Dave stopped before he sharply said, “You can’t take her there, Jake!”
Jake was surprised by his sharp reaction, so he asked, “Why shouldn’t I bring her with me?”
Dave shook his head as he replied, “Just a few days ago, I was rounding up a couple of strays when I found some massive grizzly prints near the northeastern end of your refuge. That big boy must weigh over a thousand pounds. I don’t think your Winchester would do anything more than get him riled.”
“I know there are bears in that forest and wouldn’t be surprised to see a grizzly, but all of the critters who call the place home avoid me. I don’t think that a giant grizzly would be any different.”
“Would you be willing to risk Sara’s life on that assumption?”
Jake realized that Dave was right. Even though it was highly unlikely that the grizzly would leave the forest and launch an attack, especially during the summer, Sara was already too precious to take the chance.
“You’re right, Dave. If she asks to visit the place, we’ll ride out there and I’ll just point it out to her while we stay on horseback.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t want to lose another Mrs. Elliott for any reason.”
Jake felt a bit uneasy with Dave’s comparison but began walking again and was surprised when Dave turned around and headed for his house. Dave had apparently fired his last salvo in his effort to get Jake to stay. But Jake was glad Dave had told him about the grizzly.
_____
Late that night, as Jake lay under his covers with his eyes open, he reviewed tomorrow’s schedule. The last day before he began his search for his father. He’d visit S.D. Bannister Firearms first to pick up more ammunition for his Colt and Winchester. It should be a short visit because he no longer needed to ask Sam which of the two long-range rifles would be a better choice to bring along. Then he’d visit Jerome L. Wright, Esquire to ask him about the ranch. That might take longer because his father’s longtime lawyer might have some clue of what had triggered his parents’ violent argument. Then it would be a very pleasant lunch with Sara before he returned to the ranch to begin packing.
The next morning, he’d start his long ride. He planned to reach Fort Shaw by the end of the day, which was only possible because he had Vulcan as a packhorse. It was manned by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment but didn’t know who was in command. It was a long-established, well-manned post, and he assumed that a small town had been constructed nearby to entice the soldiers to spend their pay.
He’d ask anyone he met if he could recall seeing an older man riding a brown gelding and leading a matching packhorse. The only other way to identify his father was his choice in headgear. While he may have left the Emperor and taken different guns with him, Jake knew that he’d never part with his favorite Stetson. It was cream-colored with a dark brown custom band. The wide band was decorated with a line of bull elks. What made it special was that none of the elks were the same. Each of the eighteen embroidered bulls had different stances and an assorted number of points on their antlers. The band had cost his father more than the hat itself, and Jake hoped that someone would notice it. Those who had never seen it before invariably asked his father about it. He’d be more than happy to explain why he had it made and what it represented. He was proud of what he built and had every right to be.
Jake only wished that he’d been as proud of his son.
CHAPTER 4
Jake turned Vulcan left off the ranch’s access road and had to dip his hat to block the glaring sun as he rode east to Fort Benton. It had been a surprisingly routine start to his last Monday on the Elk for a while. The boys had resumed workday conversation after Dave assigned them their jobs. Dave hadn’t even mentioned Jake’s pending departure, which was further evidence that he’d ended his campaign to have him stay. None of the men had even joked with him about Sara, which was a bit unexpected.
He knew that Jerome Wright didn’t open his office until nine o’clock, so he had plenty of time to spend at Sam Bannister’s shop, although it was much larger than what most folks considered a shop. Three years ago, Sam had his two sons and another gunsmith working for him and provided firearms and ammunition for a good part of Montana Territory and some of Dakota Territory as well. He supplied the riverboats as well, and even as the riverboat traffic began to wane, Jake didn’t believe that Sam lost many customers. Jake was more than sufficiently armed for the journey but would enjoy filling the time in gun paradise before visiting Mister Wright.
He entered Fort Benton’s main street a few minutes later and smiled as he passed Finney’s Restaurant where he’d take Sara to lunch in a few hours. After passing her father’s feed & grain store, he continued until he was close to the docks where he pulled Vulcan to a stop before S.D. Bannister Firearms. As he stepped down, he wondered why Sam had never added the almost automatic ‘& Sons’. He was certainly proud of both of his boys. When he enlisted, Joe and Ed were both apprentices, so Jake assumed they were now qualified gunsmiths.
After tying off his new horse, Jake
