IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH
CHAPTER 45
That afternoon, Mike and Jess rode side by side through the tall grass of the Mirarrow bottom land that stretched out to the river, a river that ran with water even in the summer time.
"This is good land," Jess said, looking around with satisfaction. "The river will solve our water problem and the pastures have plenty of winter grazing."
"Is it all ours now?" Mike asked, impressed by the wide, fallow grassland.
"Not yet but if everything goes OK we'll sign the contract on Friday morning and then get it entered it into the Land Register. Once we do that, it'll be ours."
"Our ranch will be huge!"
"It'll be big, alright. We won't have to buy winter feed. It'll be a lot more work, though."
Down by the river, they dismounted and let the horses drink out of the clear shallows.
"Charlie will help us," Mike said, a little tentatively.
"Yeah. I met him this morning."
"Did you like him?"
"He seemed OK."
"Can he stay?"
"Sure. We need him. Why wouldn't he stay?" They sat down on the trunk of an uprooted tree that was lying on the soft ground by the river. It had been blown over in the last storm. The crown stretched far out into the water where its dying leaves danced in the current.
"It's just…" Mike was remembering his early troubles with Charlie. "You might not have liked him," he said, thinking about how he'd felt himself when he first met the ranch hand.
"Why wouldn't I like him? From what Slim's told me, he's a good hand."
"Jess…" Mike said slowly, watching the leaves twist and turn in the stream, "I...I. got to tell you something…"
"Sounds like you're about to make some kind of confession." Jess eyed him with a half-smile. "Did you give Slim a hard time while I was gone?"
"Nah, that's not it."
"Miss Finch didn't complain about your grades."
"No… That's not it." Mike shoved his hands under his thighs. He let his legs dangle off the tree trunk and stared down at his feet. "You know...it's...it's...about Charley."
"You been playin' tricks on him?"
"No… but… You're going to be mad when I tell you."
"How about I promise not to get mad?"
Mike shook his head. "It's just...it's.. I feel real bad about it."
Jess threw his arm over the boy's shoulder. "You do?"
Mike nodded hard a couple of times, still staring at his feet swinging back and forth under him.
Jess gave the boy a quick squeeze and said, "The faster you tell me about it, the faster you'll feel better. Is this about Charlie? You don't like him?"
"No! I like him a lot. It's...it's just something I thought about him...and Slim."
"Slim?" Jess said, acting like he didn't know anything about it. "What's Slim got to do with it?"
Mike gnawed at his lower lip. His legs swung faster and faster. He distracted himself by studying the mud on his boots.
"Come on, now," Jess said. "I ain't goin' to eat you no matter what it is."
"Well...you know…" Mike swiveled toward him and let it out, "...when you went away and Charlie came… Slim acted like he was mad all the time...but he was nice to Charlie and asked him to eat at the table… Well, because I thought he wasn't... that he wasn't your friend anymore because… I wasn't right about that, but…Slim and me talked. And... then I knew I was wrong. But, I was so sorry for you. You were so sick. And...I thought Slim wasn't...your friend anymore like he used to be. It was bad...but that's what I thought."
"You really thought Slim wasn't my friend anymore?"
"No...yes...but..but you hadn't been gone long…and… I don't know why I thought that! And...it made Slim feel bad and I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Jess!"
"Hey, Tiger, it's OK! We've all had a rough time. Folks can think all kinds of crazy things when things get bad. Feelin' sorry about somethin' we did when we were all mixed up means we know better now. We ain't likely to do it again."
"Did...did you already know about it?"
"Yeah. Slim told me when he came out to Colorado Springs last winter. He wasn't bothered about it and he sure as heck wasn't mad at you." Jess' voice lowered. "Slim and me have been friends for a long time. If it weren't for him…"
"Mike finished the sentence. "You wouldn't be here…" The boy's brown eyes met Jess' blue ones as they faced the terrible truth of how close to death Jess had come.
Pain flickered across Jess' face. He nodded. "You're right. I wouldn't be here."
"You must of been real sick."
"I was."
"Worse than when you left the ranch?"
Jess nodded again, his face grim.
"But what did Slim do that...that...kept you from…" He couldn't say the word.
Jess stroked Mike's hair then pulled him close, hurting inside for all the pain the boy had been through. "He had worse than I did," he thought, "and I wasn't here to help him." Out loud he said, "It's kind of hard to explain. He was there to fight for me when I was so sick I couldn't fight for myself. He saved my life. Only Slim could've done that."
"I still don't understand…," Mike cocked his head to take a good look at Jess, "...but now I know Slim is your very best friend - and I'm sorry I thought bad things about him. Are you mad at me?"
"No, Mike. Just promise you won't start worryin' about whether me and Slim are friends again, OK?"
"I promise!" Mike vowed. "I'm glad you're not mad at me."
"What've I got to be mad about? I'm home!" He stood up and pulled Mike up with him. "Come on. We better head back to the ranch if we want to get some that good food Daisy is cookin' up."
"Like what?" Mike asked, relieved to have his confession behind him.
"I didn't ask, but I bet you'll like it."
"Daisy always makes apple pie. I think I can smell it from here."
"You probably can!" Jess laughed, glad to talk about happier things. "Your nose can pick up that trail from ten miles away."
"Aw, not that far. Five maybe," Mike said, climbing onto Browny as Jess swung up on Traveler's saddle. The boy kicked his pony into a run. "Race you to that tree!" he yelled, galloping away, clean of conscience at last and full of joy.
A little while later when they got back to the ranch, the first thing they saw was Charlie unsaddling his horse near the barn. The second thing they noticed made their mouth water. It was the smell of roasting beef wafting out of Daisy's kitchen window.
Charlie saw them coming and waved at them. He smiled when he saw Mike riding his pony exactly like Jess rode Traveler. His foster father had taught him well.
As soon as Mike knew Charlie was watching him, he parried Browny, showing him off.
Jess smiled and called out, "Lookin' good, Mike!", then rode over to Charlie and slipped out of the saddle to stand beside him. "Howdy, Charlie! Glad to see you got here in time for Dasiy's apple pie."
"Wouldn't miss it!"
Both men grinned, then turned to watch Mike who was putting Browny through his paces. Head high and nostrils flaring, the pony's face was delicately outlined by the beautiful bridle Jess had made.
"Hey, Charlie!" Mike yelled, raising his hand.
"Hi, Mike! You and Browny are looking mighty good out there!"
"Can you see what he's wearing? Isn't it great?" Mike asked. He guided Browny to prance closer to the two men and signaled the pony to bend his head and bow deeply.
"That's a real fine bridle," Charlie said, truly impressed. "It's just right for Browny."
"It is, isn't it?" Mike jumped out of the saddle and patted Browny's neck. "Jess gave it to me. He made it himself. I got to show it to Slim and Aunt Daisy! Do you know where Slim is?"
"Nope," Charlie said, "Haven't seen him since this morning."
Mike had already jumped back into the saddle. "Then I'll go show it to Aunt Daisy!" he said and rode Browny across the yard, yelling, "Aunt Daisy! Aunt Daisy!" until she poked her head out of the kitchen door to see what all the ruckus was about.
Charlie watched him with a smile, then turned to Jess. "That bridle's a fine piece of work," he told him. "You must have worked a long time on it."
"Yeah," Jess said quietly, involuntarily pulled back into the memories of his terrible illness and convalescence. "I had a lot of time at Colorado Springs. More than I wanted. But I'm glad I could use it to make somethin' special for Mike."
Charlie took a thoughtful, sideways look at the man beside him, wondering about him. How could he be happy and outgoing one minute and serious and inward the next? He hoped he would understand him when he got to know him better. He already admired him from what he'd heard about him. Absorbed in his memories, Jess was watching Mike and Daisy without really seeing them. Charlie decided to risk making a comment to him. "Sounds like you've had a hard time."
Absorbed in his memories, Jess was watching Mike and Daisy without really seeing them. Charlie decided to risk making a comment to him. "Sounds like you've had a hard time."
Jess shot him a quick glance. "It was hard on all of us - but Mike got the worst of it."
Charlie didn't believe that, but he didn't say so. He didn't know how open he could be with Jess yet. "Sorry I brought it up."
"It's OK, Charlie. I think about it too much anyway. It wouldn't of been so bad if Mike hadn't been in the middle of it…"
"Yeah." Charlie's weathered face echoed Jess' pain. "He had a hard time while you were gone. But when he knew you were getting better, he got better. I'm just now finding out what a hard-headed rascal he can be. But he's a good boy - and he loves you a lot."
"There's been times when I've wished he didn't - at least not so much. If I hadn't come back…" Jess' face tightened and his voice fell so low Charlie could hardly hear him. He sounded like he was talking to himself. "But if he didn't love me, I ain't sure I would've made it…" Jess was still watching Mike showing off his bridle to Daisy. "Seein' him happy again," he said, still to himself "is what matters…"
Charlie didn't know what to say, but Mike interrupted the conversation by leaping on Browny and racing back to the two men, jumping out of the saddle to land beside them. His face was all aglow. "Aunt Daisy likes it!" he proclaimed with joy. "Too bad Slim's not here. I want him to see it!"
Jess lost all trace of seriousness. He said playfully, "Well, he ain't here yet, but he will be as soon as he hears Daisy ringing that dinner bell. We better take care of these horses and get to the table before he gets here, or there won't be any grub left for us."
"Can I take care of Traveler?" Mike asked, wanting an excuse to hang around the barn until Slim came home.
"OK by me but let Charlie help you with the saddle."
"Sure!," Charlie said. "I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Charlie," Jess said. "Don't let Mike make you late for supper."
"I'll be there. I just want to wash some of this trail dust off of me and put on a clean shirt."
"Hey, Charlie…" Jess cocked his head and rubbed his ear like he was about to say something really important, "...do me a favor. If you got a stiff collar - don't wear it. We'll all be a lot more comfortable."
"I'll let you in on a secret," Charlie said as if he were sharing important information of his own. "I don't have one."
Jess slapped the ranch hand on the shoulder. "I knew there was somethin' I liked about you," he said before he turned away to walk toward the house.
Charlie grinned as he watched him go, then started unsaddling Traveler. Mike stood next to him, unbuckling Browny's straps. "I think he likes you," the boy said.
"You think so?"
"Sure. He wouldn't be joking around with you like that if didn't." He looked expectantly at Charlie. "You like him, too, don't you?"
"Sure do. He seems like he's alright."
"He is!" Mike said fervently. "He sure is!"
END OF CHAPTER 45
