by C. J. Petit
After setting them both down near the door, he stepped onto the back porch to see if the boys were returning yet. He could see some of them far to the north but didn’t know how many were there. So, he returned to the kitchen, grabbed the two panniers, and headed for the barn. After leaving the loaded pannier near Vulcan’s pack saddle, he carried the empty one out of the barn.
Bill Jackson waved as Jake passed the corral, so Jake returned his wave before entering the chow house.
Charlie was wearing his heavy apron and Jake could tell he’d been baking by its splotchy white coating.
Charlie grinned as he said, “I’m fixin’ you up for your long ride, boss. I’ve got some biscuits in the oven and some of that hard, crusty bread you like.”
Jake set the pannier on one of the bench tables as he replied, “Thanks, Charlie. I was going to ask you if you could give me about a week’s worth of food and some trail food for backup. That’s why I brought the pannier.”
“I probably made more’n that. You know; just in case you need it.”
“I hope I won’t have to have that much. I’d like to get this done as quickly as possible.”
“I reckon so. Miss Smith seems like a good woman for you.”
Then, after a short pause, Charlie said, “Jake, I know that Dave is tryin’ to get you to stick around, but most of the other boys understand why you gotta go. We’re all gonna miss you, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Jake smiled as he said, “That’s true, I suppose. But I got the impression that everyone else thought just like Dave did and wanted me to stay.”
“A couple of the fellers do, but Dave asked us not to tell you ‘cause he didn’t want you to get hurt. But I figgered that you’re leavin’ tomorrow, so I don’t reckon Dave is gonna get mad at me for tellin’ you.”
“Thanks again, Charlie. I won’t let him know you divulged his secret. They should be here shortly, so if you see Dave, tell him I need to talk to him before I go. Alright?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Jake turned to leave then stopped, did a sharp about face and asked, “Charlie, why are you and most of the others calling me ‘boss’? Just a few seconds ago, you called me Jake, which is what you everyone always called me. Why the change?”
“Dave said we should all show you the same respect we showed your pa now that you’re in charge. I thought it was kinda silly, but he’s the foreman.”
“Well, I agree with you, Charlie. I’m not even twenty-one years old yet. I’m almost five years younger than Mike Tucker and a lot younger than most of the others, including you. I think you’re twelve or thirteen years older. Am I right?”
Charlie smiled as he nodded, then replied, “Yup. But we’ll keep callin’ you boss unless you can convince Dave it’s alright to call you Jake again.”
“I’ll mention it when I see him.”
“Thanks, Jake.”
Jake grinned, smacked Charlie on the shoulder, then turned and walked out of the chow house.
Rather than head back to the house, Jake decided to visit his mother now rather than at sunset or sunrise tomorrow. As he walked to the northwest, he glanced to the north to see if the cowhands were returning, but they were all still busy with the herd, so there would be no reason to delay his visit. He knew why he was so reticent to go to the cemetery. He was certain that his mother would have strenuously objected to what he was about to do and after that strange inability to move after his last visit, he suspected worse this time. He may have logically attributed it to his mind’s refusal to leave her gravesite, but it still spooked him.
He soon swung open the gate, entered, then closed it again before slowly approaching his mother’s gravesite. He stepped to the right of his own footprints before he stopped and removed his Stetson.
Jake kept his focus on her memorial stone as he said, “Well, Mom, I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I know you and Dave don’t want me to go, but Sara understands why I can’t stay. And she has a much better reason for keeping me here than even you do. What do you think of her, Mom? I know you were pleased that I was visiting Kay, but I have a feeling that you were just happy that I would settle down. I’m sure that you know about what Kay had planned back then and what she may be planning now. I wish I did, but I’m sure Sara can handle it.”
After another glance to the north to make sure no one was coming, Jake said, “Jerome White told me about Mrs. Kemper. But he only knew that dad had him pay off her mortgage and put money into her bank account. He didn’t know why he did it, but I’m sure that he arrived at the same conclusion that I did. I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt when you learned about it. But I still should have been here, Mom. If I knew what he’d been doing before the fight, I would have confronted him. I don’t know if I would have been able to beat him, but you would still be alive.”
Jake lapsed into silence and simply stared at her gravestone. He didn’t pray or even imagine what might have happened had he learned of his father’s affair. He simply let his mind fill with memories of the wonderful times he’d spent with his mother. As he stood quietly, a smile formed on his lips as he envisioned her happy face and heard her light laugh.
After another five minutes of reflection, Jake said, “I love you, Mom,” then turned and walked to the gate.
After opening it and stepping away from the hallowed ground, he pulled on his hat and closed the gate before heading to the house. He didn’t bother looking for incoming riders as he continued taking long strides to the back porch. He felt at peace after the visit, and it wasn’t because his feet hadn’t frozen. It was because he hadn’t concentrated on how his mother had died, but how she had lived.
_____
Twenty minutes later, he was sitting in the office checking the ledger again to make sure he’d left Dave enough money for payday and typical expenses. He was about to close the ledger when he heard a courtesy rap on the front doorjamb then loud bootsteps crossing the main room.
The only man who could enter without permission was Dave Forrest, so Jake shouted, “I’m in the office, Dave!”
He heard Dave change direction before he appeared in the doorway seconds later.
“I imagine you’re all packed,” the foreman said before he plopped down in the chair at the front of the desk.
“Pretty much. Charlie will fill a pannier with food, but I’ve got everything else ready.”
“Well, I guess all I can do is hope that you either find your father or give up soon and come back.”
Jake grinned as he said, “That’s all you can do, Dave. If it makes you feel any better, I decided that if I got to Helena and still couldn’t find him or learn where he might have gone, I’ll probably just turn around and come back. So, I should only be gone a week or so.”
Dave smiled and said, “I guess I owe Miss Smith for your change of heart. You seem awfully smitten with her, Jake. All the boys like her, too.”
“It’s more than smitten, Dave. Sara told me she’s blunt and stubborn, but I think she’s just honest and confident. She challenges me in a good way. She’ll keep me on my toes.”
“She’ll be taking over from me; won’t she?”
Jake laughed before replying, “Only by providing me guidance and making me laugh. There will be many more things she can add to my life that you couldn’t.”
Dave snickered then said, “I was never planning to marry you, Jake.”
After a brief pause, Jake asked, “While I’m gone, could you do me a small favor, Dave?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Could you ask the boys to stop calling me ‘boss’? Aside from my youth, I don’t want to be reminded of my father. Every time one of them calls me that, I almost want to turn around and look behind me expecting to see my father. Maybe I’ll get over it in a while, but for now, I’d rather be called Jake just like before.”
“Okay, Jake. I’ll let them know after you’re gone.”
“Thanks.”
Jake mom
entarily thought of asking Dave if he’d heard any rumblings about his father and Mrs. Kemper but decided not to insert the rumor if no one on the ranch knew about the affair.
Instead, he said, “I just checked the books, and you should have more than enough to cover July’s payroll. Anything other than routine purchases can just be added to our accounts. I’ll pay them when I return. The extra money should handle any emergency expenses.”
“It’s more than sufficient, Jake.”
Jake nodded then said, “Let’s go to the chow house, so I can enjoy my last dinner with the boys before I leave.”
“You’re having breakfast with us in the morning; aren’t you?”
“Probably. It depends on how soon I have Mars and Vulcan ready to go.”
“Maybe I’ll bribe Charlie to take his time filling your food pack.”
Jake laughed as he stood then he and Dave left the office.
_____
Four hours later, Jake blew out his bedroom’s lamp, then slid beneath his quilts. He had moved everything he’d be taking with him to the barn and would only have to add Charlie’s food pack before he left. He was ready and anxious to begin his search. While finding his father and learning what had happened that fateful day was still important, his need to return unharmed to Sara was now his top priority. He hoped that it didn’t interfere with his need to find his father or drive him into distraction before he even reached Helena. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn’t bumped into her on Friday. He might have spent much more time trying to find his father, but he was certain that even if he hadn’t returned to the Elk by November, Sara would still be waiting.
But he was still happy that they’d had that accidental near collision. He just wished he could spend a little more time talking to her before he left in the morning.
CHAPTER 5
Jake waved to the crowd of Elk men before he turned Mars toward the access road. He was leaving later than he’d expected as he had indulged in a larger breakfast with the men. Charlie had stuffed the food pannier, and Jake had thought about shifting some of the weightier foodstuff to his personal pack, but just used the Sharps to offset much of the weight disparity.
He turned onto the westbound road and didn’t look back before setting Mars to a medium trot. He still hoped to reach Fort Shaw before sunset. It shouldn’t put that much strain on his two powerful young geldings. The long summer day still gave him another ten hours of sunshine to cover the sixty miles. He’d take breaks fairly often but was confident in Mars and Vulcan’s speed and endurance.
The road between Fort Shaw and Fort Benton, while not as busy as it had been in the past, was still well-traveled. He expected to meet oncoming traffic during his long ride but didn’t see anyone on the road stretching out before him. He hadn’t seen anyone leaving the town when he left the ranch either, so he’d have the roadway to himself for a while. The traffic heading to Fort Benton wouldn’t start appearing for until early in the afternoon.
It was already surprisingly warm for this time of day, and Jake expected to shed his light jacket before much longer. He had his heavy coat in his clothing pannier for the still chilly nights but wasn’t planning on riding after sunset.
_____
He shrugged off his light gray jacket after he’d been riding for two hours. Mars and Vulcan hadn’t shown any signs of fatigue yet, but Jake was still going to stop to let them rest at the next creek.
He still hadn’t seen any oncoming traffic but hadn’t expected to find any yet. He was still a good forty plus miles from Fort Shaw.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled Mars to a stop and let him and his brother drink from a small stream while he lifted a canteen, unscrewed the cap and took a few swallows. He had eaten so much at breakfast that he wasn’t even sure he’d stop for lunch.
After his horses were watered, he resumed the westward ride. He was proud of himself for not woolgathering even though he hadn’t seen a single soul. While he hadn’t spotted any traffic, he was well aware of the threat of highwaymen. There weren’t as many as there had been when the road was busy, but they still preyed on unwary travelers and freight wagons.
The landscape was all new to him but didn’t appear any different than the land that made up the Elk. Aside from a few hills and sporadic, small pine forests, it was mostly flat plains of tall grass. If it hadn’t been for the mountains along the southern and western horizons, it would look much like the Great Plains. There were more rivers and creeks crisscrossing the land than in Dakota Territory and even the hills were probably much taller than those one might find in the Plains. He knew that the Teton River was to his north and the Missouri River was just out of sight to the south. He estimated that he was near the Great Falls that made Fort Benton the last port of the Missouri that could be reached by riverboat. It was what made the town so important as traders and then miners used it to deliver their finds and to stock up on supplies.
He was still looking south when he realized that he had let his mind drift. He snapped into the real world and turned his eyes to the front. Seconds later, he picked up a dust cloud in the distance. He expected to see traffic about this time, so he wasn’t concerned. Outlaws didn’t usually like to be seen. So, he just continued at the same pace and soon picked up the traffic that was creating the dust cloud.
He still wasn’t worried but when he was able to see more clearly, he noticed it was a single rider leading a pack horse. If it had been two men, he wouldn’t have acted at all, but as he stared at the oncoming rider, he wondered if it was his father returning from Helena. The horses seemed unremarkable, so it could be his father riding the two plain brown geldings that Dave had seen him use to make his escape. Jake couldn’t make out his hat at this distance, but as a precaution that he might be his father, Jake released his Colt’s hammer loop but left his Winchester in place. If he was just another traveler headed for Fort Benton, Jake didn’t want to make the man feel threatened.
The two men leading packhorses in opposite directions continued to ride closer. When they were about two hundred yards apart, Jake relaxed when he was sure the man wasn’t his father. He was wearing a black Stetson without any band at all. But just a few seconds later, he noticed the sorry condition of his horses and the light load on the packhorse. While it might not mean anything, Jake had to assume that the man might look at his magnificent horses and Vulcan’s stuffed packs and decide to make them his own.
Normally, when strangers passed on the road far away from settlements, they’d stop and exchange news. But Jake decided to ignore the practice and nudged Mars into a fast trot. He’d greet the other rider but not slow down. The man might feel slighted, but Jake doubted if they’d ever meet again. He then added another twist after he passed the stranger. If the man was planning to backshoot him, he’d have to pull his Winchester because he would expect Jake to stop. So, by the time that he realized he had been mistaken, Jake would be out of pistol range. Jake would count to three before he turned around to look. If the man was reaching for his repeater, then he’d pull his Colt to make him leave it in its scabbard. Even if he pulled his revolver, Jake didn’t believe he’d have to fire.
When they were less than a hundred feet apart, the other rider pulled up and obviously expected Jake to do the same. But Jake just waved, shouted, “Howdy!” and kept going. When he’d greeted the stranger, Jake noted the surprised look on his scruffy face, then began to count.
As soon as he reached three, Jake quickly looked behind him and was surprised to see that the rider had whipped his horse around and set him at a fast trot behind Jake. He was still more than fifty yards behind him, but when the stranger’s Winchester left its scabbard and was in his hands, Jake knew he didn’t have time to pull his rifle. He snatched his Colt from his holster as Mars and Vulcan continued to move.
The stranger leveled his Winchester at Jake and fired before Jake even cocked his Colt’s hammer. Jake didn’t know how much the man’s bullet missed him, but a miss was a miss and Jake
couldn’t afford to be off target. His muzzle was bouncing but it was a steady motion, so he didn’t fire for a full second until he was reasonably confident of his .45’s path. The man was cocking his Winchester for a second shot when Jake fired.
Jake was pulling back his hammer when the man dropped his Winchester to the ground and grabbed his left arm. Jake pulled Mars to a sudden stop and Vulcan almost crashed into his older brother’s rump but managed to avoid the collision.
The stranger didn’t realize that Jake had stopped in the road as he was trying to stop the flow of blood from his left upper arm. His horse saved him from a horrible accident by veering around the two bigger horses in front of him.
As the injured man rode past him, Jake released his pistol’s hammer, slid the Colt home and sat in the saddle. The man could still draw his pistol, but Jake doubted if he’d take the risk.
The wounded rider had glimpsed Jake as his horse shot past and finally slowed his two animals a couple of hundred yards west of where Jake sat atop Mars watching.
He probably expected Jake to pull his Winchester and shoot him because he would have done it. He knew he was out of range, so rather than take the road past the man he’d hoped to rob, he turned his horse north onto the rough ground and continued in a wide circle as he gripped his bleeding arm and kept his eyes on Jake. He was puzzled when Jake didn’t turn his horses back to the east to keep him from regaining the road. His Winchester was still on the ground and he couldn’t understand why the other rider hadn’t even attempted to pick it up.
Jake watched him ride past him while maintaining the two-hundred-yard gap and understood why he wasn’t about to get any closer. Jake couldn’t care less about the wounded man. The bastard was going to shoot him in the back, and he was lucky Jake had fired from the back of a moving horse. He wouldn’t have missed so badly if he was in a stable firing position.
