Page 22 of Heart of the Storm (Hearts Over Wyoming #1)

Teton Mountains Fall 1825

The morning sun spilled over the Teewinots, bathing the valley in gold and amber hues. Adrian stood outside the cabin he shared with Tessa, the scent of pine and fresh-cut wood strong and fragrant in the crisp air.

Across the yard, Tessa haggled with a grizzled trapper, her voice steady and firm as she bartered a sack of flour for a stack of beaver pelts. The trading post – a sturdy lean-to beside their home – bustled with quiet life, its shelves lined with supplies Ike and his men had hauled into the mountains earlier in the season. Several other trappers and mountain men lingered nearby, their rough laughter drowning out the soft flow of the nearby creek. The sights and sounds of the men were now as familiar to Adrian as bustling activities in an A’aninin village.

A year had passed since that snowy night in Riverbend, when he’d found Tessa kneeling by his mother’s grave, which had been lovingly tended. He’d never imagined his life would lead him here – to a cabin nestled in a clearing, close enough to his adopted people’s winter camp for kinship, yet far enough for him and Tessa to carve out their own world. They’d built it together, logs he’d hewn paired with plans she’d drawn.

Adrian leaned against the side of his cabin. His bow rested by the door. He still preferred this weapon to a rifle, although Todd Baronette as well as Tessa had taught him to shoot with greater accuracy. He was no longer gripped with anger or need for revenge. Calvin Beckett’s death had extinguished the last embers of his hate.

Tessa glanced his way. Her golden hair caught the breeze and glinted like it had by the creek the first time he’d laid eyes on her and felt the connection between them. Her knowing smile stirred the same warmth he’d felt when she’d kissed him in the snow by his mother’s grave, when they’d pledged a life together.

Together, they’d built this place from nothing. As soon as the snow had melted, they’d returned to the mountains. She proved as skilled with an ax as she was with her rifle, and their cabin had taken shape. The trading post had been her vision – a convenient place for men like Todd and Josiah Butler. She had the knowledge of the fur trade, while he could advise trappers about the land and its inhabitants. Together they formed a profitable partnership. The business was thriving, drawing trappers who’d once feared him but now considered him an ally.

Ahka’aweh, his A’aninin mother, had given her approval to their union. She’d seen Tessa’s strength – called her a good woman for him – and she’d been right.

Tessa’s hand rested on her belly while she continued to haggle with the old trapper. Adrian’s eyes narrowed. He’d seen the gesture more frequently lately, and had wondered about it. Did she carry a secret she hadn’t yet voiced? His heart beat faster at the thought. A child – perhaps the first of many – would roam these hills someday. They would grow up knowing both his world and Tessa’s, and one day they would choose their own path to follow.

He stepped away from the cabin and crossed the yard to the lean-to. The trapper tipped his hat to him and shuffled to his horse, mumbling under his breath.

“Is the trading good?” Adrian asked, his voice low but with a hint of humor.

Tessa turned, her eyes bright against the morning light. “Better than last week. He threw in a fox pelt.” She nudged a crate with her boot, then met his gaze, and her eyes narrowed.

“What’s on your mind, Adrian?”

He shook his head, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered against her cheek. He shook his head.

“I’m thinking.” His hand swept toward the cabin, the post, the mountains framing them. “About this…and about you.”

Her hand slipped into his, warm and soft. “Are you thinking you should still be roaming the hills or spend your time in the woods alone?” she teased. “Do you miss your days as a war chief?”

He shook his head. “No. This life with you suits me just fine. My heart is full.”

She squeezed his hand, and leaned up for a kiss. Adrian wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

“What about you?” he asked. “Any regrets?”

She smiled. A frown creased her forehead. “Only that I didn’t charge Curly Billings more for the tobacco.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up at him. Her eyes were filled with love. “Why would I have any regrets?” She tapped her fingers against his chest. “After all, I’ve captured the heart of this Storm.”

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