Twenty

“You care to explain that story about being attacked by a bear?” Lloyd asked Jake as he lit a cigarette.

The men sat in chairs on the veranda, letting their big breakfast settle.

Jake stretched his long legs and leaned back in the chair. “I’m not supposed to tell. Sadie Mae wants it to be a secret.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Truth be told, that kid snuck out a window and went to the chicken coop long before I got there. She fell, and I found her bawling her eyes out next to a pile of broken eggs, her nightgown a mess, and she was so upset she’d wet herself. I made her promise never to do that again, then made up a big story about the whole thing and told her Evie would never find out she’d snuck out of the house. I helped her clean up and gave her my shirt to wear for a bit. That’s when I picked her up and she noticed my scars. If it wasn’t so hot, I would have had an undershirt on.” He paused to smoke, hating to talk about his back. “I sure as hell couldn’t tell her the ugly truth.”

Lloyd smoked quietly as they listened to the women talk and laugh. Jake took a cigarette from his pocket. “Your mother’s laughter is a nice sound.”

“Yeah.” Lloyd rested his elbows on his knees, glancing at his father, who still sat with his head back and his eyes closed while he smoked. “What happened?”

“Too personal.”

Lloyd nodded. “Well, then, do you think it’s for real? That it will last?”

Jake sighed deeply. “Who knows? I’d like to think it will. I can feel her moods and when she’s telling the truth, and I really think she’s telling the truth when she says she’s putting last winter behind her.” He thought he heard Randy say something about “none of your business” to Katie and Evie, and he grinned. Brian came out onto the veranda. He stood at a railing and watched some of the men at a distant corral, who were observing another break a wild horse.

“May I join this conversation?” he asked Lloyd and Jake.

“Of course you can,” Jake told him, “as long as you don’t ask me to give away Sadie Mae’s secret.”

Brian grinned and faced them. “Jake, once my children become old enough to know their grandfather, I might as well give up as far as fatherly discipline. They hang on every move you make and every word you say, God help them.”

Jake straightened, grinning back. “I know I’m not the best example for how to live your life, but they know Grandpa loves them. I’d jump in front of a train for any one of them.”

Brian nodded, lifting a cup of coffee to his lips. “You sure would.” He drank some coffee. “And I personally don’t think they could ask for a better grandfather or a better example of love.”

“Well, the grandsons have seen the ugly side. Let’s hope none of the girls ever will. The fact that my blood runs in their veins scares me to death.”

Brian folded his arms. “It’s good blood—tough blood. And speaking of the ugly side, what’s this thing about you cussing a blue streak in the henhouse with Sadie Mae standing right outside?”

Jake laughed. “Damn hens. Randy told me they could peck and scratch a person to death. I found that out. Reminds me of a few women I’ve known.”

The three of them laughed.

“I honestly can’t believe you didn’t kill a couple of those hens,” Lloyd told Jake.

“Hell, if Sadie Mae hadn’t been around, I would have.”

Brian grinned, studying his father-in-law. “What happened to Randy? I’ve never seen her more like her old self…and I’ve never seen her eat like she did this morning. The woman was absolutely glowing, and talk about being full of vinegar again…” He shook his head. “Do you think it’s that tonic?”

Jake took another drag on his cigarette and ran a hand through his hair. “No. She hasn’t even taken any the last couple of days. It made her a little sick. I told her she should eat better instead.”

“And that’s it?” Brian asked. “We’ve all been telling her that for months.”

Jake smiled. “We had a good talk and came to an understanding, you might say. The rest is too personal.”

“Well, leave it to you to charm a woman back to her old self. And by the way, have you checked that wound this morning? Do you need me to change the bandages?”

“It’s all right. Randy fixed it up last night. There wasn’t any fresh bleeding.”

“Good. I’m getting a little tired of patching you up.”

Jake grinned. “I’m getting tired of being patched up. Let’s hope these are my last stitches.”

“Knowing you, that will be a miracle,” Lloyd answered. He got to his feet as the three men watched a motorized buggy coming down the distant hill toward the homestead.

“What the hell?” Jake muttered. He walked into the house to take down his guns from over the door. “We have company, ladies. Stay inside with the kids until we know who it is.” He drew both guns from their holsters and walked outside, handing one to Lloyd. They’d learned long ago to always be wary of approaching strangers.

The noisy roadster approached, puffing dark smoke out the back end, one of the J&L men riding beside it. The vehicle backfired, and the ranch hand’s horse reared, nearly throwing him off. The men laughed, and all the noise brought the entire family to a big front window to watch. The man on the horse was shouting a string of curses they could hear all the way to the house as he tried to keep the startled horse under control.

“That’s Vance,” Lloyd told them, “but I don’t know who those three men are in that damn contraption.”

“Those things are a nuisance,” Jake grumbled. “Give me a horse any day.”

“How did they get here so early in the day?” Brian wondered. “When Billy Porter brings the mail by horse, he doesn’t get here till almost evening. Takes a long time to ride across the J&L, let alone coming from Brighton…a good two days all together. They must have camped overnight somewhere.”

“I suppose it takes less time in one of those contraptions, because you don’t have to stop and rest and water it,” Lloyd suggested. “I guess they have their good points.”

“I have no interest,” Jake said, lighting another cigarette.

Some of the men who’d been at the corral walked toward the house, curious. Visitors to the remote ranch were always cause for excitement. Even the twice-a-week mail delivery was exciting.

The arrival of what people were beginning to call an automobile was too exciting for the boys to stay under control. They barged through the screen door.

“Stay behind me,” Jake ordered them. “Never be too anxious to greet a visitor, but be cordial once you know who it is.”

The women came out next, leaving the babies inside and telling the little girls they could watch out the window. Randy hurried over to Jake’s side, and Jake moved an arm around her, sensing a hint of the old fear. “Jake, you aren’t in trouble, are you?”

“No. It’s okay.” He kissed her hair, secretly slightly alarmed. The men looked a bit too official. He knew a lawman when he saw one, and though these men wore suits and bowler hats, they were lawmen.

“They’re wearing badges, Pa,” Lloyd told him.

“I see it.”

“Jake!” Randy moved an arm around his back.

“Relax. Boulder citizens asked me to be their new sheriff, remember? I’m not in any trouble.” Unless by some horrible coincidence they’re here to ask about Brad Buckley.

The chugging buggy finally reached the house, Vance riding up behind it. “Jake, these are Pinkerton men, here to see you,” he said with a scowl. “I ain’t real happy about that damn contraption they’re driving, but I had to show them in.”

The ranch hands moved closer to stare at the visitors as they disembarked from the odd vehicle.

One of them spoke up. “We’re here to speak with Jake Harkner.”

Jake gave Randy a squeeze and left her to greet the men. “Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”

“Ah, you look exactly the way I pictured you, Mr. Harkner!” one of them told him, coming up the steps and putting out his hand. “Tall and mean-looking and, as the women put it, one handsome man!”

Jake stood there with his arms folded. “I generally don’t shake a man’s hand until I know who he is,” he answered.

“Of course! John Carney, Pinkerton Detective Agency.” The small-built man wore spectacles and a striped suit. “And I am proud to shake your hand.”

Jake finally accepted a handshake.

“I have to admit I actually knew you by your picture,” Carney told Jake, smiling. “It’s been in all the papers, you know.”

“Yeah, well, my picture used to be well known for reasons I’d rather forget,” Jake told him.

Carney laughed. “Oh yes! The handsome outlaw, they once called you, and now you’re a hero!” He turned to the other two men, who stood near the motorized buggy. “These are also Pinkerton men—Mr. Bob Lacey and Mr. Harvey Betts.”

“That so?” Jake kept his cigarette between his lips. “What’s this about being a hero? I’m not fond of that label.”

Bob Lacey removed his hat and stepped forward, also coming up the steps to shake Jake’s hand. He bowed lightly to the women, revealing a bald spot on the top of his head, then turned his attention back to Jake. “You caught and killed George Callahan, Mr. Harkner, when we’d been setting traps for him for months. We offered a big reward for his capture or death, and we are here to pay you that reward. And the good people of Boulder want you to come to their big fund-raiser in two weeks so they can honor you publicly. They gave me a message for you—that they hoped we would find you doing well, and that they still want you to be their new sheriff. I must say, though, that the Pinkerton Agency would much prefer you accepted our offer—to be one of our detectives.”

Jake felt Randy move up behind him. She grasped his arm, and Jake turned to bring her forward. “This is my wife,” he told the Pinkerton men.

The three men bowed slightly, and the two who still wore hats removed them.

“Your wife is quite beautiful,” Harvey Betts told Jake.

Jake moved an arm around Randy. “Thank you. I happen to agree,” Jake told them with a smile. “Everyone else on this veranda is family—my son, Lloyd, daughter, Evie.” Jake indicated the family members, introducing Brian, Katie, and the grandchildren. “So, what’s this about a reward?”

“Ten thousand dollars, Mr. Harkner,” John Carney told him. He reached into his pocket and handed Jake an envelope. “A check, sir, from the Pinkerton Detective Agency.”

Jake sobered. “I didn’t even know there was a reward.”

“There most certainly is, Mr. Harkner,” Carney verified. “And it’s all yours!” He still held out the envelope.

“Wow, Grampa!” Little Jake exclaimed. “Ten thousand dollars!”

“You could buy a whole herd of cattle or horses with that, Pa!” Ben spoke the words with a big grin. “And winter feed and maybe build another barn and still have money left over!”

Jake dropped his cigarette and stepped it out. “No thanks,” he answered. “Take that check back to Boulder and put it in the bank accounts my sons and daughter have there. I don’t want it for myself.”

Randy looked up at him. “Jake? What’s wrong?”

“Daddy, you earned that money,” Evie told him.

Jake shook his head. “No, I didn’t.” He faced the Pinkerton men. “Mr. Carney, I spent four years of hell in prison because of a man who accepted a five-thousand-dollar reward on my head. I did earn that prison sentence. You men know my reputation. There was a time when I wasn’t any better than the men who robbed that bank, and I’m no damn hero. I don’t want any more jobs as a lawman. I had my fill of that in Oklahoma, and my family suffered dearly because of enemies I made there. My wife has been through enough worry in her life. I’m not interested in a sheriff’s job, and I sure as hell don’t plan to be a part of some kind of circus in Boulder with people lauding my skills and bravery. So take that reward and put it in the bank in Boulder. My sons and daughter already have accounts there, so the bank will have all the necessary information.”

Everyone quieted.

“But you are a hero, Grampa,” Little Jake told him.

Jake studied the excitement in the boy’s eyes. “I’ve talked to you boys about that. You know my past and how I feel about it. That money will go into your parents’ accounts, and they’ll make sure you get some of it when you’re older. You can start your own ranches, get married, whatever. I’ll be long gone by then, and I’ll be happy to know you boys will all have good lives. I didn’t earn that money. This whole family earned it just by putting up with me. And Lloyd and Evie will make sure your grandmother is always taken care of when I’m gone. They can use the money for that if they need to.”

“But, Mr. Harkner—”

“I’ve told you how I feel,” Jake interrupted John Carney, “but I don’t mean to be rude, so if the women want to offer you coffee and biscuits before you leave, you’re welcome to it. I know what a long trip it is to get to this homestead from Brighton.” He embraced Randy a little closer. “Thank you for your efforts. I’m going for a walk with my wife.” He led Randy down the steps and walked away.

The rest of the family just stood there at first, and Little Jake’s eyes teared.

“Grampa shouldn’t talk about what we’ll do when he’s gone,” he cried. “I don’t never want him to be gone.”

“I’m sure it will be many, many years from now, son,” Brian told him, squeezing his shoulder. “Look what just happened. He’s been shot so many times water could probably run through him like a strainer. Just think how tough he must be to survive all the things he’s been through. That means he’s bound to live a long, long time yet.”

Little Jake wiped at his tears. “You’ll always take good care of him, won’t you, Daddy? ’Cuz you’re a doctor.”

“Of course I will.”

“Well, we certainly didn’t come out here to upset the family,” Bob Lacey told them. “We’re sorry for any confusion over this.”

“Don’t be, Mr. Lacey,” Lloyd told him. “My father is pretty touchy about his past and never feels like he deserves the good things that happen to him. I’m sure he’s grateful, but it’s just not his nature to take credit for anything. You three come on inside, and my wife and sister will fix you a bite to eat before you head back. There’s some damn good bread, and some leftover ham and potatoes.”

“Well, thank you!” John Carney held up the check. “We can discuss exactly how you want this money deposited—that is, if you trust us with all this money.”

“If I can’t trust Pinkerton men, who can I trust?” Lloyd told them.

The men laughed and Lloyd ushered them inside, then looked into the distance where his parents were walking toward the new barn. How many ways were there to tell a man he was forgiven…that he was worthy of the love and family he had now? Jake would never truly accept that.

He turned to go inside, only to see Evie also watching their parents walk away.

She looked at Lloyd with tears in her eyes. “I think it embarrassed him to get that reward,” she told her brother.

“Yeah, I expect so.”

Their gazes held, both of them knowing their father was actually hurting right now, fighting to stay out of the dark place that always followed him whenever something reminded him of his past.