The Last Outlaw(19)

He took a moment to reminisce. “My God, what a life that man has led,” he muttered. He reread the first part of the article.

…hostages…Jake’s own wife and granddaughter…

“Randy,” he said softly, “how much more will you suffer?” Peter had loved his first wife, still missed her since she’d died. And he loved Treena now. They were both getting older, he fifty-two and Treena forty-seven, and had been friends well before they married. When her husband passed, he and Treena had just seemed to fall in together as though it was only natural.

But she knew. Treena knew. He’d talked about Randy and how much he loved her before he and Treena had even thought about marriage. Truth be known, if he could have his way, Randy would be running his mansion even now, ordering the servants around, accompanying him to the opera and concerts and business gatherings. And oh, how beautiful she’d be! Not many women possessed that kind of beauty, especially as they aged. He’d met her back in Guthrie, when she worked for him during the times when Jake was off in No Man’s Land chasing the worst of humanity. He’d watched her quietly worry, never knowing if her husband would make it back alive.

She’d been through so much—running from the law, gun battles, Jake spending time in prison, lonely years when Jake would leave because he thought she’d be better off without him. God only knew what he’d done during those missing years. Some of his best friends were prostitutes, for heaven’s sake. But Randy took him back. She always took him back. There was no way she would ever leave her husband—no way she would ever love or give herself to another man. God knew he’d tried to reason with her. He’d offered her the world, but she’d turned him down for Jake.

How did anyone fight a man like that? He studied the article again, feeling how excited Jeff must have been when writing it. Jeff had been tracking and writing about Jake ever since meeting him and actually getting to ride with him back in Oklahoma. He was a big-time reporter now, but back then…

He picked up the telephone. “Yes, please get me the Chicago Journal,” he told the operator. “Jeff Truebridge. I’m not sure of the number. You’ll have to look it up.” He glanced up when his wife walked into his office, her dark hair looking perfectly coifed and lovely, as always. As he waited on the telephone, he pointed to the newspaper. Treena picked up the paper as Jeff answered the phone.

“Jeff! This is Peter. I saw the article about Jake.” Peter watched his wife as she read the article. She just smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, looks like he did it again.” Peter laughed. “Trouble follows Jake like his own shadow, but looks like this time it was of someone else’s doing. The man’s a damn hero—I can just imagine the look on George Callahan’s face when he found out who was in town when he decided to rob that bank. I’m just a little worried about Randy. The article says she was one of the hostages.” He noticed the look of chagrin on his wife’s face when he mentioned Randy.

“Those men picked the wrong day and the wrong town,” Jeff told him on the other end of the line.

Peter could hear the clicking of several typewriters in the background. He couldn’t help a good laugh at Jeff’s remark…but deeper inside he felt bad for Randy. How many times had he wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be all right? This was one of them. “You know anything about Jake’s wounds?”

“Head wound, but grazed, not penetrated. I guess they’re more concerned about a wound in his left side, but my sources say he’ll be okay. I wish I’d been there to see it all happen. There’s nothing more exciting than watching Jake Harkner in action.”

“Yes, well, we’ve both seen that, haven’t we? You going out to the J&L this summer again?”

“Can’t go this year. The wife is carrying again and she’s having problems, so I’d better stay home. You?”

“I don’t know, Jeff. Maybe I will. Randy might need some help. Hey, you take care, and I hope things go all right with your wife and the baby. Your first one is only about six or eight months old, isn’t he?”

“Eight. We didn’t want another one this soon, but human nature is human nature.”

Both men laughed. “Keep me informed on whatever you hear about Jake, Jeff.”

“I’m going to keep in touch with my connections in Boulder. Looks like I finished that book too soon. I didn’t know so many more things would happen. By the way, is Randy all right? Have you heard from her?”

“Sure. She writes my wife. Why?”