Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 1) (28 page)

“Dammit, I’m going to have my say,” he shouted. He stepped around Daniel and advanced on her. “He’s nowhere near good enough for you, don’t you see? You’re used to the finer things in life, not some backwoods existence. Don’t you dare tell me you’re going to go off with him again.” Brad grabbed hold of her arm and continued to shout. “You are supposed to marry me!”

“Unhand her now.” Daniel’s voice was deathly calm as he spoke. Aimee recognized that tone as the same one he had used moments before he killed the two French trappers.

“You ruined everything for me.” Brad wheeled to face Daniel. “Ever since she came back from that trip where she met you. What kind of crazy notions did you fill her head with? She was supposed to marry me. I can give her anything she wants. She can have a life of luxury and comfort. You look like you’re nothing but a vagrant. What can you possibly offer her?” The look in his eyes was one of pure contempt. With a furious roar he took a swing at Daniel, his fist balled up tight. Daniel ducked easily, and Brad’s momentum sent him stumbling forward. With a lightning fast move, Daniel grabbed Brad’s arm. He twisted it behind his opponent’s back and stepped around him. At the same time he put a chokehold on him with his other arm.

“Daniel, no!” Aimee cried. “Don’t hurt him, please.”

Daniel’s eyes blazed with fury, his jaw clenched, and he stared at Aimee. He didn’t lighten his hold on Brad, who gasped for air, unable to move.

“Daniel,” Aimee pleaded. Seconds passed before his body relaxed. The fire in his eyes still simmered, but he brought his arm away from Brad’s neck, and pushed him away. Brad stumbled across the room, and leaned forward, one hand on his neck. He coughed and gasped for breath.

“No man touches my wife and lives,” Daniel said in the same low, calm tone he’d used before. He seemed completely at ease, as if he was merely passing the time with someone. “You are fortunate that she is a kind-hearted woman.” He grabbed the back of Brad’s shirt and slammed him into the front door.  Pulling him back, he yanked the door open and shoved him out, then gave the door a kick to shut it behind him.

Daniel slowly turned to face her. Jana stood in the small hallway that separated the kitchen from the living room, her hands on her mouth.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jana finally said, and moved to stand by Aimee. She gave Daniel a wide berth.  “He could have killed Brad without even blinking.”

“Yes, he could have. But he’s not a violent man,” Aimee reassured her friend.

“He’s positively hot,” Jana whispered. “He would absolutely kill to protect you. Brad got what he deserved. He needed to have his ass kicked a long time ago.” She smiled as Aimee stared at her, then the two women giggled.

“Your very own superman,” Jana finally commented, appreciation in her eyes as she glanced at Daniel, who still stood at the door, a solemn look on his face.  Her eyes darted from Aimee to Daniel. “Um, I have something I need to do upstairs,” she said abruptly, then rushed off.

Aimee walked up to him. What was going through her mountain man’s mind now? She didn’t like the somber set of his face.

“He’s right,” Daniel said, taking hold of Aimee’s hand. She shook her head slightly, puzzled by his words.  “I have nothing to offer you. Nothing but a life full of danger and hardship.”

Aimee inhaled sharply.  “A life I gladly accept and want, as long as I can be with you,” she choked out. She threw her arms around him, pulling his head down to kiss him in desperation. He was not changing his mind now about taking her with him, was he? Daniel wrapped her in his arms, melting into her kiss. He pulled away to kiss her nose and eyes, her mouth again, then her neck. He cradled her head in his hands, and Aimee opened her eyes.

“If you are sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me . . . in my world,” Daniel whispered against her lips.

“We should get going,” Aimee said hastily, and pulled away. “I just want to get my journal.”

“Nothing else?” Daniel asked. His hands moved to her shoulders.

“No.” She shook her head. “This has to be a clean break. We can’t keep living in two worlds, just like your father said. I want to be with you, in your world. That means I have to leave everything modern behind. The snake head has to be destroyed when we return to your time.”

Daniel nodded in understanding.

Aimee retrieved her journal from her bedroom. She glanced around one last time, fingering the photographs of her parents on her dresser. Making a hasty decision, she pulled one of the pictures out of its frame, along with the one of her and Jana at their college graduation.

“I guess this is good bye, then.” Aimee turned to see Jana standing in the doorway. Aimee rushed to her, and the two women hugged and cried.

“I have to do this,” Aimee whispered.

“I know,” Jana sniffed. “I know. The two of you were meant to be together.” She smiled sadly. “It’s as plain as day when I see you together. Who knows?” She sniffed again, and wiped at her eyes. “Maybe that was the grand plan all along with this time travel thing. You and Daniel are two people who are meant to be together, but some glitch in time prevented it from happening. Maybe he was never supposed to go back to his time when he was born,” she added hopefully.

“I can’t ask him to live here.” Aimee shook her head. “He’d never fit in.”

“No, I understand that.”

Daniel reached out to shake Jana’s hand when she followed Aimee down the stairs. Instead, she gave him a friendly hug. Aimee giggled at the surprised look on his face.

“Keep her safe, and yourself as well,” Jana said.

“I will protect her with my life,” Daniel said, smiling at Aimee.

Jana nodded. “I have no doubt you will.”

Jana and Aimee embraced again, the tears flowing freely.

“I’ll write to you, whenever I get homesick,” Aimee whispered in a raspy voice.

At Jana’s baffled look, she elaborated. “Remember that hike we did last year down by Hellroaring Creek?” Jana nodded. “That funny rock formation that reminded us of Mickey Mouse? I will leave my journal somewhere under those rocks. I’ll mark the spot somehow so it won’t be obvious, but you’ll be able to recognize it. Go and find my journal, okay?”

“Okay.” Jana wiped her nose on a tissue she pulled from her jeans pocket. “But couldn’t you pick an easier hike?” she laughed.  “That one was murder.”

Daniel removed the snakehead from its leather pouch around his neck, and handed it to Aimee. He nodded a farewell to Jana, and pulled Aimee into his arms. The two gazed intently into each other’s eyes, deep brown meeting sparkling blue.

“My heart song,” Daniel whispered, and claimed her mouth, just as she put a finger to the snake’s left eye.

Epilogue

Present day Yellowstone National Park  - Old Faithful Inn

Jana Evans wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed. She closed the old, leather-bound journal, and smiled despite the tears. It had been seven months since Aimee and Daniel time traveled back in time to 1810. Jana had wasted no time to head to Yellowstone when the trails were accessible again after winter to find Aimee’s journal. She found it exactly where Aimee said it would be. It was preserved well, bound and wrapped in layers of oiled leather. The pages looked worn and old, but they were completely intact and undamaged.

Jana sat in the busy lobby of the historic Old Faithful Inn, and opened the journal, carefully turning the pages to re-read several passages.

October, 1810

It’s so good to be back! I am excited to start my new life in this wonderful land with my wonderful husband by my side.

We got rid of the time travel device, just as Zach had wanted. It turned out to be indestructible – fire doesn’t damage it, and Daniel couldn’t get an ax through it, either. So we disposed of it. I won’t say how or where, but I am confident that it will never be found again.

December 25th, 1810

Our first Christmas, and we are completely snowed in! I’m so glad I made Daniel drag a Christmas tree into the cabin several days ago, otherwise it would be Christmas without one. This is his first Christmas tree, and it took a little explaining. He couldn’t understand the point of chopping down a tree to bring into the cabin unless it was for firewood, but I think he enjoyed helping me decorate it. Later today I have to give him his Christmas present. I’m just not quite sure how that’s going to go over. I wonder how he’s going to react when I tell him that we are expecting a baby by summer. No doubt he’s going to want to usher me straight out of the mountains when I tell him the news.

July 20th, 1811

Daniel and I became parents today. Twin boys. We named them Zachariah and Matthew, after our fathers. My pregnancy was fairly easy, except for Daniel tormenting me. I felt like a complete invalid. The man wouldn’t allow me to carry so much as a bucket of water since Christmas. And of course he wanted to take me to Philadelphia or somewhere back east. He even said he was going to try and retrieve the time travel device (no chance of that happening!) so I could come to the future to give birth in a modern hospital. In the end, Elk Runner and Little Bird convinced him that I would be fine to give birth here. Little Bird and Daniel’s foster mother Gentle Sun came and stayed with us for weeks before the birth, at Daniel’s insistence, of course. Gentle Sun was a great midwife, and the babies are both healthy and strong. Daniel is a very proud papa.

Jana turned the pages gingerly. Aimee and Daniel had two more children over the years, another boy, and a girl. As more and more fur trappers traveled through the region, Daniel and Aimee had set up a trading post. Aimee told of how she had met Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and some other famous mountain men – except at the time, they weren’t all that famous yet. When Jana turned to the last page, more than fifteen years had passed.

September 5th, 1828

Well, I guess this is my last entry. Jana, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I don’t regret my decision for a second. I can’t imagine my life any other way. This is where I was destined to be. Daniel is the love of my life, and our children get to grow up in Wonderland! I only wish for you to find the same happiness that I have found. You are, and always will be, my best friend.

Love, Aimee Osborne, aka Dosa haiwi

Jana closed the journal just as a cold breeze hit her. The front doors of the parlor opened, and a group of jovial hikers led by a ranger walked in. Jana blew her nose and wiped new tears from her eyes.

“Now what would cause such a lovely woman to cry on such a beautiful day here in Yellowstone?”

Jana looked up, startled by the ranger who had sat down next to her on the couch she occupied. A split second passed, and Jana shrunk back in shock.

“Daniel?” she asked, staring incredulously at the man sitting next to her.

“Yeah, my name’s Daniel,” he said, smiling and pointing to the name badge on his uniform. “But most everyone just calls me Dan.”

Jana stared at the name badge, and back at the man’s face. The badge clearly read “Daniel Osborne”.

“How? What?” she stammered. She continued to stare at the man’s handsome face. There were some subtle differences from what she remembered of Daniel’s features, but the resemblance was remarkable. The black hair was cropped short in a modern military style, and the intense dark stare that she remembered was absent. This Daniel’s chocolate eyes sparkled brightly.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The ranger flashed her a radiant smile. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jana replied slowly. “You remind me of someone.”

“Well, I hope that’s a good thing.” He grinned. “So, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Huh?”

“What is a lovely lady doing in this grand park, crying. There is no such thing as a bad day in Yellowstone.”

“I was reading.” Jana shrugged, and fingered the leather bound journal in her hands.

“Tell you what.” Dan patted her on the knee. “I just got back from a six hour hike, and I’m real hungry and thirsty. Would you care to join me for dinner and a drink? I’m off duty as of now.”

“Sure, I’d love to.” She was still staring at him, disbelief on her face. “Can I ask you something?” she asked tentatively.

“Sure.”

“Has your family lived in this area long?” Jana realized what an odd question that was, but she had to find out if her suspicions were true.

Dan laughed. “My family has roots here since time began. I think my great, great, great, great, something great-grandfather was one of the first fur trappers in this region. I was named after him. Legend has it he fell head over heels in love with a woman who appeared out of nowhere in the Yellowstone wilderness, and they lived happily ever after. What a weird question to ask, though.”

 ”Well, Dan.” Jana stood up. “It’s about to get a lot weirder.”

He rose from his seat and led her toward the lodge’s restaurant. “Okay, now I’m mighty curious.”

Jana assessed him quickly as they walked. Even the height and body type matched the original Daniel.

“Not only are you named after your ancestor, but you could be his twin brother.” Jana smiled at the perplexed look on his face. She didn’t give him a chance to react further to her statement. She held up Aimee’s journal, and continued, “I hope they serve something pretty stiff to drink here, because you’re going to need it after I’m done with the story I’m about to tell you.”

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