Jake laughed then said, “We’ll play it by ear, Arv. At least we have our slickers.”
Arv grimaced as he replied, “Um, Jake, I forgot to bring mine. I was in such a rush to get to the Elk that I left mine behind.”
“I guess we’ll see how things are when we get to Fort Shaw. But those clouds would block the full moon, so it would be as dark as sin. I’d be willing to get a little wet if it meant I could sneak up on Dave.”
Arv looked at him and asked, “You really want to ask him why he did it; don’t you?”
“Yeah. I know it doesn’t matter to the law or to anyone else, but I have to understand what drove him to shoot my father and beat my mother to death.”
Arv nodded as he studied the tall clouds on the western horizon and hoped they just passed by without a drop falling. But at this time of years, he knew it was more likely that they’d turn ferociously dark, and all hell would break loose.
_____
Back on the Elk, Sara was making use of one of the porch’s rocking chairs. She was reading William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, which probably belonged to Jake’s mother. But she found it difficult to concentrate and often just looked to the west. She could see the building clouds low on the horizon and knew that Jake was probably already soaked.
She had to close all the windows, so she closed her book, then stood and reentered the house. Once inside, she walked into the office to return the novel to the bookshelf. As she prepared to leave, she stopped and looked at Chet Elliott’s desk and the heavy leather chair behind it. The chair where Jake’s father controlled the lives of everyone on the ranch and some of the folks in town.
Sara continued to just stare at the pieces of furniture for another minute before saying, “Mister Elliott, I know that you and Jake didn’t get along at all. He even thinks that it was his fault as much as yours, but I don’t. All it would have taken is one word of praise, a pat on the back, or even a smile, and everything could have been different.
“Now he’s riding out there to confront the man who did give him all those things. The man who murdered his mother, who was the center of his life, and killed you, too. That man won’t hesitate to shoot Jake, but I know that your son desperately wants to understand why he did it. That strong desire might get him killed.
“I love your son, Mister Elliott. I want him to return safely, so we can fill this house with your grandchildren. I know that Mrs. Elliott would do all she could to keep him safe, but you always enforced your will over everyone on this ranch, so use that power now. Protect Jake.”
She continued to focus on the chair, almost seeing Chet Elliott looking back at her for another thirty seconds before she turned and walked out of the office. Even though she didn’t think the storm would arrive for another couple of hours, she began closing windows.
_____
Dave was inside the saddlery and had set up his living arrangement. He’d noticed the building clouds himself and considered himself lucky when he found that the back room of the building had a dirt floor, so he was able to dig out a fire pit inside. He just hoped that the walls wouldn’t come crashing down if the winds grew too powerful. But he figured the place had endured storms and blizzards before, so it should be good enough for another couple of weeks. He knew that the roof was going to grant passage to many streams of water, so as he set up, he positioned his things away from the larger holes in the roof.
In a little while, he planned to have his first hot meal since he left Helena in a rush. But for now, he just stood near the back window and watched. He had the Martini-Henry loaded and leaned against the wall while his Winchester was near his saddle and covered with his rain slicker. He didn’t expect to use either of the rifles for a while. But if he did, he knew he’d be shooting at Jake. He knew Jake well enough that even a powerful storm wouldn’t stop him from riding down that road.
He lifted the heavy box of cartridges for the long-range rifle and was going to set it under his rain slick with the Winchester but decided he might need to fire more than once if Jake did appear. So, he dumped half of the box’s contents into his right jacket pocket and the other half in his left before tossing the small wooden crate aside and heading into the back room to make his dinner selections.
_____
Arv laughed then exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding! What did Jack say when you asked him?”
“He acted like we did when we were boys and walked into the house with muddy feet to show our mothers the big bullfrog we caught.”
“Well, as you just gave me your nice horse, I’ll see if I can help Jack. When we get back, I’ll have to send a telegram to Pat Jefferson to let him know what happened, so I’ll ask him if Robert Kemper is still in town.”
“That might save me from making this ride again.”
Before he answered, the low rumble of distant thunder rolled across the land.
Arv said, “We should spot Fort Shaw soon, and I can see lightning flashes in those clouds.”
Jake nodded
