Yellowstone Deception (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 5) by Peggy L Henderson

Author:Peggy L Henderson [Henderson, Peggy L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-07-07T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“We should reach the hot springs sometime this afternoon,” Dan said conversationally after he’d packed everything, and spread the ashes from their campfire. Glancing around one more time to make sure he left nothing behind, he shouldered his pack. His arm throbbed in tune to his heartbeats, and he cursed himself again for not wringing that goose’s neck. He still had to come up with something to eat that night for dinner.

Jana stood ready and waiting to be on their way. Even though it was early morning, she looked tired already. He offered a wide smile, and set off heading west. They’d forded the Gardner River the day before, and he was glad to have that final major river crossing behind them. He’d been awestruck once again at the sheer number of willow trees near the river, outnumbering the cottonwoods and Rocky Mountain Juniper.

By late afternoon, after a strenuous hike to the top of a sagebrush covered sandstone hill, the first white glimmers of the famous Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces came into view in the distance. No wonder the first trappers called this place White Mountain. The terraces stood out in blinding white against the greens of the surrounding mountains.

Dan had wanted to reach the area sooner. For some reason, time ticked by much too fast and they covered little ground. His legs felt like lead anchors were attached to them, and setting one foot in front of the other became harder with each mile they put behind them. Jana didn’t say anything about his slow pace, but she’d cast worried glances at him from time to time.

Dan wiped his good arm across his damp forehead, and rivulets of sweat dripped into his eyes. A cool breeze kissed his heated face, and he wondered vaguely why he felt so hot all of a sudden. Clouds had obscured the sun for most of the afternoon, and dark thunderheads loomed in the distance to the west. The dull soreness in his arm from this morning had turned into a throbbing ache by mid-day, and each time he moved it even slightly, white-hot pain shot up and down his limb, radiating from his shoulder into his neck.

He eyed the thunderclouds warily, and judged the distance to the valley below, spotting large groves of cottonwoods and willow trees. They would provide much-needed shelter. He blinked, and squinted into the distance. Landmarks that had been in focus a moment ago were blurred all of a sudden.

“Dan, I’m not liking those clouds over there,” Jana said, echoing his own concerns. Her voice seemed far away, even though she walked right next to him. As if in answer to her words, lightning flashed across the horizon in the distance, illuminating the darkening sky. Seconds later, the loud rolling roar of thunder reverberated through the mountains.

“We have to get off this mountain, Dan.” Jana’s alarmed voice jolted him worse than the thunder. She was right. There was no shelter here, only isolated shrubs and junipers. His mind told him they needed to be somewhere less exposed, but his limbs just didn’t want to cooperate.

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