Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

moment. 
    The ibuprofen proved to be useless. It eased the throbbing ache in her ankle, but not enough to bear weight. It was a futile exercise, but she called out for help several times, which only caused more pain to her already raw larynx. No one would hear her cries. Why even bother?
    She huddled against the rocks late in the afternoon. The wind picked up strong and cold, whistling mercilessly through the canyon. Curling up around her pack didn’t stop the shivers that vibrated her body through another sleepless night. The bright early morning sun refused to warm her. Maybe going over the ledge was the thing to do. The river below beckoned. She could quench her torturous thirst. Sleep . . . I just want to sleep. I’ll try climbing out later . . .after I get some sleep.  

Chapter 2
     
     
    Daniel Osborne stood outside his small cabin, sharpening a large hunting knife on a whetstone, oblivious to the chill in the early morning air. His hands moved the shiny blade in rhythmic, circular motions against the smooth stone. Movement across the river drew his attention, and his hands stilled. Almost imperceptibly, he raised his head and scanned the tree line along the opposite bank. A lazy smile spread across his face. His focus returned to his work while he waited on the arrival of the man who emerged from the forest.
    “Your senses are not as sharp as they once were, White Wolf.” Daniel’s adoptive brother, Elk Runner called in his native tongue.  He loped up the grassy incline and stopped in front of the cabin. Straightening to his full height, Daniel’s face brightened in a wide grin.
    “I already saw you beyond the river.” He waved off the other man’s words, then reached out and clasped Elk Runner’s hand in greeting. “It is good to see you, brother. What brings you this way? I thought you were out hunting the bighorn with your family this month?”
    “Three hunters and I were on our way to the canyon of the E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay to hunt the bighorn, when we came across a strange sighting.”
    “What did you see this time? A two-headed bison?”
    Elk Runner ignored Daniel’s mocking. “I left my hunting party and came here to tell you there is a crazy white woman wandering in the woods.”
    Daniel glared at his friend for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Yeah, and I’m Tam Apo himself.”
    “We followed her for half a day,” Elk Runner continued, seemingly unaffected by Daniel’s outburst. “She is alone, and appears lost. I did not see signs that anyone is with her. She wears strange white man’s clothing, and chants loud words in the language of your father. I’m surprised you have not heard her, White Wolf, she makes so much noise.”
    Daniel’s eyes narrowed. Elk Runner had certainly come up with a good prank this time!
    “Do you remember the time when we were in our eighth summer, and you told me to stick my hand in a hollow log because you had seen a fox hide inside? You told me I would make our mother proud if I brought her a fox fur.”
    A slow smile spread across Elk Runner’s face. “I remember.”
    “And I believed you,” Daniel continued. “When I reached in to grab the fox, it was a skunk I pulled from the log. Do you remember how I was banished from entering the village for nearly a week?  And how my father made me sit in the cold creek for an entire day?”
    “We were children then, White Wolf,” Elk Runner defended himself, a wide grin on his face nonetheless. “I would not mock you about this. There is a white woman wandering in the forest. Where she comes from, I could not tell, but I do know there is no man with her.”
    “I have a lot of work to do.” Daniel poured some water on the whetstone to prove his point, and resumed sliding his blade across the stone’s slick, flat surface. “You have really outdone yourself this time with your tales. You came all this way to tell me this so I would go on a needless search for this make-believe woman. Why did