Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (101 page)

“Well, since you wouldn’t speak to me this morning, I made the decision to head toward the Yellowstone.” He didn’t look at her when he spoke, and unwrapped his own power bar.  “By evening, we should reach an area where the Lamar and Slough Creek converge. We can camp there, and cross in the morning. I’m hoping there’s a safe place to ford the Yellowstone further to the west.” He took a bite of his bar, and chewed. “I thought about heading south toward Canyon, but I’m not keen on hiking the Washburn Range. It might take longer, but if we head west, toward Mammoth, then south, it’ll be the easier route to Madison.” He shot her a questioning look. “Unless you have another idea.”

Jana glanced up. He wasn’t mocking her. It was a sincere statement. She was surprised he was asking for her input.

“I think I’ll defer judgment to the expert, Mr. Ranger,” she said, and quickly looked away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Jana listened to the crinkling of her food wrapper. It seemed so unnatural, amongst the sounds of the ever-present crickets chirping their rhythmic tune.

“Jana.”

She glanced up quickly when he spoke her name. There was such longing, such remorse, in the tone of his voice, she swallowed nervously. His hand reached out, the tips of his fingers grazing her arm. She quickly shook her head.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “What you did . . . don’t ask for my forgiveness.” She stared straight ahead.

“At least talk to me,” he said. “Can we just put aside our differences, and get along? So that we both get out of this alive?”

Jana wanted to shout at him, make it clear to him that it was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place.
You were curious, Jana. You wanted to come. Even though he deceived you, you would have wanted to come here to see Aimee one more time.

“Yes,” she said, taking in a deep breath. She scrambled to her feet. “I’ll agree to that. But understand that cooperation in the name of survival is all you’ll get from me.” She glared at him one last time, and thrust the water canteen at him. She didn’t wait for him to get off the ground before she started walking in the direction he’d been heading all morning.

Chapter 12

Dan didn’t like the detour he’d been forced to take on their second day in the past, but a large bison herd had prevented them from reaching the confluence of the Lamar River and Slough Creek. He’d been left with no choice but to detour around the massive animals by leaving the valley, and heading into some of the surrounding hills

They’d spent the last two days hiking out of the grasslands and marshes of the Lamar Valley, and Dan was looking for a place to ford the Yellowstone River after a fairly easy crossing of Slough Creek. He couldn’t recall the Yellowstone’s color ever being this turquoise before. The river was tricky and treacherous in this area, narrowing through a steep canyon with sheer-faced cliffs. A crossing would be impossible here. As it was, there were only a few places he would chance to attempt a river crossing. If it were just him, he might do it, but Jana’s safety was foremost on his mind. Not that she hadn’t proven she could hold her own, but he wasn’t about to risk her safety simply to save a few miles of travel.

Jana had kept up with the pace he set, never complained about anything, and wordlessly helped set up camp at night, and tore it back down the following morning. She’d continued to remain distant, and spoke to him only when necessary. What had he expected? He knew all along that if she found out about his deception, she would hate him. His conscience had won out over his selfish needs that first night here in the past. He simply couldn’t go on with the lie. He felt better, having told her the truth and being honest with her, even though the price he paid for his honesty tore him up inside.  His feelings for her grew stronger with each passing hour of every day. He’d never bought into love at first sight, but he knew now with absolute certainty that it had happened to him at their first encounter. He couldn’t explain the overwhelming feelings that had come out of the blue any other way. Why had he let her leave so quickly that day when he met her at the Old Faithful Inn? Why had he acted like such a coward each time he dialed her number, only to hang up?  Maybe none of what they faced now would have happened had he not allowed her to walk out of his life so quickly.

If he could turn back time, and done one thing different, Dan would never have left that journal lying around for anyone else to see, and Hastings would never have known about it.

There was no sense beating himself up over it. He’d screwed up, big time, and the best he could do now was to make sure he got Jana safely home again. For that to happen, he had to confront John Hastings, and also prevent the bastard from killing any member of his family. That Hastings would show up, of that he had no doubt. He only hoped wherever the time travel device decided to send him, was as far if not further than the miles he and Jana had to cover. Dan simply had to get to the Madison Valley first, to warn his ancestors of the danger they were in. All of this was his fault, and he would make it right again, even if it killed him.

After hiking through sagebrush-covered meadows and hills for most of the morning, the river opened into a wide valley of woodland meadows and gently sloping hills. The banks of the river were comprised largely of weathered river rocks, and he kept a lookout for a good place to cross. The water level didn’t appear to be any higher than mid-thigh on him, but he eyed the current warily. 

“We’ll cross here,” Dan called over his shoulder, his mind made up. He turned and waited for Jana to catch up. She’d walked silently behind him, lagging far back for the better part of the morning. Dan silently wondered if his pace was too quick, and at one point he had slowed down to give her a chance to catch up. She changed her speed to maintain her detached contact. When he sped up, she’d had no problem picking up the pace as well. Dan cursed under his breath. How would he endure the next days and weeks ahead, alone in the wilderness with the girl he loved, knowing that she hated him.

“Is it safe to cross here?” she asked indifferently, looking toward the opposite shore of the river.

“I think so,” Dan answered. “Why don’t you put your spare clothes in the backpack?” he suggested. “That way they won’t get wet.”

Jana looked at the bundle of clothes she held protectively in her arms. She’d stubbornly refused to relinquish them for two days. She studied the river, and Dan could see her mind weighing her options. He wouldn’t press her, but just one stumble over the slippery rocks in the river, and those precious clothes of hers would go floating downstream faster than she could swim after them. She was certainly aware of that. He hoped she wouldn’t carry her damn stubbornness too far.

Jana’s chest heaved in a sigh, just before she nodded her head. Her lips were drawn in a tight line. Dan didn’t say anything when he pulled his backpack from his shoulders, and unzipped the main compartment. She quickly stuffed the bundle into the pack, and backed away. He tried to meet her eyes, but she refused to even look at him.

“Let’s find a couple of sturdy sticks to use for added leverage against the current.” He motioned with his chin toward the trees. Without waiting for a response, he headed toward the timber, scanning the ground for a long branch or two that could serve as a walking stick. Testing the strength of several by leaning on them, he chose one for himself, and one for Jana. She waited by the water, and gazed into the distance.

Dan stared at her, unable to pull his eyes away. The slight breeze in the air blew wisps of her hair around her face, and she shook her head, holding her chin up into the wind. She closed her eyes, and a look of pure contentment filled her face. He groaned silently, then clenched his jaw.

Suspecting she would probably greet him with hostility if he simply walked up to her, he cleared his throat and called out, “Found a couple.” When Jana’s head shot around to stare in his direction, he held up the branches, and headed toward her. Wordlessly, he handed her a thick branch, and waded into the water.

The current was as strong as he suspected, and he slowly set one foot in front of the other, testing the slippery river rocks by feel with his feet.  When he stood halfway into the river, the cold water reached almost to his hips. He turned his head to see how Jana was doing. She inched forward, putting one foot in front of the other, using her stick for leverage. Not once did she look at him, but concentrated on her task. She was waist-deep in water, and he could see that she was having a much harder time than he was. He could use his size and body mass to his advantage, whereas her slight frame battled the strong current.

Dan waited until she caught up to him. “Do you need help?” he asked loudly, trying to be heard over the deafening roar of the rushing river. She briefly looked up at him, and with a determined set to her face, struggled on. Dan shook his head, annoyed with Jana’s stubborn demeanor, but conceding it was his fault. He decided to stay behind her, just in case the current proved too strong for her, afraid she might slip. She may not want his assistance now, but if she lost her footing, he was ready to grab her before the water swept her away.

Dan breathed easier when she reached shore. She scrambled up the rocky banks, nearly stumbling over a slippery boulder. His hand reflexively reached for her, but he thought better of it and dropped it again before making contact with her arm. Out of breath, she leaned forward, her hands on her knees. He couldn’t help but watch her chest rise and fall, noticing how well her wet clothes clung to every curve of her body like a second skin. Goosebumps formed on her arms, and her body shivered.

“How about you get out of those wet clothes. We’ll rest here for a while until they’re somewhat dry.”

“Hand me my dry clothes,” she said, gulping in quick lungfuls of air. Dan removed his pack from his shoulders, and set it down in front of her.

“I’ll go gather some firewood. You need to warm up.” The bluish tinge to her lips had him worried. It was easy to succumb to hypothermia in this climate. The river had been ice-cold, and he was eager himself to remove his shoes and slip into a dry pair of pants. He could think of only one more river they would need to ford, and he hoped by the time they reached the Gardner, Jana would be on better speaking terms with him again.

Chapter 13

Dan admitted that he was enjoying himself more than he could remember on any other backpacking trip, even though his hiking partner was cold and distant with him. He drew a small measure of satisfaction with Jana’s aloof attitude in that she finally allowed him to carry her bundle of spare clothes in his pack. The natural beauty of the area lifted his mood regardless of her demeanor. Here, he was forced to forge his own trail instead of following in countless other men’s footsteps. Nature was unforgiving, and he was ready to meet her challenges head on.

By evening of the next night after their successful river crossing, he chose a spot along a fast flowing stream that moved out from a sheer-walled narrow canyon. The forest was thick and dense in this area, overgrown with mosses and ferns, and the vegetation’s canopies filtered out much of the sunlight. Birds of all species chirped and chattered high up in the trees. Shelter here was abundant in the form of thick vines and bushes. The weather had been good to them so far, and they hadn’t needed anything more substantial than a warm fire at night.

“Where are we?” Jana asked, turning her head from side to side, staring up at the sheer canyon walls, taking in her surroundings with wide eyes. With a loud groan, she eased herself to the soft ground, and began to unlace her hiking boots.

“If you can make it just a bit further up into this canyon, there’s a nice spot to soak your feet,” he offered. “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a little waterfall just up ahead.”

She expelled a long breath of air through her open mouth, and pushed herself off the ground. Dan was about to hold out his hand, but thought better of it. She’d rejected all of his previous offers of assistance over the last few days, and he wouldn’t expect her to reach for him now. He waited for her to stand on her feet, then headed further into the canyon. She looked tired, and he couldn’t blame her. They’d covered a lot of ground over rough and demanding terrain, and she hadn’t uttered a word of complaint.

The path along the creek was overgrown with thick mosses, and downed timber lay about everywhere, hidden by the tall ferns and grasses that grew in the shade of the canyon. Carefully, Dan navigated around the obstacles. It didn’t take long before the sounds of a waterfall splashing onto rocks could be heard up ahead. Just around the bend, a long veil of water came tumbling from the canyon ledge high above them, splashing loudly into a rocky pool below.

“Beautiful,” Jana murmured behind him.

“You mean, you’ve never seen this before?” Dan asked, turning his head in her direction. “I thought you hiked most trails in the park.”

“Most, but apparently not all,” she said wearily. She settled herself on a rock close to the crystal clear shallow pool below the falls, and with a sigh that sounded like she was in ecstasy, removed her boots and socks. Hiking up her pant legs, she carefully waded into the water.

Dan let his pack slide from his shoulders. His sweat-soaked shirt clung to his back. The water looked inviting, and he hadn’t had a good shower in days. He ran his hand over his rough and whiskered face, and made up his mind. Rummaging through his pack, he found the bar of soap he’d brought.

He pulled his t-shirt off over his head, and tossed it on top of his pack. The cool breeze blowing through the canyon felt good on his damp skin. He reached for the button on his pants, eager to wash three days’ worth of grime and trail dust from his body. 

“What are you doing?” Jana asked, still wading in the pool. He glanced up, and couldn’t suppress a grin when he caught her wide-eyed look of . . . what did he see in her eyes? Admiration? Desire? Dan hesitated, his thumb about to push the button through the button hole on his pants.

“I could go for a shower,” he said, shrugging.

“Couldn’t you warn me before you strip?” she asked, a high-pitched hitch to her voice.

He chuckled softly. Along with the note of alarm in her voice, her cheeks glowed a rosy red. He had every intention of giving her fair warning that he meant to strip down to his birthday suit, but she’d beaten him to the punch with her alarmed outburst.

“I’m sure in your line of work, you’ve seen plenty of naked men. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.” He flashed her a wide grin in an attempt to dispel the sudden images in his mind of Jana standing under the waterfall with him, their wet bodies entwined in a passionate embrace. Dan’s throat went dry. He sat on one of the countless boulders surrounding the pool, trying to hide his physical reaction to his thoughts. Good thing he still wore his pants.

Jana’s mouth drew together in a firm line, and her eyes narrowed. He’d definitely succeeded in making her even angrier with him. What would it take to get her to lighten up a bit? Splashing loudly through the water, she scrambled over the rocks to reach the shore. She snatched up her boots and socks, and shot him an icy look before heading back the way they’d come.

“Don’t go too far. This is a nice place to stay for the night,” Dan called after her. “I won’t be long.”

She didn’t respond, but hurried off down the trail, stumbling once over some deadfall. Dan shook his head. He had no idea Miss Jana would act all shy around a half-naked man. For some reason, the thought made his heart drum faster in his chest, and his gut clenched almost painfully. He hurried out of his pants and boxers, and stepped into the ankle-deep pool and under the natural shower, welcoming the cool spray as the water pelted the sudden heat in his body.

*****

Jana settled under a pine tree nestled against the rocky wall of the canyon. The splashing sound of the waterfall behind her did little to drown out the rapid drumming of her heart in her ears. For three days, she and Dan had taken care of their personal needs discreetly apart from each other. Whenever they stopped along a creek, they would go their separate ways to wash the day’s accumulation of dirt and sweat from their bodies. Dan’s bold move to almost undress right in front of her left her flushed and annoyed. Annoyed with herself at the sudden rush of desire flooding her senses at the sight of his beautifully sculpted body. She’d seen him nude from the waist up before, and her reaction had been the same, as she recalled.

He was right; she had seen plenty of nude men in her line of work, but she couldn’t recall any of them with such a well-sculpted physique as Dan. Not too tall, but broad-shouldered, with chorded arm muscles and well defined abs, Dan was certainly of much higher caliber than the men she saw on a routine basis in the surgery suites and recovery area at the hospital. For the most part, her patients consisted of middle-aged or older men. He was definitely a man in his prime, athletic and fit, and many of her female co-workers would surely swoon if he were lying on their operating tables.

No matter how angry she was with him for deceiving her, she couldn’t stop the undeniable attraction she felt for him. He’d been nothing but kind and polite with her the last few days while they made their way through the wilderness, asking for her input in everything from where to set up camp for the night, to whether she needed a rest, to what she wanted to eat. He’d produced some lure and hooks from his pack the second night, and proven himself rather adept at catching fish from one of the many streams that meandered through the valley. He also seemed to know all the edible plants to be found along the way.

Dan fit as easily into this uncharted wilderness as he no doubt did leading a group of modern-day hikers on an expedition along a well-marked trail. Often, he would carry on a running commentary about the landscape, pointing out differences in the land in this time from modern times. His continued enthusiasm reminded her so much of Aimee, that Jana often found it hard to hold back the tears. Why did the man she’d thought was Mr. Right less than a week ago have to turn out to be a liar and untrustworthy?

He hadn’t brought up the events leading up to their time travel after the first night, when he confessed everything to her. He conversed with her about neutral things, acting as if everything was okay between them, and completely ignored the fact that she tried to ignore him. He hadn’t made any more attempts to apologize, nor had he tried to touch her.

Jana expelled a loud breath of air through her mouth. It was all so annoying. He was annoying. It irritated her that she was so completely aware of him, and that her emotions were in such a jumble. The fact that he hadn’t tried to make physical contact with her, reach for her hand or touch her in a subtle way as he had done on numerous occasions while they were still in the twenty-first century, annoyed her. When he walked ahead of her on the trail, she was preoccupied watching the muscles along his shoulders and arms move underneath his shirt. When he walked behind her, she felt self-conscious, and listened for every move he made.

Jana groaned. Why had she given in and pushed her initial reservations aside, and opened her mind to the possibility of a relationship with him? She’d exposed her heart, and now it hemorrhaged freely. With jerky movements, she pulled her socks and boots back on. She could survive these few weeks in his company, she told herself firmly. Once they got to Aimee and Daniel’s cabin, she would simply have to ignore him. Depending on what date it was, Aimee might be close to giving birth, or maybe she already had her twins, and Jana would be too busy helping her friend to even think about Dan.

 She refused to allow herself to believe she would never be going home again. The man who had the time travel device would show up. Dan was convinced of it. Somehow Dan would figure out how to stop him from carrying out his intended plan of killing an innocent child. Daniel wouldn’t let any harm come to his family, she was sure of it. And after she returned safely home to the twenty-first century, she’d hurry her butt back to California, and put this entire mess, Dan Osborne included, behind her and out of her mind once and for all.

Tired from a long day of hiking over rough terrain, she sat on the cool ground, and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. She lifted her head to look at the sky. Evening would soon be upon them, and Jana knew she should be gathering wood for a fire. For a moment, she just wanted to sit here, and soak in the peaceful sounds of the forest. Birds chirped loudly amongst the branches of the trees, and the wind rustled gently through the high canopies of the lodgepoles that reached their limbs from the forest floor high up into the sky. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deep breaths of fragrant pine scent, the quiet tranquility of this slot canyon lulling her into a state of relaxation.

Something hard tapped her on the shoulder, and the sudden murmur of deep voices startled her out of her reverie. Her eyes flew open and she stared up into three of the most feral-looking faces she had ever seen.

 Jana gasped, and braced her palms against the tree behind her, slowly pushing herself up off the ground. Her shirt snagged in the rough bark as she scraped against the trunk. She swallowed hard, and drew in a deep breath.

“Dan!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.