Teaser Tuesday - excerpt from Yellowstone Heart Song

I've been very quiet on the blog this past week. I've had a long week at work, and I've been furiously writing Book 5 in the Yellowstone Romance Series, Yellowstone Deception. For this book, I've had to go back to book 1, Yellowstone Heart Song, several times to make sure I've got all my facts straight. In the back of my mind, I am also working out the details for the prequel novella I plan to write, which will go in depth into the origins of the time travel device I use in this series. 
For today's teaser, I thought I'd give my readers something different. A snippet from Yellowstone Heart Song, way back when I first started writing this book. The following passage is the very first thing I wrote when I started writing the book, and it was part of a prologue, which I ended up taking out of the book completely. It will find it's way back into the prequel. 
So, even if you've read all the books, this passage will be brand new to you. Forgive the raw writing. I like to think my writing skills have improved over the years.

January, 1786     Rocky Mountain Region, in what is today Yellowstone National Park

            The wind howled fiercely, and the snow fell so heavily that the visibility was almost zero, but Zaccharia made his way determinedly through the heavy snow. It was laborious walking, but the young trapper kept his head low, and slowly put one foot in front of the other. His job was  even more difficult, for he was dragging a freshly-killed deer behind him. He was determined to reach the shelter of his cabin before dark, not because of the weather, or the fact  that the scent of a fresh kill would most likely lure hungry predators. He needed to get back  to tend to his wife. The thought of her being by herself in this blizzard made him speed up the pace. 

Marie was not cut out for living in the wilderness as he had hoped when he brought  her here six months ago, and he had promised her he would return her to civilization as soon as the snow melted, and made passage possible to reach the Yellowstone River and a way to get back to St. Louis. He would not have gone out hunting either, but they were in need of meat, and she would need all her strength, what with the baby so near to being born. Had he know she was with child before the passes  closed due to snow, he would have taken her back right away.  Marie, dear sweet, loving Marie, had wanted nothing more that to please her husband, and had kept the pregnancy hidden for months. She’d been determined, however, to make him happy by following him into the wilderness. Zach soon realized that Marie was too frail to survive in this harsh and unforgiving land. Now her health and his unborn child were at risk because he had brought them here.