Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (28 page)

“Why are you so intent on Chase and Sarah?” Aimee asked suspiciously. “Wouldn’t you want to see her with Hawk Soaring?”

Elk Runner shook his head. “Hawk Soaring is a good man, but he is not a good match for your daughter.”

“Why do you say that?” Aimee asked, curious as to why he would think that. After all, they were both Shoshone, and Chase was a white man, a mere stranger.

Elk Runner’s face lit up. “To begin with, your daughter is too much like you,
Dosa haiwi.
Her ways are not the ways of a proper Tukudeka wife. Hawk Soaring would have difficulty with her. And also,” his face grew more serious, “he has relatives among the Akaideka to the north who have had problems with some whites. I would not wish my niece to be shunned by her husband’s family because of the color of her skin.”

“Sarah’s in love with Chase. I don’t see that she will choose to marry Hawk, even if Chase doesn’t ask her,” Aimee said. “I can’t see her marrying just any man. She’s been so adamant about not needing a husband, and now all she wants is for Chase to make her his wife.” She sighed deeply. “Young love can be so complicated.”  She moved to stand behind Daniel, her hands rubbing his shoulders. She remembered all too well of the misunderstandings between herself and Daniel before they finally realized they loved each other.

******

Sarah walked through the thick tall grasses along the riverbed, searching for goose nests. She had already found one, but it had only contained shells. A fox or coyote must have gotten to the eggs before her. A flock of Canada geese honked loudly as she approached, and several took to the water. A few others charged her, their long necks lowered and their beaks open, their wings spread wide and flapping loudly. It was a good indication that they were protecting a nest.

She used the long stick she’d brought with her to ward off the angry gander’s charges. She didn’t want to hurt the bird, but she also knew that their bite could be quite painful.

“Can I be of some help,
Imaah
?”

Sarah whirled around. Hawk Soaring was the last person she expected to see here this early in the day. And what was he doing, coming to her without the benefit of a chaperone this far from other people? It was highly unconventional. It was something Chase would do, but not Hawk.

She hadn’t seen much of Chase since her parents’ return. The last time they had been close was right after he’d moved into the small cabin, when he told her he couldn’t stay away from her. He sure seemed to have a change of heart. Since the night he and her father returned from their first foray into the woods, he had been polite with her, but he never sought out her company alone. She saw the longing in his eyes when he looked at her across the table during shared meals, and sometimes he’d touch her hand when her parents weren’t looking. Other than that, he remained distant.

Sarah had wondered hopefully if he wasn’t perhaps courting her in the proper way. Perhaps her father had warned him to keep his distance. Chase didn’t seem to be the type of man who would be afraid of such a warning. She missed his touch, his strong arms around her, and his heated kisses.

Other times she considered if he had a change of heart. She was afraid that he had changed his mind about her, and was getting ready to return home. There had been no talk of finding the time travel device, at least not in her presence.

“
Imaah
.”

Hawk Soaring approached, covering the ground with long strides. He wore a bright smile on his face. The presence of a second human caused even the bravest gander to take refuge in the river.

“
Kwyioo
, what a surprise,” Sarah stammered. She shifted the basket she carried from her left to her right hip. “What brings you here?”

“Your uncle and I have come to ask your father to go hunting.” He stopped a few feet in front of her, much too close to be considered proper. A slight smell of fish wafted through the air. Sarah backed up a few steps.

“I think of you often,
Imaah
,” he said in a low voice.  “Perhaps the traditions of the Tukudeka do not suit you. I am wondering if I behaved more like a white man, you would find me more acceptable.”

Sarah drew her eyes together. “I don’t understand what you mean,
Kwyioo
.”

Before she could react, he stepped up to her, his hands holding her upper arms, and he pressed his lips to hers. Sarah stiffened, nearly dropping her basket. Her heart didn’t pound faster, her lips didn’t tingle, there were no chills running down her spine. She was merely shocked at his boldness.

She tried to pull away, when suddenly, his hands were torn away from her. A spilt second later, Chase’s fist connected with Hawk’s face, sending him to the ground. Shocked, Sarah stood rooted to the earth. Like an agile cat, Hawk Soaring jumped to his feet, his knife in his hand. Blood trickled from the split in his upper lip.

Chase’s hand went to his belt, gripping his tomahawk. The two men circled each other slowly, looks of contempt on both their faces.

Sarah dropped her basket. “Stop it! Both of you!
Yingka
!” She ran between them, holding out her arms, palms out, to prevent them from stepping closer to each other. Her head whipped from side to side, looking at each of them in turn.

“Why is he kissing you, Sarah?” Chase growled, directing his glare at her, then back at Hawk.

Her temper ignited. He acted as if he owned her. He had no right to ask such a question. If he’d declared himself, wanted her for his wife, but he didn’t. He wanted to go home. So why would he behave as though she belonged to him.

“Maybe because he wants something you don’t,” she spat at him. His eyebrows shot up. “Me for his wife,” she clarified.  “Perhaps that gives him more of a right to kiss me than it does you.”

She grabbed for her basket on the ground, and shot both of them a heated glare. Then she ran across the meadow, her vision blurred by the tears streaming down her face.

Chapter 29

Chase eyed Hawk wearily. The other man wiped at the blood on his lip. Both turned at the same time to watch Sarah run towards her home. Hell. She was mad at both of them. He knew he’d acted like an impulsive jerk.

Elk Runner’s gift had touched him more than he wanted to admit. The cabin walls had closed in on him, and he definitely didn’t want to cry like a baby in front of Daniel, so he’d hightailed it out of there. He’d caught the word
Imaah
when Hawk spoke to Daniel, and he knew that was part of Sarah’s Indian name. Following him seemed like the right thing to do.

Chase hadn’t expected to see Hawk in a lip lock with Sarah. Intense jealously like he’d never experienced before had swept over him, and he punched the guy on impulse. Now he felt like an ass. He had barely spoken to Sarah over the last several days.  Her dad was running him ragged through the hills, drilling him on tracking animals, identifying spoors and plants, and stalking game. He’d barely been awake each night when they returned back to the cabins, and had dragged his butt to bed from pure exhaustion. It left no opportunity to talk to her, much less hold and kiss her like he’d wanted to.

Daniel had hinted to him about proper courting rituals of the Indian tribe he grew up with. No wonder Sarah had been so nervous about having him live under the same roof with her after her uncle had shown up that first time. Chase had never given it much thought. Guys and girls lived together as roommates all the time without a second thought, but apparently among the Shoshone, a couple intent on marriage only had to live together for a few days, and be seen together in public to be considered wed.

Chase wasn’t sure if Daniel had been trying to warn him to keep his hands to himself, or was just instructing him on the proper ways to court his daughter. He’d told him in no uncertain terms that first day that nothing could ever come of his feelings for Sarah. Did the man have a change of heart? He obviously saw that Sarah had feelings for him, as well.

What are you going to do about your problem, Russell?
The less he saw of her, the more he wanted to be with her. No one had brought up the time travel device. Chase wasn’t sure if Daniel still planned to look for it or not. He’d have to ask him about it soon. He hated this feeling of being stuck in limbo, between worlds with no real foothold. His skills were definitely improving under Daniel’s guidance, but did he really want to stay here? Was this the kind of life he wanted?

Chase glanced sideways at Hawk. “Come on, buddy. We might as well head back, too,” he grumbled. He held out his hand to Hawk, who looked at it suspiciously. Chase took a step toward him, and thrust his hand out for emphasis. Hawk finally took it, and they clasped hands.

Chase nodded. Hawk’s features softened, and his lips actually curved in a slight smile. He cut his hand through the air in a firm movement. Chase took it to mean that all was forgiven. He slapped the shorter man on the back, and together they set out in the same direction as their girl. 

Chase caught sight of Sarah sitting under a tree by the woodpile when he and Hawk reached the cabin. Hawk had seen her, too. He gave Chase a searching look, then headed for the house. Chase strode over to her. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her hands clasped around her ankles.

“Hey,” he said, and lowered himself to the ground next to her. She didn’t say anything, nor did she look at him. Her face had dirt smudges from tear stains. He reached for one of her hands, pulling it free of the other one.

“I apologized for my behavior.”  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, peering up at her. Her eyes turned round when she met his gaze. “You’re right,” he said. “I had no call to do what I did.”

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

“Why are you crying, Angel?” He swiped his fingers under her eyes.

“Why did you have to tell me you love me, Chase? It would have been so much easier when you go home if I hadn’t known.”

He inhaled sharply. “Do you think this is easy for me, Sarah? I don’t have the skills necessary to take care of you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of something I did, or didn’t know how to do to protect you.”

She stared at him blankly. “But you’re learning.”

He shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know if I can even get home. The assumption right now is that I can’t, that I won’t be going home, ever. I’m trying to live my life here with that thought. We were going to take it one day at a time, remember?” He gave her a reassuring smile, and squeezed her hand.

She nodded slowly.

“I’m supposed to go on a hunt for mountain sheep with your dad and uncle, and . . . Hawk. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Sarah searched his face, her eyes finally locked onto his.  “Those hunts can last a few days.” 

“So, can I have a good-bye kiss, since I won’t see you for a while?”

She lowered her head.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Then you can compare who kisses better.” He grinned, then laughed at Sarah’s outraged look. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. Her response was unexpected. His resolve to keep the kiss light crumbled. He pulled her up against him, groaning as he claimed her mouth. His fingers entwined in her hair, his other hand massaging her back. Abruptly, he pulled back.

“Angel, I’m trying to behave myself, but you’re making it really hard.”

“I love you, Chase,” she whispered.

“I love you, Sarah.” His hand swiped at the tear streaks on her cheek, He stood, reaching for her hand to pull her up. He gave it another squeeze. “Be good while I’m gone.” He tore his eyes from her beautiful face, then turned and headed for the cabin.

******

 ”Bighorn sheep are difficult to approach. They are extremely flighty and alert to any danger.  When stalked, they move to higher ground. It’s where they feel safe,” Daniel explained when Chase inquired about the hunt. After a long hike through the usual terrain of meadows and forests, they stopped for the night along a fast-moving creek.

 ”The strategy of the hunt is simple. You and Hawk Soaring will move up hill and lie in wait.  Elk Runner and I, with the dog’s help, will drive the sheep your way.” It all sounded easy enough, Chase decided. All he needed to learn now was how to shoot an arrow from that bow Elk Runner had gifted him.

Chase marveled at how the three men efficiently set up camp. No one spoke. Each individual knew what to do. Everyone except him. Daniel put him to task to collect wood and build a fire. At least he could manage that. Hawk went off and brought back several birds.

Elk Runner took it upon himself to pull Chase aside and instruct him in stringing his bow, the amount of force to use in his draw, and releasing the arrow.

Chase quickly realized how powerful a weapon the bow was. He’d never expected such force and speed from an arrow. His aim improved with each practice pull. Whether he would be able to hit a moving target remained to be seen.

He noticed Hawk watching him like a . . . hawk. Chase couldn’t be sure what the other man was thinking when he looked at him across the camp. Chase only hoped he didn’t look as inept as he felt.

But it’s your kisses she prefers, Russell
. He smiled smugly. He conceded that Hawk was a nice and likable guy, and under different circumstances, if they weren’t both after the same girl, they might have even been friends.

If you leave, she’ll be well taken care of.
  Hawk would make a good husband, he was sure of it. Could he leave this place, and Sarah, with that knowledge? That she could choose to marry Hawk? An idea had begun to form in his mind over the course of the last week, but Chase wasn’t sure how he would be able to go through with it. He’d have to do a lot more thinking. All he knew was that he couldn’t go on living like this indefinitely, like a man torn between two worlds.

The terrain they traversed the next morning became rocky and steep. Chase focused on the climb ahead, the mountains looming ever taller in front of him. No one spoke. There was no need. Everyone knew what his job was. He had a pretty good idea of what was expected of him. Grizzly bounded ahead of them. He seemed to know he would play a crucial role in a short time. The dog would help herd the sheep to a designated area, where two of the hunters would lie in wait.

Elk Runner stopped abruptly, halfway up a mountain pass. Silently, he pointed to a flat area covered in sparse grasses and short pine trees that looked more like bushes than trees. Three sheep stood grazing in the distance, their rumps pointed at the men. Daniel hand signaled to Grizzly, and the dog obediently remained with the group, although his eyes and ears were trained on the sheep.

Daniel translated when Elk Runner gave his instructions. “Chase, you and Hawk Soaring will climb up to that ridge, and take cover.” He pointed into the distance. “Elk Runner and I will alert the sheep to our presence, and start driving them your way. With any luck, you should be able to bring down one, if not two of them, as they pass by.”

Chase glanced at Hawk, who nodded at him. Staying downwind from the sheep, they slowly climbed up the steep cliff, Hawk ahead of him. When they reached the top of the ridge, the Indian motioned for him to take cover behind a rocky outcropping. More cliff walls loomed behind them. Hawk moved some twenty yards further along, and found cover behind some boulders. It was a waiting game from here on. If the sheep ran straight up the pass, they would run right past them. Chase hoped he could get off a clean shot.

He stayed crouched behind the rocks, listening intently for any sound of hooves on hard ground. All he heard was the wind whistling at this high elevation, an occasional hawk screeching as it soared through the air, or the clucking sounds of the ever-present ravens. How long would it be before Daniel and Elk Runner chased that group of sheep up this incline? He adjusted the arrow he had strung to his bow in anticipation.

He was determined not to look like a fool in front of Hawk, who’d no doubt been on countless hunts like these. Chase glanced up the slope to where Hawk lay in wait. The man stayed as motionless as his surroundings, focused intently on the narrow pass leading downhill. His bow was strung taunt, ready to release his arrow at a second’s notice. Chase wondered if he could ever look as confident and able as this Tukudeka hunter appeared. Hawk had a lifetime of training. There was no comparison between them. If this were a football match, the tables would be turned. 

Hawk turned his head slightly, and his eyes met Chase’s. His features turned hard. Apparently, they were both thinking the same thing. While they’d been cordial with each other in the older men’s presence, this was a competition. Chase had no doubt that Hawk believed whoever brought down a sheep would gain favor with Sarah. He smiled to himself. 
Sarah loves you, not him
. Would it really matter to her if he came back with a sheep kill?

It should matter to her, Russell.
If he couldn’t bring down game, which he hadn’t been successful at yet, how could he ever hope to care for a wife in this environment?

A rock on the cliff above Hawk Soaring suddenly moved, or had Chase imagined it. Was there a sheep up there above them? He strained his ears to listen, but couldn’t hear anything. He glanced upward, squinting into the bright sunlight. He didn’t see anything at first. Then he noticed the movement again, behind some rocks, directly above Hawk. With a sinking feeling, he realized what it was. While they were lying in wait for their quarry, a different predator was stalking them. A mountain lion was crouched low, its body hugging the rocks, ready to spring at its unsuspecting prey.  The cat inched slowly forward, its haunches and forelegs bunched. Its ears lay flat against its head.

Chase’s heart leapt to his stomach. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, leaving his knees rubbery and weak. With a sinking feeling, he knew what was about to happen.

 ”Hawk, look out!” Chase yelled, and shot up from his position behind the rocks. At the exact same moment, the cougar leapt through the air, landing on top of Hawk, who had barely had the chance to react to Chase’s warning. He whipped his body around, looking up. His hands shot forward in an act of self-defense, as the cat knocked him to the ground. Hawk’s bow fell to the ground several feet away.