“What about the bad women?” Little Jake knocked away a spider. “I think they’re the kind that don’t care. Do you think Grampa used to be with a lot of women like that?”
They both giggled. “I think Grampa did a lot of stuff like that when he was younger. But I’ll bet Grandma really would punch him if he did that now.”
They giggled again, the conversation helping relieve their nervous fear of what might happen.
“It’s warmer in here out of the wind,” Stephen remarked. “Grampa says another snowstorm might be coming. We have to get Grandma home so’s she doesn’t get sick.”
“How much farther do you think before we reach the cabin, Stephen?” Little Jake asked.
“I don’t know. Just keep going. We have to reach Grandma before they hurt her too much. If they kill her, Grampa and my pa are gonna feel really, really bad. I don’t think they would maybe ever smile again. I’m scared Grampa might even ride away and never come back. I think he’d go crazy without Grandma.”
“My mom said that once,” Little Jake answered. “She prays for him all the time on account of he gets kind of crazy sometimes, like when he shot that man in Denver.”
“He just loves all of us too much,” Stephen told him. “That’s what makes him crazy.”
“I wouldn’t never be happy if Grampa left us…or if he died,” Little Jake commented. “Would you?”
“I don’t think so. I can’t even picture life without Grampa around. He’s so…I don’t know…big! It’s like he fills everything up, even outside. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yeah. Uncle Lloyd does, too.” Little Jake giggled again. “My mom is always complaining how he looks like an Indian ’cause of his hair. I’m glad he didn’t die when that man in Denver shot him.”
“My pa is tough. I knew he wouldn’t die. He’s a big, strong man.” Stephen stopped for a minute. “Little Jake.”
“What?” Little Jake looked back at him.
“Let’s make a pact.”
“What do you mean?”
“You and me. We’ll be like Grampa and my father when we grow up. I mean, we’ll get along like they do, and we’ll be tough like they are.”
Little Jake frowned. “Sure we will! But Grampa and your pa sometimes get in fights.” He started shimmying through the rugged crack again.
Stephen followed. “That’s just them carin’ about each other. We might fight sometimes, too, but it won’t mean we don’t care about each other. We should always get along and watch out for each other like Pa and Grampa do. And we gotta remember that Grampa would want to always treat Ben like his real son. Ben had a bad father like Grampa did.”
“I know.” Little Jake giggled again. “Heck, I just thought about it. Grampa adopted Ben, so he’s my uncle!”
Both boys laughed over that. “He’s more like a brother or a cousin. I never thought of him as an uncle!” Stephen said.
They moved along silently, blinking against stone dust that kept getting in their eyes. Because of the size of the crack, they couldn’t wear their hats, and their hair was starting to cake with dust. Little Jake buried his face in the crook of his arm to sneeze. The boys froze.
“Do you think they heard that?” Little Jake whispered.
“No. We’re too deep in these rocks, and you muffled it. Hurry up now! We’re almost there!”
Little Jake walked faster when they reached a wider area, then sucked in his belly when the crack narrowed again. “We’re real close,” he whispered. “I remember that big part was just a little ways from where we climbed into the crack where it comes out by the cabin.”
Hearts pounding, the boys finally reached the opening. “I see it!” Little Jake whispered excitedly. “I see the cabin!”
“Do you see Grandma?”
“No. She must be inside.” Little Jake peeked farther out. “I don’t see nobody. I see the horses, though. They’re over to the right. You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Stephen whispered in reply.
“I’m scared, but we gotta do this for Grandma.”
“Yeah.” Stephen hung on tight to the rifle. “But Pa and Grandpa are out there waiting. Let’s go!”
Little Jake didn’t hesitate. He ran out, Stephen right behind him. The boys made a beeline for the horses, quickly untying them from the tether line. One of them whinnied.
“Shit!” Little Jake yelped. He couldn’t climb up on the unsaddled horse he was trying to grab. Stephen laid down the rifle and gave him a boost. He handed up the reins to two horses.