Yellowstone Redemption

by Peggy L Henderson

Elk Runner’s eyes followed the conversation. Sarah wasn’t sure how much he understood. Her mother had taught him and his family some English, but mostly they spoke in the Shoshoni dialect whenever they were together.

  “Walk outside with me, paite.” Elk Runner turned and left the cabin.

  “I’ll be right back,” Sarah shot Chase a nervous glance, and followed her uncle. She ran to catch up with him as he walked towards the Madison.

  “Uncle, what brings you here?” Her pulse quickened. This was an awkward situation.

  “Snow Bird has asked for you,” Elk Runner replied. He turned and looked towards the cabin. “Her time is near. I have come to take you back to the village with me.” After a pause, he added, “Your father has asked that I watch over you while he is away. But it appears that you’ve found your own guardian.”

  “He was brought here by some Absarokas. They found him near death. I’ve helped him recover.”

  “So I see.”

  Sarah groaned silently. Her uncle didn’t miss anything.

  “He lives in this cabin with you?”

  “Please, uncle, it’s not what you think. He is lost. He can’t find his companions. I believe they have left him for dead. I was hoping when my father gets home, he will help him return to his people.”

  “Your father will not be pleased with this.” The man’s tone was serious, but Sarah saw the sparkle in his eyes, and the mischievous curve of his lips.

  “I have done nothing inappropriate,” Sarah said firmly.

  “No, I don’t believe you have,” he said slowly. “You are truly your father’s daughter.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Elk Runner’s smile widened. “Only that your father was also honor bound at one time, and refused to act on his feelings for a woman.”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. “You speak in riddles, uncle.”

  “Are you certain this man can be trusted?”

  “He has already shown that he would protect me from men with vile intentions.”

  Elk Runner’s face darkened. “You are in danger from someone?”

  “No. Chase spoke up for me, and Grizzly actually killed the man. It was the trapper Jean Luc Briard. He remembered me from rendezvous last year.”

  “Yes, your father has mentioned him. That is why your parents did not want you to attend this year. An unmarried woman is like fresh meat to a starving grizzly bear.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I can see that your thoughts about uniting with a man have changed.”

  Sarah’s face flamed, which would only serve to confirm her uncle’s perceptiveness. “I have no such intentions,” she stated hotly, and turned away from him, hoping he hadn’t seen her face.

  Elk Runner laughed. “As I have said, you are your father’s daughter. I recall similar words spoken by him when he first found your mother.”

  Those words made her turn back and face him. “Tell me how they met.”

  Elk Runner studied her. A devilish grin lit up his face, and he appeared much younger all of a sudden. “I came to your father, and told him I had seen a white woman who appeared to be lost in the woods. He didn’t believe me, but when we found her again, she was near death on a cliff in the canyon.”

  “The canyon?” Sarah’s heart beat faster. “The canyon of he E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay?”

  “No. The Little Buffalo River. Just beyond the falls.”

  “Did she ever say where she came from?”

  “I never found out. It didn’t matter. Your father needed a wife. He fought against it for a long time, but I could see from the start that she would be his woman. I fear he would still live a solitary life if not for her.” He paused and studied her through narrowed eyes. “Why these questions about your mother? Perhaps you should ask her.”

  “I will,” Sarah said absently.

  They stood in silence by the river. Then Elk Runner said, “Pack what you need. You want to reach the village before nightfall. Snow Bird is anxious to have you at her side.”

  “What am I to do about Chase?”

  “Bring him along.”

  Sarah stared, open-mouthed at her uncle, and watched him walk away.

  “Where are you going?” she called after him, not disguising the annoyance in her voice. Sometimes her uncle could be so infuriating.

  “There is no need for me to wait for you. You have a man to bring you safely to the village,” he called over his shoulder.

  She grumbled under her breath, and stomped her foot in the dirt. Living under the same roof with him was one thing, as long as no one found out. What would her aunt and cousins think when she showed up with a man by her side? It would be perceived as an open declaration that they were a couple.

  A Uinta ground squirrel darted back into its hole when she walked past. Right now, she wished she could make herself small enough to join the rodent in its dark, underground cavern, and hide from the world.

  Chapter 14

  “We’re going where?” Chase gaped at Sarah.

  “I’ve been called to tend to my cousin. She is due to give birth soon, and I have agreed to act as her midwife.”

  He watched her dart around the cabin, collecting all the things she’d barely put away from their return yesterday. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Maybe I should stay here,” he said. He wasn’t much in the mood for another hike through the wilderness. The only other hike he’d planned to make was to find Sarah’s mother. And he definitely had enough of people pointing deadly weapons at him.

  “Believe me, you staying here would be my preference as well,” Sarah mumbled.

  “Okay, then I’ll stay here. How long will you be gone?”

  She stopped wrapping bread in cloth to stare at him. “I said it would be my preference. But you can’t stay here alone.”

  “Why not?”

  “Many reasons.”

  “Can you be a bit more specific?”

  She turned fully to glare at him. “You cannot fend for yourself, for one thing.” She threw her hands in the air. “What will you eat? And what happens if a party of Absarokas show up? Or worse, some Blackfoot. They will kill you before you can blink.” She shoved her way past him to pack the bread in a leather pouch on the table. She wheeled to head back to the work bench, her motions more agitated with each passing moment.

  He moved in front of her, deliberately blocking her way. She tried to elbow past him, so he grabbed her upper arm.

  “Why the hell are you so uptight?” he asked. He hadn’t seen her like this. She was nervous about something. Chase stared down at her. She hadn’t braided her hair since coming from the river and speaking with her uncle. Her mahogany waves swayed down her back and over her shoulders, and the room seemed uncomfortably warm all of a sudden. He could smell a subtle flowery fragrance in her hair. He found her feisty side quite appealing, and the way she blushed around him, but the way she fluttered around like a sparrow caught in a windowpane was new. He suspected it had something to do with her uncle’s visit.

  “I…I’m not,” she stammered.

  Chase’s lips curled upward slowly. “Why are you blushing, angel?”

  She tried to pull her arm away, and shot him a heated look, which only served to turn him on more.

  Russell, you’re going to go straight to hell for this. His right hand came up and glided along her cheek, then under her hair, until he cupped the back of her head. His left hand followed on the other side. Slowly, he lowered his face to hers. He felt her stiffen, but it was too late. He couldn’t stop now. He had to taste her lips. Her hands shot up to push against his arms just as his mouth covered hers. He groaned as white hot heat shot through him, as if the feel of her lips had turned on an electric circuit. He couldn’t remember ever having such a feeling kissing a woman. Slowly, he moved his lips against hers, coaxing, teasing her to respond. His hands massaged the back of her neck, his fingers entwined in her hair, and he stepped closer until the length of her body brushed up ag
ainst his.

  He wanted to plunder her mouth, ravish her senseless until she gave in, but he knew it would only scare her away. He kept his assault gentle, his actions unthreatening. If she fought him, he’d back off. He moved his lips away from hers a fraction of an inch, giving her a tiny window to escape. When she didn’t move, he covered her mouth once more and renewed the kiss. Her resistance melted. Her hands no longer pushed against him, and her lips parted slightly. Chase slid one hand down her back and encircled her waist with his arm, pulling her up against him. She leaned into his embrace, a soft whimper escaping from her throat.

  Every nerve cell urged him to intensify the kiss. In his mind, he carried her to her bed, and this time they wouldn’t be sleeping. Instead of acting on those visions, he pulled back slowly, and released his hold on her. They both struggled for a normal breath. Sarah’s blue pools stared up at him, and he smiled softly.

  “That wasn’t so bad, now was it,” he said, his voice hoarse. Sarah took a step back, her eyes still round as saucers. “Angel?”

  “You….please don’t do that again,” she whispered. It was the last thing he expected her to say.

  “You didn’t enjoy that?” He stepped up to her again, and gently held her shoulders. Panic seeped into her eyes. He kneaded her arms with his palms and fingers, feeling the trembling in her body.

  She feels it. She just doesn’t know how to respond. He suddenly realized he was probably the first and only man who’d ever kissed her. An overwhelming feeling of possessiveness came over him.

  “I…..” She averted her eyes and turned her face away. He brought it back with two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  “Don’t be afraid of me, Sarah. If you don’t want me to kiss you again, I won’t.” He knew that was going to be a difficult promise to keep. He released her arms, and stepped away from her, turning his back so she wouldn’t see the evidence of her effect on him. God, she had to have felt him pressed up against her.

  He exhaled slowly. Never before had he been this attracted to a girl, and definitely not to one without experience. He couldn’t even explain it to himself what had come over him since he met Sarah. He only knew that her naïve ways about men, coupled with her confidence and knowledge in everything else, made him feel things he never felt before. He wanted to be the honorable man she thought he was. Her opinion of him might have changed after that kiss.

  “So, when do we leave,” he asked, his back still turned.

  *****

  Sarah walked briskly along the banks of the Madison, heading west, her head held low. The urge to step out of her skin and run away from herself was overwhelming. These feelings inside her would drive her mad. She’d always considered herself strong and able to defend herself in any situation. Her guard had been down the other day with Jean Luc, or he would have never gotten as close to her as he had. She’d been too content in Chase’s company to see the danger.

  With Chase, she had no defenses. She was embarrassed for her weakness around him, and for the things he made her feel. She hoped he’d be true to his word and not kiss her again. Even though she wanted him to. God help her, she wanted him to kiss and hold her again. The way he made her feel, the way her body tingled from the inside out, was unlike anything she ever imagined.

  She felt her face grow hot, the memory of that kiss playing itself over and over in her mind. She tried to picture Jean Luc, or any other man kissing her, and those visions conjured up nothing but disgust. But Chase, who walked silently next to her, held a power over her she couldn’t explain. She didn’t have the strength, or the will to fight him. If he kissed her again……

  Sarah raked her teeth over her dry lower lip. She had to get her emotions under control before they reached the Tukudeka village. Everyone would see it in her face that she had kissed this man, wouldn’t they? It would be obvious to all, and they would ask questions. Questions she couldn’t answer, because Chase was not her man. He had made it clear that he didn’t want to be attached to a woman, and that he wanted to find his way home. Something told her he probably had many lady friends where he came from. Was he simply used to women paying attention to him, and since she was the only woman he had contact with presently, expected her to act a certain way in the same manner as them?

  She wasn’t sure what to make of the looks she’d seen in his eyes. And the kiss seemed to have affected him as much as it had her.

  What do you know of men, Sarah? The only ones who have paid attention to you acted vulgar and disgusting. It seemed that men were only after one thing. That’s why it was unwise to have such silly notions about a man unless he had asked for her in marriage.

  “What are those things?”

  Chase’s deep voice among the lulling sounds of the river and crickets in the grasses startled her out of her deep thoughts. She looked up, momentarily confused. When had they traveled this far? She almost missed the tributary where they needed to veer away from the main river and head in a northerly direction.

  “Are you going to act all jumpy around me now? I swear I won’t touch you again.” Why did he sound so angry? “I didn’t realize what I did has you so repulsed. Shit.” He kicked out at a ground squirrel mound, sending dirt flying.

  Sarah flinched involuntarily at his heated words. If only he knew how he affected her. She certainly didn’t find him repulsive. She couldn’t bring herself to say it, though.

  “Forgive me,” she said quietly. “I was deep in thought. Your words just startled me. What were you asking?”

  Chase glared at her. He ran his hand along the back of his neck. His chest heaved in a deep sigh. “I asked what those things over there are?” His voice had gone normal again. He pointed towards the river at what appeared to be mounds of wood stacked along the shore, reaching into the water. “Is all of that driftwood?”

  “No,” Sarah shook her head, relieved that she could talk to him about things that were familiar to her. “Those are beaver lodges. Most of them are probably abandoned. There aren’t a lot of beaver left in this area.”

  “Why do they stack up such huge amounts of wood? What’s the purpose in that?”

  “They live inside them. The entrance is accessible only under water. Inside it’s like a dry cavern. It’s where they sleep and raise their young.” She laughed, and Chase looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I once hid from my brothers for an entire day inside a beaver lodge. They were so furious with me that I outsmarted them.”

  “Why were you hiding from your brothers?” Chase seemed more relaxed again. Perhaps he was grateful for the neutral conversation, too. She smiled brightly at the memory.

  “Matthew and Samuel made a bet that they could track better than me. They had lost a deer track the day before, and I suppose I gave them a hard time about it.” She glanced up at him, and shivered involuntarily. His mischievous smile and the sparkle in his eyes sent her pulse into overdrive.

  “It’s not a good idea to show up your brothers, angel.” His grin belied the seriousness in his tone.

  “Show up?” What did that mean?

  “Yeah. Boys don’t like it when girls are better than them…..even if it’s true.”

  “You don’t seem to mind.” The teasing words escaped her mouth before she had time to think. She almost covered her mouth with her hands, as if she’d said a nasty word.

  “I know when I’m defeated, angel. With you, all I can do is roll over and play dead.” His eyes turned dark as he stared at her. Sarah swallowed nervously.

  She had no idea what he was talking about. Would her mother understand his unfamiliar phrases?

  He cleared his throat. “So, what happened with the bet?”

  Sarah stared out at the landscape. A few more miles, and they would reach the village. She knew she would find the camp at the base of a rocky cliff, surrounded by forest. She headed away from the main river and its tributary, and entered a sparse forest.

  “My brothers challenged me to act as the prey, and they would tr
ack me down. They gave me an hour’s head start. I led them through the forest and over a steep mountain for a while, then covered my tracks and headed for the river. A beaver had just emerged from his lodge, and it gave me the idea to seek a hiding place there. I was successful. They never found me.” She beamed at him.

  He didn’t say anything for a while. Sarah wondered if he had even listened to her boastful story.

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” He hadn’t looked at her when he said the words, barely above a whisper, and kept his eyes trained straight ahead. He had his thumbs hooked through his belt where his weapons hung off on either side of his hip. His knuckles turned white with tension. Her heart skipped a beat. She had no response to his compliment.

  Chapter 15

  What the hell, Russell. This girl isn’t interested in you. All he seemed to accomplish was to make her nervous. She acted as if he’d done more than just kiss her. Other women sure never seemed to mind. And he sure as hell didn’t have to work half as hard with them.

  Chase stopped himself short. What did he want from Sarah? His attraction to her was annoying as hell. Each time he told himself to leave it alone, words came out of his mouth that left her flustered again. He had to find a way to reach her mother. It was as simple as that. He needed to get home, back to where things were familiar. He definitely didn’t have a clue about life in this time.

  Living here in this environment was harsh, that much was certain. Why didn’t he seem to be bothered by it, then? He did mind having his life threatened. Twice now, in less than a week. If he didn’t learn to defend himself, he’d be dead soon. Sarah had spoken the truth that he’d probably end up on some Indian’s platter if he stayed behind at the cabin while she visited her friends.

  Is that why she’s not interested in you, Russell? Because you’re not a man in her eyes? She’d made it plain that she didn’t think he could take care of himself. Was that the way to impress her?