Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (88 page)

Josh’s brain worked quickly to process this information. Dani had run away? Douglas had been shot?
Dammit, Running Wolf!
Some part of him desperately wanted to believe that Dani hadn’t lied to him. Had she shot him, and thought him dead? He would get the truth out of her soon enough. The head start Douglas had on him couldn’t be more than four or five hours. They wouldn’t ride through the night. Josh hoped he could pick up their trail in the dark.

Chapter 24

The first gray lights of early morning stirred Danica awake. Startled that it was no longer nighttime, she reached for her daughter. Dawn had never slept through the night before. She didn’t accidentally smother her baby, did she? She jolted fully awake with that thought. The air left her lungs in a relieved breath. Dawn slept snugly, cradled in Danica’s arms. She’d kept her baby tucked up close to her body all night, afraid what the cold air might do to her. Satisfied to see a rosy color to Dawn’s cheeks, Danica moved cautiously to sit up.

A quick glance at her surroundings told her most of the camp was still asleep. No one stirred from their bedrolls, which were positioned around their campfire. Off by a line of trees, the horses stood picketed. Most held their heads low. Apparently it was too early even for the animals to be awake.

Only one soldier was up, tending the fire. She recognized the same man who had been so helpful the night before, the one who had offered her an extra blanket. He glanced in her direction, and Danica shot him her most dazzling smile. The soldier’s eyes widened, and he quickly averted his gaze. He picked up a bundle of wood piled next to their fire, and headed in her direction.

“It’s a chilly morning, ma’am. I’m sure you’d appreciate a warm fire.” He shot a nervous glance at her. His face took on the color of a ripe strawberry.

“I most certainly would,” Danica said brightly. “You are truly a gentleman.” She batted her eyelashes at him. Groaning silently, she moved her stiff limbs, and stood. She didn’t want to wake Dawn, but she had no choice but to relocate the baby. Making sure her daughter remained securely bundled in her blanket sling, Danica placed Dawn on the ground between two of the boulders that had offered them shelter during the night.  The baby had to be out of harm’s way before she could implement the plan forming in her mind.

She moved to stand close to the soldier, who knelt by her dead fire. He used a stick to scrape some coals around before adding kindling. Danica placed her hand on his shoulder, and his head shot up nervously.

“What’s your name, private?” she asked in a quiet tone that she hoped sounded seductive.

“H . . . Harvey. Harvey Sullivan, ma’am,” he stuttered, and swallowed.

“Well, Harvey,” Danica said, her index finger tracing along the collar of his uniform. “You’ve been so kind to me, I don’t know how I could possibly thank you.”

Apparently unable to bear her touch any longer, he scooted awkwardly to the side. With trembling hands, he struck a match on a nearby rock and lit the kindling. Danica eyed the pistol in the soldier’s holster. She knelt down beside him, and offered a few branches of wood to the smitten man.  Slowly, she reached her right hand toward the gun.

“Tsk, tsk, Danica. You’re not trying to seduce this poor boy here so you can make your escape, are you?” a sarcastic voice said behind her.

Danica groaned, and dropped her hand. She quickly got to her feet, and faced Jonathan Douglas. She plastered a forced smile on her face. The private jumped to his feet.

“Go and tend to the other fire, private,” Douglas ordered the flustered young man.

“Yes, sir,” he stammered, and rushed off.

“Why, Jonathan, I wouldn’t dream of running away from you.” Her words were cold as ice, yet dripped with honey. Douglas took a step closer, and grabbed her wrists. He pulled her roughly up against him, and snarled down at her.

“You will learn your place, Danica. If you try that again, I’ll be forced to tie you up.” Without any warning, he leaned forward and crushed his mouth to hers in a punishing kiss. Danica squirmed, and tried to back away, but he pinned her wrists between their bodies, his hands squeezing tightly.

Danica raised her knee in an attempt to kick him in the groin, when a gunshot echoed through the stillness of the early morning. Loud shouting followed as the men scrambled from their bedrolls. Startled, Douglas pushed her roughly away from him and drew his pistol. Danica stumbled backwards, then rushed to her sleeping spot where she had left Dawn. She huddled over the baby’s body to shield her from possible harm. Were they being attacked by Indians? Danica’s heart rate increased as memories of last summer came flooding back. Actually, Indians might be the preferable choice than the company she was in at the moment.

She raised her head to glance over one large boulder. The men in camp scrambled around, shouting and shooting wildly into the trees. She didn’t see any Indians.

Another single rifle shot reverberated through the clearing from a different direction than before. One of the soldiers yelled out, instantly dropping his revolver and clutching his arm. In rapid succession, several more shots disarmed two other soldiers in a similar manner. The young private who had helped Danica with the fire rushed to his horse. He pulled the reins free of the picket line and swung into the saddle.  Kicking his mount into a run, he headed for the trees. The rest of the injured soldiers seemed to think this was a good idea, and followed suite. Apparently they all though they were outnumbered.

“Get back here, you cowards!” Douglas shouted.  The next rifle shot hit the ground inches from his feet, sending up a spray of dirt. The lieutenant hastily backed away. He aimed his revolver in the direction of the trees where the shot had come from. His gun clicked. He cursed loudly. Fumbling with his belt, he extracted several bullets, but in his haste, dropped several as he tried to reload the gun’s chamber. He ran backwards in the direction of his companions. One of them threw a horse’s reins at him, and Douglas leapt into the saddle. He followed the rest of his men, his mount splashing through the creek and into the woods.

Danica raised herself to a kneeling position. A quick glance down at her baby reassured her that Dawn was all right. How could she sleep through all that noise? Scanning the edge of the forest, she saw a lone man emerge from between the dense lodgepoles.  For a split second, she thought it was an Indian. He wore fringed buckskins, and a loose-fitting blue flannel shirt, a wide belt around his hips that held his knife and tomahawk.

There was something very familiar about him. The proud, easy way he moved. Josh! She’d recognize him anywhere. His rifle held at his side, he strode fearlessly into the clearing, looking in the direction the soldiers had escaped. She expelled a quick breath of air, and scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over her skirts. She lifted the material, and dashed across the opening. “Josh,” she called.

He stopped. With tears burning her eyes, she rushed to him, and threw her arms around his neck. “Josh,” she breathed against his neck. He was alive! Her hands reached to touch his face, and she leaned up to kiss him. Josh stood stiff, his mouth hard. His hands spanned her waist, and peeled her away from him. Danica had no choice but to release her grip around his neck and take a small step back. Puzzled, she looked into his emotionless eyes.

“Sorry to break up the lover’s tryst,” he said coldly.

Her forehead wrinkled. “Josh?” she asked hesitantly. She didn’t understand his cold demeanor.

“You switching sides again, Dani?”

His accusatory tone startled her. She shook her head, her brows drawn together in confusion. “What are you talking about? I thought you were dead. Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you alive?”

“I guess I just don’t die that easily.”

Danica’s heart sped up nervously. What had gotten into him? Dawn’s loud wail at that moment made her tear her eyes from him.

“Excuse me,” she said, and reluctantly moved around him. She hastened to her daughter, and picked her up off the ground. Turning her back on Josh, she sat on one of the boulders, and unbuttoned her dress. She didn’t understand his behavior.

“Sorry I ran your lover off, Dani. At least he’ll be a lot easier for me to track, now that I know who I’m looking for.”

Danica gasped, and turned around to face him. “What the hell are you talking about?” Anger flooded her system. “Where on earth did you get the notion that Jonathan Douglas is anything but the vilest vermin in my mind?”

Josh walked up to her. His face remained stoic, but uncertainty clouded his eyes. “Is he Dawn’s father?” he asked. The words sounded forced, pushed through his clenched teeth. “For once, tell me the truth.”

Danica’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve never lied to you, Josh. Yes, he’s Dawn’s father.” She refused to look away from his heated gaze.

“He didn’t look to be any deader than I am,” he hissed, his voice laced with accusation.

She inhaled deeply. Josh must have been unconscious already when she told him she loved him. He still thought she’d betrayed him. Still holding Dawn to her breast, she stood to look him squarely in the eyes.

“Jonathan Douglas raped me last summer,” she said in a firm, matter-of-fact voice. “I shot him. I thought I killed him. I should have checked to make sure he was really dead before I ran. You have no idea how shocked I was when he showed up at the cabin a few weeks ago.” She inhaled deeply, then continued. “Yesterday, he threatened to kill Dawn and you if I didn’t cooperate. He found out my father is a banker, and he had it in his head to get rich through me. I had no choice but to do what he said, at least for the time being.”

Josh stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes roamed over her face, as if he was trying to find an entrance into her mind to see if she really was telling the truth.

“I tried to tell you I love you,” she whispered. “I guess you were already unconscious. Do you know how hard it was for me to stand there and watch them beat you?” Why didn’t he believe her? After everything they’d shared?

The sides of his eyes twitched for a mere fraction of a second. His jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me about Douglas the day he was at the cabin?” His voice softened considerably.

Danica expelled an exasperated breath. “Because I didn’t want you to get hurt. What would you have done, Josh? If you would have confronted him, or killed him, what do you think would have happened? I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me. The rest of those soldiers would have shot you on the spot for killing a cavalry officer.” She reached her free hand up to touch his arm, imploring him to understand.

Josh’s features slowly relaxed. He glanced at Dawn. “I’m your husband, Dani. I had a right to know. You need to learn to let me take care of you.” He touched his fingers to her cheek.  Danica closed her eyes and leaned her head into his touch.

“And I’m your wife, Josh. You need to learn to trust me.”

His mouth widened in a soft smile. “I guess we have a lot to learn about each other,” he said. He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. “I love you, Mrs. Osborne,” he whispered.

“And I love you, Mr. Running Wolf,” she smiled up at him. “Here, take your daughter so I can make myself decent.”

Josh’s eyes darkened. He grinned wickedly at her. “I think I like you just fine as indecent as you are now.”

“Perhaps later, Josh,” she said, her voice stern. Her smile belied her mock anger. She placed Dawn in his waiting arms. “What if Douglas and his men come back?”

He laughed. “They hightailed it out of here so quick, I bet they’re halfway to Virginia City by now. Cowards like that don’t fight back when they’re called out. They only prey on the weak.”

“I’d like to go home,” Danica whispered.

His face sobered. “I’m taking you and Dawn to Helena.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What? Why?” She hastily finished buttoning her dress.

“You’re staying with my family while I go after Douglas.”

A cold wave of dread washed over her. She gripped his arms, and shook her head.

“It’s my job, Dani,” he said before she could open her mouth to argue. The muscles along his jaw clenched. He stared at her intently. “And it’s become personal.”

“Maybe you should have someone else take over your duties for that very reason,” she suggested softly. Josh laughed.

“No one threatens my wife and child,” he said forcefully. “He’ll try again to get to you, Dani. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get another chance.”