Jake had his gray Stetson in his hands when Hanna looked at him and said, “I’ve never met you before. I hope you’re Jake Elliott.”
“Yes, ma’am. I haven’t annoyed Sara enough to make her look elsewhere yet.”
“I doubt if that will ever happen. Kay should be back in an hour or so. Do you want to wait?”
Sara replied, “No. We’ll head over to my parents’ house. Her gift is tied out front and won’t mind waiting.”
“You brought her a horse?”
“She asked Jake for one after he gave one to each of my brothers and a very handsome black gelding to me.”
Hanna smiled at Jake and said, “I’m sure she’ll be very grateful.”
Sara took Jake’s arm and said, “I’m sure she’ll thank him every second that she spends in the saddle.”
Before Jake could say anything more, she spun him around and escorted him quickly out of the house.
After they mounted, Jake said, “She seems very nice. Do you know how old she is?”
As she turned Vulcan back toward the main street, she replied, “She’s sixteen. Are you already looking to replace me with a younger woman, sir?”
“No, ma’am. You’re irreplaceable. I was just wondering how long she’d keep the job. I assume that both Emmett and Orville already know her.”
“They do, but I don’t believe either of their current girlfriends would allow them to stray.”
They turned left at the intersection and Jake said, “You never know, Sara. Young men are fickle. They fall for pretty faces and impressive Tetons before they even know the girl.”
Sara laughed then said, “You probably understand that better than most men, young or old. I’m just very lucky that Kay wanted more than just a handsome, virile young man. She wanted a comfortable future with a husband who could hire a nanny.”
“Well, because you didn’t care about comfort, Mrs. Elliott, you married a man who is prepared to satisfy all of your desires.”
“You know what I desire above everything else, Mister Elliott. And you’ve already given it to me.”
Jake was smiling as they turned right on Fourth Street and soon pulled up before #26.
When they stepped onto the porch, Jake didn’t bother raising his hand to knock on the door but let Sara enter and walked in behind her into the foyer.
He heard Kay loudly ask, “Is that you, Papa?”
Sara replied, “No, Kay. It’s me and Jake. Is mama here?”
Jake was removing his hat as he and Sara stepped into the main room and Sara’s mother answered, “Of course, I’m here, Mrs. Elliott.”
When her mother was close, Sara kissed her on the cheek then gave Kay a quick peck before saying, “Why don’t you both sit back down. We have a lot to tell you.”
Kay quickly asked, “You aren’t pregnant already; are you?”
Sara laughed as she guided Jake to the couch and replied, “It’s not from lack of trying, Kay. But it’s still too early to tell. We haven’t been married very long and my new husband hasn’t spent that much of our married life at home. That’s what we stopped by to tell you.”
After Jake and Sara sat on the couch, Jake began his story. He didn’t include as many details as he had when he’d told the sheriff or the hands, nor did he expand on the eerie lightning strike. He just said that Dave had been hit by the bolt without mentioning the rifle.
Both Kay and Mrs. Smith still had many questions before Jake remembered the gray gelding that they’d left tied up before Kay’s house.
“Oh. Before I forget, Kay, we left a gift for you at the house. Well, actually it’s in front of the house. I remembered that you asked me for a horse, so I brought a handsome young gelding with us.”
Kay smiled, then stood and walked across the room and kissed Jake on the cheek. Jake assumed she had avoided his lips because of Sara’s intense blue eyes.
“Thank you, Jake. I’m going to have to learn to ride again, but I’m sure it will be worth it.”
Jake smiled and replied, “You’re welcome, Kay.”
Sara then stood and pulled Jake to his feet as she said, “We’ll let you pass along the news. I need to get my husband home and make him some lunch.”
She didn’t wait for her mother to offer to feed them before tugging Jake across the room to the foyer. Jake just waggled his fingers at Kay and her mother as he left the room.
Once they’d left Fort Benton behind, Sara looked at Jake and said, “I can’t believe Kay would still behave that way.”
Jake was confused and asked, “What way? All she did was peck me on the cheek. I thought she might really kiss me, but I figured that she didn’t want to face your wrath.”
“You didn’t notice?”
“Notice what? I must have missed it.”
Sara stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “I am impressed, Mister Elliott. Just before she stood to cross the room, she popped open the top button of her blouse. That was why I was glaring at her. When she leaned forward to give you that peck on the cheek, you should have noticed the deep valley between her Teton Mountains.”
Jake honestly hadn’t noticed because he was looking at Sara when she stood, then as she approached, he was focused on Sara’s eyes.
He grinned as he shook his head and said, “I imagine she’s disappointed that I didn’t even look. I guess Homer isn’t up to snuff.”
“Probably not, but I’m not complaining.”
“I’ll never give you a reason to complain, Sara.”
Sara smiled at him knowing that he never would.
_____
Life on the Elk returned to a routine for
