Jake C. Petit (e novels to read online txt) 📖

I gave to Isiah.”

“I think that you should just accept it and let it go. What if you do get a chance to read your instructions and find that they matched what had been carved into the granite?”

Jake shook his head as he said, “I know what I wrote, Sara. I just want to read it then ask Isiah why they had added the words.”

“I don’t think you should, Jake.”

“Why not?”

“What if you look at those instructions and find that they are no longer written in your hand, but your father’s?”

Jake looked at Sara and thought she might be just trying to make him see how silly it would be to ask Isiah about the unexpected change. But, as usual, he couldn’t understand why she’d asked the question. He continued to stare at her unblinking blue eyes for another thirty seconds. Then he decided that even though it was impossible for those instructions to be in anyone else’s hand but his own, it didn’t matter. She was right that what was permanently etched into the stone was all that did.

He smiled and said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. Besides, Isiah probably already burned my instructions. I’ll just let it go, Sara. It can be as big a mystery as the one I found in the saddlery in Woman’s Breast.”

“It could be worse, you know.”

Jake rolled his eyes before asking, “How on earth could it be any more bizarre?”

Sara’s blue eyes twinkled as she replied, “There could have been a lightning bolt carved into your father’s stone.”

EPILOGUE

July 11, 1889

Jake helped Matt to the top of the tall boulder then held onto him tightly after he sat down.

Matt pointed at the distant ranch house and exclaimed, “I can see our house from here, Dad!”

“You can see all of the other small houses, too. It looks like a small town; doesn’t it? And over there, you can see the ranch hands working the herds.”

Matt laughed as his head swiveled and his eyes revealed even more.

He was still grinning as he looked down and shouted, “Mom, you should come up and look around! I can even see all the way to town from up here!”

Sara looked up and said, “Your father could never convince me to climb those rocks and besides, I need to stay down here to take care of your sisters.”

“Aw, Mom. They’ll be okay. Annie is old enough to hold Beth’s hand.”

“She’s only five, Matt. And I’m not going to climb up there while I’m holding little Mary. When you were five, you couldn’t be trusted to watch your sisters.”

Jake looked at his son and said, “That’s okay, Matt. This will be a man’s lookout station. Let your mom and your sisters find their own hideout.”

Matt smiled at Jake and said, “Okay. I’m glad that I’m your only boy, Dad. That makes me feel special.”

“You are special, Matt. But so are each of your sisters. But your mom promised your grandfather that she’d fill the house with grandchildren, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have a brother pretty soon.”

Matt lost his smile as he said, “But I don’t want to have a brother. Can’t you tell mom to only have girls?”

Jake laughed as he looked down at Sara as she smiled and shook her head.

“That’s not how it works, Matt. God decides if you’ll have a brother or a sister. But if you do have a brother, I’ll need your help. I’ll be busy out with the herds a lot, so you’ll have to show him a lot of things. Being a big brother is a lot like being a father, and I’m sure that you’ll be a strong big brother.”

Matt’s smile returned as he said, “Okay, Dad. I’ll be a good big brother if mom has a baby boy. I want to be a good father just like you when I have my own little boys, too. I’m gonna make you proud of me, Dad.”

“I’m sure that you will, Matt.”

“Was your father proud of you, Dad?”

Jake smiled as he replied, “Every day of his life.”

bOOK LIST

1

Rock Creek

12/26/2016

2

North of Denton

01/02/2017

3

Fort Selden

01/07/2017

4

Scotts Bluff

01/14/2017

5

South of Denver

01/22/2017

6

Miles City

01/28/2017

7

Hopewell

02/04/2017

8

Nueva Luz

02/12/2017

9

The Witch of Dakota

02/19/2017

10

Baker City

03/13/2017

11

The Gun Smith

03/21/2017

12

Gus

03/24/2017

13

Wilmore

04/06/2017

14

Mister Thor

04/20/2017

15

Nora

04/26/2017

16

Max

05/09/2017

17

Hunting Pearl

05/14/2017

18

Bessie

05/25/2017

19

The Last Four

05/29/2017

20

Zack

06/12/2017

21

Finding Bucky

06/21/2017

22

The Debt

06/30/2017

23

The Scalawags

07/11/2017

24

The Stampede

08/23/2019

25

The Wake of the Bertrand

07/31/2017

26

Cole

08/09/2017

27

Luke

09/05/2017

28

The Eclipse

09/21/2017

29

A.J. Smith

10/03/2017

30

Slow John

11/05/2017

31

The Second Star

11/15/2017

32

Tate

12/03/2017

33

Virgil’s Herd

12/14/2017

34

Marsh’s Valley

01/01/2018

35

Alex Paine

01/18/2018

36

Ben Gray

02/05/2018

37

War Adams

03/05/2018

38

Mac’s Cabin

03/21/2018

39

Will Scott

04/13/2018

40

Sheriff Joe

04/22/2018

41

Chance

05/17/2018

42

Doc Holt

06/17/2018

43

Ted Shepard

07/16/2018

44

Haven

07/30/2018

45

Sam’s County

08/19/2018

46

Matt Dunne

09/07/2018

47

Conn Jackson

10/06/2018

48

Gabe Owens

10/27/2018

49

Abandoned

11/18/2018

50

Retribution

12/21/2018

51

Inevitable

02/04/2019

52

Scandal in Topeka

03/18/2019

53

Return to Hardeman County

04/10/2019

54

Deception

06/02.2019

55

The Silver Widows

06/27/2019

56

Hitch

08/22/2018

57

Dylan’s Journey

10/10/2019

58

Bryn’s War

11/05/2019

59

Huw’s Legacy

11/30/2019

60

Lynn’s Search

12/24/2019

61

Bethan’s Choice

02/12/2020

62

Rhody Jones

03/11/2020

63

Alwen’s Dream

06/14/2020

64

The Nothing Man

06/30/2020

65

Cy Page

07/19/2020

66

Tabby Hayes

09/04/2020

67

Dylan’s Memories

09/20/2020

68

Letter for Gene

09/09/2020

69

Grip Taylor

10/10/2020

70

Garrett’s Duty

11/09/2020

71

East of the