you refused to leave the valley, and it made the spirits angry. My Shoshone is a bit sketchy, so that’s what I understood,” Dan said, eager to engage Daniel in conversation. There was no doubt Daniel would be a fierce adversary, but Dan was also curious about Daniel as a person, not just the legend.

Daniel smirked. “The Tukudeka are a highly spiritual people,” he said. “You understood him correctly.”

“But you were raised by them. Don’t you share their beliefs?”

Daniel turned to look at him. “I do share their beliefs. I believe that everything we see before us,” he swept his hand in an arc in front of him, “is connected. Without the trees, there can be no birds in the sky, or beaver in the water. Without the beaver, the trees become too numerous, and grasses will not grow to feed the elk, which in turn feed the wolves, and the people. This is the way of the spirits. They connect everything from the smallest fish to the fiercest predator.”