Sara scanned the horizons as she asked, “Have you had a lot of rustlers?”
“Not any serious attempts since ’74. My father and a dozen hands had to stop six rustlers from stealing a couple of hundred head. I guess the word got out that the Elk wasn’t a good place to steal cattle. We still lose a few each year, but that’s just the cost of running the ranch.”
“There’s so much I don’t know about how a ranch operates, especially one this big.”
He smiled at her and said, “You will, Sara. I still need to remember how to be a rancher again, too.”
They rode through the second large herd and soon passed the other corral of horses before Sara spotted his refuge. It was easily identified by the row of tall boulders and jagged rocks that seemed to form a blockade to the pines just beyond. She used the rocks almost as a guide to toward the forest and hoped to see the grizzly but only saw a small herd of white-tailed deer.
She turned to Jake and said, “I hope we see the bear.”
“If you’re so determined to find him, we’ll probably have to go into the dark forest.”
“If that’s where we need to go, then I’ll be happy to have you escort me there as long as you have your Winchester ready.”
Jake grinned as he said, “It’s always ready, ma’am. As is your new husband.”
Sara looked at Jake and shook her head as she smiled. She had no doubt that his repeater was less ready than he was.
_____
They dismounted at Jake’s usual spot and tied off their horses on the same branch he’d used when he’d first ridden Vulcan.
Jake pulled out his Winchester and said, “Let’s go and find your grizzly.”
Sara was already excited before she even dismounted. While she understood that it was more likely that they’d never see the bear, she was still thrilled by the possibility.
Jake led her through a gap in the rocks and began following his winding path to the trees. Once they were past the outer wall, Jake continued north with Sara either trailing or walking next to him if there was room.
He soon stopped, pointed to his right and said, “There’s my natural watchtower.”
Sara’s head tilted back as she tried to imagine a young Jake when he first decided to climb to the top of the tall pile of boulders.
“That must be more than twenty feet high!” she exclaimed.
“When I was a boy, I swore it was a mile high. I could see the ranch house from up there. Do you want to climb to the top?”
She turned and replied, “No, thank you. I’d rather find a bear.”
Jake laughed then continued walking deeper into his sanctuary. He expected to start seeing wild critters soon but would be amazed if they saw Dave’s grizzly. He didn’t want to disappoint Sara, but it was better to let her down than having to kill such a magnificent animal if it was hungry enough to attack.
As they passed the pines, Jake glanced at the trunks to see if he found any evidence that a bear might have visited. He found some damage created by bucks as they rubbed their antlers on the bark to let the ladies know they were anxious, but no large gouges left by a bear’s claws or their less obvious bite marks. He also studied the ground as they walked and found the usual signs of deer, coyotes, wolves and soon those of a large cougar. But he didn’t see any bear paw prints; not even those of a smaller black bear.
He stopped when they were about fifty yards from the forest. All they’d seen so far were a few rabbits, a raccoon family and a pair of minks. Even the deer seemed to be on vacation.
He turned to Sara and said, “I’m almost embarrassed. I know you wanted to see the bear or at least a coyote, but none of the beasties we’ve seen would do anything more than annoy you.”
Sara smiled then said, “We haven’t gone into the forest yet, so I’ll withhold my judgement. How far have you gone into the forest?”
“I rarely entered the heavy growth. It wasn’t because I was afraid, I just felt that it was the animals’ home and they deserved their privacy, too.”
“That’s actually very considerate. So, do you want to turn back?”
Jake almost nodded, but quickly changed his mind. He wanted Sara to see at least one sharp-toothed hunter before they headed back.
“Nope. I can’t promise you the grizzly, but we should find a coyote or a wolf. I also spotted some mountain lion tracks a few yards behind us, so maybe you’ll see a cougar.”
“Then lead on, sir.”
Jake smiled before they resumed their slow walk and soon entered the dark forest.
Jake’s eyes were searching for any movement as they stepped around the wide pine trunks, so he wasn’t watching where he placed his boots. The ground was covered in pine needles and he only needed to avoid the fallen branches, so he didn’t trip. The critters would pick up his scent long before he stepped on a twig.
Sara was looking for any animals herself and when Jake had to step to his right to avoid a collection of pine branches, she shifted to her left to go around the other side. But when she placed her left foot on the ground just behind the pile, it sank into the ground as if it was mud. She fell to her left side but was able to break her fall with her hands. She still hit the pine-covered ground with a loud grunt which startled Jake.
He yelled, “Sara!” then hurried
