Jake

by C. J. Petit

  “After Kay learned that I had given Vulcan to Sara and a horse to each of her brothers, she asked if I was going to give her one. I told her I was, but she hasn’t come out to the ranch yet. I like this sorrel a lot and thought about giving him to my foreman so Kay couldn’t have him.”

  Arv quickly asked, “If you don’t want Kay to have him, why don’t you give him to me? He sure looks better than what I’m riding.”

  “If you want him, you can have him, Arv. But you have to wait until we get back to the ranch.”

  “I wasn’t going to make you walk or ride mine.”

  Jake grinned as he looked west then said, “Maybe we’ll be heading back in canoes. Look at those clouds ahead of us.”

  “I’ve been watching them build up. If it starts coming down, do you still want to head up to Woman’s Breast, or do you want to stay dry in Fort Shaw?”

  “Maybe having a heavy downpour will be better than just waiting after sunset. Besides, it’s nearly a full moon.”

  “I know, but there would be more than just rain coming out of those clouds. I don’t mind the thunder, but it’s what makes the thunder that gives me the willies. I’m not too keen on having a bolt of lightning strike me down in my prime.”

  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 as he studied the growing storm clouds. He suspected that they would release their wrath soon, but he was determined to make use of the cover the storm would provide. The sorrel might be a bit tired, but he’d borrow a horse from the Stoker brothers if necessary. He wanted to end this today if he could. He just hoped that he’d be able to catch Dave by surprise and get him to talk.

  He didn’t include Sheriff Zendt as part of the capture and interrogation. He began to think of the storm and the sheriff’s lack of raingear as confirmation that finding Dave Forrest was his duty alone.

  _____

  The wind had picked up dramatically by the time Jake and Sheriff Zendt reached Fort Shaw. The flashes of lightning and thunder were getting closer and more frequent, but so far, no rain had fallen. Jake was sure that it wouldn’t hold off much longer. That would make the twenty-five-mile ride much more difficult, but he was determined to go.

  As they pulled up before the livery, Amos and Fred Stoker were already standing out front with big grins on their weathered faces.

  When they stepped down, Amos said, “Howdy, Jake. I see you brought the sheriff with ya.”

  “Howdy, Amos. I’m surprised that you remembered my name.”

  “We been talkin’ about Mars and Vulcan since you left. How come you’re ridin’ that handsome sorrel?”

  “I wanted to give Mars a rest.”

  Fred then asked, “Are you gonna leave ‘em with us, or are you headin’ north after that feller ridin’ the gray gelding?”

  Jake glanced at Sheriff Zendt before asking, “You saw him head to Woman’s Breast, or did he ride east on the road to Fort Benton?”

  Fred snickered before answering, “He started off ridin’ south, but Amos was out in the corral around sunset and spotted him
takin’ the road to the ghost town. His poor horses were on their last legs, but he kept pushin’ em. We figgered he was up to no good. So, are you gonna head that way before the storm hits or are you gonna leave your horses here and get a room at the hotel?”

  Jake didn’t give Arv a chance to answer Fred’s question when he quickly replied, “I’m going to head north. I’m pretty sure that he’s set up in one of those abandoned buildings. With the storm, he’ll be holed up somewhere and I’ll be able to surprise him in the dark.”

  Arv quickly said, “Jake, we should stick around and let that storm blow through. It could be nice and quiet in a few hours and we’ll both head up there in the dark. He’ll probably be sleeping.”

  Jake shook his head as he replied, “Even if the storm is a few miles east, the moon will be full or another one might follow soon after. I know it sounds like I’m out for vengeance, but I’m not. I want to take advantage of nature’s gift of the storm.”

  Arv looked at Amos and asked, “You don’t have any spare slickers around; do you?”

  “Nope. We got some old tarps you could use. You could probably buy one at the sutler’s.”

  Jake said, “Arv, it’s alright. Why don’t you just get a room at the hotel, have a good supper, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  The sheriff was about to order Jake to wait but when he looked at him, he suspected that Jake wanted to do this alone from the very start. He’d probably only asked him to come along to lessen Sara’s worries, so the storm was just an excuse.

  He finally nodded and said, “Okay, Jake. I’ll hold off on having breakfast until you show up. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  Jake shook the sheriff’s hand and said, “Thanks, Arv.”

  He then checked the sorrel’s legs and knew he’d be able to handle another three-hour ride.

  Before he mounted, Fred asked, “What did that feller do, anyway?”

  “He killed my parents then when he was escaping from Helena, he killed two of the deputies that were chasing him.”

  Amos whistled then said, “I’m kinda glad he didn’t stick around. I wonder how come we didn’t hear about it. They got a telegraph in the fort.”

  Sheriff Zendt replied, “They used to take care of enforcing the law a few years ago, but things are different now. When it’s a civilian matter, the army only gets involved if there aren’t any law officers in the area.”

  Jake mounted the sorrel then waved to the sheriff and the Stoker brothers before he turned his horse away from the livery.

  As Arv and the brothers watched Jake ride away, Amos said, “I hope he shoots that bastard. He shoulda treated them horses better.”

  Sheriff Zendt pulled his saddlebags and Winchester from his horse, then handed the reins to Fred before walking into town to get his hotel room. He thought he should feel guilty for letting Jake ride into the storm alone, but he didn’t. He just hoped that Jake was able to find his answer and share their belated breakfast tomorrow. What happened to Dave Forrest was almost irrelevant.

  _____

  Jake had donned his rain slicker then set the sorrel to a medium trot as the storm intensified. He wanted to get as close as possible to the ghost town before the heavy rains began. Then he’d have to slow his pace and if it was really bad, he’d have to keep the sorrel at a walk. The wind was whipping from the northwest but would shift suddenly to the north then back again seconds later. He hoped it didn’t spawn a large outbreak of tornadoes. He’d seen the damage they could do. He didn’t mind the rain as long as he didn’t spot a twister when the lightning lit up the sky.

  He’d been riding for almost ninety minutes when the first heavy drops began to fall. He dropped his head as the rain was blown into his face by the strong wind.

  The ground was still hard, so he kept the rapid pace to eke out as much distance as possible before having to slow.

  _____

  Jake was just three miles away as Dave hurriedly doused his fire and cleaned up after his supper. The wind was rattling the walls of the saddlery, the rain was drumming overhead, and thunderclaps were shaking the building with increasing regularity as flashes of lightning lit up the night.

  Dave needed to quickly move some of his things away from surprise leaks, but there weren’t as many as he’d expected. Once everything was in a dry spot, he walked to the back window to watch the storm. Nature was creating an impressive show that put most human plays to shame.

  He wasn’t expecting to see Jake so soon, but still watched the south road. As the lightning flashed overhead turning the dark landscape into day for just a moment, it generated an odd effect. As the cloud-to-cloud lightning’s frequency increased, he found it mesmerizing. Anything that moved was frozen in time until the next flash. Then it would be like a photograph for an instant but in a different position. Dave wondered what it would look like if a rider passed by at a gallop.

  _____

  Jake was leaning into the wind with his light gray Stetson’s brim being pushed down over his eyes. He knew he was close to Woman’s Breast but wasn’t sure how much farther he had to go. He had the sorrel at a walk now because the ground was becoming thick with mud. When a nearby lightning strike had released a massive explosion of thunder, the horse had been spooked and almost tossed him from the saddle. But he’d calmed the gelding and continued to ride north into the teeth of the storm.

  _____

  Dave was still at the window watching the storm more than the road. The roadway was being illuminated by the cloud lightning every two or three seconds now and he’s seen some awesome bolts rip down to the ground. It was so spectacular, that he almost wished that the storm would rage for another hour.

  He laughed as a massive thunderclap violently shook the building. He hadn’t seen the lightning that created the explosion because it must have been on the north side of town. He wished he had seen the massive bolt that had spawned the impressive roar.

  Dave was hoping to see one on his side of town when a rapid sequence of cloud flashes lit up the road. He stared at the unseen landscape as the darkness and rain now obscured what the lightning had momentarily revealed. He thought he’d seen a rider but wasn’t sure.

  He waited for the next flash of electricity in the sky to confirm the brief image. It seemed as if it was more than a minute before the next one, but it was just three seconds. When the cloud lightning flashed overhead, Dave was certain that he saw a rider about a half a mile away. He knew he wasn’t a lawman because he was alone and only Jake would face the ire of the massive thunderstorm to find him.

  He picked up the Martini-Henry, checked to make sure the hammer was cocked then watched the road.

  Jake didn’t know how close he was to the town as his vision was still blocked by his hat’s brim. He was more concerned that the sorrel might be startled again than he was about his location. He was convinced that Dave would be hunkered down inside one of the buildings and he’d find him before Dave even knew he was in town.

  Dave knew exactly where Jake was, but as he watched Jake walk his horse closer, everything seemed incredibly eerie. The lightning would reveal Jake on his horse fighting the wind and rain, but then he’d disappear. When he rematerialized, his appearance wouldn’t change, but he’d be another twenty yards closer.

  For more than a minute, Dave was mesmerized. Then he realized that he was losing his perfect opportunity. Jake was already less than four hundred yards out and well within range.

  The Martini-Henry’s hammer was ready to fire, so Dave decided to wait until Jake was within two hundred yards to be sure of a kill. Jake was moving at such a regular pace that he’d be able to set his sights to where he should be when the next lightning flashed.

  He continued to watch Jake as he drew closer with his steady but sporadically visible approach. When Jake was less than three hundred yards away, Dave set up for the killing shot.

  He slid the rifle’s barrel out the window and rested the forearm on the bottom sill to increase its accuracy. He knelt on
the floor and peered down the sights. This would be a much easier shot than those on the pass.

  With his finger on the trigger, he waited for that next flash of lightning to expose Jake. Two seconds later, the storm granted his wish.

  _____

  When the lightning struck it was so close that it seemed as if the sun had exploded nearby. The sorrel reared again, and Jake felt the powerful blast strike him on his left side. He was tossed out of the saddle and slammed into the muddy ground. He was stunned for a few seconds, then thought he’d been shot and grabbed at his side. He didn’t feel any blood but scrambled to his feet in the quagmire. His ears were still ringing as he walked towards his horse who was standing about twenty yards away. When another flash of lightning illuminated the landscape, he was startled to see the buildings just a couple of hundred yards away. He still didn’t think he’d been spotted, but the close call made him trot to the sorrel as fast as he dared. He quickly mounted and set the gelding to a fast trot to reach town and safety.

  He soon turned into Woman’s Breast and didn’t see light coming from any of the buildings, so if Dave was here, he didn’t have a fire going. Jake knew he might choose the place where Dave was hiding but decided it was a risk worth taking. So, he headed for the broken-down livery so the gelding could get some protection from the storm.

  He still scanned for any signs of Dave Forrest as he headed for the barn but didn’t find any evidence he was there.

  When he walked the gelding into the livery, Jake was grateful to be out of the rain and he was sure that the horse was pleased to be hidden from the lightning. But his gratitude was immediately replaced by fear when he spotted the gray gelding and another horse already in two of the stalls.

  He quickly stepped down and pulled his Colt in case Dave was staying with his horses. He walked slowly around the barn searching in the shadows, but it didn’t take long for him to relax. Dave wasn’t here, but he had to be somewhere in town.

  He didn’t unsaddle the sorrel but tied his reins to a post before stepping back to the front of the barn. The rain was still intense, but the wind seemed to have lessened. He stood there for more than a minute as he scanned the dark street. He didn’t want to stay in the barn waiting for Dave to retrieve his horses. He’d have to stay awake and alert, and he was already tired after the long ride. He had to find Dave’s hiding place now. Then he remembered the town’s only resident.