“I know, Mama. I plan to stay in his house until he returns. I’m worried about what has happened on the ranch while he was gone. I don’t know what it was because Mister Parker seemed anxious to find Jake, and I never had a chance to ask him.”
“Then it’s all the more reason why you shouldn’t go to the ranch, Sara. What if one of the men wanted to take over the ranch while Jake was gone? There could be shooting. You can wait another day for Jake to handle the problem on the Elk.”
Sara chewed her lower lip for a few seconds, then said, “The big man who is a blacksmith on the ranch, I believe his name is Tom McCallister, goes to our church. I’ll ask him what is going on. If it’s not violent, I can ask him to escort me to the ranch.”
Priscilla knew Big Tom was a moral man and if the blacksmith told Sara that there was no danger, she knew her younger daughter would probably override her and her husband’s objections anyway.
“Alright. We’ll see what Mister McCallister has to say tomorrow. If he agrees to watch out for you, then I suppose you’d go regardless of what I tell you.”
Sara grinned in relief then said, “Thank you, Mama. I’ll pack my things tonight just in case.”
Priscilla resumed disrobing of the potato as she replied, “I’m surprised you haven’t already emptied your dresser drawers.”
_____
When Jake pulled up to set up his own campsite for the night, he was less than three miles from Fort Shaw, and it was all downhill. He was confident that he’d be sleeping in his own bed tomorrow night.
Twenty-one miles east of Fort Shaw, Jack Parker and John Hatcher had a cold supper as they discussed what had happened on the Elk.
Jack asked, “I wonder if Jake already knew what was going on. Maybe he got a telegram from his girl and that’s why he’s comin’ back so fast.”
John was chewing his smoked venison, so he had to swallow before saying, “You shoulda asked her when she told you he was headin’ back.”
“I know. I was just too anxious to tell you and the other boys about Jake.”
“Well, we sure ain’t gonna head back now. With any kind of luck, we’ll bump into Jake tomorrow mornin’ before we reach Fort Shaw.”
Jack nodded then said, “I’ll feel a whole lot better just findin’ him ridin’ high on Mars’ saddle.”
“You and me both, Jack.”
_____
With Mars and Vulcan grazing nearby, Jake stared at the waxing moon overhead. It would be a half-moon in another couple of days. He hoped by the time it was full, he and Sara would be married. He was still uncertain if they’d use the large bedroom his parents had shared.
But that would be a later decision. Since he’d decided to prematurely end his search, he’d been trying to understand why he hadn’t felt a hint of disappointment with his failure. Even his earlier frustrations were gone. It was as if he’d been in prison then was unexpectedly pardoned. It made no sense to him because the man who had murdered his mother was still free and might even marry another woman and hurt her.
As that thought crossed his mind, he thought of Mrs. Kemper. How had his father treated her? Then another, even more revolting notion popped into his head. What if his father had murdered Mister Kemper? All Jerome had told him was that the baker had simply disappeared.
That concept blossomed into a series of plausible events. His father was having an affair with Mrs. Kemper and her husband walked in on them unexpectedly. His father was a much more powerful man than the baker and killed him. He may not have intended to murder Mister Kemper, but once the man was dead, he’d have to hide his body, which wouldn’t be difficult. Whether he paid off her mortgage and added the five hundred dollars to her bank account because of guilt or a form of blackmail wasn’t important.
What mattered was when his mother tried to balance the books and confronted him about the large, unexpected withdrawal. It had been the fuse that set off his father’s explosive rage.
Satisfied with his complete resolution of the entire episode, he almost considered continuing his search. It was only his more powerful desire to see Sara that overrode the idea. But he also believed that his mother’s whispers might have added to his decision to return to the Elk.
It may be a few more years before his name could be put on the deed to the ranch, but he would run it as if he owned it. He still didn’t believe his father would suddenly return, but if he did, Jake was now determined that he wasn’t going to be the Elliott who would be leaving. Jake now firmly believed that his father had surrendered his rights of ownership when he’d murdered his mother. He and Sara would make it their home.
CHAPTER 7
Sunday was still in its infancy when Jake stepped into Mars’ saddle and left his campsite. He was wearing his heavy coat to fight off the morning chill, but left it unbuttoned in case he needed quick access to his Colt.
In the dim light of the predawn, before he’d saddled his horses, Jake had washed and shaved in a nearby stream just in case he had enough time to visit Sara. He probably wouldn’t see her until tomorrow, but there was no harm in being optimistic. He hadn’t even nicked himself as he scraped off his stubble.
He was
