Love's Sweet Revenge (14 page)

Jake stayed on top of her. “We'd look pretty funny lying here like this, wouldn't we?”

“Jake Harkner, get off of me so I can fix my dress!”

“But this feels so good.”

“Oh, you're so mean! Maybe you got caught this way with whores a time or two, but you're not going to get caught like this with your
wife
!”

Jake just laughed and rolled off of her. He got up and buttoned his pants. “I brought a towel for you, but the horse ran off with it. You'll have to use that blanket to clean yourself up the best you can. We don't even have a canteen.”

“Oh, Jake, this is ridiculous!” Randy managed to clean herself a little with the blanket, and quickly pulled on her underwear. She smoothed her dress, then realized her hair was down and a mess. “Jake, my hair! They'll know! Oh, this is terrible!”

Jake finished buttoning his shirt. “I brought my beautiful wife out here so we could be alone. So what if her hair is down now?”

Randy sat back down on the blanket and fished for the combs and pins that had fallen from her hair. She quickly twisted the back of her hair up and shoved combs in it to hold the quick up-do in place. She plunked her hat on her head and looked at her husband, who only watched with a big grin on his face. “Do I look ridiculous?” she asked.

“You look beautiful. It's impossible for you
not
to look beautiful.”

“You know what I mean.” Randy stood up. “Am I a mess?”

Jake frowned. “Not bad. A few strands of hair are hanging down, and the skirt of your dress is a little more wrinkled in front from being pushed up.”

Randy gasped and looked down. “Oh my gosh! It is! Oh, Jake, this is just… I just don't know what to do!”

“Come here.”

Randy looked at him. He still had a handsome smile that only made her smile in return. He opened his arms, and she fell into them.

“Just be glad we weren't mauled by a grizzly,” he told her. “You've seen what a grizzly can do to cattle, and we both remember when Joe Jacobs was killed by one, so let's not worry about what anybody thinks. You are my wife.” He let go of her and held her face in his hands, kissing her gently. “And in spite of not having you fully naked beside me, that felt damn good.” He kissed her again.

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.

“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.”

Jake slowly rose.

“Hell, I was just joking.” Clem shrugged.

“Calling my wife a whore is no fucking joke.” The words came out in a deep menace as Jake walked closer. “Get up!”

The man slowly rose. “Jesus, Jake, you were a wanted man when that woman married you, if she married you at all. I mean, she's a beautiful woman, but everybody knows you ran with whores. You trying to tell us that's not how you met that woman?”

Men scattered when Jake landed a hard fist into Clem's face just as he spoke the words “that woman.” Clem landed against a wheel of the cook wagon, and Jake jerked him up by the shirt, then slammed his fist into him again.

“I'm just sayin' what the others are thinkin'!” Clem yelled.

Jake kept hold of the man's shirt front and rammed him up against the side of the wagon. “You're just goddamn lucky I'm not wearing my guns, you foul-mouthed bastard!” He landed a hard fist into Clem's gut while one of the men ran to get Lloyd.

“Lloyd, come quick!” he hollered.

Clem doubled over, and Jake brought a knee up under his jaw, catching him hard in the teeth and sending him sprawling again. Jake leaned down and yanked him to his feet. “No man who works for me treats my wife with anything but
respec
t
!” he growled. On the word
respect
, he punched Clem hard against the cheekbone.

Clem went sprawling yet again, blood pouring from his mouth. “Goddamn it!” he choked. “You knocked my damn teeth out!”

Again Jake jerked him to his feet. “Be glad you aren't
dea
d
!” he snarled.

“Pa!” Lloyd reached them by then. “Jesus, Pa, what's going on?”

“He called your mother a whore!” he growled as he shoved Clem away and turned to Pepper. “Hand me your gun!”

“No, Pa! He's not armed!” Lloyd objected.

Jake was already reaching for Pepper's gun, but Lloyd stepped between them. He shoved at Jake. “Don't do it!”

Jake raised a fist. Lloyd put up his arm to stop the blow and grabbed Jake's shirt front. “Pa, it's
me
! Get out of that dark place, damn it! You're looking to kill the man!”

Jake froze, glaring at him. He shivered then. “I
want
to kill him! He even said maybe your mother and I never legally married! She doesn't
deserve
that! I brought her along to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary, for God's sake!”

Lloyd kept hold of his father's shirt but closed his eyes. “She goddamn well
doesn't
deserve this!” He looked at Jake again. “But you can't kill him, Pa, because it would mean you not being there for Mom, and that's worse than
anything
that could ever happen to her!”

The rest of the men remained backed away. Pepper kept a hand on his gun as Clem rolled to his knees, groaning and weeping with pain. Father and son glared at each other a moment longer. “Let
me
finish this, Pa,” Lloyd said calmly.

Jake saw that spark of his old self in his son's eyes. “You remember the same thing you just told me. Katie needs you. She's carrying another baby.”

Lloyd gave Jake a light shove. “Well, these beautiful women just keep interfering with our mean side, don't they?”

Jake closed his eyes. “I don't
want
you to have a mean side.”

“I
have
one, whether you like it or not, but I know when to check mine…
most
of the time. You don't!”

Jake spoke through gritted teeth. “He tried to make it sound like I met her at a whorehouse! After all that woman has sacrificed for me, I can't—”

“What on earth is going on here, Jake?” Randy stepped into the light of the campfire.

“Go away!” Jake ordered, still staring at Lloyd.

“Jake—”

“Get the hell away from here!” he roared. “I mean it!” He heard a little gasp from her lips, and it tore at his gut. Never in their marriage had he raised his voice to her. Randy quietly walked away, and Jake turned away from Lloyd. “God
damn
it!”

“Go get her, Pa. I'll make sure Clem is gone before you come back here.”

“I can't go anywhere!” the man protested, literally sobbing. “He knocked my goddamn teeth out!”

Jake turned dark eyes to Lloyd again. “Get rid of him, or I'll
kill
him,” he said flatly. He ran a hand through his hair and turned away again.

“Jake—” Pepper called his name.

Jake stopped, his back to the men.

“You know damn well that was just a drunk man who's only heard half-truths and made up the rest. There's not a man among us who doesn't realize what a fine woman your wife is. You remember that. If you hadn't done what you did, we would have.”

Jake walked off into the darkness, and Lloyd jerked Clem to his feet.

“No! Don't hit me again,” the man cried. “I was just jokin'! He took it wrong!”

Lloyd slammed Clem against the cook wagon, enjoying the sight of blood pouring from the man's mouth. “This is how it is, mister,” he growled. “I should kill you myself for insulting my mother, but I'm in too bad a state right now to make logical decisions, so I'm leaving for a while in order to get rid of this strong desire to blow your
head
off!” He threw the man to the ground and turned to Pepper, resting a hand on one of his six-guns. “When I come back, I don't want to see that man! Make sure he gets the message! I don't want to see him riding in the distance beside us, or behind us, or after we reach Denver, because if I see him again I might not be able to keep from
killing
him! If my father sees him first,
he'll
kill him. I'm trying to stay within the law, but right now it's damn hard!”

“We'll take care of it, Lloyd,” Cole told him. “You go see to your pa. I ain't never seen a man that black-hearted mad in my life.”

“You've just never seen the dark side of Jake Harkner,” he answered, “until now. He fights it, but it's there. It's my mom who usually keeps him from falling over the edge.” He turned to Clem. “Go saddle your horse and ride out!”

“It's dark!”

“Ride out!” Lloyd roared. He backed away and looked at Cole and Pepper. “Make sure he disappears,” he told them.

Cole nodded. “Sure, boss.”

Lloyd walked off into the darkness. In the moonlight he could see a figure standing bent over a few feet away, and he knew it would be Jake. The man had come so far in his ability to check his anger and keep the old Jake at bay, but Lloyd knew nothing could set him off much worse than for someone to insult Randy, and he suspected there was more…something to do with bad memories of his father. He carefully approached him.

“Pa, she'll understand. This won't hurt her near as much as it hurt you.”

“I screamed at her.” Jake bent over more. “I can hear my father…roaring at my mother.”

“Pa, you know you aren't like him.”

“But I
am
! Sometimes I still am.”

“You could
never
be like him—not with your wife and the mother of your children—not with
any
woman. You never have been, and you never will be.”

Jake grasped his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ, she's my
wife
! How could he say that?”

“Because he's a stupid sonofabitch who would never understand what you and Mom share. Mom knows that, too. You being like this will hurt her far worse than anything somebody else says about her.”

Jake remained turned away. “I almost hit you.”

“Yeah, well, you didn't. And I know it wouldn't have been me you were hitting. I'm also guessing that your hand is hurting pretty bad right now. That's the hand that's never been completely right anyway after—”

Jake turned to look at him. “After I
did
hit you—when you visited me in prison.”

“I was a complete asshole to you that day. You should have beat me to a pulp.”

They heard Clem arguing then.

“Ride off now, or we'll finish what Jake started!” Cole yelled.

There came the sound of a horse riding at a gallop then, the hoofbeats quickly fading.

Lloyd closed his eyes and shook his head. “Pa, if I didn't butt in just now, you'd be in trouble, like when you were out to kill young Ben's father back in Oklahoma. You would have killed Clem if I hadn't stepped in, and you'd go back to prison.”

“Which goes to show you I
am
like…” He turned away again. “My father.”

“Your father was a drunk and a rapist who beat and killed his own wife and forced himself on the young girl you loved. But when it comes to your loved ones, you go into that protective rage, probably because you love
too
much. So no, you're
nothing
like him!”

Jake took a cigarette from his shirt pocket. “It's the rage part that reminds me of him. Part of me says I didn't really have to kill all those rustlers, but they threatened to come for Randy, and when it comes to her, something just…snaps.” He lit the cigarette. “Jesus, I screamed at her.”

“You were protecting her. You wanted her away from the men just then because of what was said. She knows that, Pa. Mom knows you better than
you
know you.”

Jake took a drag on the cigarette. “Yeah, she keeps telling me that, too.”

“And she has stayed with you through everything all these years. Getting yelled at once in all those years isn't going to bother her one little bit.”

“I heard that…little gasp…like I'd hit her or something.” Jake ran a hand through his hair. “God
damn
it! I screamed at my wife. I didn't just raise my voice. I
screamed
at her. The minute I did that, I saw
him
screaming at my mother.”

“Pa, you have to get
over
all that. Don't fall back into that awful place where you're the kid getting beat on and you think you have to fight back all the time.”

Jake smoked quietly. “Go saddle a horse for me, will you?”

“Why?”

“I just need to be alone, that's all.”

“Don't you be thinking about riding off, Pa. I know you.”

“I can't talk to your mother right now.”

“But you
should
talk to her. She'll
want
to talk to you.”

Jake took a last drag on the cigarette and stepped it out. “I can't. I'm still too angry: not so much over what happened, but angry with myself. I don't
want
her to tell me it's all right, and I don't want her forgiveness, because I don't deserve it. What that man said…it's too personal. I never should have touched that woman thirty years ago. Who the hell was I to think I could bring a woman like that into my fucked-up life? She deserves so much better.”

Lloyd sighed. “Damn it, Pa, give her some credit for knowing a good man when she sees one. And if you
hadn't
come along back then, she'd have died from snakebite, remember? Did you ever think that maybe God deliberately
put
her in your life to
save
your sorry ass?”

Jake faced him, shaking his head. “I don't deserve you, or Evie either.”

Even in the moonlight, Lloyd could see tears in his father's eyes. “Well, whether you like and accept it or not, we both think we couldn't have asked for a better father.”

Jake wiped at his eyes with his shirtsleeve. “I'll go get my horse.”

“You need to go get Mom and talk to her.”

“I can't right now. I can face ten men with guns, but that woman can completely undo me with one look or one word. That little gasp she made when I yelled at her—it was like somebody planting a knife in my heart.”

“Pa—”

“Lloyd, normally she'd already be looking for me and wanting to talk. In case you haven't noticed, she
didn't
this time. That tells me I hurt her way worse than I ever have before. As far as I'm concerned, yelling at her like that was the same as hitting her. That man took something beautiful and made it ugly. Randy doesn't deserve that, and it's because of who she's married to.”

“And
married
is the key word here, Pa. She's your
wife
. So nothing he said matters.”