As she hurried down past the rows of houses, she could hear a commotion on the porch of the mercantile. It appeared that a crowd was gathered around, and they were arguing, quite loudly, over something. The noise traveled down the street as Heather approached. She spied Jackson leaning against one of the wooden posts at the edge of the crowd. He had a piece of straw between his lips and was moving it from side to side.
Her heart still fluttered every time she looked at him. He was tall with dark hair, a muscular build and a grin that could light up the dark. Not only was he the protector, he took his role as tracker for the town very seriously.
She walked up and put her hand on his arm. Jackson looked down and grinned.
“That’s it, boys,” he said, putting one leg over the railing. “I’m done.”
“So, are you going to do it?” One of the local farmers, Ned Taylor looked at Jackson, expectantly.
Jackson swung his other leg over the railing and jumped to the ground, his boots landing with a thud on the dirt road. “Yep. I’ll let Red Hawk know.”
Heather wrinkled her brow. Red Hawk was from the Plains Indian tribe and helped Jackson with keeping the wild animals away from the farms and ranches surrounding Last Chance. There weren’t many that approached the center of town, but a hungry cougar could easily take down several newborn calves in a week. The townspeople relied on Jackson and Red Hawk to not only provide protection, but to provide meat as well.
Jackson raised cattle and hunted wild game as well. As the cooler weather approached, his butcher shop would offer venison, elk and sometimes even bear.
“When are we heading out?” one of the men called. Heather didn’t see who asked.
“Four days. We’ll leave on the night of the full moon. Meet in the park.” Jackson waved, placing his arm around Heather’s shoulder and leading her towards the butcher shop. Giving her a kiss on her forehead, he released her shoulders and took her hand as they walked. “How are all the mommas in Last Chance?”
“Good. I visited with Charity and her mother-in-law today.”
“I bet that was a treat,” he laughed. Jackson lifted the hair away from Heather’s ears. “Just want to see if she talked them off.”
Heather brushed his hand away. “I will have you know that Pastor Collins is going to go out and visit her.”
“That will be good for both of them.”
“So, what’s happening on the full moon?”
“I’m leading a hunt.”
“A hunt? With all those men?”
Jackson shrugged his shoulders. “There is barely any food for the storehouse. A lot of men need to feed their families and without those crops, they don’t know how they are going to do it.”
“You normally only take one or two men. How are you going to do it with that many?”
“Red Hawk will help. Besides, we aren’t going hunting for elk or bear.”
“Then what?”
“Red Hawk told me of a buffalo herd where the plains meet the river. Takes several men to bring down a buffalo herd. If it all goes as planned, there will be enough meat for everyone, and a pretty price on the hides for the guides.”
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“It will take us two days to get to the hunting ground. Once we get all the meat cleaned and loaded, I’m thinking we should be home within a week.”
“I’ll miss you,” Heather said softly.
Jackson grinned. “Let’s get home and you can spend the next four days telling me how much you’ll miss me.”
Heather laughed and slid her hand under Jackson’s arm.
“I can definitely do that.”
Chapter Two
Heather stood in the park, shivering in the cool night air. The men were gathered around talking and checking their pack horses before they headed into the dark night. It was just after sundown, but it seemed so much later.
She watched as Jackson checked the cinch on his horse.
“I made you sandwiches,” she said, offering him a linen sack. “I put in what’s left of last year’s apples and a hunk of cheese.”
Jackson took the sack and tied it to the front of his horse. “I have a sack of dried beef as well, so I think I’ll be just fine.”
Heather looked around the park and she spied Otis sitting at the front of one of the wagons. He had his jug of corn liquor nestled under a blanket next to him. “What’s he doing here?” she asked, pointing to Otis. He was still in his frayed suit and the top hat looked completely out of place in a sea of Stetsons. Pastor Collins was talking to Otis. The words didn’t reach Heather’s ears.
“His family needs to eat, too,” Jackson replied softly.
“I sincerely hope you don’t allow him to have a firearm,” Heather snorted.
Jackson chuckled in the dark. “We won’t. He’s just driving the wagon.”
Red Hawk came and tapped Jackson on the shoulder. “We are ready.”
“I’ll be right there,” Jackson said softly. Turning to Heather he took her in his arms and pulled her close. “I’ll miss you, sweetheart,” he whispered, his lips capturing hers.
Heather slid her arms around his neck and held him tight for a minute, not wanting the kiss to end. She finally broke the kiss and wrapped Jackson in a hug. “I’ll miss you too. Be safe and come home soon.”
“I always do, Heather.”
“Promise me. Say the words, Jackson.”
“I promise.”
She watched Jackson climb on top of his horse. “I love you, Jack,” she said, moving forward for another
