“I think that you should just accept it and let it go. What if you do get a chance to read your instructions and find that they matched what had been carved into the granite?”
Jake shook his head as he said, “I know what I wrote, Sara. I just want to read it then ask Isiah why they had added the words.”
“I don’t think you should, Jake.”
“Why not?”
“What if you look at those instructions and find that they are no longer written in your hand, but your father’s?”
Jake looked at Sara and thought she might be just trying to make him see how silly it would be to ask Isiah about the unexpected change. But, as usual, he couldn’t understand why she’d asked the question. He continued to stare at her unblinking blue eyes for another thirty seconds. Then he decided that even though it was impossible for those instructions to be in anyone else’s hand but his own, it didn’t matter. She was right that what was permanently etched into the stone was all that did.
He smiled and said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. Besides, Isiah probably already burned my instructions. I’ll just let it go, Sara. It can be as big a mystery as the one I found in the saddlery in Woman’s Breast.”
“It could be worse, you know.”
Jake rolled his eyes before asking, “How on earth could it be any more bizarre?”
Sara’s blue eyes twinkled as she replied, “There could have been a lightning bolt carved into your father’s stone.”
EPILOGUE
July 11, 1889
Jake helped Matt to the top of the tall boulder then held onto him tightly after he sat down.
Matt pointed at the distant ranch house and exclaimed, “I can see our house from here, Dad!”
“You can see all of the other small houses, too. It looks like a small town; doesn’t it? And over there, you can see the ranch hands working the herds.”
Matt laughed as his head swiveled and his eyes revealed even more.
He was still grinning as he looked down and shouted, “Mom, you should come up and look around! I can even see all the way to town from up here!”
Sara looked up and said, “Your father could never convince me to climb those rocks and besides, I need to stay down here to take care of your sisters.”
“Aw, Mom. They’ll be okay. Annie is old enough to hold Beth’s hand.”
“She’s only five, Matt. And I’m not going to climb up there while I’m holding little Mary. When you were five, you couldn’t be trusted to watch your sisters.”
Jake looked at his son and said, “That’s okay, Matt. This will be a man’s lookout station. Let your mom and your sisters find their own hideout.”
Matt smiled at Jake and said, “Okay. I’m glad that I’m your only boy, Dad. That makes me feel special.”
“You are special, Matt. But so are each of your sisters. But your mom promised your grandfather that she’d fill the house with grandchildren, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have a brother pretty soon.”
Matt lost his smile as he said, “But I don’t want to have a brother. Can’t you tell mom to only have girls?”
Jake laughed as he looked down at Sara as she smiled and shook her head.
“That’s not how it works, Matt. God decides if you’ll have a brother or a sister. But if you do have a brother, I’ll need your help. I’ll be busy out with the herds a lot, so you’ll have to show him a lot of things. Being a big brother is a lot like being a father, and I’m sure that you’ll be a strong big brother.”
Matt’s smile returned as he said, “Okay, Dad. I’ll be a good big brother if mom has a baby boy. I want to be a good father just like you when I have my own little boys, too. I’m gonna make you proud of me, Dad.”
“I’m sure that you will, Matt.”
“Was your father proud of you, Dad?”
Jake smiled as he replied, “Every day of his life.”
bOOK LIST
1
Rock Creek
12/26/2016
2
North of Denton
01/02/2017
3
Fort Selden
01/07/2017
4
Scotts Bluff
01/14/2017
5
South of Denver
01/22/2017
6
Miles City
01/28/2017
7
Hopewell
02/04/2017
8
Nueva Luz
02/12/2017
9
The Witch of Dakota
02/19/2017
10
Baker City
03/13/2017
11
The Gun Smith
03/21/2017
12
Gus
03/24/2017
13
Wilmore
04/06/2017
14
Mister Thor
04/20/2017
15
Nora
04/26/2017
16
Max
05/09/2017
17
Hunting Pearl
05/14/2017
18
Bessie
05/25/2017
19
The Last Four
05/29/2017
20
Zack
06/12/2017
21
Finding Bucky
06/21/2017
22
The Debt
06/30/2017
23
The Scalawags
07/11/2017
24
The Stampede
08/23/2019
25
The Wake of the Bertrand
07/31/2017
26
Cole
08/09/2017
27
Luke
09/05/2017
28
The Eclipse
09/21/2017
29
A.J. Smith
10/03/2017
30
Slow John
11/05/2017
31
The Second Star
11/15/2017
32
Tate
12/03/2017
33
Virgil’s Herd
12/14/2017
34
Marsh’s Valley
01/01/2018
35
Alex Paine
01/18/2018
36
Ben Gray
02/05/2018
37
War Adams
03/05/2018
38
Mac’s Cabin
03/21/2018
39
Will Scott
04/13/2018
40
Sheriff Joe
04/22/2018
41
Chance
05/17/2018
42
Doc Holt
06/17/2018
43
Ted Shepard
07/16/2018
44
Haven
07/30/2018
45
Sam’s County
08/19/2018
46
Matt Dunne
09/07/2018
47
Conn Jackson
10/06/2018
48
Gabe Owens
10/27/2018
49
Abandoned
11/18/2018
50
Retribution
12/21/2018
51
Inevitable
02/04/2019
52
Scandal in Topeka
03/18/2019
53
Return to Hardeman County
04/10/2019
54
Deception
06/02.2019
55
The Silver Widows
06/27/2019
56
Hitch
08/22/2018
57
Dylan’s Journey
10/10/2019
58
Bryn’s War
11/05/2019
59
Huw’s Legacy
11/30/2019
60
Lynn’s Search
12/24/2019
61
Bethan’s Choice
02/12/2020
62
Rhody Jones
03/11/2020
63
Alwen’s Dream
06/14/2020
64
The Nothing Man
06/30/2020
65
Cy Page
07/19/2020
66
Tabby Hayes
09/04/2020
67
Dylan’s Memories
09/20/2020
68
Letter for Gene
09/09/2020
69
Grip Taylor
10/10/2020
70
Garrett’s Duty
11/09/2020
71
East of the
