Teton Sunrise (Teton Romance Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

rivermen on board, then brought the vessel to a halt at the riverbank.
    Two more men had shown up at dawn with horses and mules. This raid had obviously been well planned out. After unloading much of the cargo from the boat onto the animals’ backs, they had set off away from the river, heading west. The forest around them was dense and often so heavily overgrown with underbrush, that traveling became nearly impossible in places. After only an hour, Evelyn had become hopelessly disoriented.
    The idea of escaping her captors occurred to her every day, but she was never allowed a moment’s privacy. Laurent watched over her like a hawk, telling the other men in no uncertain terms that she was his prize, and that he would kill anyone who tried to come near her. At night, he tied her wrists to his own, and she was forced to sleep pressed up against him. On the first night, she had lain awake with fear, wondering when he would take liberties with her, but not once had he touched her in ways that were inappropriate.
    While a small part of her had been glad that Laurent kept those other wretched men away from her, he had made it quite clear what would happen to her when they arrived at a place they called the rendezvous, whatever that was. It sounded like a gathering of some sort. The packhorses and mules were laden with the goods they’d stolen from the boat and would use in trade, and she was apparently the most profitable commodity.
    One day had blurred into another as they trekked through the mountains. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d washed her face, much less the rest of her body, and her hair hung in limp strands down her back and past her shoulders. Laurent and the others no longer smelled bad, probably because she herself stank as much as they did.
    The horse underneath her suddenly stopped, and Evelyn slowly lifted her head. She forced her heavy eyelids open, and tried to focus on her surroundings. Snow-capped mountain peaks rose in the far-off distance. The shouts and laughter of men, the barking of dogs, and horses’ whinnies all mingled into one distant echo. Spread out before her as far as she could see were countless tents of all shapes and sizes, along with makeshift structures made from logs and tree branches and covered with hides. Campfires crackled everywhere, enveloping the small valley in a cloudy haze. Several deer carcasses in various stages of butchering hung upside down from wooden racks, and the distinct smell of whiskey blended with the countless other unpleasant odors wafting through the air. White men dressed in buckskins and furs mingled with Indians who wore not much more than loincloths. Evelyn lowered her head again. No doubt they had arrived at their destination, and her horrible fate awaited her shortly.
    “ Mademoiselle , the journey is over,” Laurent said gallantly, moving his horse up alongside the one she’d been given to ride. Evelyn didn’t respond.
    “Why so sad?” he asked, and lifted her chin with his dirty fingers. “Today, you will meet with your future husband. It is not often that these men have the pleasure of bartering for a white bride. In fact, I believe it is almost unheard of. You will be the talk of this year’s rendezvous.”
    Evelyn gave a listless laugh. Hadn’t she left St. Charles in order to escape marriage to a man she didn’t care for? Charles Richardson was looking pretty good to her right about now.
    “Future husband?” she asked, her voice raspy and foreign-sounding to her own ears. “Don’t you mean you’re selling me to be a whore to these . . . these beasts?” She jutted her chin in the direction of the large camp, and almost lost her balance. If she fell from the horse, perhaps she would break her neck, and her troubles would be over. As if he had read her thoughts, Laurent snaked his hand around one of her wrists, steadying her seat.
    “ Mademoiselle Lewis, are you ill?” Laurent asked. He leaned forward in his saddle and studied