A Pair of Second Chances (Ben Jensen Series Book 1)

by Brian Gore

  Tyrone looked back and said with the grin of a coyote; "Yeah mahn, we gon' go talk to the man."

  Chapter 24

  Amanda and Timmy were sitting at the table, eating their own breakfast when he came in. It made the old cowboy feel pretty good when the little boy's eyes lit up and the grin split his face when he looked over his shoulder and saw Ben, as he came through the door.

  He walked over and tousled the kid's hair, telling him; "Gonna eat your momma into poverty ain't ya boy?"

  "What's pa-fer-tee?" Timmy wanted to know.

  Ben pulled up a chair next to the boy as Amanda got up and poured him a fresh cup of coffee.

  "Well kid, it's like this. Any time you don't have what you want, and most people think, is their God given right to have, that there, is what they call poverty!"

  "I want chocolate milk!" Timmy grinned back at him.

  "Well boy, I think you must be rich then, 'cause we got us a whole gallon of it I think!"

  "You need to finish your eggs before you get any more chocolate milk Mr.!" Amanda laughed at him.

  "You doin' Ok here Amanda?" Ben asked.

  "Yeah, we are. It feels... good here. I feel... good." she smiled at him as she spoke. "Why do you ask?"

  "Well, I... uh... I left those horses standing in the corral. I gotta get back there and take care of 'em. Get 'em hauled down to the stock yards... to the sale barn. Might take me a day or two."

  "Damn it. I thought we'd settled that. You don't have to sell those horses Ben."

  "I know, I know... but Amanda, I just can't get comfortable with you doin' that." he told her.

  "Well, tough! Get over it!" Amanda exclaimed in reply. "I'm not too comfortable with what you've been doing for me either, but, I'm dealing with it, one way or another, aren't I? You can just swallow your pride this one time, tough nut! and let me carry my own weight a little. Got it?"

  "Well... uh... if you put it that way, I don't have much choice, do I?" Ben smiled at her and lifted his cup.

  "No Sir, you don't!" Amanda smiled back. "But, you still have to go take care of those horses, right?"

  "Yeah I do. I shoved enough hay into the bunks before we pulled out to hold 'em through most of today maybe. But, it won't do 'em any good to stand around in that pen. I need to at least get back and turn 'em out on one of the pastures."

  "Go then and do that. We'll be fine right here. You might want to pick up some groceries on your way back, unless you'd rather I run back into town and do it."

  "No, it's better if I do that shopping for a bit." Ben said. "Better you get seen around here, as little as we can manage. I don't see how they could find us here, but you never know who's watchin' where... so you guys just sit tight here... and don't go walkin' off in the woods too far neither. There's some big bears in this country. You'd do better to stay shy of them too!"

  "Bears are here?" Timmy asked wide eyed, head swiveling to look around,.

  "Yeah rooster." Ben wrapped his arms around the boy, and tickled his sides with both hands as he teased; "Great big droolin' bears that'd gooble up a lil' snack like you in no time!"

  Timmy's squeals of laughter brought tears to Amanda's eyes, so she turned to the sink busying herself with the morning dishes, so the boys couldn't see.

  As she worked at her morning chores she commented over her shoulder to Ben; "Since you're going back there, and we don't really know, you know, what's going to happen... you should take that money now, and give it to the bank. At least that will be settled."

  Ben sat at the table and looked at her back. She rested her hands on the counter top, waiting on his reply; expecting more resistance.

  "Maybe" he said. "You should know, I still don't like it. Not one little bit."

  "Poor abused little boy. The nasty girl hurt your feelings and saved your ranch!" Amanda looked back over her shoulder at him wondering if she'd pushed her teasing a little too far.

  From the look he was giving her she thought it likely that he'd not be passing up the opportunity for a little payback if it ever presented. But, he took the jab silently... well, mostly silently. He just looked at her and sniffed, wiping away imaginary tears with a finger, and then made the motion of stabbing a knife through his heart, grinning.

  "When are you leaving?" She asked.

  "After lunch will be soon enough." He replied. "How'd you guys like to go for a walk in Montana before I go?"

  "Can we see bears?!" Timmy giggled.

  "You bet ya midget devil, and we'll feed you to 'em!" Ben exclaimed amidst another round of tickling, and squealing laughter from Timmy.

  The three set off west across the meadow, up a trail that led toward a point a mile or two from the lodge. From there, they looked out over a vast panorama of mountains. Ben had taken his binoculars from his old truck, and slung them over his shoulder, just in case. He and Amanda talked quietly as Timmy ran giggling and hooting ahead of them.

  At one point, when Ben had raised his hand and pointed at her while answering a teasing question, she'd grabbed his hand, giggling at him. When he kept a grip on hers, as she went to pull it back, she didn't resist.

  In a short while they walked out on that high point that overlooked miles of mountains and meadows. Timmy was already standing there, even the little boy was awed by what he saw.

  "Look Momma! Mon-ta-na!" he told her... pointing his small finger at the view.

  "Oh Ben. It's... magnificent!"

  "Nah, the boy's right, that's just Montana!" he smiled.

  Amanda turned to him and grinning, punched him in the shoulder. To defend himself he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

  He could feel her body, the heat of it, pressing against his chest. He looked down at her, the blue eyes... that seemed to see right through him... and almost...

  Suddenly self conscious he released her and stepped back, clearing his throat, and reaching up to scratch his neck said; "Well little guy, wha'cha think of Montana?"

  "I like it" the boy giggled. "Where's the bears?"

  "Well let's take a look!" Ben laughed and kneeling beside the boy, unslung the binoculars from his shoulder. He put the glasses to his eyes and scanned the meadows and tree lines within his view.

  "I'll be damned. You're in luck Tim ol' boy... there's a big ol' bruin straight across there... just outside the trees. Here, take a look!"

  Ben pulled the youngster around in front of him, and putting his arms around him held the heavy binoculars up to his eyes, after folding them a bit at the hinge so they'd fit his small face.

  "Can you see him?" Ben asked.

  "No... No... not yet." Timmy answered.

  "Let's see here... Keep looking..." Ben tried to get the field glasses looking in the right direction, until finally the little boy squealed in delight; "I see it, I see the bear momma!"

  He was jumping up and down and carrying on so, Ben almost dropped the glasses.

  "Let's let your Mom have a look Ok?" Ben asked and stood up to hand the glasses to Amanda.

  Their fingers touched as he handed the binoculars to her, he hesitated a second, had she too? But she took the glasses and putting them to her eyes exclaimed; "Oh wow! He's beautiful!" she pulled the glasses from her eyes for a second to look at Ben, and then returning to the binoculars to look again, repeated; "Oh wow!"

  "How big is he?" she asked, looking at Ben again.

  He reached for the binoculars and Amanda handed them to him. Looking though them again and studying the bear for several seconds he said; "Hard to tell from this far, but he's not a small guy. He might go as much as 900 lbs or so."

  Kneeling back down he gave the giggling Timmy another look, as he looked up at the boy's mother, and she held his gaze.

  Ben got back to his feet; "aha, yeah, well, we should... uh... I need to get back" He gestured, poking over his shoulder with his thumb, and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a long way back to the ranch and I should really get going."

  Amanda, very quiet, took Timmy
's hand with her left; "Lead the way Mr. Jensen." and then took his hand in her right.

  That was the longest and the shortest walk Ben Jensen had ever taken. It scared him to death and he wanted to run, and at the same time wanted it to never end. Tangled, disjointed thoughts tumbled around in his head; "What the hell was goin' on?" and, "What the hell do you think you're doin' ya old fool! Gettin' all turned around by this gal wasn't gonna help her out at all!", were amongst the many.

  But that boy, he just rattled the whole time they walked through the woods. It seemed to Ben, the way he was carrying on, that seeing that bear, nearly a half a mile away, was just about the highlight of that little guys young life.

  When they got back to the Lodge Ben checked that everything had been unloaded from the truck; that he had the number to the cell phone he'd bought in Butte, and that she had his.

  "Seems odd I know, that the damn things work, way out here, but the way it turns out, there's a straight shot back down the valley to a tower that's near Choteau. It's a long ways and the service isn't good, but it's there." he told Amanda.

  Ready to go he climbed into his old truck, but before he could shut the door, Amanda stepped up to him, grabbed his face in both hands and planted a kiss on his lips.

  Not a, kiss-your-aunt-and-say-good-bye, sort of kiss; more of a, stop your heart and make your eyes cross, hard on the lips, woman telling a man he's a man, sort of a kiss.

  She leaned back, still holding his face and said; "Thank you Ben Jensen, Thank you more than I can ever say. You be safe." Then, she released her hold, backed up and closed the door.

  Backing away with her right arm across her chest, hand on her shoulder, she waved slightly with her other hand and told him; "Be careful Ben." and then, as he started to back out, hollered as she ran for the Lodge; "Wait!"

  Ben sat in the idling truck for a couple minutes wondering what she was doing when she came running out with a plastic grocery sack that seemed pretty full.

  "What's that?" He asked. "I don't need any food, I'll eat at a cafe."

  "It's the mortgage money trickster! You thought you could leave without it huh?" She laughed as she handed him the sack through the window. Before he could react she leaned in and gave him another quick kiss on the cheek. "Come Back." she whispered.

  Startled again, he could only reply; "I will" as he backed up, shoved the grinding old transmission into gear and drove away.

  To get home to the ranch was two hundred and sixty seven miles from Choteau to Columbus with another twenty five or so of back road thrown on top at each end. As long as the old truck kept on getting older he'd make it in maybe six hours.

  He'd turn the horses back out and then run on back into Columbus to spend the night. He thought there'd be no one around just yet looking, but he also knew that one day, someone would be. Without even A.H. there to alert him to intruders, he thought it a poor idea to stay at the ranch.

  First thing in the morning he'd stop in at the bank and do his best to shock a couple of years off of Ol' Linus's life.

  That gave him nearly twenty four hours to come up with some sort of a story for where the money came from. He damn sure couldn't tell the truth. Maybe, a bald faced lie was the best choice. Tell 'em something they knew was a story, and knew he knew they knew. Sorta keep ever'body honest!

  Ben smoked the old rig down the highway, giving it a modest amount of consideration, and keeping his speed under sixty. With only an early supper stop as he ran though Columbus going south, and grateful that no one he knew cornered him to question him about what he was up to, he was in the ranch yard by six thirty.

  He found pretty much what he'd expected. The door jamb of the cabin was splintered. "Dumb Bastards" he muttered. "Didn't even try the knob. Why would anyone lock up a hole like this?" he laughed.

  The horses acted restless as he walked over to the corral and crawled through the rails. There wasn't a wisp of grass left in the bunks when he looked in as he walked across the pen. He apologized to the horses as he walked through the corral to the gate on the far side. It opened into what he called his 'hill pasture', a section of lush, level creek bottom land that ran up into the foothills to the west.

  Low ground that was soggy and wet in the spring with the run off, this time of year his meadow grass was tall and still green, where out on the higher range the grass had long since browned off.

  "Oh quit your bellyachin'. You can't have used it up that long ago. Ya'll act like I left you standing here a week. I fed you girls two days worth, yesterday noon! You're nothing but a bunch O' hogs!"

  Ben swung the gate on the back side of the corral, releasing the more than four dozen horses, counting the colts; that streamed out into the grass, the young colts bucking and kicking in their excitement.

  He looked down at his boots and thanked the boss for the good fortune he'd blundered into that let him keep his horses; and then laughed at himself; What sort of a man would call getting into the lethal mess he was in, "good fortune"?

  Ben watched his herd for some minutes. Satisfied that they were square and all was good, he climbed back into the pickup, and headed for Columbus.

  Chapter 25

  He walked into the lobby of the motel 6 in town, absent mindedly wondering where the 'escapee' from the ambush had holed up, when the clerk called out to him; "Ben Jensen! What the hell are you doin' here! Finally come to your senses?"

  Ben looked up to see Eileen Davidson behind the counter. A good looking woman, she'd been after him nearly since Ellen had passed. Not that she offended him in any way, and any man would agree, her looks would stir a man's blood. It was just that she was a little too bold about it, in front of other folks, for his taste. Though, there was that one drunken night a year or so ago, when everyone in the bar agreed he was way too drunk to be allowed to drive himself home and took his keys...

  "Uh... hello Eileen. I'm gettin' new carpets put down in the cabin so I thought I'd spend the night in town while all the furniture is moved out of the way!" he told her.

  "Right. Takes a long time to move one bunk, a card table and two rickety chairs, don't it?" she smirked at him. "And everyone agrees cowboys are well known for interior decorating the rat hole cabins they live in."

  "Don't I know it" Ben replied rolling his eyes at her. That she knew the inside of his cabin enough to tease him about it was a truth he'd never admit to anyone.

  As he was signing the registration ticket and handing her the cash for his room she mentioned; "I'm off at 10:30 tonight Ben, if you'd like to go get a drink... or... maybe you'd like me to just bring one up? I know where you live" she laughed as she shook the key in her hand.

  "Now you know me Eileen. Free as the wind. It just wouldn't be fair to you to go starting something, now would it?"

  "A little late to be worryin' 'bout that startin' part, now ain't it?" she smirked; "And anyway, you can be 'unfair' to me any time you want to finish what you started cowboy."

  Ben just looked at her, uncomfortable with her boldness. Yet, still feeling that... hunger she was good at stimulating... He turned to the door and shook his head cursing himself; "You better get a grip you damn fool. You're already in way over your head."

  He opened the door to go outside and stopped to say; "I'll talk to you later Eileen. I'm a strong man, but you know, even I'm not proof against the wiles of a beautiful woman. I better run while I can!" then stepped out the door.

  "Slick, you stupid old bastard. Try to be nice and end up leadin' the poor woman on. Why couldn't you just say, Not tonight Eileen. Sorry but No Eileen. I'm no good for you Eileen, you deserve better! No, you gotta go tellin' her that even you can't resist her. Stupid ass monkey that's what you are. Thinkin' with your little head, 'stead of the one between your ears, just like all those fools down the street in the bar. What the hell is wrong with you?" he cursed himself all the way to his room.

  Once inside, he put his gear bag on the bed and stripped down to take a long hot shower. After he'd shaved and put on c
lean clothes he felt so much better he thought he'd take a walk. He hadn't done that, just walked down the street, since before... yeah, it had been a long time.

  Ben was about to walk out of the room when he glanced back and saw the grocery bag on the bed beside his gear bag. He walked back to the bed and stuffed the money sack, under the clothes in his bag, zipped it closed before he dropped it on the floor and kicked it under the bed with his foot. A little more satisfied, he went back to the door, and stepped outside for his walk.

  Just up the street, in the middle of the next block was the bar he frequented when he was in town. What the hell he thought. I'm a free man, and I'm not drivin' anywhere he smirked to himself; and hell, I've not had a drop of anything but coffee in near on to a week! Feeling in his pocket, he felt the thick roll he'd recently acquired. "And, I'm flush to boot!" With that decided, Ben strode off, walking in the odd, wobbling gait of a bowlegged horseman.

  A couple minutes later he pulled the door open and stepped inside Mickey's, a run of the mill, standard, Montana Honky Tonk. Half a dozen locals sat at the long bar nursing their beers. A well equipped waitress hunting tips, in shorts and a too tight tank top was waiting on the few tables that held patrons this early in the evening. The brunette haired beauty was careful to make sure she bent over just far enough, each time she wiped off a table, or set down a drink, that her scoop necked top teased her customers sufficiently enough to generate improved tips.

  Ben smiled as he stepped up and took his usual place beside the waitress station at the end of the bar.

  The brunette came by with her tray and an order from two tables for their latest round of drinks.

  "Hey Ben, where you been hiding yourself?" She patted his thigh. "People were starting to claim you'd got religion!"