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

neck to hold on. Oh man, his face was way too close. A sheen of perspiration clung to the growing shadow above his upper lip. Her eyes locked onto the penetrating stare that came from underneath his dark lashes, and the unruly hair that fell forward over his eyes. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Awareness of his arms of steel, rock solid chest, and pure rugged maleness seeped into her body. Daniel’s face remained hard and unreadable as he waded through the river a third time.
    “Please don’t drop me,” she teased. She tried to ease the tension, and at the same time ignore her wildly galloping heart. Daniel didn’t seem to think her comment was funny. His eyebrows furrowed into a dark scowl. The slight twitch of his upper lip reminded her of a wolf, ready to bare its teeth and strike, and she wished she could take her words back. Twice today she’d observed this savage, almost hateful look, and she wondered why he held such animosity toward her.
    Safely on the other side of the river, Daniel placed her on the travois, picked up the ends of the poles, and silently continued at his brisk pace.

Chapter 4
     
     
    It was late afternoon or early evening when the area they were in took on a familiar feel. Aimee turned slightly on the travois to look in the direction of travel. The valley that widened before her was all too familiar. Straight-walled mountains framed a meadow on the south side, and sloping wooded hills rose to the north. The river they had been following made a sweeping bend before another river, which seemed to flow straight out of the mountains from the south, joined this one. Together, they merged into one wide body of water that continued to flow west.
    “The Madison!” she blurted out loud. Daniel turned his head and shot her a puzzled look. Idiot! Aimee kicked herself mentally. I shouldn’t know this . Lewis and Clark had named this river in 1805, but much further to the north of here, not at its origin in this little valley. Their expedition hadn’t come through the Yellowstone area. But Zach had also called it the Madison, so the name must have been widely used early on.
    “Oh, look. Is that your cabin over there?” She awkwardly tried to cover up her slip. A log structure came into view around the bend in the river, nestled amongst some sheltering pines. The landscape looked familiar, but in her time there were fewer trees on the hillside to the north, and the worn path along the river’s edge, created by thousands of tourists each summer, was also absent. It appeared so much more beautiful now, in its wild and undamaged state.
    Daniel lowered the travois poles in front of the cabin, and she hoisted herself from the ground with her stick. She stretched her stiff muscles. Would her body ever stop aching?  Daniel quickly surveyed the area, then he checked inside the cabin before he waved his hand for her to enter. Whatever he’d been looking for must have satisfied him.
    Aimee had no idea what to expect. What did the inside of a trapper’s cabin look like? Curious, she hobbled through the door into the dark interior. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She scanned the single room. There was a rough wooden table in the center. Two logs split down their middle on either side of the table made up two benches. There were two bunks along opposite walls, each piled high with various animal furs and wool blankets. The back wall held a massive stone fireplace and hearth, and some shelves had been hung that contained tin plates, cups, wooden bowls, and various other containers.  Two pairs of snowshoes, a hunting bow and quiver full of arrows, and several metal contraptions with chains that she guessed were steel traps hung on the walls. The entire cabin projected the man who lived in it – wild and rustic, without any frills. 
    “You can sleep here,” Daniel said, and pointed to the bunk on the left. She hobbled over to the bed and deposited her backpack on it.
    “I