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

“Who?”, Doc answered distractedly.
“Your niece?”, Hap replied “I never met her.”
“You don’t need to be thinking about Sam, deputy” Doc cautioned, his hazel eyes narrowing “She ain’t none of your concern.”
“That’s not I meant, Doc,” the boy defended “I was just wondering about her. Her being a wrangler and head of this outfit, that’s all.”
“Sam comes from a long line of wranglers,” Doc said “Her Pa was one of the best.” Remembering Joe Dodge always made Doc sad. He missed his friend and Joe’s untimely death had left Sam never knowing her father, only the stories told of him.
Sensing that Doc did not want to talk, Hap kept quiet, listening to the sounds of the cattle up ahead, and the jingle of the team’s harnesses.


Scrub Pot was tending to one of the drovers mounts. The horse probably had a sprain. He looked up from his work to see Doc ride in and went to meet him.
Doc swung out of his saddle as Hap drew the wagon to a stop about a fifteen feet behind him. Scrub Pot read his old friend’s tight lipped expression as he walked up to him.
“She has opened her eyes a few times,” Scrub Pot said as he shook hands with Doc. “ Sam is not out of the woods by any means, but I believe she is going to come back to us.”
“She’s in God’s hands,” Doc replied worriedly, “How about Jerrod. How is he holding up?”
Scrub Pot smiled. “We owe the boy,” he said “He saved her life.”
“I know,” Doc replied , “I read his letter, but he did not let on like he’d done anything, but shoot that snake, Dalton. His concern was for Sam, not himself.”
“Can we save him, Doc?,” the old man asked quietly “There is no law out here. The boy could hang for killing Dalton.”
“Not in my jurisdiction,” Doc swore “I have to hear his side of the story and if Sam remembers what happened, I will call it self defense and leave it go at that. But if it comes to a trial, There’s Jake Titus back in Portersville . He is a fine attorney. What about this Vickers? The dead man’s partner?“
”Cousin.,” Scrub Pot answered. “He’s gone , but he swore he would kill Jerrod.” “Sounds like you got hold of a couple of real bad eggs, “ Doc said “We will get this all sorted out once Sam wakes up. A man who attacks a woman like this Dalton did, deserves to die.” he added in disgust. Scrub Pot nodded his agreement as Doc turned to his deputy.
“Hap,” he called out.
“Yes sir,” the deputy replied.
“You take care of the team and that wagon.” he said “ Miss Victoria will have me sleeping in the barn if anything happens to either of them.”
Grumbling the boy climbed down from the wagon to do as he had been instructed.
“I am going to put Joe up,” Doc said, “then I want to see Sam and talk to Jerrod.”
Scrub Pot took the black’s reins from Doc’s gloved hand and handed them over to one of the drovers who had been helping him with the lame horse, “Take very good care of this horse, John,” the old man said quietly. John Prince, nodded and led the black away.
Scrub Pot turned to Doc. “Come,” he said. Doc followed him across camp to the chuck wagon. The old man pulled the canvas flap aside “Doc is here, Jerrod,” he said
I don’t know if I was relieved or scared that he had arrived, but at this point I did not care , I was just glad to know he’d come as I had asked him to.
“She’s quiet,” I whispered back to him. “Seems to be resting better than last night.”
“Good.,” I heard Doc say “ Let her sleep. Jerrod I want to talk to you.”
I don’t know if Sam knew I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before I climbed out of the wagon or not, but I thought I saw a tiny smile at the corners of her mouth.
It was starting to get dark, as I sat down by Scrub Pot’s cook fire with Doc. I was so used to smelling the beans that I hardly noticed he’d added rabbit meat to it or that the day crew had come in to eat. Doc looked plumb wore out and very worried. “I read your letter,” he said “But I want you to tell me everything that happened.”
I watched the fire, knowing that I had nothing to hide. “I shot Dalton because he was attacking Sam. There is no telling what he’d have done if I hadn’t come along.” I saw the sherrif bite his lip in silent anger. “I should not be thinking about personal feelings right now, Bentley,” he said “ Sam is my kin, my blood and if you hadn’t killed that snake, I would have hunted him down and done it myself.”
“He did not succeed, Doc,” I replied “I got there before he had a chance to hurt her. She fell over the edge of that cliff, when she staggered backward. I felt the tears coming again and remembered that a man is not supposed to cry. “I tried to catch her,” I said quietly. I felt his hand on my shoulder. “I know you did, son,” he said “What matters is that you got there in time, saved her from Dalton and from dying on that ledge. “
”I never killed a man before, Doc,” I said “Don’t ever want to do it again.”
He was quiet and stared into the fire, I could tell his mind was taking him back somewhere into his past. “If killing can be avoided, it should be,” he said. “Now tell me about Dalton and Vickers and what lead up to all of this.” We talked for over and hour, and Doc listened carefully.
“I believe you, Jerrod,” he said “but I have to hear Sam’s side of the story too, and then it can be settled.”
“What about Vickers?”, I asked.
“God help him,”, Doc replied coldly.
I told Doc everything I had seen and done, knowing that in this area, he was the law and I would go with him willingly when the time came. But for now, I would return to my vigil and wait for Sam to come back to me.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Sam faded in and out of consciousness, at times seemed restless and would move around on her bunk. Scrub Pot seemed to know she would be all right in time and his faith never wavered. I was not so optimistic. She had a bad concussion, her left arm was broken in two places, several bad cuts and a badly sprained ankle and knee, but she was holding on.
Outside the wagon, Doc walked away from Scrub Pot after they’d finished talking. I saw him rubbing at his eyes as he went off to be alone. “Where’s Doc going?”, I whispered from the back of the wagon.
“He needs to be alone. He will come back,” Scrub Pot said “You did what had to be done, Jerrod Bently. Be at peace, my son.”
“Every time I sit here with her I want her to open her eyes and talk to me. Yell at me. Call me a green horn, anything! I just want her back.,” I said as I climbed out the of the wagon to stretch my legs. “Her eyes open and close sometimes, but that is all.”
“Laudanum,” Scrub Pot said quietly. “She is drugged for the pain. Be patient. I know that you love her. Sam knows it too and because of that, she will come back to you. I do not expect you to understand what I am going to tell you, because it is the way the Blackfoot believe.”
I looked at the old man, waiting for him to go on, hoping I would find some comfort in his words. “Sam is healing herself from inside,” he said “All her power, all that is her , she has pulled in to heal the injury. When she has healed it she will wake up. She will not die. This I know. You must have faith, Jerrod Bently, trust God and Sam.” I saw Ely leading Trouble up to the back of the wagon. “Get that stud away from there,” I shouted. Scrub Pot put his hand on my arm.