The Diary of Jerrod Bently, J.W. Osborn [the false prince series TXT] 📗

Doc.,” the boy complained “Get Pede to drive that team. He’s drives them all the time.”
“Get up in that seat, boy,” Doc barked “and that’s an order!” Hap the III had to learn how to take orders or he would never make it at Fort Dodge. “Well, what if I need my horse for when we come back?”, he began.
“Get up there now!,” Doc ordered. Grumbling the young man stepped off the boardwalk to the street and climbed up onto the wagon seat, taking the reins of his father’s best team of horses. Doc turned to Victoria. “I don’t know how long we will be gone, Honey,” he said “Don’t want to think past what Jerrod said in his letter. I need you to pray for us all, especially Sam.”
“Come back to me, Elliot Stevens,” she said “and I will pray and I will miss you every minute you are gone.” She handed him the basket. “I put everything that would keep in here for you and Hap.” she added. Doc smiled warmly at his wife’s thoughtfulness as he put the basket under the seat of the buckboard..
“What’s in there?” Hap asked.
“Never you mind,” Doc cautioned “You’ll find out later and so will I. “ Then he went back to where Floyd and Victoria were waiting. “Jax, you need a day or two to rest, just like that mare.” he said.
“But I thought I’d ride with you, Doc to show you the way.”, he said. Doc grinned that cockeyed grin of his. “Son,” he said “If I can’t find a herd of cattle and the stubborn old Indian with it, then I guess I am pretty sorry as a tracker.”
Victoria put her hand on Floyd’s shoulder. “Doc is right,” she said “You come with me. I will get you settled at the hotel, and see that you get some decent food.” Her words were like music to the exhausted man’s ears. “Thank you Mrs. Stevens,” he said “Thank you too, Doc. I’ll catch up in a day or two.”
Doc drew his wife aside. “I am coming back, Victoria,” he said “I love you.” He drew her into as warm embrace and kissed her. “Be careful, love,” she whispered as they parted. Doc vaulted into his saddle. “Vic,” Doc said as he drew up his reins “Go tell Titus I need him in town.” Victoria nodded. “Be safe,” she said “You too, Hap and I will tell your father and Suzy where you have gone.”
Hap tipped his hat and picked up the buggy whip “Thank’s Miss Victoria.” They left in a cloud of dust. Victoria turned to Floyd Jax. “Let’s get you looked after.”, she said.
“I ain’t slept in a bed since forever, Ma’am,” he said “and I’ve been living on jerky for the last three days.”
“Then I think you should get cleaned up and then come over to bakery”, she said as they crossed the street to the Portersville Hotel.

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Now Jake Titus had gotten used to things being not so hectic, that being because Sherrif Elliot Stevens had been duly sworn in to office and things were quiet. He was a little worried when Victoria Stevens rode in to his front yard, hell bent for leather. Fancy Lady lathered and snorting from a long fast ride. With all the excitement Jake, flanked by J.W. and Suzy came out onto the porch of the ranch house.
“What is wrong , Vic?” he asked as she slid out of her saddle.
“Doc had to leave town,” she said worriedly “There has been some kind of trouble with that cattle drive and he has gone to take care of it.” One of Jake’s ranch hands came and took Fancy to the corral for water as Jake ushered Victoria inside. She handed him Jerrod Bently’s letter. “This ain’t good, Vic,” Jake said as he read it.
“No,” Victoria agreed as she followed him into the parlor. J.W. brought her some water to drink. “What happened?,” she asked.
“There was a shooting, and Doc’s niece has been hurt,” Victoria said “He left about an hour ago. He said to tell you to take over for him, Jake. That Ned Travis is supposed to be taken back to Texas for trial and....”
“Isn’t Nathan Travis taking him?” Jake demanded. “He’s a Texas Ranger.”
“As I hear it, he’s not with the rangers any more,” Victoria replied as she took a drink of water from the glass J. W had handed her. “He sent word back to his head quarters that he was done. He resigned, turned in his badge and married Fran Bradford . I just heard all about it from Almeda Wilks this morning.”
“What!” , Jake demanded., a look of great surprise on his face.
“They eloped and no one has seem them for the past three days.”, Victoria replied.”Almeda told me they’d gone off on some sort of honeymoon but she did not know where.”
“That is just like Fran,” J.W. stated, “She could have at least told you, Victoria.”
“Spur of the moment I guess,” Victoria replied . “seems she didn’t need either of us to stand up for her at her wedding.”
Jake crossed the parlor and went out into the hall, taking his black leather gun belt from where it hung by the front door. “Before word gets out that Stevens is gone, guess I better go into town and make my presence known, “ he said as he buckled the belt and tied the holster down. “We don’t need any unexpected guests, so to speak,” he added as he reached for his hat. He turned to his wife. “You look after Miss Victoria, J.W. and don’t forget you have to finish that outline you were working on yesterday.”
“That’s right,” J.W. replied. Jake plopped his hat on his head and pulled open the door. “Tell Suzy that she better be studying those school books when I get back. Or she won’t be going riding with young Johansen come this Saturday.”
“Young Hap went with Doc, Jake,” Victoria interjected ,“He is driving my buckboard..”
“May be being a deputy and doing a real job with shake some sense into that boy,” Jake growled to himself as he stepped out side, “can’t wait till the cavalry calls him in.”
He was on the bottom step of the porch when J.W. called out to him, telling him to take his riding horse , Windwalker, because that cussed mule of his had been turned out. Jake ignored her and walked off toward the barn. “Cussed mule, my foot,” he groused “That woman just doesn’t understand.” He walked across the barnyard to the fence and whistled loudly. Across the field, near the tree line, Molly Girl grazed with the horses but when she heard Jake’s whistle, her long ears went up and she cantered across the field to where he waited by the fence. “That’s my good old gal,” he said as he slipped a leather halter over her long sad looking face. He petted her black nose. “Cussed mule,” he said to himself, “Not my Molly.” Maybe it was true that the mule only loved Jake and would do anything for him. The two ranch hands who worked on the Double J were afraid of her because she bit and kicked. She had given Kane Wolf a devil of a time the last time he put shoes on her, but for Jake, that red mule was an angel. “J.W. just doesn’t understand,” Jake muttered as he led the mule into the barn and saddled her.
As Victoria Stevens and J. W. Titus sat in the parlor mulling over the news of the day, they heard Jake ride out. J.W. left her chair and lifted to curtain and watched her husband depart. “Windwalker is a good ride, Vic and fast,” she said “But he always rides Molly, and has since the day his pappy gave her to him. ”
“Doc thinks it is funny,” Victoria mused “He says no law man should be riding a mule, especially that red one.”
J.W. Titus watched after her husband, then let the curtain fall back into place. “Jake loves that critter”, she said “Always has. I never understood why because she is meaner than a rattlesnake.”


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It was a long and tense ride for Doc Stevens and his young deputy. They stopped only to rest the horses and after three and half days on the trail, they finally caught sight of the grazing cattle in the distance. Doc was worried sick about Sam , but during the journey he had been pleasantly surprised by Hap III’s ability to cooperate under stress circumstances. May be the boy wasn’t as lazy and selfish as everyone thought he was.
“What’s she like?”, Hap asked as Doc rode silently along side the buckboard.