ONE LITTLE LIE - EPILOGUE
Story picks up where One Little Lie leaves off - read One Little Lie first.
The ride back to the ranch was done in companionable silence. Jess rode along relaxed. He was intent only on reaching home and some dry clothes. He momentarily wondered what Jonesy had cooked for supper. He sure wouldn't mind a nice helping of Mulligan Stew. Crazy as it sounded, he had missed the mixed up, mashed up, meal created from anything Jonesy had found to throw into the pot.
Slim still felt guilty for everything which had transpired over Laura Mae. Then Jess had ridden in out of the blue and saved him from Tommy Jamison. Had Jess really forgiven him for not trusting him? Had Jess forgiven him his worst sin - not asking for his side of the story? Slim sighed. Only time would give him the answer he sought. Meanwhile, he would do his darndest to make it up to Jess.
Riding side by side, Slim took the opportunity to covertly watch his newly returned friend. Jess was thinner than before; the look of a hunted – no haunted - man as they rode along in silence. In spite of the laughter they had just shared at the lake, the aura of his gunman's past radiated from him. Slim had no doubt Jess had slipped back into the self protective persona which had prevailed during his first months at the ranch. It was his fault and he knew it. He had been the one to destroy Jess's trust. It was up to him to earn it back. Jess had returned on his own volition. Slim hoped this was some indication Jess had forgiven him. He had said "Let's go home." Yes, there was hope the drifter would stay.
From the top of the ridge, they could see all of the way down to the ranch house. Jess paused for a moment, savoring the sight of a place he was sure he'd never again call home. Horses moved lazily around the corral as the chickens pecked the ground where Andy had tossed their feed. Everything seemed in its place and at peace. With a wicked gleam in his eye he spurred Traveler into a gallop before calling over his shoulder, "Race ya!" Not to be outdone, Slim urged Alamo into a gallop; determined to not only catch, but beat Jess to the bottom of the lane.
Andy heard the thundering hoof beats. It only took a moment for him to recognize the rider on the little bay horse. He whooped with joy. Like the day they had returned from Baxter's Ridge together, Andy was jumping up and down, running towards them, hollering for Jonesy to come outside. When Jess dismounted from Traveler's sliding stop, Andy threw himself into Jess' welcoming arms.
"I knew you'd come back. I knew it!" Andy repeated over and over in barely contained excitement. Andy finally let go of Jess' neck and the two walked toward the porch. Jess' hand rested lightly on Andy's shoulder. Andy's arm crossed Jess' waist, his thumb stuck in the back of Jess' gun belt; his arms still too short to wrap around his hero. Slim watched the two of them walk away, feeling slightly left out of the homecoming and not sure how he felt about Andy's over the top adoration of Jess.
Their laughing progress was halted by Jonesy blocking their way. Standing on the porch, he was scowling at Jess and the youngster. Behind Jess and Andy, Slim had not escaped his perusal either.
"Oh, no you don't." said the apron clad Jonesy, shaking his wooden spoon at the trio. "You ain't trackin' that mud and water onto my fresh cleaned floors. And yer late for supper. Wha- do-ya think this is, a restaurant? I ain't got time to go feedin' no saddle tramps just 'cus they finally decide to show up when their belly's empty. "He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "No, sir. You ain't coming in 'till you took a shower and put on clean clothes. Yer ain't sittin' down at my table lookin' like something the cat dragged in. "
Seeing the look upon their faces, Jonesy dropped all pretense of being angry. Lightly poking Jess in the stomach with the spoon, Jonesy said with some concern. "You done lost weight there boy. What's the matter, missin' my cookin'?" Before Jess could answer, Jonesy clapped him on the shoulder, a smile on his face. His pleasure at seeing Jess home again was evident in this voice. "Glad to see you home, boy. Glad to see ya home."
Jess and Andy took a step towards the porch only to be held off by Jonesy wielding the spoon at them again.
"Nothin' doing'." He said, brandishing the wooden spoon at them. "You just get yourself a towel off the line and get yourselves clean. Then I'll let you in the house. You ain't messin' up my clean floors." He crossed his arms, the spoon prominent, like a weapon. He harrumphed in satisfaction as Slim and Jess retreated to the showers. As they disappeared around the corner, he pushed his bowler back on his head; smiling with the knowledge his family was complete again.
Slim was nearly finished with his shower before he had a chilling thought - Jess' clothes. The last time he had seen Jess' clothes was when he had stuffed them into the cabinet. Jess had left them behind, never returning to the homestead after the initial beating. Slim didn't even know if they were still there. He was immediately worried about Jess' reaction should he pull open the dresser drawer and find it empty. He hurried to beat Jess back to the bedroom, only to find Jess already partially dressed. The drawer was open. Jess' laundered and folded clothing was plainly visible. Slim was perplexed until he heard Jonesy' innocent tuneless whistling coming from the kitchen. He laughed in spite of himself. Obviously Jonesy had found the clothes and returned them to their rightful place. Good ole Jonesy, he thought, appreciating the wisdom the man often exhibited.
Andy couldn't sit still during dinner. He was too excited to even eat. He inundated Jess with endless questions. He still had wanderlust for the Big Open. Jess was his key to the big, unknown world he had yet to see and had only heard about. Jess had been there. Jess KNEW. He wanted to know where Jess had been, what he'd been doing, had he been on the owl hoot trail again, and a million other questions. Jess answered as simply as he could while trying to devour a mouthful of food before Andy's next question was put to him. Much to Andy's disappointment, Jess' answers were not filled with adventure. It was almost boring as Jess carefully framed his answers to provide as little information as possible. Recognizing the reticence which had returned to Jess' answers, Slim called a halt to Andy's badgering.
"Aw, Slim." The youngster had answered at Slim's directive it was time for him to head for bed. Unwilling to give up that easily, Andy dragged his feet as he took his plates out to the kitchen. He couldn't resist one more question as he passed Jess, who was still finishing his meal. Excitedly he grabbed Jess' chair, nearly shouting into Jess' ears; "You'll tell me more tomorrow, won't ya, Jess? Ya will won't ya?" he begged.
"Andy." Came Slim's no nonsense voice.
Andy hung his head and mumbled. "Sorry, Jess." Before walking as slowly as possible to his bedroom and closing the door behind him. Slim watched him go, feeling like the meanest person on earth. Jess read Slim's mood, secretly grinning at the interaction between the two brothers. Nothing had changed since he'd been gone. Andy still wanted to try his wings to fly off into the Big Open. Slim was his anchor, keeping him safely grounded until the time was right. Jess didn't envy Slim his role as Andy's parent/brother/mentor. He knew in time, Andy would appreciate his brother's level headedness, but for now – well that was a test to anyone's patience.
When Jess stood up, Slim looked at him questioningly; somewhat afraid it signaled Jess leaving again.
"Gotta take care of the horses." Was Jess' simple reply to the unasked question. "We left them tied to the hitching rail. Guess we were so all fired anxious to clean up and get to Jonesy' meal we forgot them." Slim nodded his agreement, standing to join him in completing the night's chores. Jess waved him back to his chair. "I'll get it. Want to make sure Trav's settled back in his stall again. Might take a while."
Relieved Jess was staying, but perplexed at being waved off, Slim sat back down to finish his meal. It seemed an awful long time before Jess returned. Slim watched as Jess refilled his coffee cup, then stepped out onto the porch where he quickly ensconced himself in one of the chairs. Grinning, Slim refilled his own cup. Snatching Jonesy' hidden bottle of liquor, he joined Jess. The doctored coffee went down smooth, warming their stomachs as they enjoyed the last of the summer breezes. The days were getting shorter. Snow would be upon them soon.
Slim waited anxiously. He had no idea what Jess would say – or if he would say anything. He had always been a man of few words. Even after six months together, Slim knew little of his friend's past. Jess rarely talked of his time before coming to Laramie. Other than the ones he had received since arriving at the ranch, Slim knew nothing about the various scars marring Jess' body. He also knew Jess carried scars no one else could see - scars from his time on the drift. Jess' life seemed to have been filled with people who had taken advantage of him, lied to him, and betrayed him. Slim hung his head, recognizing he had been responsible for adding to those invisible scars.
Slim agonized over how to apologize to Jess. How do you ask a man to forgive you for being a totally insufferable, thoughtless jerk? How did he apologize to a man who fought beside him and saved his life more than once? The apology stuck in Slim's throat. No matter how he worded it in his mind, it wasn't good enough.
"Jess, I . . ." Slim attempted a beginning statement, only to be interrupted by Jess.
"Hey, Slim." Jess said in wonderment, pointing at the sky. "Did you see that? I haven't seen a falling star in a long time. I forgot how beautiful they are."
"Jess, I . . ." Slim began again.
"Night, Slim." Jess stood, stretching in an exaggerated manner. "See ya in the morning." Instead of entering the house, Jess strode off towards the barn.
"Hey, where are you going?" Slim called after him.
Jess stopped long enough to look at the evening stars again. Pointing up he said: "Been sleeping under them most all my life. It takes a might of getting used to ta move back into a house. Just not ready, Slim, just not ready." Jess answered as if it was the most natural explanation in the world. Slim was hurt; interpreting Jess' action to mean he hadn't been forgiven after all. Speechless, he could only stare at the closing barn door.
CHAPTER TWO
Breakfast the next morning was just as noisy as the previous evening's supper. Andy just couldn't contain his excitement over Jess' adventures. He continued his rapid fire questioning until Slim once more reined him in. Andy proceeded to eat his breakfast, his eyes always going back to his hero, assuring himself Jess still sat across the table from him.
Just as Slim reached for the last biscuit, Jess swiped it from the plate. It wasn't the first time Jess had pulled that stunt. Normally it would have annoyed Slim to no end, even going as far as swiping it back. Today he let it go. After all, it was Jess' first day back at the ranch. The same thing happened when he reached for the last piece of bacon – Jess stole it right out from under his fork. Andy tried and failed to hide his snicker. Slim gave him a threatening look.
Jess rose and headed for the door, pausing to put on his gun belt, gloves and hat. Hand on the doorknob; he turned back, pointing to the table. "Oh, Slim, you wouldn't mind putting my dishes in the sink would you? You said the horses needed to be brought in right away. I'll take care of it."
Slim turned to look at him, a confused look upon his face, before saying a reluctant, drawn out "Sure." This wasn't how things were done. Everyone took care of their own dishes. Andy had started to reach for Jess' dishes but pulled his hand back upon seeing Jess' near imperceptible head shake. Slim didn't see Jess' wink at Jonesy. Grumbling under his breath, Slim rose, taking the dishes to the kitchen.
Stepping into the barn, Slim was taken aback at the mess. As expected, Jess and Traveler were gone. But none of the morning chores had been done. Long past milking time, their cow mooed in discomfort even as milk dripped from her udder. The stalls remained dirty – including Traveler's. It appeared none of the animals had been fed. Had Jess really just saddled up and ridden out, leaving everything else to be done? Voicing his complaints to the waiting animals, Slim set about feeding the critters and making everything right. His ire grew even more when Jess brought in the wrong set of horses for the stagecoach, necessitating a return trip to get the right ones. Slim fumed. Jess hadn't been gone so long as to forget which horses belonged on which runs.
Jess took forever to bring up the new team. Slim's jaw was set in a hard line as he bit back his anger. Jess seemed to be in no hurry to do anything, his dawdling causing delays with everything Slim tried to accomplish.
Out in the far pasture, Jess made rookie mistakes herding the cattle. Many slipped by him, causing Slim to go after them himself. Where ever Slim thought Jess was – he wasn't. Whatever he asked Jess to do – he didn't. Slim's frustration mounted but he continued to bite back the dressing down he felt Jess deserved. If it had been any other employee, Slim would have fired him. If it had been any other time, Slim would have had words with Jess. But this was different. Slim still felt guilty over the whole Laura Mae fiasco. He couldn't and wouldn't do anything which might make Jess leave.
CHAPTER THREE
That day set the tone for the next few days. Jess continued to sleep in the barn. He only entered the house for a change of clothes and for meals. Even when Slim sent him on short errands, Jess managed to be gone all day. Half the time Slim had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Two different times, Slim had caught Jess sleeping in the shade down by the lake. Yet Slim said nothing, merely doubling up on the work in order to get everything done. He was exhausted; his temper sitting on a short fuse.
Tired, dirty, and hungry, Slim led Alamo into the corral. Jess had returned ahead of him. He was already showered and wearing clean clothes. He now leaned on the fence railing, idling chewing on a weed as he watched Slim unsaddle his horse. Slim tossed the saddle onto the railing next to Jess' saddle.
"Chores done?" Slim asked.
Jess spread out his arms, looking himself up and down. "Are you kidding? Look at me. I'm all cleaned up. I ain't doing no chores in these duds. I figured you could do them when you got back – you're still dirty."
Slim frowned but said nothing.
"You know, Slim, these saddles and the harnesses sure could use a good soaping."
"We don't have much to do tomorrow. We could take some time to do it."
"Naw, I'm going into town tomorrow. I'm taking the buggy; got a hot date with the new saloon girl. I won't be back until I get back." He slapped Slim on the shoulder and turned to walk away. "You can take care of them yourself tomorrow. You got nothing better to do."
"That does it!" Shouted Slim, angrily flinging his bridle over the saddle horn. "I've taken all I'm going to take from you. You've been a worthless cuss since you got back here. I've bent over backwards trying to make things up to you; to get you to forgive me. But enough is enough. I'll not jeopardize this ranch for anyone. I'm done, Jess. You toe the line or get out." Slim froze, realizing what he had just said. During Slim's outburst, Jess had come back to the corral and was now leaning against one of the posts. Slim's face was ashen when he looked at Jess; shocked to see the half smile on his friend's face.
"Took you long enough." He said quietly. Jess shook his head, looking at the ground. Looking back at Slim, the crooked grin still on his face, he said. "I thought you were never going to crack. I was running out of ideas for things to make you mad enough to yell at me. 'Bout time you let go of your guilt. Hell, Slim, I forgave you a long time ago. You just needed to forgive yourself."
Slim was speechless as Jess walked away, hearing Jess call over his shoulder. "Man that bed is going to feel good tonight. I was getting tired of sleeping in the barn." Several emotions ran through Slim as he digested the last few minutes.
"Wait." He called out. "You mean . . . You mean you did . . . Why you…!" he shouted as the realization dawned on him. He left the sentence unfinished as he leaped the corral fence. Jess high tailed it towards the barn, his laughter echoing in the night air; Slim in hot pursuit.
Everything was back to normal.
THE END