Peter watched a crowd gather, as always happened when Jake Harkner was getting ready to ride out again. The man was a magnet for excitement. Peter figured he would never quite get over how someone as gentle and poised and graceful as Randy Harkner lived with the man.
Lloyd came outside then, giving Katie a long embrace and a kiss, then reaching up and lifting Stephen down and into his arms for a hug. Jake handed Little Jake down to Brian. “Take good care of my kid here,” he told Brian.
“Bye, Grampa,” Stephen called to him. “Don’t cheat at cards.”
“I don’t cheat, Stephen. I bluff!” Jake laughed, forcing himself not to think too hard about leaving Randy lying in pain, or about how hard a trip to Oklahoma City would be for her, or about the fact that the only person she would have to turn to was Peter Brown. He had to think the best. He had to, or go crazy. He rode closer to Lloyd as he mounted up. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. All we need is some food from Sadie’s.”
It had become Tobe Baker’s job to keep Jake’s horse and nonperishable supplies ready at all times, so there hadn’t been that much packing to do. Most of their fresh food supplies came from Sadie’s place, where Sadie kept a tab on what the federal government owed her. Tobe had prepared a packhorse with small tools, horse liniment, brushes for the horses, a supply of tobacco, matches, towels, canned goods, and extra tack.
Lloyd grabbed the reins to the packhorse. “You okay, Pa?”
“No.” Jake headed down the street while Little Jake jumped up and down, yelling, “Gampa’s guns! Gampa’s guns!” He strained to run after Jake, but Brian kept a tight grip on him.
“You didn’t fool Mom either,” Lloyd told Jake when he caught up to him. “She wants me to keep an eye on you, which I fully intend to do.”
Jake cast his son a sly look of warning mixed with humor. “What other orders did my warden give you?”
Lloyd pushed back his hat. “She said to make sure you eat some breakfast when we pick up our supplies at Sadie’s, but that you’re not supposed to let Mary Ann pour your coffee.”
That brought a sudden burst of laughter from Jake, greatly relieving some of Lloyd’s worries. He thought what a great laugh his father had and wished he could hear it more often. “I don’t think I need to ask what that’s supposed to mean,” he told Jake.
“Yeah, well, it’s a private joke between us.” Jake laughed again. He kept grinning as he lit yet another cigarette. “Do me a favor when we get back and tell her I insisted Mary Ann wait on us, and that I enjoyed every damn minute of it.”
Lloyd smiled. He’d been “waited on” by Mary Ann himself—even took her up on her offer once, before Katie came along. “Whatever you say. You’re the one who has to answer to Mom. I wouldn’t want to.”
“I can handle Randy Harkner.”
“Yeah, well, she says the same thing about you.”
“I just let her think she’s in charge,” Jake called back as his horse trotted ahead of Lloyd’s again. “Keeps her happy.”
“Shit, Pa, everybody knows she’s got you lassoed and hog-tied. She corralled you twenty-six years ago, and you still haven’t found a way through the fence.” He rode faster to catch up again.
Jake didn’t answer the remark. “Let’s get our supplies and go pick up Jeff. I hope he got himself a decent horse and proper clothing.”
So, you’re done talking about Mom. He knew his father was torn to shreds on the inside. This was going to be the trip from hell.
Twenty-three
“Not a bad view this morning,” Lloyd commented.
“Mary Ann was thrilled to death that Randy wasn’t with me,” Jake answered. “Remind me to tell you some time what Randy said to her the last time we were in Sadie’s together.” He turned to look back at Jeff, who followed behind on an Appaloosa mare. “Get up beside us, Jeff. You’re swallowing dust.”
Jeff rode closer. He’d bought all the right clothes, but Jake couldn’t help thinking he still looked a bit comical, mainly because of his spectacles and the fact that he sat stiff as a board on the horse. “You sure you’re an experienced rider?” Jake asked him.
“I said I knew how to ride. But I’ve never ridden for days at a time, and on top of that, I’m not sure what you expect of me, Jake.”
“Just observe, Jeff, that’s all.”
“What if we find Marty Bryant?”
“We will find him, and when we do, you stay out of the way. I’ll take care of that sonofabitch.”