But that was all going to happen well after he found his father. Until those trains started running, the westbound road that ran along the Elk’s southern border was the fastest way to reach Helena. It was the road his father had used as his escape route after murdering his mother.
Jake suspected that his father probably holed up in Helena after learning that no warrant had been issued. It had only been three weeks, so if he was still there, his father might be planning to return. Father and son might even meet each other on that road, and even more than vengeance, Jake wanted answers. He wanted to hear what happened from the only person who had been there…the man who had savagely beaten his mother to death.
He exhaled sharply, then looked at the map of the Elk on the wall to his left. It only covered a ten-mile radius around the ranch’s boundaries, but that included Fort Benton. He stood and walked closer to the map and traced the westbound road until it left the heavy parchment. He studied the left side of the map and for a few seconds, thought that his father might have circled around and set up camp northwest of the ranch. But even if he’d brought enough supplies to last a week, he’d have to start hunting and someone would have heard the gunfire.
Then he slid his index finger to the east and into the street map of the town. He paused when it touched Smith & Sons Feed and Grain, then slowly moved it to Missouri Avenue where Kay lived with Homer and their three H-initialed sons.
He smiled before he let his fingertip make the short journey to Fourth Street. He left it where he expected #26 should be and wondered if Sara had gone home for the day. He had the impression that she didn’t normally work at her father’s store, so he was pretty sure she’d gone home after their extraordinary conversation and was curious about whether she had given her mother all the details. She had said that her mother knew why Sara was primping, so it was likely. The news would get out pretty soon anyway.
He may have told Dave to keep it secret and while Sara said she wasn’t going to tell Kay, it was reasonable to assume that her mother would certainly break the news to her older, married daughter. Maybe it was better that Kay did know sooner rather than later.
He tapped the map and stepped back to the desk, but before he even returned to his seat, he realized that none of it mattered. He and Sara had sat on the bench for more than thirty minutes and hadn’t even looked at the passing traffic. To anyone who’d used the main street, a single short glance would have marked them as a couple. The gossip fuse would have been lit and their secret would be about as private as the War Between the States.
Jake laughed as he sat down then leaned back with his hands locked behind his neck and said, “We could have put an announcement on the front page of The Montana Gazette, Sara.”
He indulged in a minute of pleasant Sara thoughts before he leaned forward and picked up the cartridges. He stood, walked to the rifle wall, then returned them to their boxes and left the two heavy wooden miniature crates on the top of the ammunition cabinet before leaving the office and returning to the kitchen.
He’d have plenty of time to pack on Monday and knew Charlie would load him down with more than enough food for three or four days. The ride to Helena would only take three days unless he ran into trouble or his father.
It was another four hours before the summer sun slid beneath the western horizon, so Jake decided that he’d take his first ride on Vulcan to see just how twitchy he might be. He walked into his bedroom and picked up his Winchester before leaving the house. He entered the barn and set his Winchester on the empty shelf beneath the wide, heavy plank that held his tack.
Ten minutes after entering the barn, he walked Vulcan through the door and set him to a medium trot to the northwest. He waved to two of the boys who were heading to get some delayed chow after leaving their bunkhouse. He could tell by the grins on their faces that they had known about the black gelding before he did.
After he rode for another minute, he tapped his heels and the big black accelerated to a canter. Jake let him keep the fast pace for another minute before asking for more speed.
It was almost as if Vulcan had been hoping to show off because as soon as Jake had rapped his flanks again, Emperor’s younger son burst into a mind-numbing gallop. Jake felt the blast of wind rip his Stetson’s brim back into a curve and threatened to rip if from his head, so he dropped his face down. The front of the hat then covered his eyes, so he deferred to Vulcan’s judgement as the big gelding thundered across the ranch’s open ground.
Jake was impressed but had to slow him down after a minute. When Vulcan reduced his speed to a medium trot, Jake’s Stetson popped back into form. He grinned and patted the right side of the horse’s neck as he listened to his breathing. He wasn’t surprised when he didn’t hear Vulcan laboring. He was Mars’ younger brother and each of them shared their father’s power and stamina.
He then turned him slightly to the west. He wanted to visit his boyhood refuge before he left the
