“I’ll just transfer my saddle to the gray gelding and lead my sorrel back to Fort Shaw. The county sheriff is waiting for me there and expects me to share breakfast with him.”
Joe snickered then shook Jake’s hand as he said, “You got yourself a deal, Jake. You ain’t leavin’ tonight, are ya?”
“I’m young and stupid, but not that stupid. I’ll set up my bedroll in the livery and ride out in the morning as soon as possible. I don’t want to delay Sheriff Zendt’s breakfast.”
“Sounds like a good idea. And I don’t figure you’re even close to bein’ stupid, Jake. You sure are young, though. Now you can head back to your ranch and maybe you’ll live to be an old codger like me.”
Jake grinned then tapped Joe on the shoulder and left the saddlery carrying the remains of the Martini-Henry and with the money-stuffed saddlebags hung over his shoulder.
By the time he reached the livery and began unsaddling the sorrel, the rain had stopped. Soon the storm would be pummeling the Elk and Jake hoped that Sara was already sleeping peacefully under the quilts before it arrived.
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Sara was under the quilts, but she was neither sleeping nor peaceful. But it wasn’t because of the storm which hadn’t started pounding the area. She knew it was coming but was more annoyed because she knew that it would delay Jake’s return for another day. She thought that he and the sheriff would be spending the night at Fort Shaw before riding to Woman’s Breast the next day.
As she lay in the dark, Sara prayed that Jake wouldn’t be hurt, but still hoped that he’d be able to hear Dave Forrest’s confession before he died. Whether it was from a gunshot wound or the hangman’s noose didn’t matter. She knew how much Jake was troubled by not knowing what had happened on the second of July.
CHAPTER 13
Jake awakened even before the predawn lightened the sky. It wasn’t because he was fully rested. As he slept, a barn owl had left its nest in the eaves of the barn to make its delayed hunt now that the storm had passed. When he returned with a fat deer mouse for his lady and their three chicks, he landed on the beam directly over Jake’s head and began to rip the deer into chunks to share with his family. It was the young owls’ loud clammer for their share of the mouse that served as Jake’s natural alarm clock.
He was grateful for the wakeup call and slid out of his bedroll. He stepped to the door and was pleased to find a clear sky.
After answering nature’s call, he returned to the barn and saddled the gray gelding. He set the Martini-Henry’s body onto his bedroll and used it as a wrapper.
Within twenty minutes, he was ready to go. He had used some of the water that had collected in the rain barrel near the door to wash and shave. Then he’d changed into clean clothes before he mounted the horse that Dave had taken.
He walked the horse out of the livery leading the sorrel but didn’t see Joe. He figured that it would be like Christmas morning when Joe did leave his saloon. He hadn’t counted the money yet but didn’t believe that Dave had enough time to spend much of it.
Five minutes later, Jake was riding south on the still soggy trail. It was close to sunrise now, so he knew he wouldn’t be delaying Sheriff Zendt’s breakfast.
He set the gray gelding to a fast trot as he headed for Fort Shaw.
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The passing storm hadn’t caused a lot of damage on the Elk but had scattered the herds. By the time Jake was halfway to Fort Shaw, Jack had all of the ranch hands hunting down the wandering cattle.
Sara had finished her breakfast and was sitting at the table having her second cup of coffee. She’d had a troubled night’s sleep and was even more anxious today than she’d been yesterday after Jake left. Today’s clear weather meant that he and Sheriff Zendt would be riding to that ghost town and would probably come within range of the long-range rifle that Dave Forrest had stolen. She couldn’t even remember the name of the gun, but it didn’t matter. Despite Jake’s assurance that he could avoid being shot at long range, Sara was still unsure if he would be able to return safely.
What was truly frustrating was her inability to do anything more than wait for him to come riding back down the access road. But that storm would have delayed that wonderful sight for another day. As much as she worried, Sara still believed she had been right to let him go without hesitation.
She stood and carried her cup down the hallway and after passing through the front door, she sat down on the rocking chair and looked to the west.
As she focused on the distant horizon, she whispered, “Come back to me as soon as you can, Jake. I don’t even care if you have a bullet wound. Just come back to me.”
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Jake ripped half of the strip of bacon with his teeth as Sheriff Zendt said, “I can’t wait to see that rifle, or what’s left of it. That’s most bizarre way to go that I’ve ever heard.”
Jake swallowed then said, “You can’t imagine how strange it was when I
