Sarah inhaled deeply, and sat down beside him. He looked at her, hope in his eyes.
“After Hawk died, I made my decision. I couldn’t live feeling like a failure anymore. We took his body back to his family, and I had a long talk with your dad, and with Elk Runner. Your father wanted to find the time travel device, get rid of it for good to make sure it wasn’t found again. He asked for my help. I could show him exactly where I had been when it sent me here. It would make his search easier. When we found it, we parted ways.”
He reached out and tentatively touched her hand in her lap. She didn’t pull away. The warmth of his touch radiated through her. All the old feelings that she wanted to forget came rushing back. She still loved this man more than anything. She met his eyes.
“I met up with Elk Runner,” Chase continued. He took hold of her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “He sent me on a vision quest first. It made me see clearly all the things that were holding me back, all the self-doubts I had. He taught me things I needed to learn to survive, and what it took to be a man in this time. I’ve been out hunting and tracking, and trading with some of the tribes over the months, then headed to Fort Raymond. That’s where I met your brothers.” A slow smile spread across his face.
“You met my brothers?” Sarah stared, wide-eyed.
“Great bunch of guys.” Chase chuckled. “Didn’t take me long to figure out who they were. Twins that look so much like your dad, and Samuel is the spitting image of you, but with blonde hair. They were going to stay until spring, but when the weather let up, they decided they wanted to try and make it through the pass and be home for Christmas. I came back with them, although I would have come back on my own had they decided to stay.”
The fire crackled softly behind them. Sarah’s back warmed. Minutes passed and neither one spoke. She tried to absorb everything he’d told her. He had done all this to prove himself? So he could remain here and be with her?
Chase brought her hand to his lips, and kissed each finger. Sarah closed her eyes, savoring the sensations coursing through her.
“Let me see if I can get this right,” Chase said quietly, and cleared his throat. Sarah opened her eyes to look at him. “Tsao suwangkun, Aibehi Imaah ba’a”.
Her vision blurred anew at his words, and she could barely breathe. He knelt before her, reaching for her other hand. His eyes did not leave hers.
“I love you, angel.” He wiped the tears away from her cheeks with his finger. “And I have one more confession to make,” he smiled softly. “On our way back from the village, after we returned Hawk’s body, I asked your father for you.”
Sarah couldn’t hold back a gasp. “You…what?” she asked, breathless.
“He consented. I admit, asking for you, knowing I would be leaving, was my selfish little piece of insurance that you wouldn’t go off and marry the first trapper who came along after I was gone. I asked your father to give me six months. If I didn’t return in that time, if you found someone else, you would be free to choose then, but your father would refuse any man before then.”
Chase stood. He pulled her up with him, and wrapped his arms around her. “These buffalo robes are really bulky,” he chuckled. “I can’t even hold you.” He released her and removed his heavy robe. “It’s getting pretty warm in here.”
Sarah smiled softly, and slipped out of her robe as well. Would he notice? He bent and kissed her lightly on the lips. She held her breath.
Chase cupped her face between his hands, his eyes staring intently at her. “Sarah, when you came to me…in the custom’s you grew up with, your father had consented to the match already….you came to your husband. I made love to my wife that night.”
Sarah’s arms shot up and she wrapped them tightly around his neck. Chase inhaled deeply, and pulled her to him. Sarah sobbed, and finally cried tears of joy rather than sadness. Everything would be all right now. She had a husband, and a father for their child. Chase stroked her back and held her. After countless minutes, she reluctantly pulled back, and wiped her face on her sleeves.
Sarah silently removed the belt from around her waist, letting it slip to the floor. Chase stared at her, a slow smile on his face, and one brow raised. With a pounding heart, she reached for his hand, and held it in front of her. He had given no indication that he noticed a change in her size. Her wider appearance could be attributed to her layers of winter clothes.
Sarah held his eyes and slowly guided his hand up her shirt to her abdomen. Her heart drummed fiercely in her throat. How would he react?
“Angel, what are you doi…” Chase didn’t finish his question. Abruptly, his hand pulled away. Surprise registered in his wide eyes. “Sarah?” He swallowed, and looked towards her stomach.
Sarah blinked away the tears that threatened in her eyes. It wasn’t the reaction she had hoped for. He didn’t seem pleased. She lowered her head, and stepped away from him, a sinking feeling in her gut. Was Chase about to reject his own child?
Just as quickly as his hand pulled away, he snaked his arms around her to prevent her from moving further away from him. A fierce and determined look came over him.
“Sarah….angel,” he whispered. “Had I known, I would have come back sooner.” His hands trembled, and he felt his way up her shirt, and along her slightly protruding stomach. His lips curved in a slow smile.
“You’re…not upset?” Sarah asked hesitantly.
His brows furrowed. “Why would I be upset, angel? I…words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now.” He leaned forward and kissed her, his hand still on her abdomen. Sarah stepped closer, and she heaved a sigh in relief.
“Junior here gave me quite a surprise. I wasn’t expecting this,” Chase said. His face sobered. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I can only imagine how difficult the last few months must have been for you. If I’d have known—“
“You’re here now,” she said, sniffling. His hands moved around to her back, and he pulled her to him.
“I love you, Sarah. I’ll tell you that every day for the rest of our lives.”
“I like your hair short,” she said suddenly, smiling up at him.
“I’ll cut it,” he responded without hesitation.
His hand came up and stroked her cheek. Then he claimed her mouth in a slow kiss that made her want to melt.
“Sarah,” he panted, pulling his head back, “you’ve redeemed me from my old life. I didn’t know what living was, until I came here and found you. All the hurt I’ve caused, I will make up to you somehow. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m confident in my abilities now.”
Sarah cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, Chase,” she whispered. “I never stopped.”
“So, will you accept me as your husband, and father to our son?” he grinned.
“From now until forever,” she said, “but don’t be disappointed if we have a daughter.” She pulled his head down, and pressed her lips to his.
“Whoa! What is going on in here? Do I need to defend your honor, Sarah?” Sarah broke away, startled by the loud voice. She looked up to see Samuel standing in the door. His eyes narrowed on Chase.
Chase grinned. “That’s my job from now on, Uncle Sam. Have you met my wife?”
Sarah laughed at the open-mouthed expression on her brother’s face. For once, he was speechless. Finally, he shook his head, and said, “Does papa know about this?” Without waiting for an answer, he looked at Chase. “I don’t know how you two know each other, but I sure hope you realize what you’re getting yourself into.” With a broad grin on his face, he turned and left the cabin.
Chase wrapped his arms around her. “Ready to see your family?”
“Zach and Matt will be in here in a minute if we don’t show up, after Samuel’s done telling them what he saw.”
“I’ll make sure and put a lock on this door,” Chase replied, and kissed her one more time. Holding her arms, his face turned serious. “Make me one promise, Sarah.”
“Anything,” she whispered,
breathless.
“When our baby is born, I want to be there. Don’t make me wait a month before I get to meet and hold him.”
Sarah smiled. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, Chase. You will be the first to hold her.”
He reached for her coat, and wrapped it around her, before grabbing for his own. “Whatever the future brings, from now on we’re facing it together.”
“You are my future, Chase,” Sarah gazed up at him.
Chase looked into her eyes. “And you are my redemption, angel.”
Dear Reader
I hope you enjoyed the second installment of the Yellowstone Romance Series. While I try my best to stay true to the general history of the Yellowstone area, and to the beautiful landscape, I choose to use literary license with some dates, locations, and events of the area.
The mountain man and fur trapper era in the Rocky Mountains encompassed only about twenty years, from the 1820’s to the early 1840’s. These mountain men traveled through the mountains in large groups, most of them working for various fur companies. Only a few operated as free trappers, sort of like independent agents. The annual trapper rendezvous took place in different locations throughout the Rockies each year, but not near Jackson Lake at the base of the Grand Tetons, as I have depicted it in this story.
Trappers spent spring and fall trapping beaver. They did not actually live in the area, and very few entered the area that is now Yellowstone National Park. None lived there year-round. The only permanent inhabitants were the Sheepeater Shoshone. Other tribes migrated through the area that is now the park, but due to harsh winter conditions, they chose not to live there.
Fort Raymond was a trapper outpost built by Manuel Lisa in 1806 at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers. It was abandoned in 1813. For the purposes of this story, the fort was still a thriving stronghold for trappers in 1835.
John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, is credited with being the first white man in the Yellowstone area. Whether he actually saw the geysers there is debatable, but Colter Bay on Jackson Lake in the Grand Tetons is named for him.
Chase’s experience with the Blackfoot tribe is loosely based on what is known as “Colter’s Run.” While trapping with a fellow mountain man, Colter was ambushed by a group of Blackfoot. His companion was killed, but Colter was stripped of his clothes and weapons, and given the chance to run for his life. He miraculously lived to tell the tale.
I do not speak Shoshone, nor any other Native American language. The Shoshone words and phrases I use in this story are derived from a Shoshone dictionary. I wanted to use authentic words, but I make no claims to know anything about proper syntax or usage. I looked up the words and their rough translation, and strung them together to make the names and phrases I use. The only true and correct Native American name in the story is the name for the Yellowstone River.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Yellowstone Romance Series. Book 3 is titled Yellowstone Awakening, and deals with the creation of Yellowstone as this nation’s first national park.
Find out more about me and my stories here:
http://peggylhenderson.blogspot.com
I’m always happy to hear from my readers. Tell me what you liked, or didn’t like in the story. I can be reached via email here: [email protected]
Scroll down for Chapter 1 of Book 3, Yellowstone Awakening
Yellowstone Awakening
Chapter 1
Yellowstone Plateau, 1872
Kyle Russell gritted his teeth, and strained in frustration against the leather thongs slicing into his wrists. His fingers tingled from lack of circulation. Sweat soaked his forehead, running in rivulets down the sides of his face, and he blinked away the sting of salt entering his eyes.
Damn! Why did his horse have to spook just because a flock of geese took flight out of the marsh in front of them? His mare was dead-broke, and nothing usually bothered her. She’d acted uncomfortable sloshing through that boggy quagmire they had to get across, and he should have paid better attention to the animal’s instincts. Recent heavy rains had made some of the familiar trails almost impassable, but he hadn’t listened to his common sense to take a detour around the marsh.
His carelessness had not only landed him in the muck, but he’d also found himself staring down the rifle barrels of six unfriendly Crow warriors. Perhaps his horse had sensed them lying in wait, and that’s why she’d been so edgy, but his eagerness to get home had made him ignore her body language. Mistakes like that will get you killed, you know that. Grandpa taught you better than to ever let your guard down.
Kyle shook his head to fling some of his tousled hair out of his face. The effort proved futile. In his mind, he could hear his mother scolding him, telling him he needed to cut it more frequently, and wear it in the short-cropped style of his father. Kyle preferred his hair longer. Hell, if these Crows had anything to say about it, he might lose his entire golden mop soon.
Laughing Badger was probably living up to his name right about now. The Crow had been chomping at the bit for an opportunity to catch him off-guard like this for a long time, and Kyle could just picture the warrior salivating, thinking of different ways to torture him. Last summer, Kyle and his cousin Josh had made a fool out of Laughing Badger when they’d snuck into his village, and practically under the warrior’s nose, taken back a band of horses that the Crow had stolen from them. The animosity between them had escalated from mere thievery, and each trying to outwit the other, to downright open hostility. Apparently, Laughing Badger carried a grudge for a long time.
Kyle had to admit that the warrior definitely had the advantage over him this time. He’d been searching his mind to figure a way out of his current predicament all day. The small knife concealed in a pocket inside his britches was inaccessible. He’d already sliced his wrists raw to the point of bleeding in an effort to access it.
Thankfully, the heat of the afternoon sun was giving way to early evening’s cooler air. Kyle licked at his dry lips, and leaned back against the tree pole he was tethered to. Whatever the war chief had in store for him, it apparently included letting him die of thirst and hunger. Why couldn’t things be like in the old days, those times his father and grandfather had told him stories about?
Back in the good old days, the fur trappers and mountain men were the only whites roaming these hills, and all they had to worry about were warring Blackfoot. Now, the Crow had joined in their animosity against the whites, who encroached on the ancient Indian territories in ever increasing numbers. With the discovery of gold further to the north in Montana Territory in ‘63, towns had sprung up practically overnight. The fact that the Indians claimed this land was overshadowed by white men’s greed.
Kyle could well understand the anger and resentment felt by the Indians. It was only due to his grandfather’s and father’s reputations that most of the tribes left him alone in the valley along the Madison River. It had been three years since his parents packed up after the death of his grandpa and grandma, and moved to the city. With the disappearance of the fur trappers, trading in the remote Madison Valley had come to a stand still, and Kyle’s father and uncle Samuel had seized on the opportunity to run a supply depot in Virginia City.
Kyle’s sisters had been more than happy about the move, but he and his cousin, Josh Osborne, had stayed at the old homestead. Together, they raised a small band of horses in the valley, which they trained and sold in the city. Explorers and travelers always sought a well-schooled mountain pony.
His reputation as a scout and guide through the vast Yellowstone Wilderness kept him busy in the summer months. Word of the natural wonders of the region had reached scientists and adventurers in the east, and Kyle happily shared his knowledge of the Yellowstone with them.
He was within a two day’s ride from home after leading a group of prospectors from Helena through the Yellowstone Canyon area, when his little mishap in the marsh occurred. After his mare unceremoniously dumped hi
m in the mud, she’d taken off with such speed through the bog, it amazed even Kyle that she could maneuver so quickly through that slush. Along with his horse, he’d lost his supplies, and his prized Winchester Rifle. Cursing loudly, he’d pulled himself from the muck, only to be surrounded by Laughing Badger and his warriors.
The war chief must have wet his pants from glee at finding his nemesis served to him practically on a silver platter. Kyle worked the leather against the wooden pole with renewed vigor. Whatever they had planned, he knew the odds would be stacked against him.
Kyle raised his head to survey his surroundings. The Crow village consisted of twelve teepees, and included women and children, as well as old men. Most of the younger warriors were not present. Kyle had observed Laughing Badger and a bunch of men mount their horses and leave shortly after bringing him here.
Many of the older adults had given the warrior disapproving looks for bringing a white captive to the village. Perhaps they remembered a time when whites and Crow lived in peace. It was doubtful any of them would come to his aid and perhaps free him. No one would want to act against their war chief, who protected the village.
Kyle worked his tongue inside his mouth in a futile attempt to produce saliva. As if his actions had been noticed, an old woman walked his way, carrying a wooden bowl. She smiled a toothless smile at him, her face wrinkled from age, and held the bowl to his lips. Kyle eyed the contents. Clear liquid. He opened his mouth and drank eagerly. The cool, refreshing water was heaven sliding down his throat.
He drained the bowl. “Thank you, grandmother.” He spoke in Absaroka, his voice a mere hoarse whisper.
“You favor your father,” the woman said. “He brought honor to the Absaroka and many other nations for defeating our old enemies, the Blackfoot, many years ago.”
Yellowstone Redemption Page 28