Return to Rock Springs

Jess stopped halfway out of the door of the Sherman ranch house. He turned and looked closely at the living room, taking in every detail. With the dishtowel still in her hands, Daisy started walking from the kitchen toward the living room. She had heard the door open but never heard it close. Thinking that one of the males of the household had failed to close the door properly and not wanting the dust in the air around the ranch house to settle on her freshly cleaned floor, she had planned to close the door for the guilty party and give whoever the person was a scolding the next time she had him at the dinner table. But upon seeing Jess, she was taken aback and stopped abruptly. The handsome young man was staring at the rooms as if he had never seen them before. She saw his eyes slowing moving from the sofa under the front window to the fireplace to the mantle and back again while his hand was still resting on the open door. He was taking in every detail as if he had to memorize an unfamiliar location for future reference.

"Jess, whatever is the matter? You look so serious. Do you feel alright?"

"Yeah, Daisy. I'm fine." He lowered his eyes to the floor for just a split second before he looked back up at her and thought, "She'll think I'm plum loco if I tell her what I'm really thinkin'."

She tossed the towel onto the kitchen table and walked swiftly to the door. "Jess, I don't want to pry, but you look so concerned. Are you coming down with something?" She had learned to read this young man pretty well over the three years that she had been part of this family. When he said he was fine or that there was nothing wrong, that was when you needed to worry the most. She reached up and tilted his hat back just a little feeling his forehead. "Well, you're not running a fever, but you certainly do look like something is terribly wrong."

"Nah, Daisy. I'm fine." There was that phrase again. He grinned at her, resigning himself to the fact that she wasn't going to let him leave the room without some explanation for his unusual behavior. Normally Daisy knew when to let things go. But when she had the current expression on her face, her boys had learned that it was best to be completely open with her. Jess pulled his hat back in place and stepped back in the house, closing the door but not removing his hand from it. "Have you ever had the feelin' that somethan was gonna change and you couldn't figure it all out yet?"

She studied him closely, "Yes, I think I know what you mean. It's what my mother called a premonition." The concern and love showed in her eyes. "Jess, are you worried about going back to Rock Springs? I know Mrs. Poole and Mr. Howard convinced the city council that you were the perfect person to fill in until Sheriff Blackwell's replacement comes from Boulder. But if you feel that it's not the right thing to do, you know you can tell them that you can't come after all."

"Nah. It's not that Daisy. I don't have a bad feelin' 'bout Rock Springs." That wasn't entirely true. Jess had kept up his friendship with Ma Poole and the banker, Mr. Howard, ever since he had visited Rock Springs five years ago intending to help Vic Stoddard deal with Curly Troy. Yeah, Hatch had let him down something terrible, but Jess had gone to great lengths to make sure that the townspeople got their money back and Hatch's reputation as a wonderful sheriff was preserved. Still the whole incident had upset him. But Ma Poole was special, and he knew that she and Mark Howard needed someone that they could depend on right now. Sheriff Blackwell had served them well for the last three years, but he needed to join his wife. Mrs. Blackwell had gone back east to take care of their grandchildren after their daughter and her husband had been tragically killed in an accident. The Blackwells felt that the three children had been through so much that it would be best to let them stay in their home with their grandparents while the estate was settled. Sheriff Blackwell had contacted a good friend of his, Jake Donald, in Boulder, and the town council had agreed that Mr. Donald would be their Sheriff for a year until Blackwell could handle everything and bring the children back to live in Rock Springs. But Donald couldn't start the job until the first of December, and Blackwell needed to sell his son-in-law's business as soon as possible. It just could not wait until December.

The letters to Jess had started flowing in the first week of July. Ma Poole had even written to both Daisy and Slim begging them to convince Jess to become the temporary sheriff until Donald arrived. Blackwell had telegraphed Mort Corey, Laramie's sheriff, telling him that the townsfolk thought very highly of Jess and trusted him. He begged Mort to persuade Jess to come as soon as possible so he could go east. Slim had agreed. Sure, he would miss Jess sorely. But money had been a huge problem lately with the price of beef down, and Jess would make enough in Rock Springs to tide them over until spring. The oldest Jenkins boy was more than willing to come help Slim with the ranch and stages. In fact, Mr. Jenkins had been trying to find a way to pay Slim, Jess, and Daisy back for all the help they had been last year when his crops had caught fire. So it was finally decided. Jess was set to leave first thing in the morning so that he would get to Rock Springs before August 1.

Fortunately, there was a valuable shipment going on the morning stage from Laramie to Rawlins, and the stage line had called on Jess to ride shotgun. The company had agreed to let him ride for free the rest of the way to Rock Springs, knowing that they were getting an expert gun for the protection of the passengers. There would be a couple of overnight stays on the way, but his salary for the shotgun job would cover that and all the meals that he needed on the rest of the trip.

No, Rock Springs was not the problem. Jess was looking forward to staying at Ma Poole's Boarding House again. She and Jess were good friends, and she was a great cook. Maybe not quite as good as Daisy was with Apple Pie, but she sure could do wonders with fried chicken, roast beef, and berry cobbler. He could even taste that cobbler now. And the town had even agreed to pick up the boarding cost in addition to a great salary. No, Rock Springs and the fill-in sheriff job were not problems at all. It was something here at home. He just wasn't sure what it was. Funny, he could always sense when he was being watched by someone on the trail, and he had learned not to ignore those gut feelings. Jess always relied on his senses. So what were those senses trying to tell him now? He carefully scanned the ranch house again. "Daisy, I don't know. I jest have the feeling that somethin' will be different here when I git back. Ya think I'm loco?"

"Of course you're not loco. But I don't think that much will change in four months. Maybe the biggest change will be that Mike'll be taller." She laughed trying to lighten the mood. But then she became more serious. "I know it is a long time to be away, and we will all miss you terribly. Are you sure you're not having serious second thoughts about going?"

"No, not really. I will enjoy seeing Ma and Mr. Howard and everyone there again."

"Are you worried about the job? Is there something happening in Rock Springs that you haven't told us about?" Daisy looked worried now.

"No, no, Daisy. There is nothin' goin' on there –least, nothin' that I know about. It is not the job or Rock Springs. I guess I am jest bein' silly. Don't worry anymore about it. Maybe I am jest worried that you all will have problems here."

Jess had to move away from the door as Slim pushed it open, trying to come in the house. Hearing the last bit of the conversation, Slim grinned broadly. "So now you think that we can't function around here for a few months without you, huh, pard?" He feigned indignation as he pushed his hat back on his head and stared down at Jess with his hands on his hips. Of course, life would be easier if Jess were here. But as much as he tried to remain optimistic, Slim was worried about money. In fact he was extremely worried. The prospect of Jess earning so much money in the short four months might be the only way that they could keep the ranch going. Slim had not talked much about their financial condition since he had not wanted to worry Daisy and Mike, but Jess knew the figures. He had become a full partner in the ranch a while back, and Slim had always been completely honest with him regarding the ledger. It was in really bad shape, even with the money from the stage company. Slim had already tried to take out another loan at the bank, but Mr. Ferguson had advised him that plan might not be in his best interest long term. What if Slim and Jess couldn't make the larger payments? Did they really want to risk losing the ranch?

Then Jess had been offered the temporary job in Rock Springs. Slim was not a particularly religious man, but he had silently said "Thank God" when Jess had told him the salary and promised to put it all in their ranch budget. It would get them through the winter if not longer. Things were looking up. Slim did not doubt Jess' ability to handle things in Rock Springs, and he would be home long before Christmas. It couldn't be a better opportunity. He playfully punched Jess on the shoulder, "I think I can handle things without too much trouble."

Jess punched Slim's shoulder back and then stood up straight matching Slim's hands-on-hips stance. "Well, I'm sure that you won't do things as good as I could. But with Mike, Daisy, and Trace Jenkins here ta keep ya in line, I'm sure ya'll cope somehow 'til I can git back ta run things proper like."

Slim laughed, "That'll be the day, pard. Talking about running things, we better get the next team ready. Stage'll be here soon."

They both went out the door leaving Daisy to close it behind them. She watched her two boys walk to the barn as they continued the good-natured banter and poking, and then she saw Mike following closely behind Jess. As she turned back toward the kitchen, she couldn't help but glance at the fireplace that Jess had been staring at. His favorite rocker stood empty in its normal spot. She didn't share her mother's tendency toward premonitions. Likely Jess was worried only because he would miss them all terribly, even with Ma's good company. Daisy was sure that everyone in Rock Springs would keep Jess from being lonely. Smiling to herself, she mused that they would probably get on the young man's nerves before December came. Yes, Jess could be the life of the party, but he also needed his alone time to think and regroup. She had noticed that fact in her first weeks at the ranch. Jess took solace in spending time riding and grooming Traveler, especially if something was on his mind. She slightly regretted pressuring him to tell her his thoughts. But then again Jess was such a private person he would have continued to evade her questions if he hadn't really wanted to talk. So maybe he had needed her reassurance that everything would be exactly the same at the ranch when he returned.

Maybe Jess was just worried about leaving Traveler at the ranch. Making a mental note to promise him that she and Slim would see that Mike rode and groomed the horse regularly, she started making her final preparations for the stage passengers, softly humming to herself. Yes, admit it or not, Jess knew this was as much his home now as it was Slim's. That was all that was troubling him she thought. He didn't really want to be away for four months, but he knew the money would be a life saver. She certainly knew the dire straits they were in financially. Slim and Jess had tried to keep their concerns from her, but she was not an idiot. A quick look at the ledger was all it took for her to realize just how much they needed the money from Rock Springs. She also knew from Betsy Ferguson that Slim had thought about taking out another loan, but he had changed his mind when Jess agreed to go to Rock Springs. Yes, everything was going to be alright, and everything was going to be exactly the same at the ranch when Jess returned, except of course they would be able to pay off the tab they had run up at the general store.

Daisy was more concerned about Jess' temporary job than she was about the ranch. She silently prayed that Jess would return to them unscathed and that nothing would happen in Rock Springs that would put him in danger. He would outwardly take offense if he knew about her frequent prayers concerning this job. However, she was sure that inwardly he would appreciate her expression of love. Of course, Jess would know better than to think that she doubted his ability to handle anything that the job might offer. Jess was more than capable, and everything would be fine. She had to believe that, even though she was realistic about the dangers of a lawman's job. She was also a firm believer in prayer, especially when one of her boys was wearing a badge. She pushed a stray hair back in its hairpin, mentally shaking herself. Enough of that worry. Now what else did she need to do before the stage rolled in?

The day's stages came and went. Jess and Slim finished all their chores at the normal time, but they still had to show Trace the responsibilities that he would have each day at the ranch. He arrived right on time and was eager to listen and learn. Finally they watched the lanky teenager ride back up the hill toward his family's land. Trace would return in the morning before the first stage was due. Slim had offered to let him stay at the house the entire time, but Trace preferred to ride in early each day and leave after the last stage pulled away.

Daisy had planned supper later than normal to allow time for them to instruct Trace. When she finally called them to the table, Jess patted Mike's shoulder. "Let's go eat, Tiger. I'm starved." All afternoon Mike had tagged along not wanting to be more than a few feet from Jess. Nudging the boy's other shoulder, Slim winked at Mike. Laughing he said, "And just when have you ever not been starving, Jess?" They had both tried to be especially attentive to Mike throughout the day knowing that the youngster was trying his best not to show his sadness over Jess' upcoming trip.

The meal was filled with small talk. Daisy had outdone herself fixing all of Jess' favorites for supper, and he had completely stuffed himself. "That was so good, Daisy."

"Well, you're not done yet. Don't you smell the apple pie that's cooling?"

"Of course I have room for that, Daisy." Then turning to Mike, "Some of us have a special place in our belly for pie. Never too full to eat a large piece of Daisy's apple pie!"

Mike gave him a fleeting smile but immediately asked, "Do ya hav' ta go tomorrow, Jess?"

"We've been over all of that, Mike." Slim interjected trying to save Jess another explanation of the necessity of the trip.

"Tiger, the time will go by quickly. School'll start soon, and I will be back 'for ya know it." Jess reassured him. "Besides, you'll be so busy with homework and taking good care of Traveler for me you won't hav' time to miss me much."

"But things just won't be the same without you here, Jess." Mike looked like he was about to cry.

Slim tried to be sympathetic, "Jess is doing this for all of us and for our friends in Rock Springs, Mike. Sometimes grownups have to do things that are hard but necessary."

Daisy put a piece of pie in front of each of them and then brought the block of cheese. As she sliced it, she said, "Now, Mike, we've been through all this. Jess will not be that far away. He'll write to us, and you can write to him. If we need to tell him something in a hurry we will write it down and have Mose take the note to the telegraph office in town. Jess is right. The time will pass quickly."

"And when I git back, ya can tell me all the things ya learned at school and did with Slim and Trace while I was gone." Jess ruffled the boys blond hair. "It'll be fine, Tiger, ya'll see."

The rest of the evening passed quietly. Jess sat on the floor of the living room with Mike and Buttons leaning against him. He reminded the boy of the list of things he must do with Traveler each day and then he spun a yarn about some of the things he had done when he briefly returned to Texas after the war. Daisy and Slim exchanged smiles wondering how many parts of the yarn Jess was leaving out in order to make it appropriate for Mike's ears.

Getting up, Daisy announced, "Mike, it's late. You really have to give Jess a big hug and go to bed now."

"Aw, Aunt Daisy, can't I stay up just a little longer?"

"No, young man, you cannot."

Slim stood up. "It's really late, Mike. You do as Daisy says right now."

"C'mon, Tiger," Jess said getting up. "I'll tuck you in."

"Can I ride into town tomorrow morning with you two? Please, I promise I'll be good and help bring Traveler back."

"No, Mike, not this time," Slim replied. "Jess and I have to be in town way early. We have to talk to Hank in the stage office before the passengers come. You're going to stay here and finish your morning chores so you can take care of Traveler when I lead him back. I'll be busy taking care of Alamo, so you have to finish all your chores before I return. And it'll still be early when I get back. That is why you are going to go to bed right now.

"Aw, okay. Goodnight, Slim. Goodnight, Aunt Daisy." He reluctantly turned and walked to his bedroom with Jess.