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

hope this isn’t too much trouble for you, having me here,” she apologized.
    Daniel knelt in front of the hearth, gathered kindling from the wood box into a small pile, and struck his knife against a flint he produced from the pouch around his neck.  Sparks erupted almost immediately, and Daniel blew air on the small flame, then added larger pieces of wood to feed the growing fire. Aimee had never seen anyone produce a campfire with such speed and efficiency. Of course he didn’t reply to her comment.
    “I won’t be a bother to you, I promise,” she tried again. “My foot should be better in a couple of days, and . . . I’ll leave then.” If he sent her away, she’d have to manage somehow on her own until Zach came for her. The thought sent chills of dread down her spine.
    Daniel turned to look at her as if considering her statement. “You lost your way in the woods already.”
    “Not all who wander are lost.” She couldn’t help herself from quoting one of her favorite authors.
    Daniel’s eyebrows drew together. “Where do you plan to go? There are no people other than the Tukudeka and some Siksiska in this area.”
    “Some who and what?”
    “The Tukudeka - the Sheep Eaters - and the Siksiska - the Blackfoot,” Daniel explained. He stared at her again with those intense brown eyes.
    “Where did you come from?” His non-wavering stare seemed to burn a hole right through her.
    There it was! Aimee expected the question. Unfortunately, she hadn’t come up with any kind of believable story yet. Zach had been adamant that no one, including his son, could find out where she really came from.
    “I sort of dropped into the area.” She shrugged, knowing how crazy she sounded. “I’m actually from Ca…New York.”
    Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a city in the east. How does a white woman travel this far, alone in the wilderness?”
    Wow, he’s actually talking. Wrong topic, though.
    Struggling to remember any of her early American history, she answered, “Well, I always wanted to see things beyond New York. I . . . I hooked up with some settlers down the Ohio River to St. Louis. One thing led to another and somehow I ended up here.” She shrugged again, and averted her eyes. The lie sounded stupid even as she said it.
    “There are no white people within a thousand miles from here. Who are you running from?”
    “I’m not . . .” She stopped herself and inhaled deeply. “Okay. I left a fiancé back home. I just needed to get away.”
    Oh man, these half-truths were really hard. Aimee knew how utterly impossible it was for a white woman to be in these mountains in this day and age, especially alone, but she couldn’t think of one good scenario that was believable. She hoped her vague answer would satisfy him. It wasn’t a complete lie. She had been looking for a way to get away from Brad. Just days before meeting Zach, she had broken her engagement. He hadn’t taken it well. Brad never took “no” for an answer well. That was the problem.
    “I don’t know this word . . . fiancé.” Daniel’s resonating voice pulled her thoughts back to the here and now.
    “Um . . . my intended, betrothed, the man I was gonna marry,” Aimee explained.
    Daniel’s face darkened, and his body tensed.  “Surely he is looking for you.”
    “I don’t think so,” Aimee said confidently. “He has no idea where I am.”
    “Who brought you this far from St. Louis?” 
    “N . . . no one,” Aimee stammered. Damn! This wasn’t going well. “I mean, I got separated from some people I was traveling with a few weeks ago.” Okay. Lie number two. The vulnerability of her position occurred to her again.
    Why did I agree to do this? Because you thought it was just some silly joke! 
    Daniel’s accusing stare sent chills up her spine. She let out the breath she’d been holding after he turned his back to her to finish building the fire. When a sizeable blaze crackled in the hearth, he stood and headed