Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (69 page)

Josh’s forehead wrinkled, and his eyes darkened as they filled with something Danica could only define as wonder.

“Would you like to feel?” she asked, and grabbed for his hand. Before he had a chance to object, she placed his large open palm on her abdomen. He almost pulled away, but then the baby kicked again, and Josh relaxed. A slow smile spread across his face, and Danica couldn’t help but stare at him. Her eyes filled with tears, and she hastily blinked them away.

“Well,” she said, clearing her throat. “I think he’s settling down again. We should keep moving.”

She quickly turned away from Josh and started walking, afraid he might see her weakness in her eyes. It was bad enough she had feelings for a man who would never return them. It would be far worse if he knew.

“Would you like to ride the horse?” he asked again. He caught up to her, and Danica noticed his limp out of the corner of her eye.

“I think you would benefit more from riding than I would,” she said. “I think I’ll walk.” She paused, then laughed quietly. “I don’t even know how I could possibly manage to get on top of a horse right now.”

Without warning, Josh scooped her up in his arms, and lifted her to the horse’s back.

“Throw your leg over,” he commanded, and Danica caught the strained tone in his voice. She hastily did as he asked, and straddled the horse behind its withers.

“Why did you do that?” she glared down at him. “Your shoulder.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that.” Josh grimaced. “That was a mistake.” He clenched his jaw, and his eyes glazed over in pain. Wordlessly, he turned and led the horse up the trail. Danica stared down at his broad back. His limp seemed more pronounced, and he leaned forward as he walked.

Danica couldn’t get comfortable on the horse’s bare back, but she kept quiet. She closed her eyes, and focused on keeping her center of gravity aligned with the animal beneath her. Time and again, her upper body fell forward until she adjusted her position again. No matter what she tried – holding the horse’s mane, resting her hands behind her on its rump - her balance was definitely not what it used to be, sitting astride a horse.

They must have traveled for several hours in silence, when Danica stiffened in alarm.

“Josh,” she called. “Josh, are you all right?” His limp was more pronounced, and he no longer walked in a straight line. His body swayed like that of a drunkard. He didn’t respond to her calls.

“Josh Osborne. Stop walking,” Danica commanded, her voice loud and shrill. As if hearing her for the first time, Josh slowly turned. The look in his eyes startled her. His face was drenched in sweat. Danica leaned forward as best as she could, and slowly pulled her leg behind her over the horse’s back. Her stomach pushed into the horse’s neck, and her baby kicked out in protest. With a groan, she slid her body down the side of the animal. Sending a quick prayer in thanks when her feet touched ground, she scrambled to Josh’s side. She touched her hand to his forehead, and gasped in alarm. He was burning up. Her eyes darted to his shoulder. His shirt was stained dark with blood.

“Damn you, Josh Osborne,” she scolded quietly. Her hands shook when she reached for his arm. “There’s some trees just up ahead. We can stop and make camp. Can you make it that far?”

He nodded almost imperceptibly, and she led him to a grove of cottonwoods. Thick bushes all around would provide shelter if the wind picked up again. They’d barely reached the area, when Josh collapsed silently to the ground.

Chapter 4

“Josh!” Danica lowered herself to the ground, and knelt beside him. His pulse throbbed fast and strong in his neck, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes fell to the dark stain on his shirt near the bullet hole. She touched the shirt, and her fingers felt wet and sticky.

“Dammit, stay with me, Josh,” she whispered. “You can’t die.” She swallowed back the lump in her throat, and cupped his face between her trembling hands. The heat from his skin caused her cold fingers to tingle.

Josh groaned, and squirmed on the ground. His body began to shiver. Danica struggled to get to her feet, and cursed herself for forgetting her stick. Glancing around, Josh’s rifle lay next to him. She reached for it and used it as a brace to heave herself off the ground. If she didn’t get him covered, his fever would only get worse. That much she knew. She rushed to the horse standing patiently several yards away, and pulled her blankets from the gelding’s back. Returning to Josh’s side, she rolled up his blanket, and shoved it under his head as a pillow, and spread her coverings over him.

Satisfied for the moment, Danica moved as quickly as her hulking body allowed, and gathered twigs and branches to build a fire. Stooping toward the ground repeatedly soon took its toll on her, and the ache in her stomach and back was worse than ever. She ignored the discomfort.

She could think of only one way to get the bleeding in his shoulder to stop. A chill ran down her spine, thinking about what she had to do. He really needed a doctor, but until they reached Virginia City, she had no supplies to properly dress the wound. If blood poisoning was the cause of his fever, he would die. Danica refused to believe a strong man like Josh would succumb to a bullet wound to the shoulder. 

Once her fire was built and blazing strong, she straightened her back. The pain along her spine was almost unbearable. Her baby kicked and squirmed more than usual, and Danica rubbed her hands soothingly over her stomach.

“Settle down in there,” she spoke softly to her child. “You’re not ready to meet the world yet. You’re safer where you’re at for the moment.”

She pulled her knife from its concealed sheath underneath her dress, and set the blade in the fire. It would have to be good and hot. Josh squirmed again under the blankets, and he mumbled words she didn’t understand. He must be speaking in Shoshone. The sounds were familiar to her, but she didn’t understand the words. After spending all those months with the family of Shoshone, she’d picked up a few words, but communication was achieved mostly with hand gestures.

Danica eased herself to the ground next to Josh, and brushed her hand slowly across his forehead, pushing damp strands of hair from his face. His eyelids flickered open, and he stared at her with unfocused eyes.

“Josh,” she whispered, and leaned over him. “I need to cauterize your wound. It won’t stop bleeding. Do you understand?”

He swallowed several times, and nodded slowly. “Do what you have to,” he rasped.

“Can you sit up to remove your shirt?”

With a groan and grimace, Josh lifted his upper body off the ground. Danica helped him pull his shirt up and over his head. She couldn’t help but let her eyes roam over his perfectly sculpted torso, chest, and shoulders. Tentatively, she reached out her hand and touched the tips of her fingers to his chest. Josh flinched, and she quickly pulled her arm back.

She still couldn’t believe that, after five years, she finally met up with him again, and certainly not under these circumstances. She’d looked for him in town on several occasions, and made discreet inquiries at the mercantile that his father and uncle owned. If he did come to town to visit his family, she never saw him.  She knew her feelings were merely fueled by a young girl’s fantasies, nothing more, but she hadn’t been able to shake memories of him all these years. That he was here now, so close, and even more unattainable than before given her current situation, seemed almost like a dream.

She couldn’t believe the overwhelming rush of feelings that had swept over her when he suddenly appeared yesterday. How could she think herself in love with him? She didn’t even know him. Over the years, an image had formed in her mind of what kind of man he was. She was in love with that image that she’d dreamed up in her mind. She still didn’t know anything about the real Josh Osborne, other than he was dark, and serious, and quiet. A loner, just like Kate Russell had told her. There was no room in his life for a woman, much less a fair-haired, fair-skinned white woman with a baby on the way. What kind of woman would catch his eye?

“Would you like something to drink?” she asked, when he eased himself back to the ground. Without waiting for an answer, she pulled one of her water bags from around her neck, and uncorked it. Holding it to his lips, she slowly poured some water in his half-open mouth.

“Thanks,” he grunted when she pulled it away. His deep brown eyes met hers for a brief moment, before his eyelids sank shut again, and Danica’s heart beat faster. She set the water bag aside. The knife would be hot enough now. Rather than heave herself to stand, she crawled the short distance to the fire pit, and carefully pulled the knife from the flames. The blade glowed orange. Her heart pounded when she scooted back to Josh’s side.

She sat beside him for a moment, just watching him. He looked peaceful as he slept. Danica’s hand reached out, and her fingers lightly traced the contours of his chest. She studied her hand, and how it looked pale in contrast to his bronze skin. His body still battled a fever, but the chills had stopped.

“Josh,” she whispered, leaning over him, and nudged his arm. He opened his eyes again. “I’m ready,” she said. “If you don’t want me to do this, I won’t, but I don’t know how else to stop the bleeding.”

“Just do it,” he said, his tone firm.

“Do you want something to bite down on?”

He shook his head.

Danica took a deep breath, and quickly, before she changed her mind, pressed the hot blade over the gaping hole in Josh’s shoulder. His body stiffened, and his face strained in a grimace, every muscle in his neck taut. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands balled into tight fists at his side, every tendon and sinew in his arms visible. Danica pulled the blade back with a shaking hand. A dark singe spot remained on his skin, and she nearly felt sick at the smell of burning flesh. She hated what she did, and that he was in so much pain. Josh’s breaths came in quick, ragged gasps.

“It’s done,” she said quietly, and bit her lower lip. She hoped the cautery would stop him from losing more blood. Josh’s muscles relaxed, and he slumped into the covers. Danica’s heart sped up in alarm. No. A quick glance at his throat confirmed that his pulse beat strong. Perhaps it was good that he’d passed out.

While Josh slept, she busied herself weaving a basket using strips of tree bark as she’s been taught by Kakuu, the old woman who had treated her almost like a daughter. Tears welled up in her eyes, thinking about the senseless killing of this innocent family. She had assumed they had been killed by a patrol of soldiers, but Josh thought the men were poachers – outlaws – who had killed for the sport of it.

Why had she survived? Again. Nearly nine months ago, she had faced a similar ordeal. Only that time she’d been with a group of white people, and Indians had attacked their party. Danica shook her head. She was tired of all the killing and hatred. Why couldn’t the whites and Indians live in peace? There was enough land to go around for everyone. Her brother Jacob had died, fighting Indians. He’d joined the cavalry, much to her father’s dismay, and had paid the ultimate price. Her father had become a bitter man after the death of his son. What would he think of her when she showed up on his doorstep, dressed in buckskins and pregnant?

Danica cut a strip of leather from the bottom of her dress, and lined the basket she’d made with it. She filled it with snow, and gathered some rocks that she laid in the fire. Once hot, she removed them carefully with a couple of sticks, and placed them in her basket. She repeated this until the water turned hot and began to boil. She cut strips of dried meat from her pouch into the water, and let them soak. She needed food, and so did Josh. Eyeing his rifle, she thought she could try and find a bird or something to shoot, but it was late, and the skies were growing dark. Danica shivered. It would be another cold night. She only hoped it wouldn’t snow again.

Josh accepted the meat broth she offered, but he barely regained consciousness. By the time darkness fell, the temperature had dropped to freezing. Danica added more wood to her fire, but it wouldn’t keep her warm through the night. Josh had all the covers.

“Sorry, Josh, but you’re going to have to share,” she said through chattering teeth, knowing he wouldn’t hear. She carefully lowered herself to the ground next to him, and slipped under the covers. She grabbed for his rifle, pulling it close in case she needed to get up off the ground. It didn’t take long for her to warm up. His feverish body was like a potbellied stove under the blankets. He groaned and shifted when she huddled up close to him, but he didn’t wake.

Danica rested her head on his good arm, and inhaled his musky male scent. A slow smile spread across her face. Her fantasy of lying in this man’s arms had finally come true. What would he do if he woke up and found her next to him like this? Would he be shocked? Surely he would realize that she was only doing it to stay warm through the night.
That’s a good excuse, Dani. Enjoy it now, because you’ll never get another chance.

Suddenly she wondered why lying so close to him didn’t bother her. She’d never experienced the gentle touch of a man before. How could she be sure that Josh wasn’t like the other . . . No. She refused to believe Josh capable of such a thing. An involuntary shudder went through her body.
You survived, Dani. It’s behind you now. That’s all that matters.

******

“Well ain’t this jest real nice’n cozy.”

Danica woke with a start. The sky was still gray. She blinked, and stared up at a couple of bearded faces smirking down at her. Two men hovered over her, with wide grins that showed rotten teeth, and a hunger in their eyes she recognized all too well. She was instantly wide awake. Without looking away from the men, she mentally assessed her surroundings. Josh was still next to her. It seemed as if neither one of them had moved an inch in the night. Danica’s hand slowly felt for the rifle next to her. She thanked the heavens that she had remembered to sheathe her knife back under her dress.

Josh stirred. She touched his chest. He was still too warm. Danica knew he was no match against these men in his weakened state if they meant to hurt him, or her. She shifted away from Josh, and slowly raised herself to a sitting position.

Danica’s mind swirled. She had to think quick. “Good morning, gentlemen. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting company or I’d have risen sooner,” she said, her words cheerful, and in the most lady-like tone and mannerism that might even make per papa proud. She slowly shoved the rifle under Josh’s body, concealing it from view. If he was even awake, he didn’t give any indication.

The two men’s eyes bulged, obviously taken off guard.

“Would one of you fine gentlemen be willing to give a lady a hand?” she smiled sweetly, and held up her arm.

Completely baffled, one of the men scratched his beard, then held out a large beefy hand. Danica swallowed nervously, then placed hers in his calloused palm. She hoped she’d played her cards right. He pulled her from the ground with more force than she was prepared for, and nearly collided with the man. She quickly held out her other hand to ward him off. The sour stench of his unwashed body sent bile up her throat.

“Well ain’t you just a purty little thing,” the man drawled. The other man’s watery eyes roamed up and down her body. 

“I’m so glad someone finally came along,” Danica said dramatically, and stepped around the man. Her heart hammered in her chest. She always considered herself a fair judge of character, and her ability to toy with a man’s mind had made her friends envious a time or two. Of course, that had all changed last summer, when . . . In an exaggerated movement, she put her hands to her hips and arched her back. “Oh, my aching back,” she sighed.

“Sweet Jesus, she’s gonna be a mother, Ethan,” the dark haired man who’d been leering at her said, a mixture of horror and awe in his voice. Both men’s eyes shot to Josh on the ground.