The Meeting - Chapter 7
Buck sang one of his little ditties, which always sounded like 'Buffalo Gals', as he unhitched the rented horses from the buggy. Blue led Soapy to the corral, wound the reins around a rail, then removed the saddle and hung it up on the corral fence. He started brushing Soapy with long comforting strokes and smiled to himself at the familiar sound of his uncle's voice. What would he do without Uncle Buck? He'd always been there for as long as Blue could remember, tending to his scrapes, bruises, and hurt feelings. He was shaken from his thoughts when he realized that Uncle Buck was no longer singing. "Did you say somethin' Uncle Buck?"
"Blue, I asked why did you bring Jasper here for? Didn't you know John don't like him?"
"Yeah, Jasper told me why Pa don't like him. I think he's a nice fella'. And, he's family too. Why don't you like him?"
"Blue Boy, your Pa and Jasper was ready to kill each other over your Ma. That ain't an easy thing for a man to jist lay aside. They might just kill each other still. You know I'd hafta' side with Big John on this one. Ain't no reason her old boyfriend should visit, cousin or no."
Blue smiled at Uncle Buck's candor. He sure had a way of putting things in a simple perspective. He stopped brushing, loosened and removed the bridle, and touched Soapy's rump to send the horse into the corral with the rented buggy horses. Closing the gate, he turned to his uncle. "Uncle Buck, I think I'd like to visit with Jasper a while. MaybePa will understand."
"Well, alright Blue Boy. It's your funeral when Big John gets tired of visitin' and wants Jasper out." He patted Blue on the shoulder as he walked away.
Blue followed Buck away from the corral wondering if his uncle might be right about Pa being that mad. He didn't appear to be mad yet but Pa had a way of blowing up on a person. But then, maybe Pa wouldn't be mad and Jasper's visit wouldn't be so bad. It sure was confusing to be Blue. He was so sure in Tucson that having Jasper here would be a good idea, but now, he wasn't so sure. Before he could ask Uncle Buck to come into the house with him, he'd disappeared into the bunkhouse. He had many questions that he wanted to ask, but was still a bit worried that Pa would be mad. Taking a deep breath, he started walking toward the house again.
When Blue got into the house, he found that he needn't have worried. As he reached the front door, he heard John tell Victoria that he was happy Jasper had come because they had much to catch up on. When John saw Blue, he asked him to sit down with them. Blue sat on the stone hearth so that he didn't get dirt all over Victoria's furniture and waited for John to speak. He didn't have long to wait.
"Son, how did you find Jasper?"
"Well, Pa, I didn't find him. He found me. He called out my name right there on the street. I didn't know who he was until he told me. He said he came all this way hopin'to find me." Blue wanted to ask Pa about his and Ma's early relationship, but decided it might not be wise to bring that subject up just yet.
John looked perplexed. "I wonder why he was looking for you?"
They all turned at the sound of Jasper clearing his throat. He stood on the steps looking amused.
Victoria was the first to speak. "Mr. Daniels, won't you join us for a glass of lemonade? I trust that you found your room to be acceptable."
Jasper approached the chair nearest the steps. "That sounds very nice, Mrs Cannon and yes, the room is just fine."
"Oh, please call me Victoria. After all, it sounds like we are family. Do sit down and have a glass of lemonade." She held the glass out toward him.
Jasper took the glass and sat down. He sipped at the lemonade and pronounced it the best he'd had in a long time.
John had sat down beside Victoria and was waiting for Jasper to tell them more about why he was there. Losing patience, he initiated the conversation. "Jasper, what made you decide to find us?"
Jasper looked thoughtful. "Well, I thought as long as I was out here, I'd try to find you. I was told in town that some member of the family came there at least once a week for supplies. I figured I'd just wait. I didn't have to wait very long until Billy appeared."
"How did you recognize him?"
Jasper let out a small laugh. "Well, to be honest with you, I had a young man named Ronnie at the hotel looking out for one of you to show up. He told me that Billy had arrived and I went down to find him when he walked by. I couldn't believe my luck."
Victoria held out a plate of cookies toward Jasper. "But, Blue said you were looking for him."
Jasper chose two cookies from the plate, which Victoria set back down on the table. "Oh, well, of course. I was looking for him, John, Buck - any of the family. As I told John, the older I get, the more important it is to keep up with family."
John turned to Blue, who was munching cookies. "Jasper would like for you to show him around the ranch. I thought it would be a good idea. What do you think?"
"Sure! I'd like to show Jasper around." He looked at Jasper, "I know some good views that might be what you need for your books."
As the family caught up on old times, Jasper decided that his plan was working out pretty well so far.
