High Country Rescue

by Michael Skinner

  Again, Alice wanted to ask what he was thinking about her, but asked, “Your cook never bakes a cake?”

  “Not that I can remember.”

  “Does he bake bread and biscuits?”

  “Yes, and he bakes cobblers and fruit pies when the fruit is available.”

  “Maybe you could buy him a cookbook.”

  “That’s a possibility.”

  “How long does it take to get back to Fort Worth by train?”

  “I think with the right train connections, you can get there in a day and a half.”

  “That’s not too long.”

  “Not too bad if you can sleep in a coach car.”

  “How long until the moon comes up?”

  “A few more hours yet and we are near the last quarter of the moon.”

  “I think I will go upstairs and turn in for the night.”

  As he stood, Dan said, “I will see you at breakfast.”

  “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Alice went into the house, and he sat back down. He thought about their conversation. He had said a couple of things that might have gotten a reaction. She did hesitate, but she didn’t say anything. How did she feel? He decided that he would go to bed, and he would tell her how he felt tomorrow.

  chapter 29

  Get Out of Town

  James Reynolds was too late for the passenger train north out of Alamosa, so he caught a ride in the caboose of a northbound freight. The freight train left Alamosa at eight o’clock that night. He didn’t wait for the train to stop, but hit the ground running. He went straight to the telegraph office. He told the operator that he was James, the operator from Alamosa. The operator said hello and that it was nice to put a face with a name. James asked if he had had any telegrams sent to him. The operator said no. He said I am going to visit my father if any come for me, can you send them to me at his house. The operator said he would get them to him as soon as they came. James headed toward his father’s house. It was late, but he knew his father would want to see the telegrams. He knocked on the front door several times, and finally, there was a light, and the door opened, and it was the cook holding an oil lamp. James said I need to see my father right away. Before she could answer his father spoke from the top of the stairs.

  Jacob said, “James what are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you about something important.”

  As he came down the stairs, he said, “Okay, lets’ go into the parlor.”

  The cook held the lamp, so Jacob could light a lamp in the parlor then she left. Jacob closed the door and said, “What's so important that you had to come here in the middle of the night.

  “I intercepted a couple telegrams from Durango to Denver that I was sure you needed to see right away.”

  James handed the telegrams to his father who read them very carefully.

  After a minute James asked, “Are you and Uncle Mark in trouble?

  “I am not sure yet, but I need you to keep listening to the messages out of Durango and Denver.”

  “I am not scheduled to work this weekend, but I can trust the weekend operator to forward anything to me. But I need to catch the next train back and work my twelve to eight shift tomorrow. I got someone to finish my shift today.”

  “That’s fine, I will telegraph you if I need you back here before that.”

  “I will let you get back to bed, and I will catch the train.”

  “Be careful.”

  “You too.”

  James caught the freight and was back in Alamosa for work the next day. Thursday was a slow day at the telegraph office for James until about six o’clock that evening. He heard the Durango operator requesting acknowledgment from the Denver operator.

  He listened carefully and wrote down the message.

  To Marshall Adams

  Denver

  From Robert Jamieson

  Chief Prosecutor for the State of Colorado

  Will be in Denver Friday. Meet me in my Office at 8:00 PM

  Be prepared to leave Monday for an extended investigation

  in the Gunnison and Grand Junction areas.

  James knew this could not wait, but there was no one else to take his place until 8:00. He quickly composed and sent a telegram to his father. He told him he had additional information for him, and he would be there for breakfast. He sent the message and then looked at the passenger and freight schedules for that night. At 7:10 he got a telegram back from his father, “See you then.” At 7:50 the 8:00 operator came in. James told him that he had to visit his father and said he would find someone to fill in for him. James knew that Charles wanted to work more days, so he made arrangements for Charles to cover for him on Friday. James knew the next northbound train would be a freight at midnight. He went to the boarding house and had dinner. He then went to his room and packed a few things and went to the freight yard. He told the yardmaster that he needed a ride to Gunnison. The yardmaster told him that the train would be changing crews and if he was here when it left, he could catch a ride.

  James caught the brakeman and asked him for a ride. The brakeman told him to take a seat in the caboose, and the train would leave as soon as they were through taking on water. The train stopped for water on the east side of Gunnison, and James got off and walked into town and went to his father’s house. It was just past six o’clock, but a light was on in the back of the house. He went around to the back and went in through the kitchen door. The cook said good morning and James responded and asked for a cup of coffee. The cook said breakfast would be ready at seven, and he just nodded. At 6:45 there was a knock at the front door, and James said he would get it. He went to the door and opened it.

  It was his Uncle Mark, James said “Hello,” as he let him in.

  Mark asked, “Is your father up yet?”

  “I just got here, and I have not seen him yet.”

  Jacob called from upstairs, “I will be right down.”

  Mark said, “Lets’ wait in the dining room.”

  “Okay.”

  They went into the dining room, and the cook brought Mark some coffee. He wanted to ask James what he knew, but he knew he had to wait for Jacob. Jacob came in and sat down. He called the cook, and she brought him some coffee and then sat the breakfast on the table.

  After the cook left Jacob said, “What news do you have?”

  James said, “Another telegram” and handed it to his father.

  Mark waited, but finally, he asked, “What does it say.”

  Jacob just handed it to Mark. After a few minutes, he said, “This is bad.”

  Jacob said, “It says that they know not only enough about things here in Gunnison to start an Investigation, but that they also know something about our dealings in Grand Junction. I don’t know what they know, but can we stand an investigation?”

  Mark asked, “If they know about Grand Junction why wait until now?”

  “I did not connect it right away, but the Judge that is telegraphing Denver is the same Judge that wrote Will Johnson’s Will which changed our timing on the Johnson ranch. But someone else has to be helping them, but who.”

  “Lets’ get back to what do we do now.”

  “If they investigate us they will audit the bank. There is nothing seriously wrong there, but I am sure there is something. Being a private bank, I never expected to get audited. The major thing is if somewhere out there they can find anything to tie us to the killings and robberies.”

  Mark said, “We have done a lot over a long period of time. I am sure there are some loose ends out there that would lead back to us.”

  “We were careful, but I am not sure I want to take a chance that they don’t already have something on us or that there is nothing out there that they can find.”

  “That sounds like we are leaving.”

  “Yes, and today.”

  “You sound like you have a plan.”

  Jacob said, “First James you are not tied into this wit
h us, you can go back to Alamosa.”

  He replied, “I am tied to this because I know about everything you are talking about from conversations I had with Jason. Plus, I don’t want to stay in Colorado if you are both leaving.”

  Jacob said, “That’s fine then this is what we do. I own the O’Day ranch, and since Jason is dead, I will assume I own the Jackson ranch. There is approximately $20,000.00 in cash in the bank today. I will sign over the ranches to the bank in exchange for the cash. That is less than I think I could sell them for, but that will put money in our pockets and with no one looking too hard to find us. We will get everything together we need and be ready to leave when the bank closes for today. The bank will close at 4:00PM, and I believe there is a train south at 5:00 that will allow us to make connections to be out of Colorado by morning.”

  chapter 30

  Something New

  Dan awoke at his usual time. He did not sleep well last night because he stayed awake thinking about how he would approach Alice with his feelings. He shaved and dressed and went downstairs. He went to the kitchen where he said hello to Maria and got a cup of coffee. He took his coffee and went out on the back porch and thought some more. Bob Robert came over at 6 o’clock and helped Maria carry breakfast over to the bunkhouse for the men. He and Dan exchanged greetings, but Dan went right back to his thoughts. He wasn't used to being this uncertain about a situation. He had made life and death decisions with less effort or time. Maybe that was the answer ‘Don’t Over Think It’ just go with your instincts. But what instincts could he have about this situation, he hadn’t felt this way before. He decided a little walking around would help, so he went down the steps and started walking. With no destination in mind, he found himself at the corral. He watched the horses in the corral and was lost in thought.

  When Maria called him to breakfast, he had decided what to say. Dan returned to the house and filled his coffee cup as he passed through the kitchen. He entered the dining room to find everyone there except Alice. He exchanged greetings with the Colonel, Judge, and Will.

  Alice entered and apologized for being late, and then they sat down. She was wearing her riding skirt and a white blouse.

  The Colonel asked, “Going for a ride today?”

  Dan said, “I thought I would get Alice out of the house this morning.”

  “I am sure she would enjoy a change.”

  Dan knew the Colonel was aware that Alice and Will were stressed waiting to hear what was going to happen.

  “I thought I would take her up to Little Park.”

  “It should really be nice up there this time of the year, especially if the aspens have already turned.”

  “That is what I was hoping for.”

  She said, “That sounds lovely, is it very far?”

  He replied, “We can be there in an hour.”

  Breakfast was finished, and everyone except Dan and Alice drifted away.

  He said, “I will swing by my room and get a couple of things and be waiting on the front porch when you are ready.”

  “That’s good. I need to talk to Maria a minute, and I will see you out front.”

  Dan left, and she went into the kitchen. Dan went to his room where he picked up his hat, his holster, and his pistol. He went downstairs and out on the front porch. Bob Robert had left the two horses tied to the hitch rail each with a canteen.

  After a few minutes, Alice came out.

  Dan asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, I am, lets’ get started.”

  Dan held her horse while she mounted then he mounted. They rode around the house and west towards the barn. They followed the ranch road past the barn and up into the valley. After a quarter of a mile, he turned north toward a low ridge.

  Dan said, “The trail we are going to follow is a well-used trail, and we won’t have to dismount until we get to Little Park.”

  “I know a Park is a large mountain meadow, but why is it called Little Park?”

  “You would think that it is called that because it is not a large park, but it was named after John Little, an old trapper who died there.”

  “Every place has a story.”

  “So true.”

  They followed the trail up the wooded ridge, then turned and followed the ridgeline up. After about twenty minutes the trail dropped down the north side of the ridge and into a narrow valley. They traveled up the small creek that flowed down the center of the valley. As they followed the creek west the valley became wider and the grade flatter and the trees less numerous. They emerged into a large meadow with aspen trees surrounding a beaver pond in the middle. Dan guided her toward a stone outcrop over to the right.

  He dismounted and helped her down. They stood facing each other.

  Alice said, “This is really lovely here.”

  “When I think of Colorado, I think of the mountain vistas and here.”

  “I am glad you brought me here, thank you.”

  “I wanted to bring you here, so we could have some time to talk. I have several things I want to tell you, and I would like you to let me finish before you say anything. Is that all right?”

  “Yes.”

  “We have only known each other for a few weeks, and we have spent a lot of time together. Very soon I will have to leave, and I did not want to leave wondering if I had made a mistake not talking to you. In the short time, we have been together, I have developed strong feelings for you. Feelings I quite frankly haven’t felt before. I like you, and I like being with you, and I think about you way too much. I have decided that what I feel for you is love. Alice, I love you. If you don’t feel the same way I will understand, and you will not hurt my feelings, and I don’t want any feelings that you may have for me to be out of gratitude or sympathy. I say all of this to you because I did not want to lose you because I left without telling you.”

  She said, “I love you!”

  They stepped into each other’s arms and kissed. After the kiss ended, they stood together.

  She said, “I wanted to say so much more, but I could not wait to tell you that I loved you. I worried about you leaving before I could talk to you too. I thought about how I felt and why I felt that way. I was so afraid that if I told you how I felt that you would just think I was this little girl who just had affections for you because you saved her.”

  “Alice, that is why I had to tell you, what if I had left without saying anything to you and you did care for me, and I missed the chance to be with you.”

  They kissed again, and she said, “I worried that if I had never felt this way before how would I know what I was feeling, but the way I feel about you must be love.”

  “That was my reasoning too.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “That is the question. Normally we would have the time to court and visit together. I don’t have to go back to Texas right away, but soon and you are going home.”

  “You are right, but I want us to be together.”

  “I do too.”

  They kissed again and then Dan said, “This is coming quick but so has everything else. Alice will you marry me.”

  “I will.”

  They kissed and held on to each other.

  He said, “I wanted to ask that because if that wasn’t where we were going, then nothing else matters.”

  “I agree, and I was thinking that marriage was understood. But it is too important not to be spoken.”

  “When do you want to get married?”

  “Sooner than later, but I need to talk to my father.”

  “No, I need to talk to your father.”

  “That’s true, but I need to talk to him first so that he knows that my feelings for you are genuine then you can ask for my hand.”

  Dan said, “We need to talk about where we are going to live.”

  “I had assumed that we would live in Texas.”

  “I am glad to hear you say that, but before our commitment, I was planning to come to Colorado at least once a ye
ar, and we could come back here for a month or so each summer or fall.”

  “I would really love that.”

  “I don’t plan on leaving Colorado without you, so we will need to plan the wedding around that.”

  “When do you need to go back?”

  “I can stay all winter if I need to, but I don’t want to wait that long to marry you.”

  “I do not want to wait that long either.”

  “Before we go farther let me say this, I do not have any hesitation about how I feel for you, but if you for any reason, are not sure about this I want you to tell me.”

  “Dan, I understand what you are saying, and I want you to do the same. I can assure you I have considered all the possible reasons why I feel the way I do about you. Yes, I am grateful for you rescuing me, and I feel safe when I am with you, but what I feel is so much more than that and knowing that you love me makes my love for you even stronger.”

  “I understand because when you responded with ‘I love you’ I thought my heart would explode. The wedding can’t come fast enough. Can you talk to your father before you return home?”

  “Yes, I will talk to him tonight. How much time do we have before we need to head back?”

  He looked at his watch and said, “Almost an hour.”

  Alice said, “Can I have another kiss? I have waited so long for one.”

  They embraced and kissed. They parted, and he said, “Lets’ sit over here in the shade.”

  They walked over to the shade of a large Ponderosa pine and sat on a fallen tree.

  He asked, “Where do you want to get married?”

  Alice thought for a second and said, “Montrose would be good. It is nearer my father’s ranch, and he has friends there.”

  “That would be good.”

  “Is there anyone who needs to come up from Texas for the wedding?”

  “I have not thought about it that far yet. I had just thought about the Colonel and Joe. But I could ask a close friend and my foreman once we set a date.”

  “That would be nice, that way I could meet them before we go to Texas.”