He soon made the right turn onto the Fort Shaw – Fort Benton road. He had another fifty-five miles to go, but Mars and Vulcan were still going strong even after yesterday’s longer and more strenuous journey up and down those passes.
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Jack Parker and John Hatcher didn’t start saddling their horses before Jake made that turn. But they were on the road heading west just fifteen minutes later. So, with the bright sun at their backs they headed for Fort Shaw while Jake was riding into the sun fifteen miles ahead of them.
They’d left an unhappy bunch on the Elk, but to a man, they believed that Jack and John would return with Jake. The situation prevented them from leaving the ranch on Saturday for a good time in town, so they all slept in except for Big Tom McCallister. He was out of his private bunk in his smithy with the sunrise as usual, then began his morning ablutions in preparation for Sunday services. He didn’t have a suit or even a nice jacket, but he didn’t believe fancy clothes were necessary. He did want to be as neat as possible when he entered the church. He was the only worker on the Elk who was a regular churchgoer. Some of the other boys would accompany him, but only if they had a gripe or request that needed divine intervention.
Church services began at nine o’clock, so as Jake, Jack and John rode closer toward each other, Big Tom was saddling his personal horse, a big buckskin mare he named Lulu.
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Sara was already dressed and waited anxiously for the rest of her family. Her bags were packed, and Orville had agreed to let her borrow his horse for a day. She hoped that whatever problem had driven Jack Parker to find her wasn’t bad enough to keep Mister McCallister from attending today’s services. If he was there, then she hoped that when he explained the issue, her parents would be satisfied that it wasn’t dangerous. If it was safe, then she was confident that the big blacksmith would agree to escort her to the Elk.
But after she’d gone to her room last night, she began to spend more time thinking about what had caused such a commotion among the ranch hands on the Elk. The most obvious and chilling was that Jake’s father had returned. She knew he had more than enough time to make the long, circular ride that would bring him back to Fort Benton from the south even as Jake was going in the opposite direction. She hadn’t mentioned that possibility to her parents this morning, but if she was able to talk to Mister McCallister, she prayed that he wouldn’t tell her that Jake’s father had resumed control of his ranch.
Sara may not hear about the ranch’s difficulties until she was able to talk to Big Tom after church services, but Jake would learn about the problem much earlier.
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While he was still riding into the sun, it was high enough in the sky to allow Jake to spot the oncoming traffic when it appeared on the eastern horizon. He studied the tiny specks as they grew into barely discernible figures. He counted two riders and no pack animals. His recent shootout with the highwayman in the same area raised his hackles. He was about to shrug off his heavy coat when both riders began wildly waving their hats over their heads.
They were still a good two miles away, so he had no idea why they had done it. They wouldn’t be able to recognize him at this distance, even with the sun at their backs. He released his Colt’s hammer loop but kept his jacket on rather than give them a warning.
He kept Mars at the same pace, but noticed that soon after they’d waved their hats, the two riders sent their horses into a gallop. He was about to pull his pistol when he recognized Jack Parker and John Hatcher. He waved his hat as they had before slipping his hammer loop back over his Colt. He suspected that Sara had sent them to find him after she received his telegram. He couldn’t imagine any other reason for them to leave the Elk on a day of rest.
When they were a couple of hundred yards out, Jake pulled Mars to a stop and waited as they slowed their horses. Before they reached him, his grin evaporated when he saw the distraught look on their faces. He immediately reached the same conclusion that Sara had…his father had somehow returned.
When they held up a few feet away, Jake quickly asked, “What’s wrong, Jack?”
Jake replied, “It’s Dave. We don’t know where he is.”
Jake was shaken by the unexpected news, but before he said another word, he nudged Mars into a medium trot and waited to be flanked by the two ranch hands.
Once the trio were riding abreast, Jake asked, “When did he disappear?”
“The last time anybody saw him was Thursday during chow. We went out to work the herds the next mornin’ but didn’t go lookin’ for him. When we finished for the day, we expected to see him in the chow house with our pay. But he didn’t show up, so we got kinda worried and went to his house. After we knocked long
