Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (74 page)

“I’m going with you,” she said in what she hoped was a firm and steady voice.

He cleared his throat. “Wait here. I’ll be back within an hour.” He turned abruptly and strode out of the room.

“Where are you going?” she called after him. She didn’t receive an answer. What was he up to? Seconds later, the door in the kitchen slammed shut. Danica inhaled deeply, and glanced around the bare room. She stepped back to the bed, and sank ungracefully onto the mattress, the deerskin dress she wore pulled tight around her legs. The thought that Josh wouldn’t return had crossed her mind, but he didn’t seem the type of man who would lie to her face. He said he’d be back, and she believed him.

*****

“Dani?” Josh called when, an hour later, he walked through the kitchen door. It took a while, but he’d managed to find someone willing to sell him a halfway decent saddle horse. After Dani’s fall, he’d realized they’d never make it to his cabin along the Madison River with just his horse. Last night, he thought to take her with him, and head to Helena from a southern direction. He hadn’t considered how difficult it would be with only one mount. Riding double was out of the question. Dani was a strong woman, both in body and mind. He had no doubt she could travel through the mountains. Her advanced pregnancy, however, might make it near impossible for her.

What if her baby decided to come early? Josh didn’t even want to think about the possibility. She’d told him it would be another month. Plenty of time to get her to Helena.

“Dani?” he called again, peering through the kitchen into the living room. He wanted to be on the trail hours ago. She didn’t answer his call. Adrenaline flooded his system. Had something happened to her during his absence? Josh rushed through the living room and down the hall. He pushed open the bedroom door, and quickly scanned the room. His eyes fell on the bed, and he expelled a breath of relief. That odd fluttering returned to his chest that he’d experienced earlier when he saw her standing in the kitchen.

His gaze lingered on the sleeping woman. Her back was turned to him, her knees drawn up close to her round body. The ribbon she had tied in her hair had come loose, and her blonde mane spilled down her back. Josh’s lips twitched. The fiery, independent little woman he knew looked so vulnerable in sleep.

Silently, he moved closer to the bed. The deerskin dress pulled tight around her back, shaping itself to the contours of her curves. Josh stood over her, watching her chest move softly in a steady cadence. His hand, with a mind of its own, reached out and scooped up a handful of her golden tresses, and he let the silky strands run through his fingers. His gut tightened, and the blood rushed to his loins.
What the hell?
Shocked at his reaction, he stepped away from her and turned his back.

She’s with child! When’s the last time you’ve been with a woman, Running Wolf?
It hadn’t been that long ago. How could a pregnant woman cause such a response in him?
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. The memory of her expressive emerald eyes flashed before him. They could shoot daggers at him in anger one moment, then shimmer with vulnerability the next. 

What the hell was going on here? The fever must have really addled his brains. Slowly, he turned to look at her again. She hadn’t moved. He hated to wake her, but they needed to be gone from here. If he had any sense left, he’d just walk out that door and never look back. He could put a good thirty miles between himself and Danica Jensen before nightfall. Jensen. Legally, she now shared his last name. But it was only temporary. This marriage would be dissolved in a matter of a few weeks, as if it had never happened. He wouldn’t think of her as anyone other than Dani Jensen.

Admittedly, she’d somehow crawled under his skin in a way he couldn’t figure out. His physical reaction to her disturbed him. He wasn’t attracted to this type of woman. Hell, he’d seen Kate Russell wrapped in nothing but a scant towel, before she was married to his cousin, and that vision hadn’t aroused him. And she was a beautiful woman, even by his standards. Josh’s eyes scanned Dani’s sleeping form again. Admittedly, she was a beautiful woman, too.
And she’s your wife
. The idea of ever getting hitched had never entered his mind. The life he led, he couldn’t be tied down to a woman. It was a crazy idea. 

Dammit, Josh. What are you going to do?
There was only one thing to do, he answered his own question. Get her to Helena as quickly as possible.

Chapter 9

Danica gritted her teeth and adjusted her seat in the saddle. She tried scooting forward to alleviate the dull ache in her buttocks and thigh muscles, but her protruding stomach bumped into the saddle horn each time she managed a slight adjustment. She couldn’t decide which was more uncomfortable – the stiff saddle horn jabbing into her gut, or the tightness in her legs. At least her carpetbag, which was tied to the back of her saddle, gave her a small amount of support to lean against.

Three days ago, she’d been eager to leave Virginia City. At this moment, she longed for the soft mattress in Sarah Russell’s former home. It had been the only real bed she’d slept in in more than eight months.

She pulled the blanket she kept wrapped around her shoulders more firmly in place, clutching it with one frozen hand, while holding the reins in the other. The icy March winds howled across the tundra, and Danica wondered if she’d ever be warm again. Although the moccasins she wore were lined with soft rabbit fur, her toes tingled from the cold.

She squinted her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks from the constant gusts of winter’s onslaught. Several paces ahead, Josh sat his horse tall and proud, seemingly unaffected by the weather. His single blanket was rolled up and slung over one shoulder over his buffalo robe. The point of his rifle was just visible held in the crook of his arm. Looking at his backside, she was reminded of some of the warriors she’d encountered last summer while she was held captive. His raven hair whipped in the wind.

Danica had never viewed Josh as an Indian, and the notion that he was of mixed blood didn’t bother her. In her eyes, he was simply a man, handsome and unattainable. At this moment, however, if she didn’t know him, an Indian was exactly what he looked like from behind. All that was missing were a few feathers in his hair. Even his behavior over the course of the last three days, the further away they traveled from civilization, had turned more feral. He spoke to her only when necessary, and almost deliberately kept his distance from her. He had no choice but to assist her on and off the horse, but otherwise, he didn’t hover. Silently, he’d provided for her basic needs. Each night, he had found a sheltered area to camp, and kept the fire going to ward off some of the cold. To her amazement, he produced food each time they stopped. He’d leave camp after she was settled comfortably, and returned shortly with some animal he’d killed.

Danica suspected - no, she was sure - that she was slowing him down. He could probably cover twice the distance in the same amount of time without her. She kept quiet and did not complain about the long hours in the saddle, or the constant cold seeping into her bones. Although she yearned for rest, and the pains shooting though her back almost constantly over the course of the past day made it nearly unbearable to sit on her horse, she was determined to keep up with the pace he set. They had to be close to his cabin at this point. He’d told her it would take three days to get there. She didn’t know if he’d meant three days for him, or if he took dragging her along into account.

She hoped Josh planned to allow for a day or two of rest at his cabin. She didn’t know if she could continue on in this weather without giving her body a chance to recover from the unbearable cold. If he meant to push on straight away, she wouldn’t complain. She’d get through this ordeal somehow. The last thing she wanted was to appear weak in his eyes.

 Hopefully she could find a boarding house that would take in a pregnant woman once they reached Helena. She needed to get settled somewhere before her baby’s birth. All these months, while trying to find a way out of these endless mountains, and during her time with the Shoshone family, she’d always held to the belief that her father would welcome her home. She hadn’t expected such complete rejection and hatred from him.  None of what had happened to her had been her doing. Surely he understood that. His drunkenness must have blinded him to see reason. It would have been futile to try and explain the events that led to her condition more clearly. Perhaps then he wouldn’t have forced this marriage. The money Martha had given her was enough to get her through a few months, but she had no idea what she would do then.
Something will come to you, Dani. It’ll all work out.
She refused to give in to negative thoughts.

A strong gust of wind blew across her face, and Danica sucked in a mouthful of icy air. Her lungs burned from the sensation. Surely, she would freeze from the inside out. Her baby had been unusually quiet over the last few hours as well. Did he feel the cold? Danica pulled the blanket up over her head. She could barely move her stiff arms. She clamped her mouth shut, otherwise she would have called out to Josh, asking if they could please stop and build a fire. Her hand reached up to her face, and she swiped at the frozen tears on her cheeks.

Danica glanced up between her horse’s ears when her mare’s movement slowed. Josh’s horse stopped suddenly in front of her. Danica’s mount didn’t wait for her to draw back on the reins. The mare pulled up just behind the paint gelding. Danica rested one hand on the saddle horn and slumped forward as far as her stomach would allow, her other hand clutching at her blanket.
Please let him say we’re stopping for a while.

Josh turned his head, and their eyes met. His brows furrowed, and some emotion Danica couldn’t name flashed in his eyes. She held his gaze briefly, then lowered her eyes and head to shield herself from the wind, too exhausted and cold to keep her chin up. Her horse took a step to the side, and Danica raised her head again, but only slightly. Josh had maneuvered his horse next to hers.

“Dani?” he called, and reached out to touch her on the arm. How could his hand be so warm? Even through the layers of the blanket, and the buckskin of her dress, heat seeped into her skin from where he touched her.  Involuntarily, she leaned into his hand. His fingers curved around her arm in a firm grip. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were this cold?” His voice held an angry edge.

“We need to get to Helena, remember?” she answered weakly, each word painful to her raw throat. She dared not look at him.

“Dammit, woman. Your stubbornness is going to get you killed.”

“Speak for yourself,” she whispered a retort, and shifted in her saddle. The movement caused a painful jab in her lower back, which radiated up her spine, and down into her legs. She couldn’t hold back a gasp.

Josh’s grip tightened on her arm, and his horse moved close enough that his leg brushed up against hers. Danica gripped the saddle horn in an effort to remain upright. All she wanted to do at this moment was fall into his arms, be enveloped by his warmth.

“Dani.” He shook her slightly. “Look up. The Madison is just below this rise. We’re almost to my cabin. Can you make it just a bit longer?”

His words brought her head up. They were almost to his home? She’d be warm again soon. The hope of a fire, and perhaps a bed to sleep in renewed her inner strength. She gazed up over her horse’s neck. They stood on top of a gentle rise, a meadow spanning out below. Patches of snow covered the area, and the river’s edge was iced over. Tall mountains rose sharply into the gray sky on the opposite banks of the river, their peaks obscured by dense clouds. Further ahead, where the river turned in a wide, sweeping bend, she saw what looked like buildings.  

“I can make it.” She forced the words out. She didn’t know if he heard or not, or if the wind had drowned out what she said.

“Dani, stay with me. You can’t fall asleep. You need to stay alert, do you hear?” His words sounded so far away. Josh tugged the reins from her frozen grip. “Just hold on to the saddle. We’ll be at the cabin within minutes.”

Automatically, she did what he said. Forcing her frozen fingers to move and grip the saddle horn with both hands, she fully released her hold on the reins. Her horse moved underneath her. As much as she tried to stay alert, her eyelids became heavier by the second, and she finally gave in and closed her eyes.
Only for a minute.
Her head swayed in time with the horse’s movements. Instinctively, she leaned back when the animal moved down the hill.

The rhythmic timing of her mare’s four-beat footfalls lulled her into an almost dream-like state. The rushing sounds of water drew closer.

“Open your eyes, dammit!” Josh’s rough words jolted her out of her relaxed state. She forced her lids to open, and she dragged her head up. The horse kept moving, but Josh was right beside her. His leg kept bumping hers as he tried to keep both horses moving closely next to each other. He tugged at the blanket to pull it more firmly around her. It must have come loose while she’d gripped the saddle. The sudden heaviness of a warm robe weighed on her shoulders.

“We’re almost there. Think of your child, and stay awake.” His heated tone fueled her own anger.

“Why do you have to be so bossy?” she hissed. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone. She wanted sleep more than anything right now.

“That’s it, get mad. It’ll keep you alive.” Josh slapped her on the back, startling her more fully awake. Danica gripped the saddle horn for support, even as it jabbed into her stomach.

“Have you always been such a gentleman, or am I the only one who brings out such charming behavior in you?”  She managed to raise her head and glare in his direction. His lips curved in a slow grin. Danica’s heart skipped a beat. His handsome features became more pronounced when he smiled.

“Why, you bring out the best in me, Dani,” he drawled, his words purely dripping in sarcasm.

She forced her eyes away, and tried to focus on the landscape ahead. They were closer to the river than she had realized. The flat ground that spread out before her was muddy and brown from the recent snow melt. The horses’ hooves squished loudly through the slush. Danica envisioned a lush green meadow to replace the drabness when spring arrived. At the moment, springtime and sunshine seemed far away. She thought about the warm sun on her frozen skin, how it would melt away the cold. Right now, the sun was unable to penetrate through the thick clouds of the grey skies, making her entire surroundings appear dreary and colorless.

Up ahead, two large cabins, and some horse corrals came into view. A barn stood further back of the cabins.

“This is where you live?” Danica asked, her eyes widening. It wasn’t what she had envisioned at all. She had expected Josh to live in a small shack in the middle of the forest somewhere. These cabins looked like real homes, somewhere a family would live.

“You live in two cabins?”

Josh chuckled. “No. This was my grandparents’ home for many years. My grandpa settled here a long time ago. I live in their former home.”

“And who lives in the other cabin?” Did other people live here besides Josh? She had always assumed he’d be completely on his own.

“My cousin, Kyle Russell, his wife Kate, and their daughter Ashlynn.”

Danica turned in the saddle to stare at him in disbelief. “Kate Russell lives here?” Her heart sped up at the prospect. She hadn’t seen her friend in five years, when Kate’s vile former husband forcefully removed her from Virginia City. Perhaps Kate and Kyle could help her, although she didn’t relish the idea to ask.

Josh’s eyebrows drew together. “You know her?”

“Yes. We were friends a while back, when she stayed in Virginia City.”

Josh’s face turned dark. He probably remembered what had happened five years ago, and how his cousin had nearly died. To this day, she felt somewhat responsible for Kyle getting shot and thrown out a hotel window when she helped him sneak in to see Kate. Did Josh know the role Danica played in his cousin’s near-fatal encounter? She dismissed the thought. He couldn’t know, since he hadn’t even remembered her.

“Well, you can see them when we get to Helena. They’re staying with Kyle’s folks for the winter. Since he’s been made superintendent of the Yellowstone Park, business keeps him in the city.”

Danica tried to hide her disappointment. It would have been nice to see Kate. It would have to wait for when they got to Helena. At least it gave her something to look forward to.

Josh brought the horses to a halt in front of the smaller of the two log homes. He swung his leg over his gelding’s neck, and landed lightly on his feet. Wordlessly, he moved around the horses, to appear seconds later to the left of her mount. He looked up at her. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up,” he said casually.