Then, he immediately felt guilty, as if he had been spying on her like a peeping Tom, and quickly lowered the binoculars.
“Whoo, boy, Buck. I’m going to have to be one careful dude when I get back down there,” he said.
He then pulled out a couple of pieces of beef jerky, and a bag of trail mix from his saddle bag. He sat on a flat rock, considering while he ate what he’d do once he was back at the home place, and was with Jenny again. He decided that plans might be premature right now, because he didn’t know where Jenny stood with all this.
Last he knew, she had hated him and had set him up to be killed by her uncle. He gave her credit for setting him free, ultimately saving his life. But, he also thought back to all of the times she had done one-eighties on him, dramatically changing her moods from being one person to being the complete opposite.
“Come on, Buck. Let’s continue,” Hugh said, as he swung back up into the saddle.
The afternoon continued uneventfully. He did stop for a short time mid-afternoon to give Buck a rest and a chance to feed, and for Hugh to build a small fire to heat water for a cup of coffee.
He had seen no evidence of squatters, so he was pleased with that.
“Let’s finish off this loop to end up on the ridge above where my dad and Roly are working,” he said. “Then, we’ll drop down and visit them there in the morning on our way back to the ranch house.”
Buck nickered in agreement, and set off happily down the trail.
By the early evening, Hugh figured he was in place above where his dad and Roly were working, so he pulled off when he saw a good spot to camp for the night.
No opportunity to shoot another rabbit had presented itself, so he punched a couple of holes in the top of a can of chili with a church key, and set the can on some hot coals on the side of the fire to heat up.
By the time he had spread out his ground cloth, and situated his saddle and sleeping bag for the night, he could see steam rising from the holes in the chili can.
He finished removing the top of the can with a P-38 can opener, another great holdover from his military days, and spooned out the chili, eating it directly from the can.
He then stomped the can flat, and placed it into a baggie for throwing away in the trash once he got home. After licking his spoon clean, and then wiping it dry with his bandana, he congratulated himself on getting the dishes done. No muss, no fuss.
He kicked up the fire once again to overcome the growing darkness, and took out his Bible for a little bedtime reading. He’d always found the book of James to be a great comfort, particularly in dealing with relationships. So that was what he turned to.
As he read through the chapters, he could see—as often happened when he read the Bible—applications that pertained to his life. He saw God speaking about both his relationship with Jenny, and with her uncle.
“Her uncle? Now, that’s interesting, Buck,” Hugh said. He hadn’t considered her uncle in the future equation at all.
One reason, is because he sincerely hoped that the man would have given up by now, and that Hugh would never have to deal with him again.
Another reason is because if the man came at him again, Hugh was planning to take care of the situation like he had all the others. But, Hugh realized that the Apostle James, through the Holy Spirit, might be suggesting that he take a different approach.
“Hmmn. I’ll have to give that some thought and prayer,” Hugh said.
Hugh put the Bible away, then snuggled into his sleeping bag. He let the fire die out slowly by itself.
Hugh was suddenly awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of his horse snorting and pawing the ground.
Uh, oh. Trouble, Hugh thought, instantly awake. He sat up in his sleeping bag, threw a handful of dry grass and tinder onto the still-glowing embers in the fire ring, shouldered his rifle, and scanned the perimeter of the camp to try to spot what had alerted his horse.
His ears picked up a “ruff,” and a “snuff,” then he spotted two glowing eyes just outside the perimeter of the campsite. The yellowish-gold glowing eyes were too wide apart, and too high off the ground to be anything but a grizzly bear.
He carefully added more sticks to the fire, building it up to provide more light. As the fire light expanded the perimeter, he could see the outline of the huge bear. It was standing calmly on all fours, just watching.
Hugh kept his rifle shouldered, with the safety off, and waited for the bear to decide what to do. Hugh figured that his camp was on this bear’s regular route, and it had become curious about the man and horse smell there. Chances were real good that the bear would satisfy his curiosity, and amble on.
After a staredown that lasted several minutes, that’s what happened. The bear “huffed” once, turned on its heels, and trotted off.
Hugh put his rifle down, and snuggled back into his sleeping bag.
“Thanks, again, Buck. You’re a good boy,” Hugh said quietly to the horse to reassure it, and calm it down.
Hugh drifted off back to sleep, and the rest of the night passed uneventfully.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next morning, Hugh scouted around the area where he had seen the bear. The ground was mostly forest debris. But in a patch of bare dirt Hugh saw a footprint, one that was obviously left by his night-time visitor.
He spread out his hand and placed it over the track. Now, Hugh had large hands. He was a large man. But, he could not spread his fingers wide enough to match the span of this bear’s track.
He also made note of the bear’s small toe. It was half the size that it normally should have been, and it was missing the claw mark.
“Hey, Buck. Wait until I tell everybody that I had a visit from Old Grouch.”
Buck nickered his acknowledgement.
Hugh made a quick breakfast, then packed up, and mounted Buck to find where he knew his dad and Roly would be working this morning.
He worked his way off the ridge and, once he had broken out of the trees, spotted the pickup truck where the two men were working on the fence.
He rode quietly up to them, keeping the pickup truck between him and them. With their attention on their fence work they hadn’t noticed him coming up, until Buck nickered his hello at the men.
They both jumped in surprise, then acted like they knew all along that Hugh had been there.
“Hey, pal. ’Lite and set,” Hugh’s dad said, glad to see his son.
Hugh dismounted, and went up to greet his dad and brother.
After the ritual back slaps, Roly asked Hugh where he had gone during his two days out there.
“I stayed close to home this time,” Hugh said. “Ran the perimeter. Stayed on the ridges, and checked things out. Nothing new to report.”
“Didn’t want to stray too far from our young guest, I guess,” Roly remarked, with a grin.
“Well, now that you mention it …,” Hugh started, then stopped. “Well, I was wondering what the climate was like down there.”
Hugh, Sr., and Roly exchanged glances. Obviously, Martha had filled her husband in on everything that Jenny had told her. And Hugh, Sr., in return, had told Roly all about it during their time of working together on the fence. So, basically, everybody in the family was well aware of what had transpired over the past week—at least from hearing Jenny’s side of the story, anyway.
“Squalls and gales. Stormy weather,” Hugh’s dad said solemnly. But, he couldn’t hold his solemn expression when he saw the confused and hurt expression on Hugh’s face.
Hugh’s dad burst out laughing.
“Son, if you don’t beat all. I swear you are acting like a love-struck teenager,” Hugh, Sr., said.
“What?”
“Listen, truth is, it’s going to be what you make of it,” Hugh’s dad said. “Jenny has told us everything … well, told Martha everything. That little gal thinks the world of you, Hugh, and she couldn’t be more sorry for everything she has put you through.”
Hugh quiet
ly considered what his dad was telling him.
“Fact is, if you don’t make that sweet girl my daughter-in-law … well, you’re not too big for me to take you over my knee and spank the tarnation out of you, you know.”
Hugh wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Then, “Dad, I don’t know. I’m nowhere near considering anything like that. That’s way too sudden.”
“It’s up to you, son, it’ll be for you to decide. All I can suggest is to go slow and easy. She’s very fragile right now. After hearing all that you two have been through, I can understand why.”
Hugh mounted up. “I’d best be going. Thanks Dad, and Roly. I’ll see you back there for lunch.”
With that, Hugh rode down to the ranch house to who knew what.
“Jenny, we’re about to have company,” Martha said, while standing at the kitchen window, as she was putting away the last of the breakfast dishes.
“Is it …?” Jenny asked.
“Yes, it’s Hugh,” Martha replied. “How do you want to do this?”
“Can I meet him first, privately?” Jenny asked.
“Of course, dear. I’ll go upstairs and do some chores. Good luck,” she said, patting Jenny on the cheek as she passed by.
“Thanks,” Jenny said. Straightening up her hair, she nervously walked out to meet Hugh, where he was just pulling into the horse barn.
Hugh had dismounted Buck, and was loosening the horse’s cinch strap, when he saw Jenny walk up.
First impression? Wow!
Hugh wondered how this girl could continue to get more beautiful every time he saw her. Her skin had a healthy, light-tan glow to it, which accentuated her cute freckles even more. Her hair was an even lighter blonde than it had been before.
But, also very noticeable was the graceful, confident way that she now comported herself. She had never been flabby before in any way, shape or form, but she now seemed more toned, more balanced in her walk.
She wore figure-hugging jeans, obviously from Mary, and a knit tank top that accentuated her features.
“Jenny,” Hugh said, simultaneously with her, “Hugh.”
“There we go again,” Jenny said first, to break the ice. Then they both laughed.
“How’s it going for you here,” Hugh asked. “Is everybody treating you OK?”
“Oh, yes. You’ve got a wonderful family, Hugh. They couldn’t be treating me better.”
“I’m glad. I knew they would. That’s why I brought you here.”
“How about you?” Jenny asked. “How was your ride out?”
“It was great. I always feel like a new man when I go out there. I had a chance to do a lot of thinking, and praying. And, we need to talk.”
“I know, Hugh. We will. But …”
“But, what?”
“Can we take it slow? Not do anything rash or sudden?”
Hugh wasn’t sure if what she had said meant the same to her as it did to him, but he nodded his agreement.
“But, there’s something real important that I’ve got to do right now,” Hugh said, with a serious expression on his face.
With a worried look on her own face, Jenny asked, “What?”
“I’ve got to get this saddle off of Buck, and give him a good rubdown. He’s really deserved it,” Hugh replied, smiling at his little joke.
Relieved, Jenny lightened up considerably. “I’ll help you. I’ve been coming out here with Mary, and helping her with the horses.”
With Buck taken care of, Hugh and Jenny walked out of the barn toward the house. Like she had done before, Martha saw them from the top of the steps, then flew down them to give Hugh, and then Jenny, a big hug.
“Holy cow, Ma. I’ve only been gone a couple of days.”
“I know, Hugh, but I’m just so glad to see you. And, I can see that you have left your ghosts up there on that ridge somewhere. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah, the forest has worked its magic again. I feel much, much better than when I left here three mornings ago,” Hugh replied to her.
“Well, come on in. I’m sure you could use a good, home-cooked ranch breakfast.”
Hugh started salivating at the thought. After rabbit, jerky, oatmeal and trail mix, and canned chili for the past couple of days, a full-course ranch breakfast sounded extremely inviting. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Posh! Get in here,” his mother remonstrated.
Hugh sat down at the large kitchen table, and was very impressed as he saw how knowingly Jenny worked her way around the kitchen preparing his breakfast for him.
Just as he was starting to say something to compliment Jenny, he was interrupted by a screech.
“Hughey!” they all heard, as Mary came bounding down the stairs. She threw her arms around Hugh, and hugged his neck while he sat in his chair.
“Say, Bro. How did it go?” she asked Hugh.
“Pretty uneventful,” Hugh replied, to her downcast expression. Mary loved hearing adventure stories. “But, I had a visitor to my camp site last night.”
“Really? Who?” Martha jumped into the conversation.
“Not who. What. Old Grouch paid me a visit,” he told them.
“Wow! I thought that ol’ griz was long gone,” Mary said.
“No. It definitely was him. Huge track, and a missing small toe,” Hugh said.
“Well, I’ll be darn,” Mary said.
“Does someone want to clue me in?” Jenny asked, looking from Martha to Mary to Hugh.
“I will,” Hugh said, winking at his mom.
Then, he turned to Jenny with a serious expression on his face. “Well, you see, quite a few years ago, there was a big increase in encounters in this part of Idaho between tourists and grizzly bears.”
Jenny nodded for Hugh to go on.
“So the Idaho Fish and Game went on this huge public relations campaign to alert forest visitors to the problem, and what to do about it. They had determined that the best way to avoid a grizzly bear confrontation was for people to wear little bells out in the forest, and to carry pepper spray in case they came upon a bear.”
“What does this have to do with Old Grouch?” Jenny asked.
“I’m getting to that,” Hugh replied. “Old Grouch is a local legend. He’s just about the biggest, most-ferocious grizzly bear anybody can ever remember being in these parts. And, his track is very distinctive because of his missing small toe.”
Jenny was getting impatient for Hugh to get to the point of the story.
“Well, shortly after the fish and game directive about bells and pepper spray came out, we began to notice something interesting. Everywhere we went up there in the forest, wherever we found Old Grouch’s tracks, we’d spot something unusual in his droppings.”
“What? What?” Jenny insisted.
“Besides the usual berry seeds, and bits of bone and fur, we began seeing a lot of little bells. And, are you ready for this? It smelled like pepper.”
Martha and Mary couldn’t contain themselves any longer, and broke out in riotous laughter. Hugh finally gave in, and started laughing himself.
Jenny’s face turned from serious to surprised as she realized that she had just been told a joke. She slapped Hugh playfully on the shoulder. “Oh, Hugh. I can’t believe you did that to me,” she said, and began laughing herself.
“Jenny, can you serve the standup comedian his breakfast, please,” Martha asked. “Maybe if we can keep his mouth full with pancakes we won’t have to hear any more tall tales.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
After breakfast, Hugh and Jenny walked out to his truck so he could get a close look at the damage to the fender. He needed to decide whether he should go the insurance route to get it fixed, or whether he should just eat the cost, and pick up a new fender at the nearest Freightliner dealership. It would depend on the extent of the damage compared to his insurance deductible.
Once he had examined the damage, and had decided it was not that extensive, he turned to Jenny, who wa
s standing nearby. “We need to talk pretty soon. I’m ready to hear about what had happened during that last hijacking. But first, I wanted to ask you if you still had that cell phone your uncle had given you.”
Jenny had to think for a few minutes, running through her mind the events of the last couple of days before they had arrived at this ranch.
“I don’t have it. But I think I know where it is,” she said, walking over to the driver’s side of the truck.
She reached over and grasped the handle like she had seen her uncle do. She swung the door down, and pointed for Hugh to look inside.
What Jenny had opened up was the little door to the air compressor water purge valves. There were three cables in there that the truck driver would have to pull on in order to purge water out of the three air compressor tanks that were used to operate the braking and other systems that needed compressed air.
Hugh looked inside, and saw Jenny’s cell phone. He reached in, and picked it up.
“What on earth is that doing in there?” Hugh asked.
Jenny merely shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. My uncle put it there.”
Hugh tried to power up the cell phone, but the screen remained black.
“The battery has depleted,” he said, not surprised, considering that it had been several days.
“Come on. Let’s see if someone has a compatible charger for this phone,” Hugh said.
It turned out that Mary had a similar phone, so Hugh borrowed her charger, and plugged it in.
“What do you need that for?” Jenny asked Hugh. “I really don’t want to have anything to do with my uncle, at all, anymore, ever,” she added emphatically.
Hugh turned to Jenny and, putting both hands on her shoulders, looked her right in the eyes. “A lot had happened to me up there in the hills. The short version is that I feel convicted about forgiveness. I want to call your uncle, and ask his forgiveness for all the injuries and deaths I had been responsible for—even going all the way back to your father. Especially going all the way back to your father.”
Crimson Highway Page 20
