Jake groans inwardly. He’d hoped Walters wouldn’t be the one to show up. Of all the luck.
“Well, aren’t you at least going to say hi, Jake?” Walters says archly.
Jake turns around in his seat. “Hi, Marshal. I can explain.”
The older marshal waves away the comment and simply says, “Later. Now is the time to take care of business.” He looks at Lyttle. “So, what do you have to report? It sounds like you have quite a bit.”
John turns in his seat and smiles, saying, “That he does. Hello, Marshal Walters.”
“John? Well, I’ll be. You mean to say you are mixed up in all this?”
“Are you kidding?” Lyttle replies with a sardonic tone. “He’s been mixed up in most everything that has been going on around here since the landrun. In fact, his service as marshal is a backwards sort of punishment, for being mixed up in the deaths of several people as well.”
John’s smile turns to a smirk. “Well, it’s not as if you didn’t expect me to be mixed up in something, after all, right?”
Walters shakes his head in mock-dismay. “If anyone was mixed up in this, it would have to be you. So, what’s this about a marshal being attacked?”
Jake sighs, steeling himself to explain. He sees the younger marshal looking at him intently. “I was in Denver delivering the wanted posters, when I saw John. We had a little discussion, about the past.” The look Walters gives him is knowing, somewhat compassionate. “I decided to stay the night there in Denver, to get an early start the next morning. I went to the saloon for a drink, and that’s when a troop of militiamen came in, boasting about attacking a half-blood claiming to be a marshal.”
Thankfully, John takes up the story from there. “We apprehended the suspects, but they resisted and several died in the process.” He shakes his head. “I made sure they were secured, while Jake ran out and picked up Marshal Brouwer.”
Jake hears a grunt come from Marshal Blackwolf.
John sighs as he continues, “I ran out there to see if he needed any help. We got him onto a litter and brought Cherokee back to Denver, where he’s under the care of the town doctor, a good friend of mine. He’s stable, but badly injured. We decided to transport the prisoners here and let the marshals know about one of their own being hurt like that.”
Blackwolf crosses his arms and asks, “What about what he was carrying?”
“The saddlebags are there right next to him. We were trying to figure out if he brought the treaty with him or not,” John replies, a worried tone to his voice. “I didn’t search his things, but neither did his attackers.”
Blackwolf sighs in apparent relief. “Well, at least there’s that. Not to say that you’re not trusted, deputy, but we need a marshal to bring that treaty in. It has to do with appearances. Sorry.”
That’s what I figured. Why does he apologize for being a full-on marshal? “Well, it makes sense. So, is someone going to come back out to Denver with us?”
Walters takes a breath as if he’s about to say something, but Blackwolf cuts him off. “I’ll go. I’m a friend of his family. His mother and daughter will want to know how he’s doing.”
Jake looks more closely at the young marshal. He looks to be about the same age as Josephine, Cherokee’s daughter. He knows it’s been a few years, but he expects the young woman to have grown into quite the beauty. The young marshal could be considered handsome, after a fashion. He wonders exactly how close the young man is to the family after all.
“There’s too many prisoners for one marshal to handle alone. I’ll help escort them to Guthrie and come back down on the next train I can,” the young marshal says with impatience evident in his voice.
John stands and clears his voice. “If you’re done with me, then, I think I’ll go back to the hotel. There’s a cask of Guinness with my name on it.” He looks to Blackwolf. “I guess I’ll be seeing you there tomorrow afternoon, then?”
Blackwolf nods, then looks at Jake. “Can you show us to the prisoners? We’re holding up the progress of the train.”
Jake nods and grunts as he stands up. He waves bye to John as his old friend is leaving, then motions for the marshals to follow him as he leads the way to the cells.
Chapter 9
Jake is glad that the transfer of prisoners both went without incident and happened so that the train was only a half hour late in departure. Jake rides his horse back over toward the livery, not paying attention to his surroundings, enjoying the solitude, something he hasn’t been able to enjoy for the last several days.
He’s so lost in the haze of his thoughts, Jake accidentally passes by the livery and leaves town. He’s almost half a mile beyond the edge of town, when he discovers his mistake, so he turns around to head back.
As Ranger turns, out of the corner of his eye, Jake sees a shadow sneaking behind a bush destined to become a tumbleweed sometime soon.
Jake realizes that somehow he has acquired a tail. Unsure as to exactly when, he decides to ride on to the stables. He knows he’s done nothing wrong, so if this tail is someone following him with a legitimate purpose, they are in for one of the most boring nights of their lives. If they have sinister purposes, well, he’ll deal with that, too.
As he approaches the livery, he’s met at the door by Paul, who says, “Hiya, Deputy! Marshal John told me about staying here another day already. I take it you’ll be going back to Denver with him?”
Jake nods and says, “Yeah. We have to wait for a marshal to come back to town. We hope to be able to leave tomorrow, though. Will that be alright?”
Paul nods and helps Jake struggle his way out of the saddle.
Jake nods his thanks and limps over to the hotel. Things have been hard enough on him lately, he will enjoy a drink or three, to help knock the edge off the pain.
After he crosses the street and heads up to the hotel, he feels a slight fluttering sensation on his side, where his purse is. He reaches down and grabs the hand trying to take it off his belt.
Jake grins as he lifts the small hand up.
“OW! Stop it! That hurts!” he hears a young voice calling out, while he lifts the child close to be about eye-level. He sees a boy no more than seven or eight, hair matted and is between shoulder length and being short. His clothes are little more than tatters.
“And what do we have here?” Jake asks archly. He notices that the young child is absolutely filthy.
“HEY! Leave me alone! I don’t wanna go with you!” the child cries out.
Jake smirks at the response to being caught. This kid is good. Real good. He might be able to make it on his own, if he doesn’t get hung for theft. Well, who am I to stand in the way of the life-lessons of a kid? “Hey, kid. Stop it. I’m gonna let you down, slow-like. I’m a Deputy US Marshal.” The child’s eyes widened and he stops struggling. “I’ll let ya off with a warning, but whatever you do, just don’t do this again, okay?”
The child, now thoroughly cowed nods. Jake looks in his eyes, seeing the fear. Just to bring the situation home, with his other hand, he opens his vest to show the young child his badge.
At the sight of the bronze star, the child’s eyes go as wide as saucers and he starts trembling. As gently as he can, Jake sets the boy down. He looks down into the fearful face and gently asks, “Now, do you promise not to try and steal from me anymore?”
Slowly, fearfully, the child nods, eyes never leaving Jake’s. With a note of surprise, he sees they are blue. He also notes the child’s unwavering gaze at the older man.
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” Jake asks.
The small thief shakes his head. “Orphan.”
“Is that why you are trying to be a pickpocket? Cause you have no family?” Jake asks gently, feeling the deep pangs of having lost his own family.
The child nods, looking at him uncertainly.
“If you promise not to steal from me anymore, would you like a hot meal? I can tell you it will be some of the best cooking you’ve ever tasted.”<
br />
The boy looks uncertain a moment, then shrewdly asks, “Whatcha want in return?”
Jake shakes his head. “Nothing but a promise you won’t try to steal from me anymore, is all.”
The child looks at him strangely a moment, then nods. “Okay. I promise. No more stealin’ from ya, but that’s it. Nothin’ else, right?”
Jake grins and nods. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, child, at least not while you’re in my care. Come on. I have a few friends that will wanna meet ya.” He looks down at the young, fearful face and shakes his head. “They aren’t gonna hurt ya. They are nice enough people, so try to be nice, okay?”
The young boy nods. “If they try to hurt me, I’ll run.”
Jake nods and says, “My name is Jake. What’s yours?”
“Andy.”
Jake holds out his hand and says, “Pleased to meet you, Andy.”
The young boy giggles as he takes the proffered hand, then says, “Pleased.”
Jake takes a closer look at his young companion and sees the child looking somewhat more happy now. He keeps the child’s hand in his, more to keep it from being able to wander, and walks into the hotel.
As he enters with the child, he sees Mrs. Mallory at the registration desk.
She takes one look at Jake and his small guest, raises an eyebrow and asks, “An who da we haff here?”
“This my guest, Mrs. Mallory. Name is Andy. I have promised a hot meal as payment. Think we might be able to manage it?”
Mrs. Mallory looks closely at Jake, trying to tell some type of ulterior motive. Not seeing any, she nods. “I t’hink we might be able ta help ya out t’here. Tell me, child. Would ya like somet’in’ sweet, or somet’in’ fillin’?”
Fearfully, the child looks up at Jake, who nods in response.
“Sweet,” replies the young voice.
Mrs. Mallory grins and says, “I t’hink we might haff somet’in’ t’hat might be boat’ for ya. Come on, an’ we can see.” As she ushers the young child into the restaurant, she looks back at Jake with a look of, “We need to talk.”
Jake sighs and nods. Sometimes, his good nature gets the better of him. Slowly, he limps into the restaurant as well.
As he walks in, he sees that Mrs. Mallory has led the child to Brigit and the three of them are talking. Brigit is sitting on her heels, to be closer to eye-level with the young thief.
Jake looks around and sees John at the same table they sat at before. John, who is watching the proceedings closely, turns and gives Jake a look of curiosity.
Steeling himself, Jake makes his way over to the table and seats himself. “What?” he demands of his old friend.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Look, I can’t explain it. Not really. You’ll think I’m being stupid.”
John takes a deep breath and looks at Jake seriously. “Try me.”
Jake folds his arms and shakes his head. “I feel called to help the orphan. He’s tried lifting my purse twice. I caught him the first time, the second I kept him from being able to manage it. I feel like he’s worth it. Plus, what do you care?”
In Cherokee, John says, “You know when Marshal Blackwolf delivers that treaty to an official, we’re going after the escapees, right?”
Jake nods. “I can’t explain it. I feel led to help him.”
John sighs deeply. “I think it’s a mistake, but it’s your mistake. I can’t tell you what or what not to do.”
Jake smiles sarcastically at his old friend. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
Jake is still glaring at his friend when Brigit and Andy approach the table.
Andy pulls a chair out for himself and sits at the table. He looks at Jake with a look of fear. “Okay?”
Jake looks over at the young face and grins. “It’s alright. He’s an old friend. He just said something that doesn’t make me happy is all. Did you decide on something to eat?”
Andy nods slowly. He points to Brigit. “She said to get anything I wanted to. Can I?”
“I promised you, you could have whatever you wanted. Just so long as you don’t take anything from me without permission anymore, okay?”
The young boy nods and looks at Brigit. She nods and goes over to the kitchen quickly.
Jake looks at the young boy and asks, “Would you mind telling us what happened to your family?”
He looks at Jake, eyes going wide and says simply, “I killed them.”
Chapter 10
Jake looks stunned at the young boy. Of all the things he expected the boy to say, this is not one of them. “I promise you won’t get in trouble if you tell us what happened, but I think we need a little more to go on than that.”
So, the young boy explains how, just after the landrun, he and his parents were at their campsite, waiting for daybreak to go turn in their claim papers, when his father told him and his mother to go hide, that he heard something.
He says that a couple of men approached their campfire, and after a short argument with his father, shot him. Andy says he cried out and the men came after him and his mother. She sent him away as the men attacked her. The last thing he heard from the men was one of them saying, “Let him go. The coyotes’ll get him.”
Jake takes a deep breath and gently asks, “Are you saying that you killed your parents because you didn’t stay quiet?”
Andy nods. “I was dancing and laughing at some jokes papa was making. If they didn’t hear me, they wouldn’t have come over.”
Jake takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Poor kid. Blaming himself for the death of his parents all this time. No wonder I feel compelled to help him. I know what it’s like being an orphan. This kid has got to be stronger and tougher than I ever was at that age. “How old are you?”
“Seven. I think.”
“Ever remember having a birthday?”
“Long time ago.”
“Remember what the weather was like when you did?”
“Kinda rainy. That was before it got real hot, though.”
John gives Jake a curious look, apparently trying to figure out what he’s doing. Jake is glad he can baffle his oldest friend. “Think it might be around this time of year?”
“Dunno.”
“So, I’m thinkin’ you don’t have a place to stay, do you?’
John snorts. He’s starting to catch what Jake is doing, obviously. He looks at the young boy and winks.
Andy looks fearfully at John and shrinks back into his seat.
Just then, Brigit approaches with a large bowl of chicken noodle soup, a slice of bread, and a cup of hot chocolate. “I figure you probably haven’t tried any of this yet, but I promised Mrs. Mallory I would have you try some. It’s called hot chocolate. I think you might like it.”
The young boy looks at her and shrinks even more into his chair.
Jake feels sorry for the young boy. “It’s okay, Andy. We’re not here to hurt you. You’re not in trouble, either. Okay? I promise. We’re just gonna give you some food and we just wanna talk, is that okay?”
The young boy takes another long look at him and tears course down his cheeks. “Why? Why do you want to help me?” he wails.
Brigit looks hard at John. “What did you do to him? He was so happy before, and now? John!”
John holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “Nothing! I promise!”
Jake shakes his head and says, “Andy? Look at me a moment, okay?”
He does, tears streaming down his dirty face.
“Andy, I want you to listen to me. I am not going to hurt you. I am only here to help. You see, I’m a deputy. That’s what lawmen do, is help people.”
“Only law that I’ve been around have tried to take me to a very bad place. Why should I trust you?”
“I know you’ve been hurt. But all I want is to help you. You can go, if you want, but I want you to at least have a bite to eat, if that’s okay?”
The young boy looks hungrily a
t the food sitting in front of him. Tentatively, he takes a spoonful of the soup in his mouth and swallows noisily. He stops a moment later and bows his head a moment, then digs in to the food.
Jake is even more surprised at the gesture and asks, “Are you a Christian, Andy?”
“Wazzat?”
“Have you ever heard of Jesus?” The young boy nods. “Do you believe he died on the Cross for you?” Andy shrugs. “Why did you bow your head like that?”
His spoon freezes in the air as he looks at Jake and he starts trembling. “Was that the wrong thing to do?” he asks in a tremulous voice.
“I promise, Andy. I’m not here to hurt you. I saw you bow your head like that and just wanted to know if you’re a Christian is all.”
“Papa always made me bow my head before eating. I’m sorry.”
“You’re not in trouble, Andy. Do you know how to read?” Jake asks gently.
Andy shakes his head and starts eating again, this time a little more slowly. As the bites go on, however, he gains confidence that they aren’t going to take the food away grows and he begins eating more rapidly.
“Andy, I know that it’s been awhile since you’ve had a bath, or a bed to sleep in.” He motions to Brigit, who has been standing there the whole time. “Brigit can take you to where you can get a bath. Would you like that?”
Andy stops eating again and looks at Brigit’s encouraging smile. He shrinks back down into his chair once more and snaps his head to look at Jake. Quickly, he shakes his head.
Brigit sighs and nods in understanding. Jake waves his hand slightly, telling her not to worry about it at the moment, he’ll try later and she nods in agreement.
“It’s okay, Andy. I promise, no one is gonna hurt ya.”
He looks around once again and starts eating once more.
Brigit looks at Jake and wordlessly asks if he would like some food as well, to which he replies yes.
When she returns a few moments with his food, he bows his head in prayer and asks the blessing, as well as for guidance in this matter. When Andy sees him bow his head, he bows his as well. When Jake says “Amen” and raises his head, Andy’s doesn’t come back up and he starts to slide to the side a little bit.
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