They heard a whistle. In the distance they could see Lloyd and one other man riding hard in their direction, the other man leading Jake’s horse behind him.
“Oh, for the love of God,” Randy said as she quickly rolled up the blanket and held it close, looking down as the two men drew closer.
“Pa!” Lloyd shouted. “You okay? Your horse came charging back to camp like it was terrified of something!”
Jake moved an arm around Randy. “We saw a grizzly. It scared the horse.”
“Jesus! Why didn’t you shoot it?”
“Because it was a she bear and there were cubs with her. I didn’t want to leave those cubs motherless. She didn’t really threaten us. Besides, I’m not so sure you can even kill a grizzly with just a .44. I might have just made her even angrier.”
“For God’s sake, that bear could have mauled both of you! You know there’s nothing more dangerous than a female grizzly with cubs.”
“We just lay there and didn’t make a move. The bear finally lumbered away with her cubs.”
Randy buried her face against his chest and couldn’t help laughing. Jake grinned and looked at Lloyd. “Hand me the reins to my damn horse and get back to camp.”
Lloyd hesitated, then started laughing. “You mean that bear came along when—” He laughed harder.
“Holy Moses,” Cole muttered with a grin.
Lloyd kicked at Cole’s leg. “Get the hell out of here,” he told Cole. “And don’t say a damn word.”
“I’ll try my best.” Obviously struggling not to laugh out loud, Cole turned his horse and left.
“We might as well camp the night here,” Lloyd told Jake. “I’ll tell the boys to keep the herd tight and be on the lookout for that grizzly.” He tipped his hat. “Didn’t they used to call you ‘the handsome outlaw’?” he teased his father. “Mom still sees you that way, doesn’t she?”
“Get the hell out of here before I beat you within an inch of your life.”
“And how many times have I told you to try proving you can?”
“Don’t tempt me, Son.”
With a big grin on his face, Lloyd rode closer and handed Jake the reins to the extra horse. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. I’m just glad nobody is hurt.” He laughed again as he turned and rode off.
“Jake, this is absolutely the most humiliating situation you have ever put me in!” Randy looked up at him. “You do these things on purpose just to embarrass me, don’t you?”
He put both arms around her. “Breaks up the monotony of the trip and erases all your worries for a while, right?”
“I should never have come up here with you.”
“Woman, when have you ever said no to me?”
“I can’t name the number of times I should have said no to you!” Randy met his gaze, and after a moment of silence, they broke into laughter. “I honestly can’t remember ever saying no,” Randy said. “I’ve spoiled you rotten.” She threw her arms around his neck. It felt good to laugh. They were headed for Denver and the Cattlemen’s Ball and shopping and enjoying the excitement of city life.
For a while they’d both forgotten about Mike Holt, and that was what Jake meant to do.
Fourteen
“We should make it to Denver day after tomorrow,” Jake told the men. He unbuckled his gun belt and dropped it next to his bedroll.
Cole grinned. “Barring any more side trips,” he teased.
They all laughed. Six men, including Cole, Jake, and Pepper, sat around a campfire, smoking, while the women remained farther ahead, making ready to bed down. Besides the cook wagon and one with supplies, Jake had brought along two covered wagons just for the women and Brian. Lloyd would stay with them tonight to stand watch, and Brian would sleep in one wagon with Evie, while Katie and Randy slept in the other wagon. Four of the men remained with the cattle, quietly riding around the herd, one of them singing softly to keep them calm, while the rest would soon bed down on the ground around the cook wagon.
“Must be nice,” one of the new hires named Clem muttered in a near grumble.
“What’s that?” another asked.
The man shrugged. “Bein’ the boss—and bein’ Jake Harkner to boot. You get to bring a beautiful woman along on a trip like this and use her like your own personal whore.”
Smiles faded, and every man quieted except one, who just softly muttered the word, “Shit!”
They all remained frozen in place while Jake took the cigarette from his lips and tossed it into the campfire.
“God Almighty,” Pepper grumbled. “Clem, you stupid sonofabitch. That’s Jake’s wife you’re talkin’ about.”