Jake

by C. J. Petit

  Before they reached the three saddled horses, each of the men untied a horse’s reins and Bill tied Orville’s horse to Vulcan’s saddle.

  When they stopped before the corral, Jake turned to Sara and said, “Let me introduce you to Vulcan before you step into the saddle. I would hate to see my fiancée tossed onto the hard ground before I even get a chance to consummate our marriage.”

  Sara knew why he’d added the flying comment and held back a giggle as they walked to the nose of the big black gelding.

  As Jake rubbed the horse’s nose, he said, “Vulcan, this is Sara. She’s very precious to me, so I want you to be very nice to her. Okay?”

  Vulcan’s big brown eyes were already studying Sara as she stroked his neck then said, “Good morning, Vulcan. The good news is that I weigh about seventy pounds less than the lummox standing next to me. But show me some patience. I haven’t spent that much time in the saddle, and you are a much more impressive horse than Orville’s.”

  She turned her eyes to Bill, Tom and Charlie before saying, “Thank you for saddling our horses,” then after a short pause, she added, “and just to let you know, your new boss is a first-class prude.”

  Their collective dams collapsed as they roared in laughter as Jake grinned and shook his head.

  Sara smiled innocently at Jake, then took Vulcan’s reins and climbed into the saddle without any objections from the black gelding.

  Jake mounted Mars then as he looked down at the three snickering men, he said, “I’ll bring your pay when we return, but it might not be until late this afternoon. I want to meet with everyone in the chow hall at suppertime.”

  Bill was wiping tears from his eyes as he nodded and said, “Okay, boss.”

  Jake turned to Sara and asked, “Shall we go to Fort Benton, Miss Smith?”

  “We shall, and that will be the last time you will be able to address me as Miss Smith.”

  She turned Vulcan away from the corral before Jake did, so he had to move Mars a little faster to catch her.

  Once they were riding side-by-side, Jake’s merry mood diminished slightly when he remembered where they would stop after the visit to the bank. He’d rehearsed what he’d say to Mrs. Kemper and would watch her eyes when he introduced himself. He hoped she wasn’t as good a poker player as Sara because he wanted to detect guilt or shame before she reacted. He suspected that she may not say a single word. She might just turn around and leave the shop portion of the bakery to hide in her attached house.

  Sara may have been very happy with the way everything had turned out since she decided to ride out to the Elk, but she knew that Jake was distressed about visiting Mrs. Kemper. She still believed that he had to talk to her. While Jake seemed convinced that she and his father were having an affair, Sara didn’t believe it was possible. While she readily admitted to herself that she’d misjudged her own sister for years, she was sure that Margaret Kemper was a good woman who would never commit the sin of adultery. Even if her husband was a cruel and violent man.

  As they approached the western edge of Fort Benton, Jake said, “I’ll have them add you to the bank account while I’m making the withdrawal.”

  “I promise not to steal all of your money, Jake. And I’m a veritable miser when it comes to spending it as well.”

  Jake smiled as he said, “As opposed to Kay.”

  Sara smiled back at him without comment.

  _____

  When they entered the bank, Jake found John Vindaloos, who seemed to have expected him. Withdrawing the thousand dollars and having Sara added to the account took less than ten minutes. Jake would have tried to stretch the time if he didn’t have Sara sitting beside him. He knew that she was determined that he speak to Mrs. Kemper and wouldn’t tolerate any procrastination.

  After leaving the bank, Sara hooked her arm through his and asked, “Do you want me to come into the bakery with you?”

  “I think it would be a good idea. Maybe she won’t slap me if you’re there.”

  “Mrs. Kemper wouldn’t slap you even if I wasn’t there. She’s a very nice lady.”

  Jake nodded as they stepped along the boardwalk. The bakery was just another block away, but Jake wished it was in Boston. He simply had no idea what to expect.

  As they reached the bakery’s open door, Jake glanced inside hoping to see a large crowd of customers or discover that Mrs. Kemper was in back baking. But neither was what his eyes revealed. The shop was empty except for Mrs. Kemper who was adding loaves of fresh bread to the shelves behind the counter.

  He removed his Stetson and took a breath before Sara tugged him inside.

  As soon as they entered, Margaret Kemper turned and smiled.

  “Good morning, Sara. Can I guess that the handsome young man with you is Jake Elliott? Or have you already found yourself another beau?”

  Sara laughed and despite his anxiety, Jake smiled. He was also befuddled by Mrs. Kemper’s friendly greeting. Where was the shame? Where was the guilt?

  When they reached the counter, Jake was prevented from beginning his inquisition when Mrs. Kemper spoke.

  “I’m so happy for both of you. Your mother told me the wonderful news.”

  Sara replied, “Thank you, Mrs. Kemper.”

  Then Margaret looked at Jake and said, “I am so pleased to meet you, Jake. Although I wish it hadn’t taken such a tragedy to bring you home. I was devastated when I heard what happened at the Elk and can’t imagine how horrible it must have been for you. Your mother was the nicest woman I ever met. I also refuse to believe those rumors that it was your father who murdered her. I don’t know why he ran away, but I cannot imagine him hurting her.”

  Jake was beyond flummoxed and struggled to frame a very different question than the one he’d prepared and rehearsed.

  But despite his confusion, it only took a few seconds before Jake asked, “How well did you know my father?”

  “Not nearly as well as I knew your mother. It was because of your father that I still have this bakery and my home.”

  Jake blinked then said, “His lawyer, Jerome Wright, told me that my father had directed him to pay off your mortgage and add some money to your bank account but even he didn’t know why. I know my father wasn’t a very compassionate or generous man, so can you tell me why he might do that?”

  “It sounds as if you knew your father even less than I did. He may have been a tough, private man, but he was far from the hard, cold man that you seem to believe him to be. My husband, Robert, was the complete opposite of your father. He was loud and could be violent at times. He wasn’t that way when we married, but I soon realized that he only married me because, well, he thought I was attractive.

  “Anyway, toward the end of May, we were about to close the bakery when I dropped a sheet of biscuits. They began rolling across the shop floor and I rushed to pick them up. My husband was furious and after he shouted some insults, he kicked me as I was on my hands and knees grabbing at the biscuits. I screamed in pain as I fell onto my side and Robert was about to kick me again, but I never felt that second kick. Your father must have been walking past the bakery and heard my scream because he rushed inside.

  “As my husband was preparing to deliver another blow, your father grabbed him and threw him to the floor. I was still curled up on the floor, but watched your father kick him just as hard as Robert had kicked me, but in a much more sensitive location. My husband screamed louder than I had and was still weeping when your father lifted him from the floor. In a deep, threatening voice, he warned my husband that if he ever hurt me again, he’d rope him and drag him through the streets to the wharf then throw him into the Missouri.”

  Jake was sure that she was telling the truth but everything she said seemed to describe his father as a completely different man. She made him sound like a chivalrous knight of old.

  Margaret continued her story, saying, “Your father then helped me to stand and asked if I needed to see a doctor. I told him I’d be all right, but after he lef
t, I was terrified that my husband might beat me to death. But when he finally stood, he shuffled past without even looking at me. I closed the bakery’s door and didn’t go into the house for another ten minutes. I didn’t even take anything to protect me when I finally did leave the bakery.

  “Robert never said a word for the rest of the day or the next morning. He left the bakery at midmorning and I thought he was going to Draper’s to buy some more flour and sugar because we were low. We were busy, so I didn’t go to the house until I closed the bakery. For a few minutes, I believed that Robert was plotting to kill me, but after I searched the house, I couldn’t find him. Then I discovered his clothes were gone and I knew he’d run away. I was relieved, but worried as well. I wasn’t able to check our bank balance until the next day, and when I did, I found that he’d taken all of it except a hundred dollars.

  “All I could do was to return to a routine. I managed to keep the bakery afloat but was in trouble. I didn’t tell anyone why Robert disappeared because people would think that your father had driven him off for a very different reason. I thought I’d have to sell the business and my home when your mother came to the bakery to buy an apple pie.”

  Mrs. Kemper smiled before saying, “She said that she couldn’t bake worth a hoot and even your ranch’s cook couldn’t make an apple pie to match mine. When she asked me how I was, I almost didn’t tell her because, well, I didn’t want her to blame your father for Robert’s disappearance.

  “I told her I was okay, but then she explained the real reason for her visit, and it had nothing to do with apple pies. That’s when I learned that I didn’t have to explain what had happened because your father had told her that same day. She told him that she’d pay me a visit in a few days to make sure that I was still all right. But when she learned that Robert had vanished, she had to wait until she was sure that my husband didn’t return.

  “She asked me how I was doing financially, and that was when I told her about the mortgage and my almost empty bank account. She smiled and told me not to worry. She even bought the apple pie. But I didn’t find out about the paid off mortgage and my healthy bank account until after I’d heard of the horrible events at the Elk. I never had a chance to thank your parents for their generosity, and I was hoping to see you to tell you how grateful I am.”

  Jake was so out of sorts that all he could do was to stare blankly at Mrs. Kemper. His mother not only knew about his father’s visit to Mister Wright; she had probably been the one to make the suggestion. His father hadn’t had an affair with Mrs. Kemper, he’d acted as her protector. It was as if he hadn’t understood his parents at all.

  Sara had been almost as surprised by Mrs. Kemper’s story as Jake had been but was pleased that her opinion of Margaret Kemper hadn’t changed. As Sara looked at Jake, she could see just how stunned he was by her revelation that must have shaken him to his core. Yet even Sara didn’t realize just how deeply it had affected him.

  Margaret wasn’t at all surprised when Jake was unable to speak. She had a good idea that her explanation wasn’t close to what he’d expected to hear. She hoped that Jake wouldn’t believe she had invented the story to bury a much more sordid reason for his parents’ generosity.

  Jake was still flummoxed but realized it would take time for him to resolve what he’d just learned, and he and Sara still had much to do.

  He finally said, “Thank you for telling me everything, Mrs. Kemper. I’m ashamed to admit that I had imagined a very different reason to explain what my father had done. Please accept my apologies.”

  “You don’t need to apologize to me, Jake. I assume that you didn’t find your father because you would have already had your answer. Did you even discover where he’d gone?”

  “No, ma’am. I got as far as Helena before I realized it was a futile search. It had been three weeks since he left the ranch, and he could be in San Francisco or New Orleans by now.”

  “If he returns, please give him an opportunity to explain why he ran away. I cannot believe he would have even raised a hand to your mother.”

  Jake nodded then said, “Before I left the Elk, I intended to ask him why he’d done it when I found him. I honestly want to know what happened even more than simply apply punishment.”

  “Your mother was such a compassionate, caring woman that I’m sure that she would tell you to forgive him, even if he was guilty.”

  “I know she would. But I’m certain that he did kill her, Mrs. Kemper. My foreman, Dave Forrest, heard them loudly arguing then later, he saw my father ride away trailing a packhorse. There was no one else on the ranch except for Dave, so it had to be my father.”

  Margaret’s eyebrows rose as she asked, “Why would you believe a ranch hand who accused your father of murder?”

  Jake was startled once more before he replied, “Dave wasn’t just a ranch hand or even a foreman. He was my friend and closer to being a father to me for most of my teenage years. He would never lie to me.”

  “Yet you seem so easily to believe that your father is a murderer. Maybe you should have Sara ask your foreman friend what happened that day. She’s a very persuasive young lady.”

  Despite his angst, Jake smiled as he replied, “I’ll agree with you about Sara’s intensity. But Dave isn’t on the Elk any longer. He had a family emergency and left just after I started the search for my father.”

  As she listened, Sara’s mind was sorting all that she’d learned since they’d entered the bakery. Jake hadn’t told her the details of his mother’s murder. And she hadn’t asked because she knew it would only open his wounds. She suspected that now, Jake would want to have an in-depth conversation about that day’s events.

  Margaret didn’t ask about the foreman’s family emergency but thought it was a strange coincidence that the man who had reported the murder left the ranch just after Jake returned from the army. But when she looked at Sara, she understood that Sara recognized the oddity as well. She was confident that Sara would help Jake see those events more objectively.

  Jake then looked at Sara and said, “We need to return Orville’s horse and then visit Reverend Faraday.”

  Sara was relieved that Jake hadn’t been so shaken by Mrs. Kemper’s revelations that he might decide to postpone their marriage.

  She smiled up at him then turned to Mrs. Kemper and said, “We hope to return to the Elk today as husband and wife.”

  Margaret replied, “That’s surprisingly fast, even for you, Sara. But I wish that I’d known your plans. I would have baked you a three-layer wedding cake.”

  Jake said, “After we visit the reverend, we’ll need to let her family know. I hope her father doesn’t take out his shotgun.”

  Sara laughed as she waved to Mrs. Kemper, then turned Jake toward the door.

  Jake may have appeared to have disregarded Mrs. Kemper’s implication about Dave Forrest’s story, but he hadn’t ignored it at all. He’d just set it aside for the time being because it was secondary to today’s much more important plans.

  After turning onto the boardwalk, Jake said, “After we get married and return to our home, we need to talk even before I drag you into our bedroom to ravage you.”

  Sara didn’t know whether she should laugh or not, so she just smiled and replied, “We could do both at the same time, Jake.”

  Jake grinned back at her as they walked past their three waiting horses and continued along the boardwalk.

  _____

  Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Reverend Jacob Faraday’s parlor with his wife, Adelaide sitting beside him. Jake assumed the only reason for her presence was to evaluate him. He was sure that she knew Sara well, but he had been gone for three years and neither she nor her husband had met him since he’d returned. He could have become a devil worshipper while wearing his blue uniform. Even worse, he could have converted to Catholicism.

  “Your mother already told me of your plans to marry, Sara. I’ll admit that I am a bit startled by the suddenness of your request.”<
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  He then turned to Jake and said, “I know that you were visiting Sara’s sister before you enlisted. It’s only natural for one to believe that you might be marrying Sara because of her sister’s rejection.”

  Jake wasn’t offended because he was sure that it was probably the general consensus in town, so he took Sara’s hand before he said, “I can understand why you might be concerned, Reverend. But I assure you that I love Sara completely as Sara. If she didn’t believe me, she would never have agreed to let me court her.”

  Sara squeezed Jake’s hand before saying, “I asked him that question the first day we talked, and I know he loves me as I am. I love him just as much and neither of us wants to delay the start to our new life together.”

  Reverend Faraday glanced at his wife who nodded just slightly before he looked back at the couple and smiled.

  “Then I’ll be more than happy to perform the ceremony this afternoon at two o’clock. I suppose you would have walked to the courthouse if I ‘d denied your request anyway. Am I right?”

  Sara smiled as she replied, “You know me well, Reverend.”

  Everyone stood and Reverend Faraday said, “Come to my office first to fill out the necessary papers. Will you bring your own witnesses?”

  Sara answered, “My parents will be there to act as witnesses.”

  Jake shook the reverend’s hand before he and Sara left the parlor.

  As they walked back to retrieve the horses, Jake said, “That went better than I’d expected. I thought Mrs. Faraday was about to bring out a torture rack to start an intense interrogation. I guess our almost non-existent courtship was the reason more than my absence.”

  “I don’t think she was that worried about you. She just knew better than to try to stare me down.”