The Diary of Jerrod Bently - J.W. Osborn (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📗

all went well and that Trouble was good on the ride back.”
“He was, honey girl,” Doc replied “ Your Grandpa was a little miffed ‘cause Trouble passed Wakeeze twice on the way. And as for me and Victoria, I don’t want you to worry. We are like your Ma and Pa were. Meant to be.”
“That’s good.,” Sam answered as she led the stud out of the barn and to the gate. He nickered a few times at the mare and scowled at Smokey Joe, putting his red ears back. “We are on our way to Kansas,” she added as she mounted up. “I am anxious to get this job over with and head home. I want to be moved in and settled on the ranch by fall. “
Doc was serious when he looked up at his niece. “Sam,” he said “You know it ain’t over with Hinkley. He is going to be trouble, especially once he figures out that we caught Ned. I am going back to Grants Creek with you when the time comes.”
Thoughtfully, she gazed back at her uncle. “I can handle Hinkley,” she said confidently.
“I know that,” Doc replied “Mark my word, Sam, that man is dangerous. He has already tried to kill you and Scrub Pot. Thank God it was only Nathan’s idiot twin brother he sent. We might not be so lucky next time.”
“I see your point, Doc,” she said “We will talk about it when I come through here on the way back to Texas.”
“What about Bently?”, Doc inquired.
“He’s turning out to be a right fine ram rod,” Sam replied proudly, “And he can ride too.”
“That isn’t what I meant.” Doc stated.
“Like I said, Doc,” Sam stated “He’s a good partner.”
Doc shook his head. “You are as stubborn as that old Indian,” he said.
Sam turned Trouble around. “Not everybody ends up like you and Victoria, “ she said as she reached up and pulled her hat down to shade her eyes.
“You be careful, Sam,” Doc interjected, “There’s a lot of miles between here and Abilene. A lot can happen.”
“I will see you in a few weeks” Sam replied , and at that she rode off at a canter. Doc watched after her as he rubbed the sleek black neck of his horse. “Well, Joe,” he said “Welcome to your new home.” He led the black into the paddock to meet the paint mare. Joe laid his ears back and stomped his front foot. The dainty mare squealed and stood her ground. “Just like I thought,” Doc said as he put Joe in the stall Trouble had vacated, “That little gal is going to keep you on you toes.” Closing the stall door behind him, Doc headed back toward the house. He paused and looked down the lane, seeing the dust hanging in the air, but Sam was gone. “God, keep your hand on her,” he said to himself, “And the old coot too.” Doc knew Sam would be safe as long as Scrub Pot was around and he smiled at the thought of Jerrod Bently. Yes, she would be safe, Bently was in love with her and would protect her at any cost. But Sam didn’t seem to notice. At least not yet. “Just like her Daddy was,” Doc thought as he reached for the door. “Stubborn as Titus’s mule.”
Victoria called out to him from the kitchen. “Doc. Is there someone here? I thought I heard a rider.”
“My niece, Honey,” he answered as he walked in through the back door. “Come to pick up her horse.” Victoria appeared, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. “Did she leave already?” she asked. “I just put some more biscuits in the oven.”
“She brought Smokey Joe back,. They are moving that herd today” Doc replied “She’s got a job to do. You’ll see her again.”
“I hope so,” Victoria replied “I am sorry she missed the wedding.”
“She gave me her horse to ride back to you on,” he said as he crossed the room to her and took her in his arms. “Think she was glad to know we got married.. ” Doc was quite for a moment as he admiringly looked at his bride. “Victoria,” he said “That ring I put on your hand was her mama’s wedding ring. Sam said it was a wedding gift.”
Victoria looked down at the shining gold band. “Tell me about her, Doc.” she said “Who was she?”
“My sister, Sarah Ann,” Doc replied “I was the youngest of three. There were two girls Lillian and Sarah. Sarah was the middle child.” They sat down at the kitchen table and Victoria poured fresh coffee. Intrigued, she waited for her husband to continue. Doc sat quietly, thinking for a moment. It had never been easy for him to talk about the past and the loss of his best friend and his sister.
“Sarah was a good girl. ” he said “She had kind of honey blonde hair, and green eyes. Right pretty I must say and Momma set a great store by her. She liked to sing and play the piano. I had just joined the rangers when I met Joe Dodge. He was a half breed. We were trailing some horse thieves up in the pan handle of Texas. We threw in together as he was a tracker like no one I had ever seen before. To make a long story short, we got the horses back and took care of the thieves. Joe rode back to Waco with me, planning to sell his horses there. He met Sarah and they run off together. They knew Ma and Pa would never accept her marrying a half breed Blackfoot. “
”Did they ever come around, Doc?”, Victoria asked.
“After a while,” Doc said “You see, Honey.. The man who married us at the church last night was Joe Dodge’s daddy. And the fact that Zachariah Dodge was an ordained minister just like my own father was helped a lot with reconciling the family. I sided with Joe and Sarah and sometimes stayed with them at Bear Claw. When Sarah and Joe had their first child, everyone reconciled and we became a family again. They named the boy Brian after my father. A year later, Sarah had another baby and that was Sam.. Samantha Ann Dodge and she was the prettiest child I’d ever seen.”
“I thought she was beautiful when I met her at the shop,” Victoria commented. “I would love to know her better.”
“She will be back here when they settle up at the end of the drive,” Doc said as he sipped his coffee. “The boy, Brian is back East with my oldest sister, Lillian. He is a doctor, I think. I never got to know him very well. He’s a little older than Sam. “
”What happened to Sarah and Joe?”, Victoria asked. A dark, sad shadow fell over her husband’s face. “They died,” Doc said quietly. “Both of them gone by the time Sam turned two.” Victoria reached out and took his hands in hers. “Sam has been lucky to have you.”, she said comfortingly.
“I have done all I know how to do, Vic,” he said “Scrub Pot raised her, and her brother grew up in Philadelphia.” Sensing that her husband did not want to talk about the past anymore, Victoria rose from her chair and went to the kitchen to take her biscuits out of the oven.


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We were ready to pull out. The herd had been grazing for a while on the open range near Portersville and the cattle looked less scrawny as I watched them from Mud’s back. I learned a lot since we left Grants Creek. I could ride about as good as any cowboy and I could throw a rope too. Like some of the other drovers on the crew and I was no longer considered a green horn and gone on to becoming ram rode of our out fit. I was successful, except for one thing. I had to admit to myself that I had feelings for Sam Dodge. I was even a little jealous when I thought of Doc and his new bride. He’d found someone to spend his life with , a new career and it was as though he had just walked into it all. Victoria was beautiful, she had built a successful business and was a real lady. She and Doc would make a great team, but I wanted Sam with her long dark hair, brown eyes and her ability to be fiesty most of the time. I had serious doubts that she wanted me. However, I was encouraged when I’d seen Scrub Pot’s warning scowl at any other man who he thought might be thinking of Sam as more than the trail boss. He did not seem to scowl at me. Maybe the old man knew something I didn’t.
We had