When Trouble Comes Knocking:
Jess Harper was glad to finally be home. After three long hot months at Mallory Simms ranch, a young widow he had promised to help on her husband's deathbed. Jess looked back at the long trail he had just taken. With a sigh of relief he gladly hitched his horse. "Slim, Daisy, Mike, I'm home."
Mike came running around the corner of the barn. "Jess." The young boy shouted out and ran up to him.
Daisy came out of the house with a big smile. "Oh Jess I'm glad to see you finally found your way home."
"And not soon enough." Jess said with a half smile. He took of his hat and beat the dust off himself then looked around. " Where's Slim?
"Oh he went into town. He'll back for supper." Daisy answered and smiled again. "Come on in and get you a something to eat."
Considering Jess had lived on burnt food and bad coffee for the last three months Jess didn't hesitate to take Daisy up on her offer. "Boy have I missed your cooking." He reached out to grab a bowl revealing a badly bruised hand.k
"Jess, what happened?" Daisy asked grabbing his hand and looking at it.
Jess quickly pulled it away wincing slightly from pain. "My hand just got in the way." Was all Jess would say about it.
When Slim arrived that evening it was a happy reunion. "Well he finally returns home. And just in time to get the cattle out to winter pasture." Slim said with a big smile when he saw Jess standing outside the barn tending to his horse.
Jess laughed. "Sounds like fun after where I've been." Once again Jess didn't explain what he said. Slim gave Jess a curious look, but was too happy to see his partner home so he let it drop.
After that things went back to normal and Jess barely thought of his time at Mallory Simm's ranch.
That was until mid spring. Jess and Slim had been working on the fence and gathering young calves all morning. The two entered the house laughing over something funny one of them had said. Suddenly they noticed more than one voice coming from the kitchen. Jess stopped dead in his tracks and his smile was quickly replaced by a look of terror. "It's her." Was all he would say.
Slim looked toward the kitchen then back at Jess. "Who?"
"I got to go." Jess said fumbling to grab his gunbelt and open the door.
"Jess." The extra voice from the kitchen called out.
Jess cringed at the sound of his name. He slowly turned around. "Hi Mallory." Jess said in a low forced tone.
Mallory was pretty with delicate features. She had large brown eyes and silky brown hair that she neatly tied half-way up. She smiled and gazed at Jess. Her eyes never left his blue eyes. "I brought you a surprise." She said and handed him basket of muffins.
The muffins wasn't what caught Jess and Slim's eyes thought. It was the very pregnant Mallory behind the basket. "They aren't burnt." Mallory said pulling Jess's attention back to her.
"Huh. Oh good." Jess said nervously. "Is that why you came all the way out here?'
"Oh no there's more." Mallory said. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Then she began to sob and threw herself into Jess's arms. "Oh Jess. You've got to help me."
"Mallory I told you I couldn't do that anymore." Jess said pushing Mallory away.
"Bud will kill Curt and you know it." Mallory said still sobbing.
"You and Curt have got to figure this one out on your own. I'm not getting involved again. Plus isn't Bud in jail?" Jess asked.
Mallory coward back slightly. "He got out. And you're kind of already involved."
"What do you mean?" Jess asked sounding more angry.
"I may have told Bud it's yours." Mallory said.
"You what?" Jess exploded.
Slim quickly grabbed Jess and pulled him out the door. "Jess, what is all this about?"
Jess ducked his head not wanting to talk about it.
"Jess tell me. Maybe I can help." Slim said
Jess took a deep breath. He knew his friend meant well but he didn't want Slim getting drug down into this mess with him. "It's complicated and I don't want to get you involved."
"Well you're too late, she's here, and now I'm involved. Plus you have Daisy and Mike to worry about too." Slim said. As long as he had known Jess he had never seen Jess want to back down. "What had happened to Jess those months at the Simms ranch?" Slim wondered.