Ennis's truck drove down the empty highway with Jack at the wheel. As the headlights of a freight truck passing momentarily lit up the cab of the tuck, Ennis glanced at Jack's mama, who was staring ahead, solemn-faced, holding the box of canned food that she had wanted to give to Harold days ago, resting on her knee.
Jack parked outside a small weather board house. The garage was lit up and Jack walked up to a man standing in front of car on blocks, with the hood up. Without looking up the man said, "Just go on in. They bought Harold back from the hospital, and but him Darleen's old room. He's already talking 'bout going home, but the doctor's told him he needs to rest for a good while."
A young man about Bobby's age was watching basketball on television in a small cluttered living room. He said, "Hey Uncle Jack, When are you bringing Bobby up here again."
"He'll be driving up here himself soon." Jack said.
A woman in her thirty's was peeling potatoes in the kitchen. Jack mama said, "How is he, Darlene?"
"Seems better than before we took to hospital. But still not acceptin of help. Wantin to talk a bit more. Keeps on asking when you going to get here."
In a little bedroom at the back of the house, Harold lay on a single bed with white lace cover. His cheeks were hollower than Ennis remembered. His eyes were bruised and puffy. He smiled at them faintly. Jack's mama bent down and kissed Harold's cheek.
"Good to see you Anne," Harold said.
"I'm sorry," Jack's mama said."You was right. I should a listen'd and gone to the doctor earlier."
Jack said, "Hello Uncle.
Harold said, "Jack, even though you're long past doin what your mama tells you, you go on listening to her. She always gives out good advice."
A woman who looked like Jack's mama appeared at the doorway. She said, "Anne, Jack, I need a word with the two of you." Ennis could hear them whispering in the living room.
Harold looked at him with rheumy eyes and said, "I hear that you got yourself in some bother."
Ennis said, "Rough necks. I doubt they're going try again."
"I told Jack you two better be careful. That's what broke me and my friend up."
"We been careful, but it come out anyway."
"Jack was real upset over what happened to you. Thinks it might break you two up."
"Nothin much we can do about it. It ain't goin to stop me bein with him."
Harold leant forward and said in a hoarse whisper, "You need to tell Jack that. Cause he blames himself for what happened to you." He lay back down on the pillow, breathing hard with exertion.
Ennis said, "I will, but I ain't had the opportunity. I told him I ain't goin run off on him, don't know how many times."
"You'll be stayin at Lightning Flat?"
"Yeah, still plan to get some more horses, but I ain't been lookin to find the right horses at the right price. I hardly been off of the ranch since I been there, but that's goin to change."
"Back when I was young, me and my partner caught wild horses, tamed em and sold 'em off. Started at the Wind River Canyon, but worked all over; Nevada, New Mexico. I'll tell you 'bout some time. I keep them thinkin a lot about them days lately."
Harold closed his eyes and Ennis thought he may have drifted off to sleep. He could hear hushed voices from the living room. As he was just about to leave the room Harold opened his eyes again and said, " I still know some places you get some nice pony's - come back tomorrow and we'll talk about it." He sunk back into the pillow looking exhausted.
In the living room Jack, and his mama were still huddled with Jack's aunt and cousin. Seeing Ennis , Jack followed him outside and said "I ain't sure what's happening here. Doreen wants to keep him here, Harold thinks he's goin back to his place tomorrow."
"We got to talk," Ennis said.
"I'll stay here a bit longer, when Uncle wakes up, I'll try and talk some sense into him. There's a bar on main street, next to the fire station. I'll meet you there."
Ennis sat on a bar stool, hunched up over his beer. He lit a cigarette. Couples were dancing, their arms wrapped round each swaying to slow country ballads from the jute box. He suddenly felt lonely, a memory of how he felt back in Riverton before he and Jack got together, An hour went by, He joined some cowhands for a game of pool, they had just finished round up, and were looking for more work. It was closing time, and still Jack hadn't turned up. Ennis sat in truck feeling a little light headed, thinking that he would sit for a time, and recover from the effects of the beer before driving back to Doreen's house. He must have fallen asleep because the next moment he was blinking against bright sunlight. He turned his head, and felt the jarring sensation in his temple from being hungover.
Back at Doreen's , Jack's cousin was still in the garage fixing the car on blocks.
"How is Harold today?" Ennis called over to him.
"He passed away in the night while he was asleep." When Ennis didn't say anything, he pulled his head out from underneath the hood of the car.
"I thought he was meant to comin right." Ennis said.
"His heart just stopped beating. He was an odd old guy. Liked to keep himself to himself."
"Where's Jack and Anne."
"Aunt Anne's down the funeral home with my Mama. Jack's clearing Harold's place up. You some sort of relative?"
"No. I'm a friend of Jack's."
At Harold's cabin the letter box was still clogged up with old mail. The front door was wide open. What furniture there was had been piled on one side of the room, and all the windows were open. Jack was kneeling in the middle of the living room looking through a cardboard box. Ennis knelt on the floor next to Jack and put his arm round him. Jack rested his head on Ennis's shoulder, and passed him an old black and white photo with brown edges, from the box. The photo was of two young cowboys, standing either side of a horse both wearing chaps and spurs.
Jack said, "Harold showed me that photo before. That's him on the left, and that's his friend."
Ennis didn't recognize Harold. He looked young, relaxed, his face turned to his friend smiling.
"I wanted to come here and clean everything up before the family went through his stuff. He kept his secret for so long, I didn't want none of them finding out after he had gone." He laid the photo back in the box on top of some silver bronc riding buckles, and folded letters.
Jack stood up and picked the box up off the floor. With one arm holding the cardboard box, he cleared letters from the mailbox He said, "I'm giving this to mama. He was closest to her, and there ain't nothing worth anything that the family are goin to be fightin over."
He set the card board box full of Harold's possessions next to the cardbox box full of food that Jack's mama had brought to give to Harold, on the seat of Ennis's truck. Ennis saw Jack's eyes fill with tears. Jack impatiently wiped the tears away with the palm of his hand. He said, "Shit. So much is fuckin happened in such a short fucking space of time."
Ennis wanted to put his arms round Jack, but at that moment a van pulled up and Darlene got out lugging a vacuum cleaner off the passenger seat. Jack said, "There ain't too much left to do in there. I done some cleaning."
"I might as well phone the Salvation Army to pick up the furniture. There's nothin worth keepin. Funerals goin to be in three days' time. Aunt Anne said she'll stay up here and arrange everything with mama." Darlene said. She unloaded a mop and bucket and disappeared into the house.
Over Jack's shoulder, Ennis could see the Big Horn Mountain range looming in the distance. He said, "Can't we get away by ourselves for a while. Head up the mountains for a day or so. Bobby can help your daddy out. There's things we need to talk about. "
Ennis sat by the fire. Jack was standing with his back to him looking out across the lake, watching the moonlight flickering on the water.
"It's good bein out here again. What did you want to talk about?" Jack said.
"I want to talk about when we're goin to do when we leave this mountain."
"I know what's happened has fucked things up big time. I should a listened to you."
"Things have changed a bit from how they was."
"What was it like when Mitch and buddies was standin over you in the barn?" Jack said, and sat by the fire next to Ennis. He took out a joint that must have sat in his pocket since Texas, lit it, and passed to Ennis, who drew on it and passed it back.
"Well, I was layin on the ground, and they was holdin me down. Then your mama was holdin that rifle on them, tellin them to back off, and I was prayin like hell that she was a better shot then you are," Ennis said smiling.
"I mean you must a been cursin me. I kept telling you all along, nothin bad would happen, and then it does. I can understand why you'd want to go back to meetin just in the mountains." Jack face was bathed in firelight, his eyes unreadable, cast in deep shadows.
"No I weren't cursin you, and that weren't what I was goin to say. I'd be lying if I said I weren't shook up over it, but whatever Mitch was goin to do I figured that the last six months you and I spent together made it worth it."
"You mean you don't want us to split up."
"Shit no. I ain't gonna pretend its goin to be easy. The way I see it we got three choices, we move somewhere else, which ain't goin to happen; we part company which ain't goin happen neither. Or we just carry on, I mean if you can't fix it you just got a stand for it. If we just get on with things, maybe folks will forget about it. Bobby ain't goin say nothin again."
"What if they don't?"
"It's a risk we take. Whatever happens, happens. There ain't no goin back."
Ennis took another toke of the joint, handed back to Jack, who inhaled, then threw it in the fire. He put his arm round Jack and pulled him close. A log rolled off the fire. Ennis kicked it back with the heel of his boot. Slithers of bright embers cascaded into the night sky. Jack pulled his shirt off. Ennis traced his finger along the silvery scar underneath Jack's ribs, which had nearly faded away. Taking his own shirt off, Ennis watched as Jack shrugged out of his jeans The raw mountain air at their backs, the fire burning low and steady. He felt Jack's the warmth of Jack's cock as it brushed against his chest. It's cushioned firmness made him feel as excited as he had when he felt for it for the first time, and desire pulsed through him. As Jack's mouth worked down his body while he lay on his back, Ennis stroked Jack's forearm. He felt Jack unbuttoning his jeans, and his own cock angled forward to meet Jack's eager lips. But before he got carried away, there was something else he needed to say. He sat up so abruptly he nearly knocked Jack over, who rocked back on his heels taken by surprise. "Jack, there's something I want a know from you."
"What is it?" Jack frowned disconcertedly.
"I told you back in Denver, that where ever you are, that's where I'm goin to be. What I want to know is when are you goin to start believing it?
Jack smiled, reached out, and touched his cheek, "I do now."