Angels Sing
Chapter One
The Wyoming Territory winter spread its chill over the Sherman ranch as it welcomed the heart of the season of celebration, Christmas. Slim Sherman and his ranch partner, Jess Harper, had already spent a couple of Christmases together, one cold, one warm, but this year they were welcoming two additions to the family festivity, Daisy Cooper and Mike Williams, and it had long become clear as the temperatures continued to drop that this year would remain blanketed in white for the holy day.
"It sure is a different view than last year at this time," Slim stepped out of the barn with Jess by his side.
"Yeah," Jess agreed, looking all around them at the snow covered hills and lopsided snowman that stood next to the house. "It was so warm and dry last Christmas Eve that the stages were still running and this year there hasn't been one through here since the day before Thanksgiving."
"It's nice though," Slim folded his arms over his chest, taking in the white, although not too deep, snow scenery that surrounded them. "Ma always said it wasn't Christmassy without snow."
"That's funny," Jess laughed, "Ma always said it wasn't Christmassy without me getting into trouble."
"Didn't that happen every day?" Slim asked with a smirk.
"Of course," Jess nodded, "only Christmas made a kid like me all the more merry, if you get my drift."
"Slim! Jess!" Daisy called from the kitchen door, "won't you come in for a cup of coffee and some fresh gingerbread before you go to Laramie?"
"Be right there, Daisy," Slim answered in return.
"You don't have to ask me twice," Jess smiled, already thinking about the sweet smell of molasses that would fill his senses when he took the first bite. He could taste it even then as his drawn up cheeks tingled with the cold.
"Jess," Slim motioned with his hand at the team of horses in the corral that waited to be hitched to the wagon. "Robin and Clem need to be hitched up first."
"All right," Jess lightly slapped Slim on the back. "Don't dawdle or I'll eat your share of the gingerbread."
"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Slim caught Jess by the arm before he strode too far towards the house. "You get Robin, I'll get Clem and then we'll both go in together."
"Whatever you say, Pard," Jess tried to frown, but it came out as a smile anyway as they worked together to prepare the team of horses for their impending journey to Laramie. Once finished, they quickly entered the house where Daisy had their cups of coffee and plates of gingerbread, still steaming and full of aromatic flavor, ready for them to devour, which they both did in less than a minute's time.
"You're taking the wagon to town, aren't you? That way you'll have plenty of room to bring home any last minute," Daisy paused, giving a quick glance to Mike who leaned forward from his perch at the table listening to her every word. "P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S."
"Shucks, Aunt Daisy," Mike grinned as he shook his head, "there's no use spelling it out. We all know what you spelled anyhow."
"Well, at least some of us did," Slim glanced at Jess who stood still with a puzzled expression on his face. "Come on, Pard," Slim gave Jess a nudge as Mike erupted in giggles, "I'll give you a spelling lesson on the way to Laramie."
"I know how to spell," Jess frowned, "I was just playing along for Mike's sake."
"Then what did she spell?" Mike asked, making Jess fidget. If it had been anyone else that had asked, Jess probably would have ignored them, but this was Mike and that made all the difference.
"Well," Jess cleared his throat, hearing a whisper coming from Slim's direction. "Right. Well, you see, Mike, when Daisy spelled presents, I figured it was a secret that needed to be kept secret. Come on, Slim, town ain't getting closer if we don't get going."
Jess walked out of the door in a hurry, but he didn't get outside quick enough to miss the humor shared between Daisy, Mike and Slim. Of course Slim had whispered the word loud enough for not only Jess to hear, but the other two as well. He didn't mind, for his lack of schooling hadn't put too much of a crimp in his lifestyle all of these years and he wasn't going to let it start bothering him now.
"Are you sure you don't want that lesson, Jess?" Slim asked as he stepped outside, pulling on his gloves as he walked.
"I reckon there's some things I know better than you," Jess pulled his gun out in a blink of an eye, aimed it at a frozen clump of dirt and obliterated it with a pull of a trigger, "and you ain't wanting any lessons from me."
"Point taken," Slim laughed as he put his hand on Jess' back and then they walked side by side to the wagon. "It's getting colder out, Jess, and I don't like the look of those clouds."
"It's gonna snow all right," Jess looked towards the north at the dark, billowing clouds, pulling the warm collar of his jacket closer to his neck.
"Maybe we shouldn't risk it," Slim followed Jess' gaze.
"I don't know about you, but I ain't gonna let a few snowflakes get in my way," Jess turned his head away from the sky and leapt into the wagon seat. "Besides, you heard Daisy say we need to bring home more P-R-E-Z- dad-gum!"
"You're right, Pard," Slim stepped into the wagon and sat down beside Jess, "at least about not letting a few snowflakes get in our way. But it might be a little dangerous in the pass, though. Sum Campbell stopped by last night and said the snow really piled up from the storm over the weekend up there. Sunshine this morning might make some runoff in places."
"You know me," Jess said, taking up the reins with a definite glint in his eyes, "I like to take risks."
"And you know me," Slim looked at Jess with a grin, his eyes shining almost as equally bright, "I go right along with you when you take them."
They started the wagon out at a much slower pace than the usual speed that Jess often encouraged the strong team of horses to go as he had a definite penchant for speed. The road wasn't too snowy as there had been enough travelers and moderate sunshine to stop the buildup of slush from forming, but the corners were still slick, so Jess thought it wise to keep the team slow and steady instead of quick and reckless, especially since Slim shared the seat with him. Old Hard Rock, as Jess often referenced his Pard, didn't share his fondness for road races and didn't want to hear any comments about his horse handling on the road to Laramie.
"It's sure going to be a different Christmas this year, other than the weather," Slim said thoughtfully, leaning back in the seat, ever aware of the cloud cover creeping closer. "I've sure enjoyed having a kid bouncing around with excitement again."
"You miss Andy, don't you?" Jess asked, already knowing what Slim was now thinking about.
"Hard not to this time of year," Slim answered, dropping his eyes away from the sky to watch the rhythm of the horses, noticing the pace was gentle and even, unlike how Jess usually kept the team flowing. "It's too risky during wintertime to have him travelling. Like now, you and I might look the other way when it comes to going head on into a dangerous situation, but I can't let Andy do the same."
"Yeah," Jess nodded, already knowing the reason since they'd talked about it not only that year, but the previous year as well.
"At least he's happy there in St. Louis," Slim continued after a gentle sigh, "and not crying from homesickness. Now St. Louis is his home. I'm all right with that, because he's old enough to make his own choices, but in a way, it surprises me that he found a home there so quickly."
"I woulda said the same about myself all those years ago in Texas," Jess said, his mind quickly going back to the days of his youth as he continued to lead the team onward towards Laramie. "I wasn't looking for a home and never thought I'd ever have one again, but one found me here. Homes change, but family never does. Don't worry, Slim, Andy'll come home again someday. Maybe it won't be permanent like how your Pa originally had it planned out, but the ranch is still home to a couple of brothers."
"You and me, Pard," Slim smiled, glancing upwards. "I know my Pa would approve."
"Just as I reckon my Pa'd give a nod of approval in your direction, too," Jess said and then paused for a moment as he thought farther backwards in time. "He woulda been pleased even back when I was a kid if I woulda brought home a Pard like you. Times mighta been rough, but he didn't turn away family, and that's what you woulda been for sure."
"What was Christmas like?" Slim asked, and then quickly added in case he'd been stepping over Jess' privacy line. "I'm sure it was never cold like this one's proving to be."
"We thought it was good," Jess answered, nodding his head as he continued, ignoring the comment about Texas weather. "Us kids never complained, anyway. Since we never had much, we didn't build up any expectations. It was good enough just to have a penny in the bottom of a stocking and a peppermint stick poking out the top. Ma made each of us a new shirt every year, or in Francie's case, a dress. I remember the last year," Jess paused, clearing his throat, "before the fire, we were given new boots instead. We also had some bouts of fun, too. Ma would make popcorn balls, and would you believe it was this rascally kid that decided they'd best be used like snowballs since snow was scarce? Ma was angry at first after we started throwing them all over the place at each other, but then when she heard us laughing, she let us continue our good natured fight. After we were spent from our laughter, we'd eat the popcorn balls, dirt and all. It became a yearly tradition, until I got to be, oh, I reckon about twelve. Then I guess we were too old for all that tomfoolery. But the one thing that truly stayed the same from year to year, was Ma reading us the Christmas story. We'd gather 'round her chair and sit in awe as she read the familiar words all over again. It was in her voice, I reckon, how she read it, but it made the meaning of the words even more important because it was Ma reading them out loud to us."
Jess drew quiet for a few minutes and Slim stayed silent, letting his friend stay in his mind where he wanted to be. Jess always had a different tone in his voice whenever he talked of his family, and Slim noted it was evident now. There never was any hint of sharpness or grit lacing the edges of his voice like usual, but it was softened with a tenderness that not everyone knew existed in a man such as Jess Harper. Slim knew it and enjoyed this side of his partner just as much as the boisterous side.
"My ma always wanted a preacher in the family," Jess continued, staring straight ahead at the horses as they moved forward, still going slow and steady, "that's why she named all of her sons outta the Bible."
Slim looked intently at Jess, the surprise evident in his eyes although Jess didn't meet his gaze to see it. Slim was amazed that there were still pieces of Jess' past, little snippets of Harper history that he was still learning. The depths of the man he sat next to must have been endless.
"Jesse, father of King David, or in my case, Jess, brother of baby David," Jess chuckled lightly, "course it didn't take long for Ma to realize it wouldn't be me fulfilling her desires since I was rough and rowdy as far back as my diaper wearing days. I reckon that's why she put her hopes in David after he was born, 'cause naturally he was a lot tamer than me." Jess was quiet for a long time, his deep thoughts bringing back the pain. "I tried to save him."
"I know you did, Jess," Slim said softly, putting a comforting hand on Jess' shoulder.
"I reckon we've spent enough time on memory lane," Jess rubbed his cheek against the plush collar of his coat in an attempt to wipe off a tear in the corner of his eye before it dared slip down where it could be seen. "Nostalgia has never been one of my best subjects."
"Well, we know for sure spelling isn't," Slim couldn't stop the chuckle from coming out of his mouth.
"You better be careful, Slim," Jess gave Slim a mischievous glance, "or I just might forget how to spell your name when it comes time to writing it on your present."
"All right, all right," Slim glanced at Jess, seeing a smile on the corner of his mouth he couldn't resist the next question. "What'd you get me?"
"Nothing," Jess answered immediately, "it's an empty box."
Slim laughed out loud, but as the wagon turned a corner that put the pass into view, his mirth was silenced. From high above where the sun had radiated, snowmelt coming off of the slope made slushy rivulets race across the muddy road. Where all of the shadows that had stretched over the roadway were, patches of packed snow and ice still covered the ground. Jess pulled the team to a halt, frowning at what was in front of him.
"I didn't figure there'd still be this much snow on the road," Jess stood up, taking in the entire stretch of roadway that they needed to cross and then reseated. Most people would take one look at what lay ahead and turn back, but Slim and Jess weren't most people. "Well, I ain't licked, not by a long shot." Jess made an encouraging sound in his throat to the horses as he started them in motion again. "Let's go boys, show the road you're made of tougher stuff than what it's got going against it right now."
The wagon continued, even more slowly, as the wheels rolled through the slushy places precariously. Jess kept a firm hold on the reins, talking to the horses out loud. They followed his commands and he felt their strength flowing through the reins and into his hands. When their feet started clomping into deeper snow, Jess felt like they were going to make it without any trouble, but only a few seconds later, he heard the beginning crack of a very dangerous noise.
"Jess!" Slim shouted, pointing towards the towering peak beside them at the same time as the thunderous sound shook the ground.
