“Oh my God,” he muttered when the two men arrived, a bundle of something in Jake’s arms. He knew who it had to be. He was glad they’d found Randy, but the way Jake held her and the way she was silently curled against him didn’t look good. He glanced at Lloyd.
“I’ll explain when we leave,” Lloyd told him. “Did you bring everything?”
“Yes, sir. There’s plenty of wood stacked inside, lots of canned goods, pots and pans, a small barrel of water, and even flour and whatever she might need if she wants to make some of that famous bread. We didn’t know, but maybe after whatever happened she’d feel better if she could bake or something.” He shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. We even brought up a Dutch oven. I waited here to make sure somebody showed up. I’m glad to see you and Jake are okay.”
Lloyd dismounted, and Jake handed Randy down to him. “Thanks, Charlie. Did you bring extra clothes? Blankets?”
“Yes, sir. And I’ve got a good fire goin’. I slept on the floor so’s not to mess up the—” He glanced at Jake as Jake dismounted. “Well, I just didn’t want to mess things up is all.” He hurried up the steps to open the door for Lloyd, who carried his mother inside. Jake paused to light a cigarette. “Take care of my horse, Charlie. Is there feed in that shed over there?”
“Yes, sir. We thought of pretty much everything. There’s some ammunition inside, too, both for your rifle and your .44s, just in case you need them. Hell, a storm could come over the mountains and bury you here. You might need to hunt for your food or fend off a bear.”
“Yeah, well, you might not see us for a while either way.” He took a deep drag on the cigarette. “You ride back with Lloyd. The last thing I need right now is to get home and find out something happened to him on the way home. It’s none too early for grizzlies to be out snooping around, and wolves are pretty hungry after a long winter.”
“Yes, sir. I hear them howling every night.”
Jake thought how he’d heard wolves howling before dark a time or two last fall. It wasn’t normal to hear wolves in the daytime, and the sound had seemed so ominous. Now he knew why.
“You okay, Jake? Midnight kicked you pretty hard the night of the fire, and God knows what’s happened since. Ain’t my business.”
“I’m all right…physically.” He kept the cigarette between his lips. “They’re all dead, in case you’re wondering. And they were never here. Understand?”
Charlie nodded, scratching at a several-days’-old stubble on his face. “I kinda figured that.”
Jake studied the man. Charlie wasn’t all that old. He was of medium build and inconsequential looks—just another ranch hand. “I don’t know a damn thing about you, Charlie, and I don’t want to know. You could be a damn bank robber, or maybe you ran off with some man’s wife. It doesn’t matter to me. I read a man pretty good, and I’m glad to know I was right about you being one of the good ones. I know better than anybody that a man’s past doesn’t mean a damn thing in the present. Thanks for hanging around and making sure of all this.”
Charlie grinned a little. “Actually, it’s the latter.”
“What’s that?”
“I did run off with another man’s wife, but she went back. I kept all the money we stole from him, though. Somewhere out there is a real pissed-off husband who’d like to beat the hell out of me.”
Jake grinned. “Well, you’re safe on the J&L.”
Charlie sobered. “She wasn’t nothin’ like that woman in there, Jake. Not many women are like her. The shape the missus is in, I expect somethin’ bad happened, and you gotta know that every man back home is hopin’ she’ll be okay and wishin’ they could have had a hand in dealin’ with them that hurt her. It won’t never be brought up in front of her, and nobody’s gonna say anything about them bein’ here. You don’t need no more of that kind of trouble.”
Lloyd came out onto the porch. He lit his own cigarette. “She’s already sleeping again. I laid her on the bed, and she was out like a snuffed lantern.” He came down the steps. “Charlie, let’s put up Midnight, and you and I can get some riding in yet before it’s completely dark. We can be back home by midday tomorrow. Right now, I’m real anxious to see my Katie.”
Charlie grinned again. “Sure can’t blame you there. You Harkner men sure know how to pick ’em. Are the boys okay?”
“They’re good,” Lloyd told him. “Still bruised up, but we let them help in their own way, and I think that made them feel better about this whole thing.” He came all the way down the steps. “They’re in a bit of trouble, though, that’s going to take some discipline. Little Jake decided to sneak off with one of Cole’s extra six-guns and tried to join in the shoot-out. Brian is pretty upset with him.”