Deputy at Large

by Judge Rodriguez

  Jake finally agrees and heads upstairs to pour himself into bed. He is awakened a couple of hours later, by Andy climbing into bed with him. Absently, he wraps an arm around the young girl and passes back out.

  Jake is awakened several hours later by a banging on his door and a voice calling out, “Deputy! Deputy! You requested a wake-up an hour before dawn. Deputy! Come answer your door!”

  Jake comes out of the deep darkness of sleep slowly.

  “Deputy! Come to the door!”

  Jake looks down at the small body nestled against him. He sees in the starlight coming through the window that Andy appears to be dressed in a soft blue nightgown.

  She stirs a little bit. “Papa.” She turns over to face her adopted father and mutters in her sleep. “Papa, make the sound stop.”

  Jake groans.

  “Deputy! Come to the door!”

  Jake tries to get out of the bed, only to find he has to disentangle himself from his daughter. Gently, he turns the young girl over and groans as he gets out of the bed.

  “Deputy! I’m not gonna go anywhere until you come to the door!” Jake hears Brigit’s voice clearly now.

  “Alright! Alright! I’m coming, just leave off that infernal noise!” Jake stumbles over to the door and yanks it open. “What?” he demands of the shadowy figure.

  Brigit has a smug look on her face as she asks, “How are you feeling this morning?”

  Jake fights the impulse to throw up on the beautiful young woman and just grunts in response.

  “Your friend is downstairs, waiting on you. Marshal Cardwell is in much the same condition as you, you’ll be glad to know.”

  “Mmh. Not really glad. I’ll be down in a few.”

  Brigit nods, looks concerned for a moment, then turns and leaves.

  Jake turns, heads back over to the bed and gently covers his daughter with a blanket.

  JOHN SIPS AT HIS THIRD cup of coffee, staring at the entrance to the restaurant as Brigit and Joey enter together.

  Josh was right to think that this close a friendship between the two would normally indicate a budding relationship. Given the enforced misconception that Joey is a man, it makes perfect sense. John grins at the completeness of the beautiful young marshal’s deception.

  Now knowing that Josh knew Joey while she was growing up, John is glad to see his friend can’t see through the young woman’s persona.

  Joey seats herself at John’s table with a grunt and smiles at John. “So, how ya feelin’ this morning, Uncle?” Her smile is faintly malicious.

  John grunts in response. What is it with women’s instinctive reaction of rubbing it in when a man has had one too many? He points to Brigit. “Know if she convinced Josh to get up?”

  Joey nods. “He should be down shortly.” She smiles again. “She woke me trying to wake him.”

  John shakes his head. Josh was never able to hold his liquor well. “Well, I hope the trip goes without incident. I think both Josh and I will shoot someone as much as argue with them.”

  Joey nods. In Cherokee she says, “I just hope nothing has gone wrong with my father. I know David’s a good doctor, but I’m still worried.”

  “If it’s God’s will he survive, he will.” John spreads his arms a bit. “If not, he won’t. Worrying at it is only going to make it worse on you.”

  Joey looks at him closely. “When did you gain so much faith?”

  John gestures toward Josh, who is stumbling into the restaurant. “Well, Cherokee helped show me what I was missing. Hello, Josh.”

  Josh seats himself at the table with a sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Jake.”

  “Yeah. Whatever. Want coffee?”

  Josh grunts and almost imperceptibly nods.

  John looks at Joey and winks, occasioning a chuckle from her. He motions to Brigit to come over, only to see she is already headed over with a cup of coffee in hand.

  Just a little more than a half-hour later, after the food has been brought in and conversation about what they expect to happen resumes, John sees Andy come downstairs into the restaurant. Still in her nightdress, she looks to have just awakened.

  She’s still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she walks up to Josh and holds her arms out to him. Absently, the deputy, who is involved in a conversation with Joey, picks his daughter up and puts her in his lap.

  She snuggles up to him and closes her eyes with a sigh of contentment.

  John looks at the scene for a moment before excusing himself to go to the outhouse. While he’s gone, he considers the problem he has, with seeing Josh and his orphan.

  After several moments of conscious effort, he finally understands the problem. The man is living a lie and he’s dragging a child into it with him. Josh is even trying to teach her the path of grace, while living in absolute hypocrisy.

  It’s when he’s returning to the restaurant he asks himself the question, is it the fact his old friend is living a lie that he’s mad at? Or is there something else?

  WHILE JOHN IS IN THE outhouse, Jake is able to breathe a little more easily. He can feel the resentment coming out of his friend, occasionally, in waves. He’s unsure how to handle the animosity directed towards him.

  There’re times where it feels as though John is able to treat him like before. Then, it’s like someone flips the switch and the track in his mind goes back toward the path of anger.

  He looks down at the young girl snuggled in his lap. Of all the things he expected to gain on this trip, a daughter was never even a consideration.

  Jake looks at Marshal Blackwolf blankly. “Sorry, did you say something?”

  The young marshal smiles. “I was asking what prompted,” he motions toward Jake and the sleeping young girl, “this?”

  “Have you accepted the Gift of Grace?”

  The young marshal nods, though somewhat hesitant. “I accepted the gift many years ago. Why you ask?”

  “He told me to do it, as I’ve been called to do many other things as well. Make sense?”

  Blackwolf nods, expression a little uncertain.

  Jake strokes the young girl’s short hair gently. He looks at Blackwolf and says, “Since my clan was killed during the war, the only family I had was John. Now, this. How can I refuse the will of the Almighty?”

  Blackwolf nods and sips at his hot chocolate.

  A moment later, John comes back in and seats himself.

  Jake takes one look at his friend’s expression and feels a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  John looks at Blackwolf, then at Jake, then back to Blackwolf. “So, are we about ready? I’m tired of cooling my heels here.”

  Blackwolf nods, then looks at Jake. Gently, he says, “You might want to say your goodbyes in private?”

  Jake sighs and glances down at his daughter. He was hoping to have a little more time. He looks at Blackwolf. “Would you mind taking her a moment, so I can get up?”

  Blackwolf nods, rises, then steps around the table and tenderly picks up the small child. Andy snuggles unconsciously into the marshal.

  Jake grunts and groans as he rises from his chair and steadies himself against the table. After a moment, the world stops spinning and he reaches over to take his daughter from the waiting young man.

  Andy cracks her eyes open and Jake sees they are a crystal blue. She groans a bit, throws her arms around Jake’s neck and goes back to sleep.

  Jake takes the small girl upstairs and puts her back in the bed. He strokes her short hair gently and says, “Andy. Child, wake up. Just for a moment.”

  He grins as he sees her eyelids flutter a moment, then sneak open slightly. She groans a simple, “What?”

  “I’m heading out shortly. I’ll be back in a few days. Try to stay out of trouble until I get back. Can you do that for me?”

  She moans and says, “Can’t you wait a little longer, papa?”

  “I’m sorry, my timid little rabbit. They are expecting me downstairs, already. I promise, it should
only be a few days that I’m gone.”

  She groans again and curls up. “Hurry back, papa.” She closes her eyes and several tears drip from her face onto the pillow.

  Jake grunts as he kneels and leans over. “I promise, it’ll be okay. I’ll come back and soon, I promise.” He kisses her gently on the forehead.

  She groans again, turns over and quietly cries.

  Not knowing what else to do, Jake gathers his gear and leaves. When he makes it downstairs, John and Blackwolf are already checking out.

  After that is all handled, the three lawmen head over to the livery and get their horses.

  Blackwolf’s horse nuzzles up to Jake before he realizes that it’s Shadow, Joey’s horse. He remembers the day about five years ago that he brought this colt to Cherokee’s farm, as a gift for Joey from her father.

  He reaches inside his vest’s inner pocket, gets a sweetmeat and gives it to the young horse.

  Ranger comes over and nuzzles his twin. Jake looks at Blackwolf curiously. “How did you come by this horse?”

  The young marshal looks at him sharply. He clears his throat meaningfully. “Well, Joey wanted to make sure I had a reliable mount. Figured I would want to ride out to Denver from Norman, so it was decided I would ride Shadow here.”

  Jake looks at the horse and smiles. He remembers seeing Joey working with the young colt to get him trained up, seeing the teenager winning the horse’s trust, treating him like a member of the herd. He’d recognized the girl’s training style as that of her father, which was much the same way he was taught by the Clan of the Night-Owl.

  It was for several years he delivered Cherokee’s letters to his family. That was before he left Fort Reno, retired from the Army and followed his long-time friend, Colonel Walters, into the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

  Now, he doesn’t stay in one place long enough to gain attachments. He hasn’t seen Joey for the last couple of years. Though, to be honest, he hasn’t been delivering that many letters from Cherokee to his family.

  In fact, he was surprised to see the letter come in from the half-blood about a month ago. He was only too glad to see his friend’s mother, having gained respect for the aged woman over the last several years. Her insight, her conversation and wisdom are a treat to him, especially given how hard times have been for the last several years.

  He wasn’t surprised when, after he delivered the letter, he received word that there were replies from both Cherokee’s mother and daughter.

  He had given up his days as a mail carrier for good. This wasn’t working as a delivery service, this was seeing old friends. He was rather surprised though, that Joey wasn’t there at the old homestead. Her grandmother said something about an errand that had to be run. Jake was disappointed at the time, but His ways are mysterious. His time rarely ever matches anyone else’s.

  Feeling someone looking at him, Jake realizes he’s lost in reverie, once again. He nods. “Are we ready?”

  John snorts. “Done woolgathering?”

  Jake sighs and mounts Ranger. As the group rides out of Norman at a mile-eating canter, Jake can only be amazed at how complicated things have gotten lately.

  JAKE LOOKS BACK AT the burned-out remains of one of the last buildings inside White township. John had just gotten through telling them the story of Richard Buchanan, Brigit and how someone by the name of Jeff Jacobson had killed Richard’s parents. He went on to describe how Richard joined Jeff’s gang and took it over, then murdered Jeff in revenge.

  Jake is only able to look around as John describes what happened around this area just after the landrun and is amazed his old friend was able to survive somewhat unscathed.

  They stop and dismount for lunch a few hours after noon at a creek several miles outside of Denver.

  After they tether their horses to a tree, John points to another tree and says to Blackwolf, “That’s where Richard left Jeff’s body.”

  Blackwolf, who had been riding along, glancing around constantly, looks at John sharply. “I know you’d said that he was left hanging, but dead from a gunshot wound. Now that I see the area, I know he was doing it to taunt you. No wonder you’re chomping at the bit to capture Richard.”

  John shakes his head. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

  Jake looks at the tree and wonders how someone could have not only gotten a body to hang off a limb more than ten feet off the ground, but gotten it cut down from the same limb.

  Jake’s train of thought is broken by John’s voice saying, “Yeah. That’s not all there is, but that’s a part of it. We’re only a few miles from Denver. If we push, we can be there before dinner. I know David will be glad to see you, Marshal.”

  Jake looks at John blankly a moment, curious how the doctor became familiar with the young marshal. As far as he knows, Blackwolf has only been a marshal for about a year, so how did the young doctor become familiar with him?

  John stands up, brushes himself off and says, “I think I’m ready to go. What about you two?”

  Jake grunts and groans as his joints protest moving out of the comfortable position they found.

  Blackwolf stands quickly. “Yes, let’s be off. I’m eager to check on Cherokee.”

  Jake looks at the young marshal closely. He’s surprised Blackwolf would be that close to his old friend. He doesn’t recall hearing about Blackwolf from Cherokee, but this young man seems to be a long-time friend of his old buddy.

  After a few minutes of packing up and mounting their horses, the group rides off toward Denver to see their old friend.

  Chapter 14

  John chafes at how long the trip from Norman seems to be taking. He feels the urgency to get back as soon as possible, nipping at his heels. He knows Joey has to be weathering a storm of emotion, right about now.

  He looks at the beautiful young woman cantering beside him. She is so focused on the task at hand, she doesn’t notice the glance. He’s been around her numerous times, but hasn’t really ever been able to see how she sits a saddle.

  He’s impressed by her horsemanship. The only other rider he’s seen that compares to her is Josh, and he in his prime.

  John turns back in the saddle and looks back at his blood-brother. His oldest friend is still able to ride, even though it obviously pains him. He’s still conflicted, knowing Josh is alive. He’s been mourning the loss of Josh for so long, he’s still unsure how to handle those feelings.

  Josh shoots him a questioning look, to which John shakes his head.

  John looks forward, at the final curve coming into Denver. Home sweet home, as least for the time being. John suddenly sees the road elongate, as if instead of being a few hundred feet, it is now hundreds of miles. He gets a momentary sense of vertigo, almost as if he just looked down a deep canyon. He’s sure his road has just begun.

  JAKE WATCHES HIS ELDEST friend sway in the saddle a bit as they ride into Denver with a sense of dismay. So far, even though John is legally his subordinate, Jake has always allowed his blood-brother to take the lead in most situations. If John were to be forced into the background, Jake is unsure he would be able to take the lead properly. He breathes a sigh of relief as John’s sway seems to be only momentary, but is left with curiosity of what happened.

  The riders pull over in front of David’s office, marked by a sign saying, “Doctor.” Blackwolf dismounts and gives the hand-signal to Shadow. Jake is surprised at how easily Blackwolf shows the horsemanship of a Cherokee. He resolves himself to ask where Blackwolf learned how to handle a mount.

  Blackwolf is met at the door by Doc Bakker. After a moment of quiet discussion, Blackwolf peremptorily waves the other two riders in to the office after him.

  Doc Bakker looks in the door after the young marshal, sighs, then steps over to John.

  Jake grunts in pain as he dismounts Ranger. Quietly, he says, “I don’t think it’ll be very long. At least you’ll get to sleep in the livery tonight.”

  Ranger sighs, looks at the livery stable wistfully, then
back at his rider reproachfully and sighs again.

  “Oh, you’ll be alright here for a bit.”

  John asks the young doctor quietly, “How’s he doing?”

  “He came out of his coma about an hour ago. Now, he’s resting. I told the marshal which room he’s in.”

  “Good. We would have been here sooner, but . . .” John gives Jake a sidelong glance. “. . . the marshal insisted on coming here himself.”

  David cocks an eyebrow. “As if you really thought otherwise? I mean, all things considered. I’m surprised it took you as long as it did.”

  “Blackwolf insisted on going to Guthrie and coming back. Plus, the deputy wanted to celebrate, so we set out early this morning.”

  David looks at Jake curiously. “Celebrate? Celebrate what?”

  “It seems he was called to adopt a young girl, while we were in Norman. I’m still not sure about it, but . . .”

  Doc Bakker smiles at Jake. “Well, then congratulations. I’m glad you listened to the calling. I’ll make sure Bekah makes something to help celebrate properly.”

  Jake waves off the offer. “Andy is still in Norman. I think the party will need to wait until she’s with me, don’t you think?”

  Bakker nods and waves toward the door, ushering the two lawmen inside. “Well, at least accept some of our coffee, while we have a reunion.”

  Jake nods, “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

  As Bakker leads the way into the kitchen, Jake sees Rebekah entering through the back door, with a deep tray of several plates of food and steaming cups of coffee.

  She sets the tray down, steps over to her husband, gives him a brief kiss, then hugs John. She turns to Jake and offers her hand. “Hello, Deputy. I take it your mission to Norman was successful?” After they shake, she hands him a cup of coffee.

  Jake blows on his cup a bit, cooling it and nods. “So successful, we brought a marshal back with us.”

  As she finishes handing out the cups, she looks at Jake curiously, “Oh? We have two U.S. Marshals here, now? I’m honored.”