Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 1) (8 page)

Well, I finally know where I stand
. Zach had said something similar to her at one point.  She shifted uncomfortably and adjusted the blanket around her shoulder. Despite the blanket wrapped around her body, the cool breeze left goose bumps on her exposed skin, and she shivered involuntarily. Or was that due to Daniel’s closeness?

“You’ve never mentioned your father,” she said quietly, wanting to change the subject.

“He’s in St. Louis, bartering our cache of pelts from this past winter.” Daniel’s voice had gone normal again.

‘When will he be back?” Aimee asked, although she already knew the answer.

“Before autumn.”

“So I can stay here until then, is that it? How can you stand having me around for that long since I’m so completely incompetent?” Her voice took on a shrill tone as she tried to control her feelings of rejection.

What the heck is coming over me? Good lord, I’m in the middle of the wilderness, turning into a sobbing female in front of the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met! I’m proving him right about the weakness of white women, and if I lose it now, I might as well jump back in that river and drown myself.

She swallowed back the lump in her throat and tried to control her cracking voice. “I might as well just leave now and try my luck on my own. I was doing pretty well, actually until I accidentally ran into that bear. That’s not going to happen again.”

Aimee bent to pick up her clothes, intent on heading back to the cabin. Daniel’s hand reached out and took hold of her arm again, more gently this time. She glared at him, then at the contact his hand made with her arm. “I told you to let go of me,” she said in a tone she hoped sounded threatening.

Right now she just wanted to get back to the cabin and away from him. He was wreaking havoc on her nerves standing so close, and she hated feeling so uncomfortable and weak around a man. It was like being with Brad all over again. At times she almost thought Daniel might be attracted to her when he stared at her so intently, but those were fleeting moments, and she remembered the hate filled looks from a few days ago. She kicked herself mentally for fantasizing like a love struck teenager. In less than three months she would be back in her own world, and Daniel would no longer exist.

*****

Daniel held her arm, and he studied her. Aimee’s hair hung in wet strands down the side of her face and back. Water droplets dripped onto her exposed shoulders. His eyes followed the water’s path as is ran down her smooth skin, and disappeared under the blanket between the valley of her breasts. He fought the urge to run his hands down her cheek and brush the moisture off her face. He stood close enough to inhale the flowery scent of her soap. For as long as he lived, he was sure he would never forget that scent, and it would always remind him of her.

“For your own protection, I could force you to stay,” he said quietly. She opened her mouth in an expected protest, and he added quickly, “but I won’t. If you want to die, that is your choice.”

He paused briefly, and waited for a sharp retort. When she remained quiet, he couldn’t help but taunt her some more. “According to the custom of some tribes, you belong to me.”

“What are you talking about?” Aimee asked, the irritation back in her voice.

“Elk Runner gave you to me,” he continued casually, knowing this would anger her again. For some reason he enjoyed playing this game of taunting her. She was amazing when angry. Would she be as bold and responsive in his arms if he took her to his blankets?

“Elk Runner?” Aimee questioned. “Your Indian friend? I don’t remember belonging to him, either,” she added hotly.

“He found you,” Daniel said, and shrugged. “Before he came to tell me of a crazy white woman in the woods, he followed you for a day.” Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. What was she afraid of that Elk Runner might have seen?

“So he decided to give me to you?” Aimee questioned. “Isn’t that just like a typical man,” she spat. “Always thinking they can just own and control everything and everyone.”

“If some Blackfoot warrior had discovered you first, you’d be dead which, for you, would be the preferable choice than coming upon another trapper.” Daniel let his unspoken meaning sink in.

“I don’t belong to you or anyone else, Daniel.” She inhaled deeply. Obviously she was trying hard to stay composed.

“That is the way here in the mountains, just as it is in the cities in the east. You belong to your husband.” He sensed that his comment would provoke her some more. He was prepared, even hoped, that she would call him a filthy heathen, just as Emma had done. Perhaps then he could get this annoying attraction he felt for her out of his system.

She pressed her eyes shut, and inhaled another deep breath. Her mouth was set in a firm and stubborn line, and he waited for the angry words he was sure she couldn’t wait to unleash on him.

“Well, I can see you’re not an Indian, and you’re definitely not my husband,” she stated hotly. “I understand that a woman has no rights here according to a man’s way of thinking, and I’m just someone’s property. It’s just my dumb luck that I came all this way only to be stuck with another control freak of a man. Let me tell you something right now.” Her blue eyes shot icy daggers at him.  “I’m not going to be owned or have my life managed by anyone.” Aimee continued her rant. Her voice grew louder and faster with each word.

“I’m sick and tired of being told what I should and shouldn’t do, like I’m a little kid and have no mind of my own.
‘I don’t want you to go on that backpacking trip, Aimee.’ ‘Why are you wasting your time taking these stupid wilderness first aid or backcountry cooking courses, Aimee?’ ‘You can’t go out for pizza after work with friends because I’m taking you to the movies, Aimee.’
Or this one;
‘Aimee, why are you wearing these baggy rags to bed when you should be wearing a silk teddy.’
Oh, and here’s my favorite,
‘I prefer you to wear that black cocktail dress with high heels tonight and put your hair up in a French twist.
” 

She glared at him and continued, “Obviously, some things have always been, and always will be, the same!”

She forcefully pulled her arm free of his grip, and limped off as fast as her injured foot allowed. When she reached the cabin, she slammed the door shut with such force that it bounced open again.

Daniel stared after her, dumbstruck. The way she’d changed the tone of her voice, and her animated arm movements reminded him of a theater performance he’d once seen in Philadelphia. And what the hell was she talking about? He wasn’t even sure most of her words were spoken in English.

“Damn all men for being so overbearing,” she yelled from inside the cabin. His lips curved in a smile. She was right about the one thing he had understood from her tirade. No man would, or should, ever own her. She was strong willed, full of spirit, and irresistibly beautiful. Could he let her go back to a man who no doubt would try and break that spirit?

She’s not yours to keep, damn it!
Daniel ran a frustrated hand through his still damp hair. He desperately searched his mind for similarities between her and Emma, the woman he had professed his love to, and who had taken advantage of that fact and used him for her own means. To a young man of eighteen trying to learn about his heritage as a white man in Philadelphia after spending all his life in the wilderness, Emma had been the prettiest thing he’d ever laid eyes on. She had been a delicate flower, raised in a wealthy home, and lacked no comforts.

He couldn’t recall ever seeing her with her hair uncovered, or her hands bare without gloves. Servants were at her beck and call. He now saw her from a man’s eye, not the youth he had been seven years ago. She had been a spoiled young woman who would go to any lengths for her own gain, no matter who got hurt in the process.

Aimee, on the other hand, was not just a pretty face. She was radiant and breathtaking, spirited and exciting. She wasn’t above working as she had shown when she took it upon herself to fix meals every day, clean the cabin, and insist on carrying the heavy water bucket to the river and back. Her delicate hands and satiny smooth skin spoke of wealth and privilege, not a life of labor. He was sure of it. How did a woman of obvious high social standing end up here, alone in the wilderness, a thousand miles from even the remotest white civilization?  It only added to the mystery. She intrigued him as no one ever had; yet she was also secretive and full of lies. He would not fall for a woman’s pretty face and deceptive ways again. Then why couldn’t he seem to stop this insane attraction he felt for her?

With an annoyed shake of his head, he collected his discarded shirt and pulled it on over his head, then found the rest of his articles. He might as well go back and see if the deer he had killed was still where he dropped it, or if some predator had already scavenged it.

Chapter 7

Aimee sprinkled flour on the table, dusted her hands with it, and pulled the lump of dough out of the bowl. She threw it onto her work surface, which sent a cloud of white dust into the air. Her clean t-shirt now sported white powder down the front. She pounded at the mass with her fists, and ground her teeth. She couldn’t believe that she was stuck in the past with another overbearing, know-it-all-better man. The intense feelings Daniel evoked didn’t help her foul mood. She’d known he was a strong man, but held against his hard body, and the vision of him without his shirt on sent her simmering hormones into overdrive.
No, Aimee. Knock it off. A good-looking man comes with a high testosterone level, which is synonymous with control freak, and you definitely don’t need any more of that.

The cabin door creaked open slowly, and she tensed, then pounded the dough more forcefully than before. She glanced up briefly. Daniel appeared in the doorway. Her focus returned to her work.

“I’m making bread,” she announced tersely. He hadn’t moved further into the cabin, prompting her to look up again. His lips curved in a wide grin, and his eyes roamed over her. She shot him a questioning look, her eyebrows raised.

“I will teach you,” he said quietly.

“Teach me what?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“You asked me to teach you to survive in the mountains. I will teach you.”

She stared up at him, wide-eyed. The anger melted out of her, and a smile formed on her lips. “Really?” she asked excitedly.

“Your first lesson will be how to skin and dress a deer. Come outside.” He turned abruptly and walked out the door.

Aimee gaped at the closed door. She was genuinely surprised.  He would teach her survival skills? She had thrown those words at him earlier for lack of something better to say. She never expected him to follow through. Her heart beat faster at the prospect of learning primitive survival techniques from this man. She formed her dough into a ball and dropped it back into the bowl. She’d have to punch it down again later. Quickly, she changed out of her clean clothes back into her soiled ones.

Dressing a deer. She could only imagine what all that would entail. She’d done plenty of dissections in nursing school, but an entire deer? She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and raised her chin. She was not about to back away from his challenge. It was obvious that he was testing her. Inhaling another deep breath for courage, she opened the door and left the cabin.

*****

Daniel waited outside. A deer carcass lay on the ground next to him.

“Poor deer,” Aimee mumbled.

Daniel glanced at her, his eyebrows drawn together. “Do you wish to eat?”

“What do I have to do?”

He handed her his hunting knife, and proceeded to instruct where to make the cuts to remove the hide in its entirety. He explained how to eviscerate the deer, and told her how important it was not to leave any entrails lying about, as it would attract predators.

From the look on her face, Aimee had never dressed fresh kill before. He meant to test her to see if she would back down from this unpleasant job, but the expert way she handled herself surprised him. Her knife cuts were made with peculiar fine precision as she sliced through muscle and tendons, but she didn’t shrink away from the blood and gore. He almost stepped in and helped her when she wrestled with the carcass to strip the hide off the meat.  She wouldn’t ask for help, even as she struggled with the deer that probably weighed more than she did.

“You know,” Aimee said teasingly, after succeeding in peeling the skin off the carcass, “I’m going to have to take another swim in the river after this.”

He scowled. The image of her nude, wearing only those pieces of fabric at her breasts and waist, was almost unbearable. “If you choose to swim in the river again, I might let the current sweep you away.”

“Is that a promise?” she taunted.

Daniel remained silent.  The things she said made no sense to him. Why would someone make light of possibly drowning?

An hour later, most of the deer meat, as well as the hide, hung up to dry in the sun. Daniel leaned against the cabin while Aimee headed for the river. She hadn’t backed down from his challenge. She had performed the task without complaint, and she’d done it well. Was it possible that she could survive in these mountains? She obviously had managed to be on her own for a short time already. The thought nagged at him.

His father had always told him how frail and weak his mother had been. She had followed her husband into the mountains without question because she loved him, but she had neither the strength nor the spirit for this kind of life. Daniel could not picture Aimee as frail and weak. Everything she had done thus far spoke of strength and courage.

Aimee walked back from the river, a wide smile on her face. Something tightened in his gut.

“What else can I do?” she asked eagerly.

“That’s enough for today,” he replied. “I would look forward to some of that bread you plan to bake, though. It has been a long time since I’ve had bread like that.”

“If you put some meat on a spit over the fire out here, I’ll bake some bread to go with it.” Daniel caught the satisfied look on her face before she turned and headed back to the cabin.

*****

Aimee woke the following morning to a bare table. The usual cup of coffee and breakfast she’d become accustomed to wasn’t there. She brushed her hair quickly and gathered it into a ponytail. After unwrapping and inspecting her foot, she decided that today she would try putting her boot back on. She stood and was about to pull her pants up over her hips, when the door swung open, and Daniel walked in. His expression hardened as his eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. She hastily zipped and buttoned her pants.

“I know this is your cabin, but how about you knock first next time before you just barge in.” She shot him an exasperated look.

“I brought you these.” Daniel held something out to her, apparently unperturbed by the heated look in her eyes.

She stepped toward him and reached for what he offered. Fingering the soft leather in her hands, she held a pair of moccasins, and her face brightened.

“You made these?” she asked with delight. “For me?”

“You need foot coverings. Your boots don’t yield to the swelling in your foot.”

Aimee was speechless. She wasn’t used to a man’s complete awareness of everything. His thoughtfulness surprised her beyond belief. She caressed the soft leather, and traced a finger along the even stitching on the sides. Her eyes stung, and she hastily tried to blink away the sensation.  He was right. She hadn’t been able to get her foot into her boot yet. She slipped the soft leather moccasins on. They were a perfect fit. Her feet felt wonderful surrounded by the downy rabbit fur that lined the insides of the shoes.

“They’re so comfortable. How did you know my size?”

“Your footprints by the river.” 

“Oh, clever.” Impulsively, she stepped up to him, put her hands on his shoulders to lean up and gave him a casual peck on the cheek. “Thank you, these are great,” she said warmly, and stepped back. Her cheek grazed his for a mere second.

Daniel’s hands reached out and spanned her waist.  He held her for a moment before abruptly letting go. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down several times, and his eyes darkened considerably.

Oh God, I hope that wasn’t a wrong message.
Aimee’s heart beat faster when her eyes met his. The raw desire in Daniel’s dark stare was unmistakable.

“Well, um, should I make some breakfast?” she asked, and moved away from him. Her skin still prickled from where his hands had been moments ago.

“No,” Daniel said, to her surprise. “This morning, you will find your own food.”

“You’re taking me with you today?” Her face lit up again.

“Only if your foot is well enough.”

“I can walk fine on it,” she said quickly.
I’ll be sure to take some ibuprofen, though.
“When do we leave?”

“As soon as you are ready.”

**** 

Daniel turned and left the cabin. Just outside the door, he ran a hand through his hair while his other hand clenched tightly in a fist. He had decided that he would start showing Aimee around his mountains, just to see what she was capable of, but mainly to keep her out of trouble. Now, recalling the sight of her half-undressed, he reconsidered his decision. How could he possibly spend an entire day in her presence after that vision? The brief glimpse of her exposed thighs combined with the innocent kiss she had given him had almost been his undoing.

“Damn.” He couldn’t remember any other time when he had to exercise such self-control. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, and lose himself in her sweet body.

He smiled, recalling her sharp reprimand when he’d walked into the cabin. Good thing there hadn’t been a weapon handy. He wouldn’t put it past her to throw a knife at him just then.

“Okay, I’m ready to go.” Aimee emerged from the cabin. She carried her strange pack on her back. Daniel inhaled a deep breath and tried to erase the mental images in his head.

“You’re still favoring that foot.” He hoped he might be able to leave her behind. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t agree to that.

“I can keep up. I won’t slow you down.”

The corners of his mouth rose in a lazy grin and his eyes boldly appraised her from head to toe. “I doubt you could keep up with me even if your foot was completely healed,” he challenged.

“Oh yeah? Well I’ll have you know I run at least 5 miles every day back home,” Aimee countered, her hands on her hips.

His eyes narrowed. “Who do you run from?”

“No one, just to stay in shape.” Aimee shrugged.  “I bet I could give you a good run for your money. I also work out, you know.”

More words and phrases he didn’t comprehend. This woman was such a mystery to him. He shook his head, gathered his rifle, and set off in the direction they had come from when he first brought her to the cabin.

“Where are we going?” She fell in step beside him.

“We will follow the Little Buffalo River for a while. There are places in the woods along the way where you can pick fresh berries.” He avoided looking at her, and kept his eyes straight ahead.

“Is that what you call this river?”

“Why were you trying to follow this river when we found you?” He turned his head to look at her for the first time.

“What makes you think that?”

He scoffed. Her evasiveness was annoying the hell out of him. “The tracks you left made it quite obvious. You were following a tributary for days before your accident.” He stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. “Why do you avoid answering my questions? What are you afraid of?”

“Look.” Aimee let out a long sigh, and stopped. “There are things about me I can’t talk to you about. Believe me, I would tell you, but I just can’t. Can we please just not talk about my past?”

“I don’t understand why you lie to me. If you are in danger, I can protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting. I just need a place to stay for a while.” Aimee started walking again. She kept her eyes straight ahead to avoid his stare. “So, where are these berry bushes? I’m getting hungry.”

Daniel clenched his jaw in frustration. Scowling, he picked up the pace again. After about a mile, he veered away from the river and entered the forest.

“Should we be worried about bears?” Aimee asked. “They hang out near berry patches, don’t they?”