After leaving the office, Sara just hoped that Jake wasn’t distracted by that letter. She soon discovered that she had his complete attention.
_____
It wasn’t until after sunset that Jake and Sara finally left the bedroom to have their supper. While Sara started a fire in the cookstove, Jake carried the bedsheets into the bathroom and after filling the tub halfway, dumped in some soap chips, then pushed the sheets into the sudsy water to let them soak. He felt it was the least he could do for Sara after she’d made him the happiest man in the territory.
Sara was just as happy as she dropped a lit match into the firebox. When the flames were strong enough, she added the split wood and closed the door. For years, she had been fantasizing about this day, even when it appeared that Jake would marry Kay. But none of them had come close to the thrill she’d experienced. She admitted to a measure of soreness, but that was expected, and she didn’t doubt that it was temporary. But the discomfort wasn’t even noticeable until she’d dressed. The passion and love they’d shared had dominated her heart, mind and soul.
But as she prepared their supper, she did have one minor disappointment. After they’d consummated their marriage, and she rested her head on Jake’s chest and listened to his heartbeat, she was hoping that he’d reveal his thoughts about his parents and the missing foreman. She simply didn’t realize just how much she was now dominating his every thought.
But as he carried the bedding into the bathroom, Jake had been able to shift his focus away from his incredible bride. After leaving the sheets to soak, he didn’t doubt that Sara would help him find his way through his mental maze that seemed to have no exit.
He entered the kitchen, smiled at Sara, then took the coffeepot from the shelf and began filling it at the pump.
When he set it on a hotplate, he asked, “Are you feeling all right, Sara?”
“I’m just a little sore, but you should be grateful that I am. You know what it would mean if I wasn’t.”
“At least I wouldn’t have had to remove the sheets from the bed.”
Sara laughed as she added some butter to the skillet.
As he watched it melt, Jake said, “I need your wisdom, Mrs. Elliott.”
Sara slid a thick steak onto the skillet then turned and said, “I’m three years younger than you, Jake.”
“You’re also much smarter than I am.”
Sara had to pay attention to the sizzling beef, so she turned back to the cookstove as she replied, “I’m not smarter, Jake. I just have the advantage of not knowing your parents or Mister Forrest. All I know is what you told me and then what we learned from Mrs. Kemper.”
“I notice that you didn’t include Dave’s letter. Was that intentional?”
“It was. Because I never met him, I can’t consider it as evidence.”
Jake rubbed his forehead as he tried to recall anything he knew about Dave that might cast doubt on the letter’s contents.
Sara glanced at him and knew she needed to remain silent for a while.
Jake was just entering his teen years when Dave arrived on the Elk looking for a job. His father needed more experienced cowhands, and Dave was well qualified. But Jake was already at odds with his father, so he never even asked about Dave’s past. Even after Dave became his friend and then mentor, Jake couldn’t recall him ever talking about where he had worked or his family.
He didn’t care at the time, but now it seemed odd. Jake spent far more time with Dave than any of the other ranch hands but knew less about him. It wasn’t as if Dave was an introverted, silent man. His father was much less talkative. Dave just never talked about his past at all.
He slowly walked to the table, then sat down and cradled his chin in his palms. If what Dave had written in his letter was true, then it would explain his reticence to reveal his past. He’d had an adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife and probably fathered their firstborn. No man would want to reveal such immoral behavior. But why had he confessed his sin to Jake in the letter? It would only make sense if it was the truth. Dave could have invented a much more honorable lie to explain his unexpected departure.
Jake was still bumping into mental walls in his maze every time he developed a new theory. Even if Dave’s letter was a lie, how would he ever know? He could ride down to Meagher County and find Dave’s new ranch near Judith Creek, but he didn’t want to make another long and frustrating ride again so soon. Especially after he just married Sara. He could send a telegram to the county sheriff in Diamond City but doubted if he would even reply. The county seat was more than a hundred and fifty miles from the small ranch. He wasn’t even sure the place was on the county tax list. Only big outfits like the Elk seemed obligated to pay county taxes.
He didn’t even hear the noise Sara was making as she prepared their supper. He shifted from the letter to another mystery Dave left behind…the missing Martini-Henry. Why had he taken the long-range rifle? Jake wouldn’t miss it, but if Dave wanted more power than his Winchester ’73, he could have taken the ’76 that was on the rack below the British rifle. It was much more useful unless you were facing down a grizzly, but Jake knew that his ’76 should be able to stop a big bear as well, at least at close range. He wouldn’t need to worry about missing with his only shot, either.
He was startled when Sara set two plates
