“I appreciate your well-rehearsed welcome, and I’m sure that Sara was just as impressed. She is now Mrs. Elliott and I’m sure that you will all show her the same respect that you gave to my mother. I was going to appoint Jack Parker as the new foreman, but you boys seemed to have superseded my authority and already selected him to run roughshod over you. Is that right, Jack?”
Jack Parker shrugged before he replied, “We were all wonderin’ if Dave was comin’ back or if you even knew where he went.”
“He left a letter for me in the office. He explained why he had to leave but asked me to keep it private. I intend to honor his request. He won’t be returning, so Jack will take over as foreman and can move into the foreman’s house. Maybe he’ll even find a woman to keep his bed warm.”
Bill Jackson was grinning as he said, “At least you won’t be cold tonight, Jake.”
Before Jake could come up with a snappy reply, Sara quickly said, “I’ll do my best to keep your boss warm even in February.”
The astonished ranch hands didn’t react for almost five seconds before Jake laughed then kissed Sara which set off a volcanic eruption of hilarity.
While the men continued to laugh, Jake picked up his saddlebags and walked to Jack Parker who was sitting at the end of the left bench. He flipped open one of the flaps and withdrew a heavy brown envelope.
He handed it to Jack who was now only smiling and said, “I’ve added ten dollars to each man’s pay, and already included your new salary as foreman. I’ll let you pay the boys off and I’ll handle the bookkeeping.”
Jack nodded then said, “Okay, boss. I’ll move my stuff into the foreman’s house tomorrow.”
Then he asked, “Um, do you want me to stop by in the mornin’ to ask what you need done?”
“Nope. You know what the Elk needs better than I do. I know you’ll do a good job, Jack, and I still need to get up to speed. I’ll need everyone’s help to make the Elk even better.”
“We’re all happy for you and Mrs. Elliott, boss. For a while there, things were lookin’ mighty grim for the Elk, but everything is gettin’ better already.”
“Mrs. Elliott and I are now going to return to the house, and she has already promised me that she won’t be adding frilly pink curtains to any of the windows.”
Sara didn’t comment before Bill Jackson said, “We’ll take care of your horses, boss.”
“Thanks, Bill.”
After Jake picked up his saddlebags, Sara took Jake’s arm and pulled him outside.
Once they were on their way to the ranch house, Sara asked, “And when did I tell you that I wasn’t going to do any redecorating, sir?”
“I just made that up to deflect any more friendly suggestions about how to make better use of our bed.”
Sara laughed before saying, “I’m pretty sure that I already ensured that they would keep their ribald comments to themselves.”
“I’ve never seen them quieted so quickly. Even though I know you pride yourself on your candid nature, I’ll admit that even I was surprised. It was funny, though.”
They soon stepped onto the front porch and once inside, Sara was surprised when Jake pulled her toward the office and not down the hall to the closest bedroom.
After they entered the room, Jake set the saddlebags on the floor and walked to the desk. He picked up Dave’s letter and sat on one of the straight-backed chairs then waited for Sara to sit beside him.
He unfolded the letter and just stared at it in silence.
Sara didn’t say a word, nor did she reread the letter. She studied Jake’s face as he looked at the top sheet. She noticed that his eyes weren’t moving, so she knew he wasn’t reading.
They sat without making a sound for more than a minute before Jake folded the sheets and returned them to the envelope. He slid the envelope onto the desktop then stood and waited for Sara.
He took her hand, then took one step away from the desk, picked up the saddlebags and said, “I need to put the rest of the money in the safe. I’ll give you the combination, but it’s pretty easy to remember.”
Sara nodded as she walked with Jake to the corner of the office where he stopped and sat on his heels in front of the safe.
As he spun the dial, he said, “Make two counterclockwise turns and stop on 18. Then one full clockwise turn to 39 before another counterclockwise rotation to 41.”
He turned the handle, opened the door and placed the second envelope of cash on top of the legal papers before closing the door.
When he stood, Sara asked, “Why do you think the combination is easy to remember?”
“My father was born in 1839 and my mother in 1841. So, it’s 18-39-41.”
“Oh. Did anyone other than your parents know the combination?”
“The last foreman before Dave did. But apparently my father must have decided it wasn’t necessary for anyone other than himself and my mother to have access to the safe.”
“That’s interesting. Are you going to give it to your new foreman?”
“I’ll think about it, ma’am. But right now, it’s time for you to be my wife.”
Sara smiled as she took his arm then said, “You want me to cook supper now; don’t you?”
Jake was still laughing as they left the room and soon entered the hallway. He wasn’t convinced that she wasn’t serious about going to the kitchen, but never gave her the opportunity to get that far. He didn’t encounter any resistance when he guided her into his bedroom, so he assumed she had
