Free Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 1) by Peggy L Henderson Page A

change of clothes on it along with her shampoo and soap. She wrapped this all up and headed out the door. A quick look around confirmed that Daniel had once again disappeared for the day.
    She removed her clothes at the riverbank and stripped down to her bra and panties, ignoring the vulnerable feeling creeping up on her. The thought of feeling clean again eased her self-consciousness of bathing in the open. Nothing would deter her from her plans. It wasn’t a whole lot different than wearing a bikini. With a quick intake of breath, she let herself drop off the riverbank, and gasped when she hit the frigid water. Grabbing for her bar of soap, she quickly lathered her arms and face.
    Rather than leave the water after shampooing her hair, she swam to the inlet of the Firehole. The current was surprisingly stronger than she had expected, but she sighed in contentment when the water became noticeably warmer. The river was very loud where the water rushed out of a narrow gorge in the mountain, and tumbled over large boulders as it joined with the Gibbon.
    Free and uninhibited, she splashed and laughed in the water, acting like a little kid at the water park. She’d had to grow up fast after a drunk driver claimed the lives of her parents not two months after her high school graduation. That was five years ago, and life had become way too serious too quickly. Right here, in this moment in time, she was free from responsibility, and it felt so good.
    She tossed her inhibitions aside as she made a game of letting the current carry her downstream, then swam back upriver to do it again. “Woohoo!” she shouted and laughed. Daniel had chastized her a few days ago for making too much noise, and she shrugged it off. Here, the deafening roar of the water would surely drown out anything she yelled.  
    ****** 
     
    Daniel had left before daylight to hunt fresh meat. His plans were to stay close to the cabin today. Several hours later, he dragged a white tail deer carcass back to camp. A piercing scream filled the air, much like the shriek of a bald eagle. Only, it was louder and more drawn out. A woman’s scream?
    Damn! Adrenaline flooded his body. What the hell kind of trouble had that woman gotten herself into now. He dropped the deer and ran over the rise leading to the valley. His eyes scanned the area, apprehensive about what he would find. Had a party of Blackfoot come to the valley? Everything appeared normal. His gaze swept across the valley a second time, and his eyes fixed on the unmoving body floating in the river. A jolt of adrenaline hit him. Was she dead?
    “Dammit!” he shouted. How the hell did she end up in the river this far upstream? He dropped his rifle and sprinted down the slope. He dodged or leapt over the gaping holes left by countless ground squirrels that lived under the earth. Racing across the meadow toward the banks of the Madison, he yanked his pouches from around his neck. Without slowing, he unstrapped his belt, and pulled his shirt off over his head.
    Visions of Morning Fawn drowning in a river entered his mind. Why was this happening again? Two years ago, he hadn’t been there to save her. He wasn’t going to let it happen this time. He pushed himself to an even faster pace. It felt like an eternity before he reached the riverbank. Without breaking stride, he dove into the water, and shook the hair out of his face when he broke through the surface. Pulling himself through the current with long and powerful strokes, he came up behind Aimee. He grabbed her by the waist in one swift motion and pulled her to him.
    To his surprise, she immediately began to kick and thrash her arms and legs through the water. “Get the hell away from me!” she shrieked. Daniel tightened his hold on her.
    “Be still, dammit, so I can get you to shore,” he growled in her ear. He tread water in an effort to keep both of them afloat. Her fair skin slid against his in the water, and the stark contrast against his darker