Chapter Thirty-seven

Jess often spent his nights tossing and turning, recently due to the pain in his shoulder, but often because of the nightmares that plagued him. Most mornings he woke with a start, drenched in a panicked sweat, images from that horrible night long ago flashing through his memory.

During the daytime hours, though, he always locked his emotional distress away in the vault he managed in his mind. Each day, he valiantly pushed on.

As usual, he was a fast healer, and despite the fact that he was tending to his wound on his own, it wasn't long before the pain lessened and the injury was looking good. With nothing more than another scar to add to his growing collection, he was back to normal, as strong as ever.

He had made his way out of Colorado and into Nebraska as planned. Over time, he crossed the entire state in his search, but as he had dreaded, it was a dead end for finding any of Bannister's gang.

But what Jess did find was a friend.

They met in a poker game in Lincoln. The guy was relaxed and jovial, quick with a joke and often a song that made Jess laugh, cringing at the off-key renditions. Likeable and ready to head out to new places across the plains, the man's humor and nothin'-to-worry-about attitude were a welcome relief for Jess and the constant tension he had been living with. To top it off, the guy didn't seem to have any care about money, beyond what he needed to eat. An association with someone who appeared to have no greed was another welcome change for Jess from the scoundrels he had been around so often.

Jess recalled what Jerome Brady had told him. "Harper, you always had the best funny bone of us all." Maybe somewhere along the way, in the past couple of years especially, he had started taking life too seriously. He had always had a wonderful sense of humor and an appetite for fun. Determined to stop letting life take that away from him, Jess welcomed the diversions that having a fun-loving friend brought him. While keeping his mission to find Bannister in the back of his mind, Jess recaptured the ability to relax and enjoy a good time now and then.

He and his new friend ended up working at a ranch and riding herd together for a couple of months through Nebraska, enjoying an occasional trip into the nearest town. One time at a saloon, the owner brought in a photographer to take some photos of customers having a good time, and the two friends even ended up in one of the pictures. The owner gave Jess the photograph before he left town.

Near the end of July, they had just finished moving a herd from the middle of Nebraska to combine it with the cattle at the new owner's ranch on the western side of the state. They stopped into North Platte, where a big poker game was underway. Jess' skill with cards paid off, and he left the saloon with a big grin on his face and more than a hundred dollars in his pocket. He and his friend enjoyed steaks for supper, which Jess gladly paid for. After Jess bought a celebratory bottle of whiskey, he had exactly one hundred dollars left.

As they made camp outside the town, Jess began to feel the effects of the long day, the comforting food, and the more-than-he-should-have-had whiskey. He stretched out on his bedroll as his friend banked the fire.

"Jess, I've had enough of herdin' cows. There's an old friend of mine that wants me to join up with him for some jobs he's got comin' up. And I decided I'm gonna do it. He might be willin' to take you on too."

"What kinda work is it?" Jess asked drowsily.

"Looks like you're mighty tired. I can tell ya all about it in the mornin'."

"Yeah… okay."

Jess closed his eyes and immediately began to drift off to sleep.

He didn't see his so-called friend pull a sixgun and grasp it by the barrel. He didn't hear the approach of the man until it was too late. At the sound of a snapped twig, Jess' eyes opened just in time to see the face hovering over him and a meaty hand descending with the gun. Then the butt of the forty-five slammed into his skull.

Hours later, Jess was found by a farmer and his two sons, who took him to the doctor. It would be two days before he regained consciousness, discovering he was minus his one hundred dollars. Another week and a half passed before Jess was able to leave the doctor's office.

With a lot of riding and questioning people in various towns, he got a strong lead on the planned destination good ol' Pete Morgan had in mind. Having the photograph to show folks helped, and a bartender recognized him. After a few drinks, the thief had let his guard down with the barkeep and mentioned the general area where he was headed. Jess set off in the same direction.

As he and Traveller made their way along, Jess focused on his goal of finding Pete, yet another friend who had betrayed him. If he did locate the guy, he had plans for the snake. He'd get his money back. And if Pete had already spent it all, he'd make him pay some other way.

"You know, Trav, I'm plenty good at sizin' a man up as far as his gunfightin' goes. Good at figurin' out what kinda human bein's most folks really are. But after what Pete and Will done to me, I'm gittin' the feelin' I ain't so good at pickin' friends. Just gotta go back to keepin' folks at arm's length like I used t' do. Safer that way."

Determined, however, to maintain his restored positive disposition no matter the outcome of his hunt, Jess enjoyed the scenery as Traveller moved along at a easy lope.

"Well, Trav, even if we don't find Pete, and even if I don't git my money back, there's bound to be somethin' up ahead we ain't never seen before. Like that picture of a nice place that was poppin' into my mind a while back. Didn't see nothin' real clear. Just had the feel of a good ranch about it. Might be plenty of places like that ahead."

He patted his horse's neck. "Hope we come across somethin' good. Somethin' worth findin'."

On that afternoon in late August, Jess Harper rode into Wyoming.

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─end of Part Nine─

Author's note:

I'm working on the finale, Part Ten. Thanks for sticking with me through this ride, pards.