Forty-eight

Peter watched Little Jake stack wood next to the fireplace in the great room. The young man had remained very defensive during his visit, telling Peter early on that the big, red-leather chair beside the fireplace was his grandfather’s and that no one except Randy could sit in it—Little Jake’s way of telling Peter to stay out of that chair. It was sweet, and a bit comical. The rest of the family was kind and accepting and seemed to understand his visit was probably good for Randy…except, of course, Lloyd, who scowled at him almost as often as did Little Jake.

Three days had gone by since Peter had arrived. Since he’d gotten here, grandchildren and Ben were almost constantly underfoot whenever he visited Randy. He spent his nights at Evie’s home, the always-genteel, gracious, kind Evie, who accepted his presence as good for her mother. But heaven forbid he should stay at Jake and Randy’s house. And Ben and both older grandsons always stayed the night, as though they had been ordered to run interference in case Peter should decide to sneak over after dark and steal their grandmother away.

Every single family member seemed to watch out for Randy Harkner. She was the matriarch, the woman Jake Harkner loved, and woe to anyone who failed to keep her safe, warm, and cared for. He suspected there was more to it than that, however. They all were worried Jake wouldn’t come home this time.

As soon as he’d arrived, Peter had noticed the difference in Randy. It tore at his guts to think about her ordeal, and he couldn’t even imagine what that had done to Jake. Randy didn’t mention it, and Peter didn’t ask. In fact, she seemed to be living in a world removed from all of that, always cooking, always fussing, always asking if he was comfortable and had what he needed. And she talked about Jake almost constantly… Jake usually helps Lloyd this time of year, cutting and threshing oats and other feed for winter storage… Jake loves my bread. I’ve been making it fresh every day in case this is the day he comes home.

The man hadn’t been gone long enough to even make it back yet, but she kept talking about the day he would. He promised he’d make it back, and he always keeps his promises.

Peter sat in a nearby chair, reading a several-days-old newspaper as Little Jake finished stacking the wood. The young man was a true offspring of Jake Harkner. The kid had sprouted several inches taller since Peter had seen the whole family in Denver last summer at Jake’s hearing.

Still, it wasn’t the height or even the dark eyes and thick, dark hair that showed Little Jake was Jake’s grandson. It was his attitude, and those dark eyes had a look in them that said “don’t mess with me or my grandma.” Even now, he stacked the wood in a way that Peter could tell he was trying to show off how strong he was getting. When he finished, he turned and straightened, putting his shoulders back and puffing out his chest a little, as though to look as big as he possibly could. He looked at Peter with a sober face and folded his arms in front of his chest.

“Me and Stephen and Ben look after my grandma when Grandpa isn’t here,” he told Peter.

“Well, then, Randy is in very good hands,” Peter answered. “I’m sure your grandfather has every confidence that she is safe and cared for when he’s gone, Little Jake, or he wouldn’t have asked you to watch out for her.”

“I talked to my mom and Uncle Lloyd about my name,” Little Jake told him then. “I think I should just be called Jake, ’cuz I’m not little anymore.”

Randy was coming over to sit near Peter, and she heard the conversation. “Then how will you and your grandfather know which one we’re speaking to when you’re in the same room together?” Randy asked him.

Little Jake pursed his lips and thought about it. “You could call Grandpa Big Jake.”

Randy and Peter laughed. “I never thought of that, Little Jake,” Randy told him. “And I’m sorry, but you will have to give all of us time to get used to calling you just Jake. Come over here and give me a big hug like Big Jake would do.”

Little Jake walked over and embraced her. The kid was already the same height as Randy. “Do you want me to stay, Grandma?”

“I’m fine,” Randy told him. “Your mother must have chores for you to do, and I think it’s reading time at your house.”

“I hate reading. I’d rather go watch the men break horses.”

“I’m sure you would, but in this day and age, a man also needs an education. You can’t run a ranch just knowing how to corral a cow or break a horse, Jake. You need to be able to read and understand new laws, and you have to be able to count those cattle and keep track of your losses, but that’s for Lloyd to teach you. Go on now. I certainly don’t need any more wood until it gets colder out.”

Little Jake glanced at Peter. “I’ll be around if she needs me.”

Peter grinned. “I’ll remember that.”

“She’s scared for Grandpa, but he’ll be back. How long will you be here?”

“Jake, be nice,” Randy told him. “Peter is a dear friend, and he’s helped your grandfather in many ways. Mister Brown is welcome to stay as long as he wants.”

“Randy, he asked a fair question,” Peter told her, setting the newspaper aside and addressing Little Jake. “I’m going to stay until we’re sure your grandfather is fine and is coming home,” he told the boy. “Your grandmother says it shouldn’t take more than two weeks, and I have to go home by then anyway. I’m just here to enjoy this beautiful ranch and the cool, clean air. And I care about your grandmother and grandfather both. Your grandfather is…well, he’s the most interesting man I’ve ever known. I respect and admire him.”

Little Jake nodded. “Ain’t nobody like my grandpa.”

Peter nodded. “That, son, is an understatement. I’ve had enough encounters with that man to know it’s so.”

Little Jake looked from Peter to Randy and back to Peter. “You’ll be back at my house by dark, right?” he asked.

“Of course I will. And your mother is very gracious to give me a room there. And since it’s your room, I thank you for letting me put you out.”

“It’s okay. When Grandpa is gone, I always sleep over here anyway… Me and Stephen and Ben all sleep over here, and there’s always a man outside. When Grandpa is here, though, she doesn’t need protecting. Nobody gets near my grandma when Grandpa is around.”

“Oh, I have absolutely no doubt about that, Jake.” Peter struggled not to burst out laughing. The statement couldn’t be more true! “And I can help watch her, too, while I’m here. She’ll be fine.”

Little Jake studied him a moment longer before he very reluctantly left. The two little granddaughters scurried off to one of the bedrooms to play with their dolls.

“I’m sorry he gets a little rude, Peter,” Randy laughed. “He wants so badly to be as big as Jake that he tries to make up for it in other ways.”

“I understand. Someday that kid is going to be a man not so easy to contend with, just like someone else I know.”

“I’m so glad you’re here, Peter,” Randy told him—something she’d repeated many times. “It’s good to have a friend here, and one who understands and cares about Jake.”

She glanced at Jake’s chair, where she’d slept every night, holding his pillow. Peter saw the quick sign of terror in her eyes. She turned away. “Come back to the kitchen, and we’ll have another cup of coffee,” she told him.

Peter followed her to sit down at the huge table that often held the entire family for a meal. It was early morning, he’d just eaten the best homemade coffee cake he’d ever tasted, and Randy was already cutting him another piece. “I’d better go home soon. If I stay here too long, I’ll be fat,” he told her, trying to get her mind off Jake.

“Treena wouldn’t like that,” Randy answered. “I actually make the cake for myself because Jake wants me to gain weight. I’m trying hard, but he still thinks I’m too thin.” She set the coffee cake in front of him and turned away to pour more coffee.

No matter how hard he tried to change the subject to something else, it always came back to Jake. He’d seen flashes of Randy’s old strength and independence, but he also saw what Lloyd must have meant. She seemed to fluctuate between the old Randy and the child afraid to be alone.

She set two cups of coffee on the table and sat down near Peter. “Are you enjoying your visit, Peter?”

“Yes. Very much. Stephen took me out to the new barn yesterday. It’s a beautiful building. And it’s nice that one stall was left empty in memory of Pepper.” He wanted to kick himself, realizing the mention of Pepper would bring back memories of the old barn fire…and what had happened after that.

Randy looked away. “Yes. Pepper was a good man. It’s terrible what those men—” She caught herself and rose to walk over to a cupboard and put away a few more dishes. “Did Lloyd tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“About the barn fire…how it happened.”

“Yes, he did, Randy.”

She remained quiet for several long seconds, her back to him. “We lost a lot of horses, but Jake saved Outlaw. And he…came for me. I knew he would. That’s how I survived. I knew Jake would come, just like he saved my life after we first met. He tried to ride away, you know. I left to go west and find my brother, and Jake ended up coming after me. I was dying of snake bite, and I was in a…terrible place. Jake came and took me out of there, and that’s when we knew we were in love.”

“I know the story, Randy.” Did she even hear him?

“That thing last winter…” Her back was still to him. “Jake can be so ruthless. You have no idea what he can do to a man. But they deserved it. They did…something terrible to me. But Jake can turn right around and be so incredibly kind…and gentle…and understanding. He has a way of making things better…a way of almost making the bad go away. I think it’s because he’s had to do that for himself…make the bad go away…the things he’s been through.”

She didn’t mention shooting Brad Buckley herself, and like Lloyd and Evie, Peter wondered if she even remembered doing it. She was still turned away, but he could tell she was wiping at tears.

“Randy, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have mentioned Pepper. I apologize.”

She sniffed and put away a few more dishes. “It’s all right.” She moved the coffee pot off the hot burner. “If this sits here too long, it will be bitter,” she said. She wiped at her eyes again and came to sit down, then just stared at her coffee cup. “Jake has a way of making everything better,” she repeated. “When he holds me, all the terrors of the world go away. And he has a way of making a woman feel like she’s the most beautiful and perfect thing God ever created.” She drank some coffee, then looked at her hands. “I am still too thin, aren’t I? Jake says I need to fatten up. He says he’s scared to hold me too tight or he might break a bone or something.”

She suddenly burst into tears, covering her mouth as she wept. “Peter, something is wrong! Something is terribly wrong! I’ve felt it all morning! Jake needs me! He needs me!”

“Randy!” He reached out to touch her arm. “Should I go get Evie?”

She shook her head. “I need you to hold me, Peter. I haven’t felt this way since…since I knew something terrible had happened back in Guthrie…when we found out those awful men took Evie and Little Jake!”

Peter rose and pulled her out of her chair, holding her close and letting her cry on his shoulder. Ben came in just then and looked at him questioningly.

“Go get Evie and Lloyd, Ben,” Peter told him. “Something is wrong.”

Ben left, and Peter kept his arms around Randy. “Honey, it will be all right. He’ll make it back.”

“He won’t! Not this time. I feel it, Peter. Something has happened. Something really bad.” She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him.

She needs holding sometimes, so I guess I’ll have to let you do it. He remembered Jake’s words back in Guthrie, when Jake had to leave on a mission as a marshal and Randy needed to go to a hospital for surgery. That was the first time he and Jake had faced off over the fact that Peter loved her too. There was no way Jake Harkner was going to let another man try to move in on his wife, but the man had somehow known that he could trust Peter for that very reason—that Peter loved her enough to take care of her without even considering anything more.

This was one of those moments when he figured Jake wouldn’t care if he held her. The woman was falling to pieces. In two minutes, Lloyd and Evie were both at the house, followed by practically everybody in the family, including Brian, who came over and touched Randy’s back.

“Randy, what is it?” he asked.

She continued to sob against Peter’s shoulder until Lloyd grasped her arm. “Mom, what’s going on?”

She turned and fell into Lloyd’s arms. “It’s Jake! It’s Jake!” she carried on. “Something awful has happened. I feel it! I feel it!”

Evie turned away. “Daddy,” she groaned.

Lloyd just held her, not sure what else to do. “Mom, let Brian give you something to help you sleep. I know you’re not sleeping. The boys told me you’re up pacing half the night.”

“I don’t want to sleep. I want Jake. He’s in pain, Lloyd.”

Lloyd led her to Jake’s chair. “Mom, he knows how to take care of himself. And he has Cole with him.”

She shook her head. “It’s worse than anything before,” she wept. She grasped Jake’s pillow and curled into the chair, holding the pillow close. “Evie needs to pray for her father. He needs God’s hand right now, Lloyd. He’s got no one else. Cole isn’t with him. I feel it. He’s alone. He’s alone and in pain.”

Everyone just looked at one another. Lloyd’s hands moved into fists. “I should have gone with him.”

“Lloyd, you did the right thing,” Evie reminded him. “It’s what Daddy wanted you to do. We have to have faith. Mother is right. We need to pray Daddy out of whatever fix he’s in. And maybe he’s just fine.”

“He’s not! He’s not!” Randy sobbed.

Peter suddenly felt like the odd man out. He walked over to Randy and knelt in front of the chair. “Randy, do you want me to leave?”

“No! No, please stay.” She reached out and grasped his hand. “I need you to stay till we know. I’m so sorry, Peter. I know you need to go home.”

“I said I’d stay till Jake and Cole got back, remember? So I’ll stay. But you aren’t the woman I once knew, Randy. That woman was strong, and she believed in her husband’s abilities and in his promises to always come back to her. And he always did, didn’t he? Didn’t Jake always come back?”

Her tears subsided a little. “Yes.”

“And would he want you to give up on him like this?”

She straightened a little, still clinging to Peter’s hand. “No.”

“Then you need to keep the faith, Randy, for Jake’s sake. You might be right. He might be alone, and he might be in pain, but you are what will help him through whatever has happened. Okay? He needs to feel you with him and remember you’re waiting for him. If you’re going to fall into a puddle of tears and give up on him, he’ll feel that too, don’t you think? Isn’t he better off if you’re strong and have faith that God will watch out for him?”

Randy sat all the way up. “You’ll wait with us, won’t you?”

Peter nodded. “I’ll wait, but only if you stay strong. You know damn well how strong Evie’s prayers are, so let’s just all pray for Jake. And you remember what a tough man your husband is. The man can be leather and stone when he needs to be. Any little boy who can survive what Jake survived is even tougher as a man.”

Lloyd looked at Evie. She could see how much he hated admitting Peter was good for his mother, but right now, Peter was the only one able to calm her down. He turned away, pacing. “Damn it,” he growled. “Damn it, Pa, what have you gone and done?”

Evie walked up to her brother and touched his arm, feeling the hard anger running through him at the moment. “Daddy will be all right,” she told him. “I just know it.” She squeezed his arm and turned to the others. Little Jake stood near his grandmother, fighting his own tears.

“Let’s all pray,” Evie said.

They bowed their heads, and Randy squeezed Peter’s hand so tightly that her knuckles went white. Evie managed to get through an intense prayer while struggling against her own need to break down and weep. She knew her mother’s strong intuition when it came to her father. If the woman felt he was in pain, he probably was, and that tore at Evie’s heart. Next to Jesus Christ, she worshipped her father as the strongest man on the face of the earth. Whatever was wrong, he could surely get through it.