Jake

by C. J. Petit

  “I doubt if that will ever happen. Kay should be back in an hour or so. Do you want to wait?”

  Sara replied, “No. We’ll head over to my parents’ house. Her gift is tied out front and won’t mind waiting.”

  “You brought her a horse?”

  “She asked Jake for one after he gave one to each of my brothers and a very handsome black gelding to me.”

  Hanna smiled at Jake and said, “I’m sure she’ll be very grateful.”

  Sara took Jake’s arm and said, “I’m sure she’ll thank him every second that she spends in the saddle.”

  Before Jake could say anything more, she spun him around and escorted him quickly out of the house.

  After they mounted, Jake said, “She seems very nice. Do you know how old she is?”

  As she turned Vulcan back toward the main street, she replied, “She’s sixteen. Are you already looking to replace me with a younger woman, sir?”

  “No, ma’am. You’re irreplaceable. I was just wondering how long she’d keep the job. I assume that both Emmett and Orville already know her.”

  “They do, but I don’t believe either of their current girlfriends would allow them to stray.”

  They turned left at the intersection and Jake said, “You never know, Sara. Young men are fickle. They fall for pretty faces and impressive Tetons before they even know the girl.”

  Sara laughed then said, “You probably understand that better than most men, young or old. I’m just very lucky that Kay wanted more than just a handsome, virile young man. She wanted a comfortable future with a husband who could hire a nanny.”

  “Well, because you didn’t care about comfort, Mrs. Elliott, you married a man who is prepared to satisfy all of your desires.”

  “You know what I desire above everything else, Mister Elliott. And you’ve already given it to me.”

  Jake was smiling as they turned right on Fourth Street and soon pulled up before #26.

  When they stepped onto the porch, Jake didn’t bother raising his hand to knock on the door but let Sara enter and walked in behind her into the foyer.

  He heard Kay loudly ask, “Is that you, Papa?”

  Sara replied, “No, Kay. It’s me and Jake. Is mama here?”

  Jake was removing his hat as he and Sara stepped into the main room and Sara’s mother answered, “Of course, I’m here, Mrs. Elliott.”

  When her mother was close, Sara kissed her on the cheek then gave Kay a quick peck before saying, “Why don’t you both sit back down. We have a lot to tell you.”

  Kay quickly asked, “You aren’t pregnant already; are you?”

  Sara laughed as she guided Jake to the couch and replied, “It’s not from lack of trying, Kay. But it’s still too early to tell. We haven’t been married very long and my new husband hasn’t spent that much of our married life at home. That’s what we stopped by to tell you.”

  After Jake and Sara sat on the couch, Jake began his story. He didn’t include as many details as he had when he’d told the sheriff or the hands, nor did he expand on the eerie lightning strike. He just said that Dave had been hit by the bolt without mentioning the rifle.

  Both Kay and Mrs. Smith still had many questions before Jake remembered the gray gelding that they’d left tied up before Kay’s house.

  “Oh. Before I forget, Kay, we left a gift for you at the house. Well, actually it’s in front of the house. I remembered that you asked me for a horse, so I brought a handsome young gelding with us.”

  Kay smiled, then stood and walked across the room and kissed Jake on the cheek. Jake assumed she had avoided his lips because of Sara’s intense blue eyes.

  “Thank you, Jake. I’m going to have to learn to ride again, but I’m sure it will be worth it.”

  Jake smiled and replied, “You’re welcome, Kay.”

  Sara then stood and pulled Jake to his feet as she said, “We’ll let you pass along the news. I need to get my husband home and make him some lunch.”

  She didn’t wait for her mother to offer to feed them before tugging Jake across the room to the foyer. Jake just waggled his fingers at Kay and her mother as he left the room.

  Once they’d left Fort Benton behind, Sara looked at Jake and said, “I can’t believe Kay would still behave that way.”

  Jake was confused and asked, “What way? All she did was peck me on the cheek. I thought she might really kiss me, but I figured that she didn’t want to face your wrath.”

  “You didn’t notice?”

  “Notice what? I must have missed it.”

  Sara stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “I am impressed, Mister Elliott. Just before she stood to cross the room, she popped open the top button of her blouse. That was why I was glaring at her. When she leaned forward to give you that peck on the cheek, you should have noticed the deep valley between her Teton Mountains.”

  Jake honestly hadn’t noticed because he was looking at Sara when she stood, then as she approached, he was focused on Sara’s eyes.

  He grinned as he shook his head and said, “I imagine she’s disappointed that I didn’t even look. I guess Homer isn’t up to snuff.”

  “Probably not, but I’m not complaining.”

  “I’ll never give you a reason to complain, Sara.”

  Sara smiled at him knowing that he never would.

  _____

  Life on the Elk returned to a routine for two days. Jake and Sara made the most of their time together without any threats hanging over their heads.

  Then around ten o’clock on a bright Wednesday morning, Sheriff Arv Zendt rode down the access road.

  Jake was in the corral talking to Bill Jackson about the remuda when he spotted the sheriff and felt a slight twist in his stomach. This couldn’t be good news.

  Jake said, “I’ll be right back, Bill,” before climbing over the corral’s fence and jogging toward the front of the house.

  Sheriff Zendt spotted Jake and turned his sorrel in that direction. He pulled his new horse to a stop and stepped down just before Jake reached him.

  “What’s wrong, Arv?” Jake asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

  Arv’s serious face made Jake even more nervous as reached into his pocket and pulled out a telegram.

  He said, “This concerns your foreman.”

  Jake blinked then said, “Don’t tell me that he didn’t murder my parents after all and that he hadn’t been the one who’d killed those deputies.”

  The sheriff shook his head as he replied, “Not Forrest. This concerns Jack Parker.”

  Jake closed his eyes and blew out a long breath. He’d been so wrong about Dave Forrest and thought he’d made a good choice in his replacement. He was beginning to doubt that he’d ever be able to understand anyone.

  When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the sheriff grinning at him.

  Arv laughed then said, “Sorry, Jake. I was just having a bit of fun. I sent a telegram to Sheriff Jefferson a few days ago to let him know that Dave Forrest was dead. I told you that I’d ask him about R.L. Kemper, so I included it in that telegram. After I received his reply, I had to talk to Mrs. Kemper to verify something before I replied to Pat Jefferson.”

  Jake looked at Arv for a few seconds before opening the telegram.

  As he read the long message, a smile formed on his lips.

  When he finished reading, he asked, “And Maggie confirmed that scar?”

  “Yup. She said he got it when he was mad because he claimed she had overcooked his steak then grabbed the hot skillet with his bare hand. It left a nasty scar across his palm and the backs of his fingers.”

  “Do you want to come along when I break the news to Jack?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “I want to bring Sara along, so let’s cut through the house.”

  As they walked to the house, Jake told the sheriff that Kay was now the proud owner of the gray gelding and Arv thanked him again for the sorrel.

  When t
hey entered the house, Jake wasn’t surprised to find Sara standing near the door with her arms folded.

  “I watched you two out front and I have to admit that it was an interesting couple of minutes. What news did you bring, Sheriff?”

  Before the sheriff could say anything, Jake handed her the telegram and let the written words answer her question.

  Sara laughed as she handed it back to Jake then asked, “Are you going to tell Jack now?”

  “We are. I wanted you to come along. I think he’s still in his house fixing a problem with the kitchen pump.”

  She took his hand before they left the house and turned left to make the short walk to the foreman’s house.

  The meeting with Jack Parker was as good as they had expected and ended when Jack snatched the telegram and raced from the house without finishing his pump repair.

  Even Jake didn’t know how excited Jack would be until he saw his foreman grab a halter, quickly put it on the horse closest to the corral gate, then mount bareback. He churned up a giant dust cloud as he raced down the access road and soon disappeared as he galloped into Fort Benton.

  Jake and Sara were both grinning as the sheriff turned and said, “I’m glad he didn’t take my new sorrel. I reckon he won’t be living alone much longer now that Mrs. Benton is officially a widow.”

  Jake said, “He shouldn’t have accused the dealer of cheating. He probably was, but he should have just it go and walked away. Pulling a derringer wasn’t very smart.”

  “Nope. Pat Jefferson said he’d box up all of Mister Benton’s belongings and ship them up here.”

  Sara said, “I don’t think Maggie cares if they burned them all with him. I’m just happy knowing that I’ll have another woman on the ranch to share gossip about my husband.”

  As they walked back to the ranch house, Jake said, “I was already thinking of telling the other men that if they wanted to get married, we’d build houses for them, too. We have the money for it, and we could have our own community. What do you think?”

  Sara squeezed his arm as she said, “I have a very smart husband.”

  _____

  Jack didn’t return until almost suppertime and stopped at the big house to tell the boss that he and Maggie were going to be married next week. She had already received offers for the bakery before the news of her late husband’s demise. So, it wouldn’t be long before she was out of the bakery business altogether.

  Jake told his foreman to pass along the word that his father’s restrictions about marriage were gone and that they’d build small houses for each of them who decided to bring a wife onto the Elk. Not surprisingly, Jack asked if the foreman could have one of the new ones, and Jake had assured him that he could. He told him he’d have construction started even before another ranch hand accepted his offer to marry.

  _____

  Not surprisingly, even before the first house had its site selected, Jake was approached by the first non-foreman to ask his permission to marry. What was surprising was who had hesitatingly knocked on the front door. Big Tom McCallister had been sweet on Mrs. Elvira Winters, a widow who attended his church. She had three young children who were regulars at Tom’s Bible classes, so he wasn’t sure that Jake would want to have the children come to the ranch.

  After Jake told Tom that he most certainly could marry the widow and bring her children to the ranch as soon as he had another house built, Big Tom bear-hugged him. Jake wasn’t a small man but thought the blacksmith might have broken some ribs before he slammed Jake on the shoulder and danced away.

  _____

  Jack’s new house was under construction when Colt Hipper asked permission, so Jake decided to have them build another four houses using the same blueprints to save time. He let Sara order the furniture and other necessities.

  The day after Colt’s visit, Jake and Sara were about to have lunch when someone else arrived at the front door.

  When they heard the knock, Jake sighed then smiled at Sara and asked, “I wonder who wants to get married today?”

  Sara just smiled back as Jake left the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway. She had her own guess who would be waiting on the other side of the door but was wrong. The visitor wasn’t another ranch hand asking the boss’ permission to marry.

  Jake opened the door and asked, “What can I do for you, Isiah?”

  The mortician replied, “I just wanted to let you know that we placed the two memorial stones.”

  “Was that cost included in your first bill?”

  “It was. I just wanted to tell you.”

  Jake shook his hand and said, “Thank you, Isiah. I hope we don’t need to give you any more business for a few years.”

  Isiah grinned and replied, “I understand. Good day, Jake.”

  Jake waved as the mortician turned and left the porch. Jake closed the door and walked back to the kitchen to finish his lunch.

  As he sat down, Sara said, “I’d totally forgotten about them.”

  “So, did I. I’ll pay a visit to the cemetery in a little while to make sure they’re what I wrote.”

  “Do you want me to come along?”

  “You’re an Elliott now, Sara.”

  “I am. And I couldn’t imagine not being Mrs. Jake Elliott.”

  Jake leaned over and kissed her before he returned to finish his lunch.

  _____

  An hour later, Jake and Sara left the house and walked hand-in-hand to the family cemetery. As they made their way to the small graveyard, Jake began to regret the wording he’d given to Isiah for his father’s marker and the vague change he’d ordered for his mother’s. After the lightning event in Woman’s Breast, Jake wondered if he shouldn’t have added another word or two to both stones. But it was too late now, and he wasn’t about to order another modification.

  He opened the gate to let Sara enter then followed her inside. He removed his gray Stetson adorned with his father’s elk band before they stepped closer to the graves.

  When Jake looked at his father’s marker, he was surprised. The stonemason must have decided that his instructions were too bland and ignored them. Then he looked at his mother’s stone and saw another change that he hadn’t ordered.

  Sara looked up at him and said, “I’m sure that your parents are very happy with what you had them carve into the stones.”

  Jake didn’t answer but stared at his father’s headstone. He had directed that the stone be carved with his name, birth and death dates and then simply ‘husband and father’. It was an ambiguous way of not claiming that his father loved him at all and that he wasn’t convinced that his father loved his mother. On his mother’s stone, he had just added ‘and wife’ for the same reason. But that’s not what he read.

  His mother’s altered headstone read:

  Rose Anne Elliott

  Apr 21, 1841 ~ July 2, 1881

  Beloved Mother

  And Cherished Wife

  His father’s marker read:

  Chester J. Elliott

  Feb 11, 1839 ~ July 2, 1881

  Beloved Husband

  And Proud Father

  Jake quietly said, “The stonemason must have made a mistake. That’s not what I wrote in my instructions. He…”

  He stopped in mid-sentence without understanding why.

  Sara had expected him to say more, but when he stopped speaking, she didn’t ask what had made him pause. She was sure that he’d tell her after they left the cemetery.

  As Jake continued to study his father’s gravestone, he had the same eerie feeling he’d experienced when the sheriff mentioned the spooky manner of Dave Forrest’s death.

  He then took Sara’s hand and said, “I think we can return now.”

  After they passed through the open gateway, Jake closed it then pulled on his hat.

  They walked slowly back to the house and neither said a word until they had entered the kitchen.

  After they sat down, Jake said, “I don’t understand how they could have made such
a mistake, Sara.”

  “What mistake?”

  “The stonemason didn’t carve what I had written on my instructions. He added one word to my mother’s stone and two to my father’s. On my mother’s I had written ‘and wife’ and on my father’s I’d requested just ‘husband and father’. At the time, I believed that my father didn’t really love my mother. I wanted to leave it off the stone because…well, I just didn’t want it on there.”

  “But now it reads ‘beloved husband and proud father’ on your father’s stone and ‘cherished wife’ on your mother’s.”

  Jake nodded but didn’t answer as he tried to rationalize how Isiah or the stonemason had taken the liberty to change what he’d ordered.

  Sara took his hand and waited until he looked at her before saying, “I still think it’s beautiful, Jake.”

  “The next time we go into town, I’ll stop by the mortuary and ask to see the instructions I gave to Isiah.”

  “I think that you should just accept it and let it go. What if you do get a chance to read your instructions and find that they matched what had been carved into the granite?”

  Jake shook his head as he said, “I know what I wrote, Sara. I just want to read it then ask Isiah why they had added the words.”

  “I don’t think you should, Jake.”

  “Why not?”

  “What if you look at those instructions and find that they are no longer written in your hand, but your father’s?”

  Jake looked at Sara and thought she might be just trying to make him see how silly it would be to ask Isiah about the unexpected change. But, as usual, he couldn’t understand why she’d asked the question. He continued to stare at her unblinking blue eyes for another thirty seconds. Then he decided that even though it was impossible for those instructions to be in anyone else’s hand but his own, it didn’t matter. She was right that what was permanently etched into the stone was all that did.

  He smiled and said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. Besides, Isiah probably already burned my instructions. I’ll just let it go, Sara. It can be as big a mystery as the one I found in the saddlery in Woman’s Breast.”

  “It could be worse, you know.”

  Jake rolled his eyes before asking, “How on earth could it be any more bizarre?”