Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 1) by Peggy L Henderson Read Free Book Online

herself lucky. This guy had saved her life, and no doubt had to be hugely inconvenienced by her presence. She firmly closed her mouth and clenched her jaw to brace the jostling of her brain.
    An hour later, Daniel had detoured around the edge of the canyon, and they reached the banks of the Gibbon River below the falls. Aimee was aware that he kept mostly to the meandering riverbank with its softer loamy earth. He had picked out the smoothest path possible, no doubt for her comfort. Guilt enveloped her. He showed no sign of slowing his pace the entire morning. He definitely had endurance.
    Daniel seemed unconcerned when they passed close by a group of bison, while she gripped the poles of the travois until her knuckles turned white. She eyed the massive creatures nervously. A few of the beasts raised their heads from cropping at the lush grasses and watched them pass. Their eyes seemed to stare directly at her, and the hair at the back of her neck stood on end.
    Quit being ridiculous! They’re not giving you the evil eye. They’re just curious. 
    Only when they had moved a safe distance away did she breathe easier. She observed more bison, and a large number of elk in the distance as the day wore on. Hawks lazily circled the cloudless deep blue sky in search of an unsuspecting meal. The scenery was magnificent. She savored the crisp, clean air, catching the occasional scent of sulfur carried on the breeze, a reminder of the geothermal wonders of this area. The only sounds came from insects in the tall grass, birds in the distance, the occasional warning call of a ground squirrel, and the scraping of the travois poles on the ground. There was just no better place on earth.
    By mid-day, Daniel stopped suddenly. He gently set the poles down, and Aimee raised her head and glanced around.
    “Drink some water,” he ordered, and handed her his water bag. He removed some meat from his pouch and wordlessly offered it to her. She reached for the food, gritting her teeth at the pain that rushed through her arm at the slight movement. There wasn’t an inch of her body that didn’t ache. If only she had taken some ibuprofen before they started on their journey. She opened her backpack, discreetly took out the medicine bottle, and swallowed a couple of pills. Daniel didn’t sit down to rest. He stood off to the side, constantly scanning their surroundings.
    “I would like to stretch my legs for a minute,” she called, and hoisted herself up with her walking stick. Once the dizziness subsided, she hobbled around awkwardly. She arched her back, her hands on her hips. Then she bent forward to touch her toes in an effort to stretch the tight muscles in her legs and back. Hobbling around for a few minutes, she waited for Daniel to say something. He cast odd looks her way, and Aimee wondered what he must be thinking. The prolonged silence was unnerving. Conversation had always come naturally to her, but Daniel was apparently the silent type.
    “How much further is it to your cabin?” she finally asked.
    He didn’t answer immediately. She’d almost given up on a response, when he said, “we will be there before the sun sets.”
    “It’s really nice of you to take me with you.” She wished she could engage him in a little more talk than the few curt words he spoke to her. Watching him pick up the travois and head toward the river, she asked, “don’t you want me to get on that thing first?”
    “We need to cross the river,” he replied without looking at her, as if that explained everything. “Stay where you are,” he commanded almost as an afterthought while he hoisted the travois over his head and waded into the water.
    “Okay, I’ll wait here,” she mumbled and shrugged, feeling completely useless.
    Daniel deposited the contraption on the opposite bank and made his way back. Wordlessly he strode up to her and, in one swift motion, bent and scooped her in his arms.
    “Whoa!” Purely by reflex, her arms flew around his