Yellowstone Origins: Yellowstone Romance Series, Book 6

by Peggy L Henderson

  He’d been handed over to a ranger named Dan Osborne, who’d personally overseen his care and transport to the hospital for evaluation. Dan Osborne had told everyone that Cam had been lost in the wilderness, but Cam had always had the feeling that the ranger knew the truth of what had really happened.

  Several months later, Naatoyita had come for him and brought him to the past. He and his twin, Naatosi, had explicitly warned Cam of another elder, their brother, Mukua.

  “Mukua is dangerous, and cannot be trusted,” the old man had told him emphatically. “Mukua left his vessel for you to find, with the intent to send you to an unknown time and place to die.”

  Naatoyita had paused, and his chest heaved. His eyes had filled with sadness, along with some fierce resolve that left Cam nodding his head. He couldn’t help but believe the old man. “Because he has found you, I was left with no choice but to come for you myself, even though you are not quite ready, so that you may follow your true path.”

  Cam glanced at Riley. An almost overpowering resolve rushed through him to protect her with his life. He stared at her, and studied her like he would observe prey or an enemy, to learn their weakness and habits.

  Who was this woman? She was not meant for this environment, yet she knew things about the Sheepeaters. Mukua had to be responsible for her being here. It was the only explanation. And if it had been Mukua’s doing, the elder wanted Riley dead for some reason. Cam’s muscles tensed.

  He stepped away from her. He would have his answers once he spoke to Naatoyita. He gathered the leather he’d cut from his shirt, and started making some simple moccasins. If they hurried, they could get to one of the Tukudeka villages within a few days, and from there, seek out the Sky People.

  “What do you know about the Sheepeaters?” Cam didn’t take his eyes off his work, but his awareness of the woman beside him was overpowering. He glanced up for a brief second. Riley sank back to the ground next to him, watching him work with fascination.

  “I’m an anthropology student. My thesis was going to be on the Sheepeaters who lived in Yellowstone hundreds of years ago.” She laughed.

  Cam looked up from his work. “Anthropology?”

  Their eyes connected. Was he supposed to understand this word?

  “It’s studying people and their culture. My area of interest is more in people that lived hundreds of years ago, rather than modern times.”

  Cam didn’t look away. “Then you have to know about the Sky People.”

  Riley shook her head. She removed her glasses, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Cam’s hand shot out to take them from her when she moved to put them back on. She was stunning without those glasses covering her face. He stared into her startled eyes.

  “Can you see without these?”

  Her forehead wrinkled. She didn’t look away from his gaze. Cam’s eyes roamed over every feature, from her rosy lips to her flushed cheeks, her pert nose, and her doe eyes. She was the loveliest thing he’d ever seen. Riley reached for her glasses that he still held.

  “Yes, I can see without glasses.” She lowered her gaze.

  “Then why do you wear them?”

  She shook her head again. “It’s complicated,” she whispered.

  Cam released the glasses. He clenched his hand into a fist. He’d fallen into her web again. Forcing his attention back to his task, he lined the moccasins he’d made with some strips he’d cut from the bison hide.

  “You keep talking about the Sky People as if they’re real,” Riley said with an uneasy chuckle. “There is nothing in any of the books and literature I’ve read that would suggest that the Tukudeka thought of them as actual people. They’re merely part of their spiritual beliefs, like the earth and water spirits.”

  Cam raised his eyes to her again. “Your books and literature are wrong.”

  Riley gaped at him. “And they control time travel? With that snake thing?”

  Cam inhaled a deep breath.

  “The Sky People are the guardians of the sacred mountains. They protect this land, which is the land of the Sheepeaters and their forefathers. I only know what the elder who brought me here has told me.” Cam paused. He scoffed. “He hasn’t told me much of anything, but I do know that the Sky People are dying. There used to be many, but now there are only three left. They created the vessel that allows them to time travel, in order to make sure the lands are safe for all time. They cannot directly interfere with what people do, but they can influence.”

  Riley held his gaze. Her eyes revealed an intelligent and inquisitive nature. She turned her head slightly.

  “So, why were you brought here from 2036? And, are you saying that what happened to me wasn’t an accident?”

  Cam’s jaw muscles twitched. His presence in this time was as much a mystery to him as Riley’s appearance. Once he sought out Naatoyita, he would finally demand answers to his own questions, as well as getting the woman sent back to her time.

  “I don’t know why you were brought here, but I do know that it wasn’t by accident, and I will find out why.” He couldn’t tell her his suspicions about Mukua, and alarm her.

  Her brows rose. "Find out? You mean you're going to talk to one of the Sky People?"

  “Yes, and I will ask him to send you back to where you came from. You don’t belong here.” He spoke his last words with more force than necessary. He thrust the makeshift moccasins toward her. “Put these on, and we’ll be on our way.”

  Chapter Eight

  Riley focused on the ground in front of her, rather than on the pain jabbing at her feet with each step she took. Her jaw hurt from gritting her teeth all day. The soil beneath her was dry, hard, and uneven, and it required concentration to walk around the thick sage shrubs and through the dense tufts of grass. Large, oval prints, made by animals, were everywhere. The muscles in her legs throbbed, and her back ached. Exhaustion gripped her like never before. Running on the treadmill at the gym four days a week in an attempt to stay in shape just simply didn’t compare.

  Glancing up, the sun shone bright above the horizon in front of her. Riley squinted to see better. Right now, she missed her sunglasses the most, and maybe a soak in a hot bath. The landscape hadn't changed much since this morning when she'd left the crude camp with Cameron. As far as the eye could see, hills and valleys rolled like a vast ocean in front and all around her. Massive, snow-capped mountains rose into the sky behind her. Dark forests blanketed the hills in a mosaic pattern, and the silver-green sage mixed with the dark green and brown grasses to give the landscape a mottled appearance.

  When Cameron had told her to get ready to leave, she’d thought about refusing to go with him. What if someone was out looking for her? She’d be harder to find if she left the area. She was already a good distance away from the location where she and Jeffrey had arrived in this wilderness.

  She’d dismissed her idea of staying put. What choice did she have but to follow this complete stranger, and put her trust in him? Except for some birds that circled the sky and the squirrel she’d tried to chase away, she hadn’t seen another living thing since her ordeal with those eight Blackfoot, if that’s what they truly were. Cameron called them Bakianee.

  She laughed softly, despite the fact that she felt more like crying. Was she really in the past? The idea still hadn’t quite solidified in her mind, but Cameron had sounded convincing enough. She couldn’t deny his authentic clothing, weapons, and other paraphernalia he carried. He definitely spoke at least two Native American dialects fluently, was skilled and efficient at leatherwork, judging by the moccasins he’d made for her, and he obviously was very familiar with the terrain.

  Her ears honed for any sounds that might be recognizable – a car engine speeding down a highway, or an airplane overhead. Other than the constant chirping of crickets and other bugs in the grasses, the calls of different birds, and the wind blowing through the sage, everything was eerily quiet.

  Riley dropped the rolled-up, heavy buffalo robe she carried to th
e ground and pulled the water bladder that hung on a leather strap from her shoulder. She studied it for a second, her fingers running along the tanned hide that had been sewn around it. She'd seen and touched plenty of pouches like this in museums and at the university. They'd all been stiff, and fragile, but this one had been fashioned recently, not hundreds of years ago. Never had she imagined that she'd actually have one in her possession and use it as it had been intended. Cameron had given it to her before leaving the creek this morning.

  She loosened the strip of rawhide that was tied around the tubular opening and held it to her mouth. The water was warm, and had a leathery taste to it – or maybe it was just the smell of leather in her nose – but at least it soothed her dry throat. She re-tied the strings and hung it back over her neck and shoulder, adjusting it so water wouldn't leak out.

  She gazed off into the distance, and toward a nearby dense grove of aspen. A hawk screeched above her, and several ravens took to flight from the ground, making loud noises as if yelling at the predatory bird. She blew air out of her mouth and pushed back some strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Perspiration beaded on her forehead. A wave of annoyance shot through her, which only seemed to make her aching feet throb even more.

  Where was Cameron? He’d led the way through this vast valley all morning, sometimes jogging in front of her, sometimes falling back. Periodically, he’d disappeared off into the trees, only to emerge hundreds of yards further up ahead. There was no doubt that she was slowing him down, just like he’d told her this morning. He could run circles around her all day with little effort, even if her feet weren’t all cut up and bruised.

  Cameahwait. He Who Never Walks

  No kidding! The guy hadn’t stopped running since they set out this morning, it seemed. He was relentless, and as tough and wild as his surroundings. A surge of adrenaline rushed through her, making her knees go weak, and she shook it off. Yeah, he was, without a doubt, one of the hottest guys she’d seen in a long time, if ever. His clothes, or lack of clothes, made him even more appealing.

  Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks. She was definitely not in the habit of staring at hot guys. Past experience had told her to steer clear of guys like him. The little voice in her head reminded her again that athletes weren’t her type.

  Riley nearly laughed out loud. Athlete was an understatement for this guy. What kind of man would he have grown up to be in the future? Out here, in this wilderness, his upbringing had most definitely been different and had molded him into who he was now. Although there were glimpses of modern manners, growing up in a primitive world and culture certainly influenced his behavior. He was confident, proud, and fearless. There was a hint of cockiness to him, but he wasn't arrogant. Would he have been a jerk like the jocks she'd known?

  Although she liked saying his Shoshone name, Riley preferred to call him by his English name, Cameron. Maybe she was simply in denial about all that had happened and needed to hold on to something familiar, even if it was simply a name.

  Early this morning, when she’d seen his scars, and he’d told her that a bear had done that to him, the crazy thought had popped into her head that Cameron’s last name might be Osborne. The Blackfoot called him Bear, he talked about the spiritual sky people, and she’d overheard that strange conversation between Dan Osborne and the other ranger about time travel a few days ago. The idea that there could be a connection had made sense, among all the stuff that didn’t make sense since she’d gone to the lab yesterday morning. Disappointment had washed over her when he’d said his last name was James, which had blown her theory out of the water. Now that she’d had the day to think about it, it seemed silly.

  You just don’t like to be wrong.

  Riley sighed. Cameron had been gone longer than all the other times he’d simply disappeared throughout the day, and a cold wave of fear raced down her spine, mixed with a twinge of annoyance. When they’d first set out this morning, he’d handed her the bison robe and water bladder, and told her to keep walking in a straight line, pointing at a particular mountain in the distance to use as her point of focus.

  “Where are you going to be?” she’d asked, a jolt of adrenaline surging through her limbs. He couldn’t simply leave her alone in this wilderness.

  His faint smile had sent her heart to beating with a completely different rush.

  “I’ll be nearby,” was all he’d said, and set off at a fast jog.

  Throughout the day, he'd come to walk with her for a few minutes each time before setting off again on his own. After she'd been walking for at least a few hours, he'd handed her some of the meat he'd cooked that morning, and also some type of root. Riley had taken one bite of it and spit it back out.

  “Are you trying to poison me?” She’d drained half the water skin in an effort to get the bitter taste out of her mouth.

  Cameron had laughed, and shot her a cocky grin. “It’s called kanan. Bitterroot.”

  “I can see why it’s called that,” she’d said, scrunching her face in disgust.

  His smile had faded. “You’ll get used to the taste.”

  Their eyes had connected. “Hopefully, I won’t be stuck here that long.”

  The muscles along Cameron’s jaw had visibly tensed. A jab of worry had nagged her. He’d said he might get her home, but he hadn’t sounded completely convinced. What if she was stuck here? She shook off her apprehension. Jeffrey had that vessel. He’d come back. He wouldn’t simply leave her here.

  Riley inhaled a deep breath. She hurt all over, her stomach growled, and she was alone in this vast and unforgiving wilderness. At least it seemed as if she was all alone. Her eyes stung, and she blinked away the onset of tears. She gritted her teeth. Crying wasn’t going to do her any good.

  She glanced at her surroundings, but all was quiet other than the sounds of the birds, crickets, and the wind swooshing through the brush. She set one determined foot in front of the other and squinted into the distance.

  It had to be late afternoon at this point, judging by the position of the sun closer to the horizon. She’d walked all day, and didn’t appear to have come any closer to that mountain she’d stared at for hours. Cameron had been gone for at least an hour since the last time he’d disappeared. She gritted her teeth and kept moving. She’d always been the laughing stock by the popular crowd in school because of her clumsiness. It was time to prove that she wasn’t a complete klutz. More importantly, she didn’t want to give Cameron a reason to think that way about her, too.

  Riley scoffed. If someone had asked her back home to go hiking through the wilderness, she would have politely declined. Even when she'd asked Dan Osborne to take her to those archaeological sites, she hadn't expected to walk all day to get to them. This wasn't her cup of tea.

  She gazed into the distance. Admittedly, the landscape was breathtaking, even if the terrain challenged her physically. Coming up on a rise, she squinted into the valley as it stretched out below her. A river, almost too small to make out from her vantage point, cut through the valley, and countless dark spots dotted the surrounding grassland.

  Just then, movement to her right, coming from the direction of the aspen, caught her eye. Relief quickly replaced the jolt of alarm in her chest. Running straight at her at a leisurely pace was Cameron. Butterflies churned in her stomach.

  Riley waited, her gaze going from the bare-chested guy heading her way to some point in the distance. When was the last time a gorgeous guy had run to her? She suppressed a laugh and forced her eyes from staring directly at him. Cameron slowed his pace to a walk when he was just a few yards away.

  “There’s a good place to camp, up the hill and through those trees.” He pointed in the direction from which he’d come, talking as if they’d been carrying on a conversation, without acknowledging that he’d been gone for a long time.

  “You’re not going to disappear on me again, are you?” She didn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice that he’d left her alone for a
n hour, or even longer.

  Cameron's forehead wrinkled. He looked at her, his eyes moving over her face as if he were trying to read her mind.

  “You will be safe tonight,” he said slowly, apparently choosing his words carefully. His eyes remained on her. “There are no signs of Bakianee nearby.”

  Riley shifted weight from one sore foot to the other. His meaning was clear, even if he hadn’t said it. No doubt he still couldn’t find the right words to talk to her in English. He’d been out scouting their surroundings all day, making sure there was no danger, and she’d been angry about it.

  She clamped her lips together. He’d been looking out for her, and she was acting as if he’d done something wrong. It was time to put her studies to some use, and remember the things she’d learned and read about. Hopefully, Dan Osborne hadn’t been too correct when he’d told her “things we think we know might be completely different,” when he’d indulged her with speculations about time travel.

  She smiled tentatively. To keep from looking at Cameron, she pointed into the distance at the dust swirling into the air by the river, and the sea of dark spots that looked like ants from this far away.

  “What are those?”

  “Piakuittsun . . . bison.”

  Riley stared, in awe. She’d seen a large herd of bison on her drive through Yellowstone several days ago, but the sheer number that stretched before her now was incomprehensible. She fingered the fur slung over her shoulder.

  “Do you hunt bison?”

  Cameron focused his gaze on the vast herd for a brief moment, then directed his eyes at her again.

  “A few times.” He shrugged. “Other game is easier to hunt, and not as dangerous.”