“Speaking of Texas what do you have here that you want to take to Texas with us?”
“Well, I have not thought that far myself. I am sure that there are not any clothes at the ranch I need. I don’t have a hope chest, but there are a few things of my mother’s I would like to have.”
They continued to talk about the small things of living together until it was time to ride back. They mounted their horses and followed the trail back to the ranch house.
As they approached the ranch house, Dan said, “I think it would be best to not show any signs of our affection before you talk to your father.”
“I agree.”
“But I need to tell the Colonel.”
“That’s fine.”
They rode to the front of the house. Dan dismounted, then helped her dismount. Alice went to the house, and he took the horses to the corral. He was unsaddling them when one of the wranglers came over and said he would take care of it. Dan went to the house and entered through the kitchen. Maria was in the process of getting lunch ready, so he just nodded and poured himself a cup of coffee. He went through the dining room to the hall and then the parlor. He didn’t know if anyone would be there, but the judge was, and he was sitting at the desk writing a letter. They exchanged greetings and Dan went to the map cases. He found the one for the Montrose area. He rolled it out and looked at it. He was pretty sure where the Johnson ranch was, but he wanted to familiarize himself with that area and Montrose in particular. The map was about five years old, but it showed a small town centered around the intersection of the roads to Gunnison and Durango. The railroad came in from the east and left to the west with a branch line to the north. He returned the map to the case and went upstairs to his room. He washed up and went downstairs for lunch. He entered the dining room and found the Colonel, Alice, and Will already there.
Dan said, “Hello” and everyone responded.
Maria started bringing in lunch so, Dan said, “I will go and get the judge.”
He went from the dining room to the parlor, and the judge was still at the desk.
Dan said, “I am sorry to interrupt you, but lunch is ready.”
The Judge said, “That is not a problem. I just let the time get away from me. I will be right there.”
Dan returned to the dining room, followed by the Judge. Dan took his usual seat across from Alice. As he looked across at her, he couldn’t help but smile, and he was pleased to see her return his smile with one of her own. The meal passed with just the usual conversation.
Toward the end of lunch, the Judge spoke. “I will be returning to Grand Junction tomorrow. I want to be near a telegraph Monday in case someone needs to contact me. But I will get word to you as soon as I know something.”
The Colonel said, “I want to thank you for all the help and assistance you have given all of us.”
Will said, “Yes, Judge, thank you very much.”
The Judge said, “I was glad that I could do what I could, and I will be available for as long as this all takes to run its’ course.”
As lunch ended the Judge returned to the parlor, Alice to the kitchen with Maria and the Colonel and Will to the front porch. Dan went back to his room. He thought about bringing Bill and Tom up for the wedding. When he had a date, he would contact them and invite them. He would pay their way and get a couple of rooms at the hotel in Montrose if they could come. Would he need a room for the Colonel or would he stay at Will’s ranch? Where was he going to stay? There was a lot to be worked out, and he hadn’t asked Will for Alice’s hand yet. He decided that he could think better if he went for a walk. He went downstairs and out the front door. The Colonel and Will were sitting on the front porch talking, so he just went down the stairs and around the house toward the barn. He continued up the ranch road past the barn as he had earlier. He moved at a steady pace for about thirty minutes, then turned and headed back to the house. The walk did improve his thinking, and it passed some time.
As he neared the house, he saw Alice on the back porch.
When he walked up, he said, “Working on supper?”
“Just peeling some potatoes.”
“I was thinking about everything involved in what we are doing, and there are a lot of details to work out.”
“That had occurred to me too.”
“Waiting is going to be hard.”
“It is hard on me too, but it will be that much more wonderful when our wedding day comes.”
“I will let you get back to work before someone overhears us.”
“Love you.”
“Love you.”
“Be careful.”
“Till later then.”
Dan went around the house to the front. The Colonel and Will were no longer on the porch, so he decided he would wait there. He took a seat in one of the chairs and looked out over the pasture land. No one had said anything, but he knew they were all waiting to see if Joe would arrive with news about the Reynolds. It was a mostly sunny day with just a breath of wind out of the south. He saw no birds in the sky and in stock on the pasture. After a little while, he was about to fall asleep.
He didn’t hear someone come through the door and was a little startled when the Colonel said, “May I join you?”
“Of course, have a seat.”
“Not much happening out here today.”
“Most days that would be good, but today we are looking for a rider on the horizon.”
“I am not sure how far west Joe would have to travel from Gunnison before he was able to cut across country.”
Dan said, “There is not enough moonlight now for him to travel across open range at night. If he left last night, he would have to stay on the road until daylight.”
The Colonel thought then asked, “If he brings word that the Reynolds have run as we expected them to, what are your plans?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. Are you available after dinner tonight?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good I would rather talk, then than now.”
The Colonel said with a smile that Dan couldn’t see, “I understand.”
The conversation became slow and occasional, then around three o’clock, it stopped as they watched a rider come into view angling toward the ranch road from the north. Finally, he could see that it was a rider with another horse in tow.
As the rider neared the Durango road, the Colonel said, “Dan go get everyone else and take them to the parlor, and I will bring Joe in there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dan went into the house. The Judge was in the parlor, so Dan told him that Joe was headed in and they would meet in the parlor. He then went into the kitchen and told Alice and asked her to get her father and meet them in the parlor. He went back to the front porch and waited with the Colonel. Joe didn’t slow his pace until he got to the house. He rode up to the hitch rail, dismounted and tied his horses off and came up the stairs.
The Colonel said, “Glad to have you home.”
Joe said, “It is good to be home.”
“Do you need some water or anything before you tell your story?”
“No, I am ready.”
“Then lets’ go into the parlor and you can tell everyone your story at once.”
The Colonel led Joe into the house, and Dan followed. They went into the parlor, and the Judge, Alice, and Will were waiting.
It was apparent that no one wanted to sit, so the Colonel said, “Joe, since you are here that means the Reynolds have left Gunnison, is that correct.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then tell us your story.”
“Everything seemed normal until yesterday. The day started with a young man entering the Banker's house closely followed by the sheriff, all of this before seven o’clock in the morning. Then an hour later the sheriff left and then the banker went to the bank. There was a lot of back and forth between the bank and the jail all day. About one o’clock the young man left the bank and went to the train station and re
turned. The bank closed at 4:00 and the banker left the bank about ten minutes later with a black leather bag and went to his house. The banker, sheriff and young man boarded an eastbound train at 5:00. I left as soon as the train left the station to get back here.”
The Colonel said, “Thanks Joe I know you have had a long sleepless night getting back here. Does anyone have a question of Joe?”
No one offered a question, so the Colonel said, “Joe I know you are tired but after you clean up and rest you are welcome to join us for dinner at six or you can just go to sleep until morning and join us for breakfast.”
“I will be here for dinner.”
Joe left, and the Colonel said, “Why don’t we all take a seat and talk about this.”
Everyone took a seat, and the Colonel continued, “That the Reynolds chose to run was not unexpected, but lets’ talk about how that affects us. Judge why don’t you explain how this affects the legal aspects.”
“Thank you, Colonel, the investigation will proceed, and I am sure that the circumstances of their leaving will be looked at carefully. If evidence is found linking them to any of the crimes, we talked about or the business at the bank yesterday, then that evidence will be presented to the grand jury. If the grand jury finds the evidence sufficient, then indictments will be issued, and they will be arrested. However, if no hard evidence is found, then the investigation will come to an end.”
Will said, “As of today, you don’t think they will find any evidence, do you?”
“I have not heard anything that would stand against them except the kidnapping of Alice. The kidnapping was a serious crime against Alice and society, but with her kidnapper dead and no one to testify that Jacob, Mark or someone else knew or helped with the kidnapping, then that investigation will end. The investigator will check all of these allegations out. He will look for evidence and seek testimony. What he will find I do not know.”
Dan said, “Judge wouldn’t you agree that it is very unlikely that the Reynolds will return to Colorado.”
“Yes, I would. The investigation will raise enough questions about their character and honesty that it would be against their financial interest to return.”
The Colonel asked, “Will, do you or Alice have any questions?”
Will asked, “Is it safe for us to return home?”
The Colonel said, “I think it is, but I would prefer to be cautious and wait until Monday when the investigator is in Gunnison.”
Alice asked, “Will they seek revenge for Jason’s death?”
The Judge said, “I do not see you or your father, in the eyes of the Reynolds as being directly responsible for Jason’s death. He was killed while trying to kill you. But if anything happens to anyone in this room for whatever reason the state would look at them first. With all the crimes, they are leaving behind them, they do want anyone looking for them for murder.”
The Colonel said, “We chose to carry you away instead of taking you back by force. They chose to pursue you and when they attacked you and Dan, we responded. If they were inclined to seek revenge, they would have shown their hand before now. If you would feel better, I can send a couple of men with you when you travel home on Monday.”
Alice said, “I think I would like that.”
“Good, I will make that happen. If there is nothing else, I will see you all at dinner.”
The group broke up, and everyone left. Alice was talking to her father, so Dan left and went to find Joe. He found Joe at the corral just finishing unsaddling the horses and releasing them into the corral.
Dan said, “I am glad to see you back.”
“I am glad to be back. I got tired of being the ‘poor Indian’ just hanging around town.”
“I noticed that you took two horses.”
“I knew I would have to have another horse, so I wouldn’t ride one into the ground.”
“I know you haven’t slept since the night before last, are you alright?”
“I will be okay, just don’t look for me early tomorrow.”
“I won’t. I will see you at dinner.”
Joe just nodded, and Dan went back to the house.
He entered through the kitchen.
Maria was working on dinner, and Dan said, “In case no one has told you yet Joe will be joining us for dinner.”
“The Colonel has already told me, but thanks.”
Dan went through the dining room and up the stairs to his room. He laid on the bed and thought about the day and all that happened in the last month. He didn’t feel like he had fallen asleep, but his watch said it was time to get ready for dinner. He rose and washed up and went downstairs. He found the Colonel and Judge in the parlor.
Dan said, “Good evening.”
The Colonel and Judge responded.
Dan said, “Judge, are you still planning on going to Grand Junction tomorrow?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Be careful and have a safe trip.”
“Thank you.”
The Colonel said, “I hear Maria in the dining room, so lets’ go in.”
They left the parlor and crossed the hallway and entered the dining room. Will and Alice were waiting for them. Greetings were exchanged, and dinner was started. Joe sat beside Dan. Dinner passed with light conversation. Dan was thinking about talking to the Colonel, and he knew Alice was thinking about talking to her father. As dinner ended Joe left to go to his cabin, Alice was helping Maria, and Will and the Judge went into the parlor.
Dan turned to the Colonel and asked, “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Yes, I do. Since the parlor is not available, we can talk as we walk.”
“That would be fine.”
He followed the Colonel out the front door and down the steps. The Colonel turned and started walking down the ranch road toward the Durango road.
Dan said, “You asked me earlier what my plans were after Will and Alice return home on Monday. If you have no objection, I would like to stay here a little longer.”
“That’s fine, how long do you want to stay?”
“To get to the point Colonel, I have asked Alice to marry me, and she has said yes.”
“I could tell you liked each other but wasn’t sure how much until now.”
“Alice wanted to talk to her father before I talked to him, but I don’t plan on leaving Colorado without her.”
“If he has any objections, I would be glad to vouch for you.”
“Thank you, sir, I am sure he will be concerned that we haven’t known each other that long or that she is only doing this out of gratitude. Alice and I have discussed this and agree that our feelings for each other are more than that.”
“When are you hoping to marry?”
“Before winter, but I will stay through the winter if I need to.”
“Are you going to take her back to Texas?”
“Yes, we will live there, but I told her that even before I asked her to marry me that I had planned on returning to Colorado each summer, but with us marrying I thought it would be more like a couple of months each year depending on what happens.”
“It sounds like you have thought this through, and I would be happy to see you on a regular basis.”
“Colonel, you are too much a part of my life for me not to come. I have a commitment and a love for my ranch, but I have family here with you and Joe.”
“I appreciate that you have been able to put into words what I have felt myself and that is why I am leaving this ranch to you.”
“I feel that there has been a bond between us for a long time that I could not fully understand, but now I do.”
“I think family expresses it the best.”
“Now all I have to do is talk to Will tomorrow.”
“It will not be that bad, at least he will know what you want to talk about and what you want.”
“I thought I would ask Bill Walker to be my best man.”
“I think that would be a wonderful choice. I haven’t seen him
in a while.”
“Do you think I should ride with Alice and her father on Monday?”
“I see no reason for you not to. I was going to send Bob Robert again and another man, but you can be the other.”
“Good that will give me more time with Will.”
“We are almost back at the house, if Maria is still in the kitchen, I will get her to make a fresh pot of coffee.”
“That sounds good, it is starting to get cold out here, and I could use something warm.”
They went into the house, and the Colonel went through the dining room while Dan went into the parlor. The Judge was at the desk reading some papers, so Dan didn’t disturb him. He returned to the dining room and went to the kitchen. Maria was putting a coffee pot on the stove, and the Colonel was telling her that the Judge would need to take a lunch with him tomorrow.
Dan said, “I talked to Joe after dinner, and he said he would be up in time for a late breakfast.”
Maria said, “That’s all right, I am sure I will have something for him whenever he gets up.”
The Colonel said, “Maria can you bring Dan and me some coffee when its’ ready?’
“Yes, sir.”
The Colonel and Dan went back into the dining room and sat at the corner of the table.
The Colonel asked, “Do you have everything arranged in Texas for your visit to be extended?”
“Yes, sir, I made my long-time foreman the ranch manager and told him I could be gone several months.”
“That was well planned since you did not know what you were getting into when I sent you that letter. Now it works for the continuation of your visit.”
“Will said earlier that some of the lumbermen were buying up private forest land. Have you seen any of that activity around here?”
“I have heard about some of it on the other side of the Divide, but not here yet. I don’t need to sell any of my land. Some of the lumbermen are able to buy the lumber rights on the public land, so I don’t see that much demand for the private land around here. I guess that’s not a problem for you in Texas.”
“Not in my area.”
Maria brought in two cups of coffee and said she would leave the pot on the edge of the stove to keep warm. The Colonel and Dan said goodnight, and she replied goodnight.
High Country Rescue Page 33