Then around ten o’clock on a bright Wednesday morning, Sheriff Arv Zendt rode down the access road.
Jake was in the corral talking to Bill Jackson about the remuda when he spotted the sheriff and felt a slight twist in his stomach. This couldn’t be good news.
Jake said, “I’ll be right back, Bill,” before climbing over the corral’s fence and jogging toward the front of the house.
Sheriff Zendt spotted Jake and turned his sorrel in that direction. He pulled his new horse to a stop and stepped down just before Jake reached him.
“What’s wrong, Arv?” Jake asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
Arv’s serious face made Jake even more nervous as reached into his pocket and pulled out a telegram.
He said, “This concerns your foreman.”
Jake blinked then said, “Don’t tell me that he didn’t murder my parents after all and that he hadn’t been the one who’d killed those deputies.”
The sheriff shook his head as he replied, “Not Forrest. This concerns Jack Parker.”
Jake closed his eyes and blew out a long breath. He’d been so wrong about Dave Forrest and thought he’d made a good choice in his replacement. He was beginning to doubt that he’d ever be able to understand anyone.
When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the sheriff grinning at him.
Arv laughed then said, “Sorry, Jake. I was just having a bit of fun. I sent a telegram to Sheriff Jefferson a few days ago to let him know that Dave Forrest was dead. I told you that I’d ask him about R.L. Kemper, so I included it in that telegram. After I received his reply, I had to talk to Mrs. Kemper to verify something before I replied to Pat Jefferson.”
Jake looked at Arv for a few seconds before opening the telegram.
As he read the long message, a smile formed on his lips.
When he finished reading, he asked, “And Maggie confirmed that scar?”
“Yup. She said he got it when he was mad because he claimed she had overcooked his steak then grabbed the hot skillet with his bare hand. It left a nasty scar across his palm and the backs of his fingers.”
“Do you want to come along when I break the news to Jack?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I want to bring Sara along, so let’s cut through the house.”
As they walked to the house, Jake told the sheriff that Kay was now the proud owner of the gray gelding and Arv thanked him again for the sorrel.
When they entered the house, Jake wasn’t surprised to find Sara standing near the door with her arms folded.
“I watched you two out front and I have to admit that it was an interesting couple of minutes. What news did you bring, Sheriff?”
Before the sheriff could say anything, Jake handed her the telegram and let the written words answer her question.
Sara laughed as she handed it back to Jake then asked, “Are you going to tell Jack now?”
“We are. I wanted you to come along. I think he’s still in his house fixing a problem with the kitchen pump.”
She took his hand before they left the house and turned left to make the short walk to the foreman’s house.
The meeting with Jack Parker was as good as they had expected and ended when Jack snatched the telegram and raced from the house without finishing his pump repair.
Even Jake didn’t know how excited Jack would be until he saw his foreman grab a halter, quickly put it on the horse closest to the corral gate, then mount bareback. He churned up a giant dust cloud as he raced down the access road and soon disappeared as he galloped into Fort Benton.
Jake and Sara were both grinning as the sheriff turned and said, “I’m glad he didn’t take my new sorrel. I reckon he won’t be living alone much longer now that Mrs. Benton is officially a widow.”
Jake said, “He shouldn’t have accused the dealer of cheating. He probably was, but he should have just it go and walked away. Pulling a derringer wasn’t very smart.”
“Nope. Pat Jefferson said he’d box up all of Mister Benton’s belongings and ship them up here.”
Sara said, “I don’t think Maggie cares if they burned them all with him. I’m just happy knowing that I’ll have another woman on the ranch to share gossip about my husband.”
As they walked back to the ranch house, Jake said, “I was already thinking of telling the other men that if they wanted to get married, we’d build houses for them, too. We have the money for it, and we could have our own community. What do you think?”
Sara squeezed his arm as she said, “I have a very smart husband.”
_____
Jack didn’t return until almost suppertime and stopped at the big house to tell the boss that he and Maggie were going to be married next week. She had already received offers for the bakery before the news of her late husband’s demise. So, it wouldn’t be long before she was out of the bakery business altogether.
Jake told his foreman to pass along the word that his father’s restrictions about marriage were gone and that they’d build small houses for each of them who decided to bring a wife onto the Elk. Not surprisingly, Jack asked if the foreman could have one of the new ones, and Jake had assured him that he could. He told him he’d have construction started even before another ranch hand accepted his offer to marry.
_____
Not surprisingly, even before the first house had its site selected, Jake was approached by the first non-foreman to ask his permission to marry. What was surprising
