Jake was so out of sorts that all he could do was to stare blankly at Mrs. Kemper. His mother not only knew about his father’s visit to Mister Wright; she had probably been the one to make the suggestion. His father hadn’t had an affair with Mrs. Kemper, he’d acted as her protector. It was as if he hadn’t understood his parents at all.
Sara had been almost as surprised by Mrs. Kemper’s story as Jake had been but was pleased that her opinion of Margaret Kemper hadn’t changed. As Sara looked at Jake, she could see just how stunned he was by her revelation that must have shaken him to his core. Yet even Sara didn’t realize just how deeply it had affected him.
Margaret wasn’t at all surprised when Jake was unable to speak. She had a good idea that her explanation wasn’t close to what he’d expected to hear. She hoped that Jake wouldn’t believe she had invented the story to bury a much more sordid reason for his parents’ generosity.
Jake was still flummoxed but realized it would take time for him to resolve what he’d just learned, and he and Sara still had much to do.
He finally said, “Thank you for telling me everything, Mrs. Kemper. I’m ashamed to admit that I had imagined a very different reason to explain what my father had done. Please accept my apologies.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Jake. I assume that you didn’t find your father because you would have already had your answer. Did you even discover where he’d gone?”
“No, ma’am. I got as far as Helena before I realized it was a futile search. It had been three weeks since he left the ranch, and he could be in San Francisco or New Orleans by now.”
“If he returns, please give him an opportunity to explain why he ran away. I cannot believe he would have even raised a hand to your mother.”
Jake nodded then said, “Before I left the Elk, I intended to ask him why he’d done it when I found him. I honestly want to know what happened even more than simply apply punishment.”
“Your mother was such a compassionate, caring woman that I’m sure that she would tell you to forgive him, even if he was guilty.”
“I know she would. But I’m certain that he did kill her, Mrs. Kemper. My foreman, Dave Forrest, heard them loudly arguing then later, he saw my father ride away trailing a packhorse. There was no one else on the ranch except for Dave, so it had to be my father.”
Margaret’s eyebrows rose as she asked, “Why would you believe a ranch hand who accused your father of murder?”
Jake was startled once more before he replied, “Dave wasn’t just a ranch hand or even a foreman. He was my friend and closer to being a father to me for most of my teenage years. He would never lie to me.”
“Yet you seem so easily to believe that your father is a murderer. Maybe you should have Sara ask your foreman friend what happened that day. She’s a very persuasive young lady.”
Despite his angst, Jake smiled as he replied, “I’ll agree with you about Sara’s intensity. But Dave isn’t on the Elk any longer. He had a family emergency and left just after I started the search for my father.”
As she listened, Sara’s mind was sorting all that she’d learned since they’d entered the bakery. Jake hadn’t told her the details of his mother’s murder. And she hadn’t asked because she knew it would only open his wounds. She suspected that now, Jake would want to have an in-depth conversation about that day’s events.
Margaret didn’t ask about the foreman’s family emergency but thought it was a strange coincidence that the man who had reported the murder left the ranch just after Jake returned from the army. But when she looked at Sara, she understood that Sara recognized the oddity as well. She was confident that Sara would help Jake see those events more objectively.
Jake then looked at Sara and said, “We need to return Orville’s horse and then visit Reverend Faraday.”
Sara was relieved that Jake hadn’t been so shaken by Mrs. Kemper’s revelations that he might decide to postpone their marriage.
She smiled up at him then turned to Mrs. Kemper and said, “We hope to return to the Elk today as husband and wife.”
Margaret replied, “That’s surprisingly fast, even for you, Sara. But I wish that I’d known your plans. I would have baked you a three-layer wedding cake.”
Jake said, “After we visit the reverend, we’ll need to let her family know. I hope her father doesn’t take out his shotgun.”
Sara laughed as she waved to Mrs. Kemper, then turned Jake toward the door.
Jake may have appeared to have disregarded Mrs. Kemper’s implication about Dave Forrest’s story, but he hadn’t ignored it at all. He’d just set it aside for the time being because it was secondary to today’s much more important plans.
After turning onto the boardwalk, Jake said, “After we get married and return to our home, we need to talk even before I drag you into our bedroom to ravage you.”
Sara didn’t know whether she should laugh or not, so she just smiled and replied, “We could do both at the same time, Jake.”
Jake
