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

Jake Titus must have stared at the envelope in his hands for a good ten minutes. That was what he was doing when Old Pede walked in through the front door of the Sherif’s Office. “Mister Jake?” the old man said in surprise “I thought you was out at the Double J or over at the court house.” Jake looked up “Stevens is still out of town,”he said “I just came by to check on our prisoner and to look through the mail. Say, Pede? It still stinks in here from that pole cat.”
“Sure does,” Pede replied “But you git me some coal oil and some whiskey and I kin git rid of it for you.”
“Stevens is a marksmen,” Jake declared as a grin on his face “He can knock the eye out of a snake at three hundred yards, and his first day on the job, he draws out on a pole cat.”
“I told you, Mr. Jake,” Pede said “Don’t never shoot a polecat, cause the stink stays around forever.”
“Sure does,” Ned Travis agreed from his cell “Hey Titus. You seen my brother around?”
“No,” Jake replied “I haven’t seen him since the wedding.”
“Ain’t you ever going to git that judge back here and get me out of this stinking jail.”, the outlaw complained.”
“You keep talking, Ned and you just might get another thirty days in there,” Jake threatened “Now shut up and read the good book Mrs. Johansen brought you.”
“You mean this here bible?”
“The very one,” Jake replied in annoyance.
“I’d love to do that, Titus,” Ned replied “It would be something to pass the time, but I can’t read. Never learned. “
Jake grinned at Old Pede. “Pede’s got nothing to do. May be he’ll read you a few verses,” he said as he rose from his chair and reached for his hat. “Got something to see to,” he added “I’ll be back in a little while.”
Jake retrieved his hat from the hat rack behind the desk and placed it squarely on his head. That letter he’d received seemed to burn in his fingers as he held it. “Where you off to Mister Jake”, Pede inquired as he was preparing to read to Ned.
“May be back East,” Jake muttered as he pulled open the door and stepped outside.
Jake Titus was a steady handed gunman, an upright pillar of the community, there wasn’t much that scared him, but his hands shook as he tore open that envelope and pulled out the folded piece of stationary from within. He started to read as he headed up the boardwalk toward Victoria’s Bake Shop. He was still reading as several people pushed by, greeting him, but Jake was to busy with what he was reading in that letter to hear them. As he reached the bakery, a grin crept across his face. “Praise God,” he said to himself, then looked around for is wife. Wasn’t she supposed to meet him here? “Well, J.W.” he said to himself “Looks like you’re going to be seeing New York City sooner than I’d promised you would.” He pushed open the door, expecting to find Victoria Stevens behind her counter or hear her out in the kitchen. Instead, there was his daughter Suzy, standing in Victoria’s place. “Susanna Faye?”, he questioned “What are you doing here?”
“I’m minding the shop for Miss Victoria,” she replied “Doc is coming in and she went home to get ready for him.”
“Where is your mother?”, Jake asked.
“She went over to Victoria’s to help her. Doc is bringing his niece here, she’s the one who got hurt,” the sixteen year old replied. “Daddy?”
“Yes Suzy,” Jake said.
“Miss Victoria said I was to give you a peach pie.”
Now that was an offer Jake Titus couldn’t pass up, considering that the one J. W tried to bake last week turned out so badly that even his old hound dog wouldn’t go near it. The truth was, Jake loved peach pie and he would graciously accept Victoria’s generosity.
“Well, Honey,” he said “That was mighty nice of Miss Victoria. What is the occasion?”
“She heard about Ma’s pie and felt sorry for you,” the girl replied.
“You be sure to bring it with you when you come home , Daughter,” Jake instructed, “I rode Molly into town today and I don’t want anything to happen to that pie.” The young girl smiled at her father. “I will be very careful, Daddy,” she promised.

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

The day was overcast, and looked like rain would pour down at any moment. Doc rode beside the buckboard as Hap drove on. Sam was asleep in the back of the wagon and for that Doc was grateful. He would have Doctor O’Brien look at her as soon as they got home. It had been a very long ride, and home had been on his mind for days. It could have been a soddy on the prairie, or a cave in some hillside, but as long as Victoria was there, it was home. He thought of Scrub Pot and Jerrod. By now, they would probably be well into Kansas with the herd and in a matter of weeks would be coming back to Portersville.
Exhausted and worn out from days on the trail, Doc’s eyes filled with tears as he saw the town in the distance. Victoria was waiting there for him and Sam would be safe. Never had he known such a great relief. Smokey Joe seemed to sense that he was close to home, snorted and began to prance around. He wanted the comfort of his stall and the company of that cute little brown and white mare. “Settle down,” Doc ordered as he tightened his reins. “We got to take this slow.” Hap had all but fallen asleep with the reins of the team in his hands. But he too seemed to sense that he was almost home. The young deputy’s back suddenly straightened and he looked at the horizon. “We made it Doc!,” he declared proudly.
“We sure did, Hap,” Doc replied, in grateful relief . “We sure did.”

Victoria head them coming and stepped out on her front porch. She was light on her feet as she flew down the steps and ran to Doc as he slid from his saddle and caught her in his arms. No words, just a loving greeting between a wife and her husband. The buckboard came to a stop and Hap , sporting a beard he did not have before they left, smiled . “Howdy, Miss Victoria,” he whispered. “Sam’s sleeping.”
“ I will get her inside,” Doc said to is wife “and you go get Doc O’Brien.”
“I have the back bedroom all ready for her,” Victoria replied “Is she going to be all right?”
“Yes,” Doc replied “But it’s going to take time.” Trouble began to nicker, not liking the idea of being separated from Sam. Victoria looked at him. He seemed to tower over the back of the wagon, his black velvet nose flaring as he took in the scents around him. “Hap,” Doc instructed “Take that stud around back to the barn. His mare out there and I don’t want him tearing the back out of this wagon to get to her.” Hap looked a little shocked by Doc’s request, but Doc already had gathered Sam into his arms and carefully carried her from the wagon up the steps and into the house. Hap Johansen III had handled horses all his life and Trouble merely followed as he led him to the paddock. Desert Rose was there and she totally ignored the big horse’s mutters and studly growls as though she was angry with him.
Sam did not wake up as her uncle carried her down the hall and settled her in her room. She muttered something as he lay her down on the bed, being ever so careful not to jar her broken arm. “It’s all right now, honey girl,” he told her “We are home.” For a moment Doc stood there by the bed, looking down at her , grateful they’d made it back to Portersville alive. He was exhausted, his nerves stretched to the limit, but he knew that this was not over yet. Jeb Vickers would surface sooner or later and he hoped that it would be in his jurisdiction. “Jerrod,” she muttered in her sleep.
“He’s fine, baby girl,” Doc said quietly “Go back to sleep.” Victoria met her husband in the hall as he pulled the door of the bedroom closed. “Dr O’Brien is coming,” she said “He said about a half an hour.” Doc took her in his arms and just held her, kissing her gently on the forehead and whispering a prayer of thanks. “I love you.”, he breathed against her cheek “No woman, past or present could mean so much to me as you do, Victoria Stevens.” Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. “Oh Doc,” she whispered back “I missed you so much.”
“Me too,” he replied “I am about dead on my feet Vic, and I am starving to death before your very eyes.”
She smiled up at him. “There is hot water in the tub in the back room.”, she said “ I was filling it for myself just as you and Hap pulled in. You