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Jake had shared a hodgepodge supper with Big Tom, Lone Bill Riker and Pack Oliver, the only three men who hadn’t ventured into Fort Benton. He knew that Lone Bill and Pack were impoverished after last Saturday’s visit. Lone Bill had lost most of his at one of Montana Moe’s poker tables, and Pack had no idea how his money had vanished after spending a night with Fleur Lafayette at Madame Bouchard’s cathouse behind The Riverfront Saloon. Big Tom still had most of his pay because he was a churchgoer and wasn’t about to loan any of it to those who wasted their hard-earned pay on sin. If Big Tom wasn’t the largest man on the ranch, one of the sinners might have tried to borrow some of his cache when he wasn’t looking. But he did go into town with the boys after payday. He acted as their bodyguard when they were unable to do anything more difficult than bend their elbows.
The stars were out as Jake entered his bedroom. He hadn’t bothered to light a lamp, so after he stripped in the dark, he pulled back the quilts and slipped beneath the covers. As he stretched out, he wondered who did the laundry now. He couldn’t imagine any of the men even thinking about it. He still had the clean clothes in his dresser, so he’d worry about it when he returned. Maybe he’d hire a cleaning woman who could handle the laundry, too.
As he thought about the dirty laundry, Jake wondered why none of the men had brought any women to the ranch after his father left. He knew that his father had told them if they wanted to get married, they’d have to leave. Only the foreman, who lived in his own house could have a wife. But his father was gone and after a week or so, Jake thought at least some of them would invite a woman to stay. The first foreman, Bob Hollins, had a wife who lived with him in the foreman’s house. She didn’t spend much time helping his mother, but he still remembered Abigail Hollins. When Bob got a better offer that his father refused to match, Bob and his wife left, and Dave Forrest was made foreman. He’d never asked Dave why he didn’t find a wife because he secretly didn’t want a woman to distract his older friend. He figured that Dave thought that his father might object. He wasn’t about to ask him, but suspected that soon, Dave would ask Jake if he could marry.
Jake grinned as he thought how strange that would feel. An almost-twenty-one-year-old giving permission to a forty-year-old man. When it happened, Jake planned to harvest as much fun as possible from Dave’s request. Dave was still a handsome man, and Jake expected he’d have no problem finding a wife. Maybe his new wife and Sara would become friends.
Jake finally laughed at his wandering thoughts and closed his eyes. He’d visit his mother in the morning and try the two powerful rifles after lunch. Maybe he’d ask Dave if he wanted to fire one. He’d be surprised if the foreman turned down the offer. No man that he knew could resist the temptation. Especially as Jake would be the one to clean them after the target practice was over.
He was still in a cheerful mood as he drifted into a peaceful sleep.
CHAPTER 3
Early the next morning, Jake stood in the bathtub and sponged himself down with a sudsy towel then dried himself. He then shaved, dressed and left the house to share another minimal breakfast with the boys who had returned from their night of revelry.
When he entered the common dining building, he wasn’t surprised to find that only the three who had been on the ranch yesterday were enjoying breakfast. He suspected that those who had returned were still snoring in their bunks but had expected to find Dave among those who had recovered already.
Pack grinned as he looked up from his unidentifiable breakfast and said, “Jack, Tex and Colt are all back, but we probably ain’t gonna see ‘em ‘til noon. Dave is sleepin’ it off in his private castle, too.”
Jake smiled as he stepped past Pack to fill the cup that he’d brought with him and as he poured the coffee, he said, “I’m guessing that the rest of the boys will be straggling in during for the rest of the day. Maybe if Charlie gets back soon enough, we’ll have a digestible lunch.”
Pack, Lone Bill and Big Tom nodded as Jake took an empty chair.
Then Lone Bill said, “I reckon that was you who took that single shot late yesterday.”
Jake sipped his coffee before he replied, “I wanted to see how Vulcan would react to nearby gunfire.”
Big Tom asked, “How’d he do? I didn’t try it when I was showin’ him the bit.”
“He was startled but not much. I’ll be trying out the Sharps and the Martini-Henry later. I figure on taking one with me on Tuesday.”
After he mentioned taking one of the two long-range rifles, Jake saw the questioning look on their faces, so he quickly added, “I’m not going to shoot my father with whichever of them I bring along. I just want the advantage if I run into some nasty boys who want Mars and Vulcan. When I find my father, I really want to ask him why he did it, but I doubt if he’ll give me the chance to say a word after he sees me.”
Pack said, “I was just wonderin’, boss. We know that you wouldn’t backshoot anybody, not even your pa.”
Jake nodded then took another sip of
