All Roads Lead Home
by Mary
Jess, on his knees, looked over at Lucy, also kneeling, her hands clasped in prayer before the tiny cemetery. There was a third grave now – a smaller one marked by a freshly hand carved cross from which hung a studded leather dog collar.
After a while Lucy opened her eyes and looked to Jess. “Do you think dogs go to heaven?” she asked.
Jess gave her a gentle smile. “Here’s what I think. I think that when you die an’go to heaven, you’ll find every animal you ever loved – every animal that ever loved you waitin’ for you an’ real glad to see you. That’s what I think.”
Lucy smiled back. “Do you think Adam is with Uncle Thad and Uncle Buck?”
“I think they’re throwin’ a stick for him right this very minute!”
Hand in hand, they slowly made their way back to the house.
“Now Juno’s going to be missin’ his friend a lot just like you are. You’re goin’ to need to be payin’ a lot of attention to him so’s he doesn’t get too lonely and sad,” Jess cautioned.
“An’ Ben. He thinks he’s a grown man now but he’s not. I’m countin’ on you to make sure he stays a boy for as long as he can. Cause once you’re a grownup, you’re a grown up forever and can’t ever go back. Do you understand what I’m sayin’?”
Lucy nodded. She looked at him soberly and said, “You’re going to be leaving soon, aren’t you?”
“Yes, darlin’, I am. If I don’t get home before long, folks there just might forget what I look like.”
“Will you ever forget me, Jess?”
He lifted her up high over his head and then looked her in the eye. “Never!”
When they reached the main house, they found a motley assemblage on the front veranda.
“How you feelin’? Jess called out to Joshua as he came up the steps.
“Ah’ve had mah dignity and mah virtue thrown asunder by this bad lady,” he grumbled nodding in Abigail’s direction.
“Nonsense, you fussy old man,” she retorted. “You’re a miserable patient and I’m going to make you pay!”
Abigail, Joshua, Ben, and Dick all sat rocking on the porch holding glasses of lemonade. Juno lay beside Joshua who sat regally with his bandaged arm in a sling.
“Jess, we were just celebrating,” Abigail said.
“Celebratin’ what?”
“Well, the mayor has asked Dick to come back and be sheriff again.”
“But he said no!” Ben chimed in. “He said he’d rather stay here with us.”
“I’ve kinda taken a liken’ to ranchin’ life,” Dick said to Jess, smiling evenly.
“So now, Buster’s gonna be sheriff and he says maybe someday I can be his deputy!” Ben declared, his little face beaming.
“That’s fine,” Jess replied. “Real fine.”
Jess reined in Traveler and looked down one last time on the graceful house overlooking the wide river.
It looked much as it did when he had first laid eyes on it. It had been just weeks ago but already it seemed like years. So much had happened – so much had changed.
Evil had touched the town of Ruby Creek and, to some extent, even the Davis ranch but as Abigail had said, they were good people with strong values and they would move past it.
Buster Waite would make a good and fair sheriff. Dick Austin would help Abigail and Joshua run and grow the ranch so that some day it could be passed to Ben and Lucy. The cattle drives had already started and the nuggets found by Paddy Flanagan’s would stay hidden in the gravel riverbank, hopefully for many years to come. Dick had been right. The real gold was in the cattle. And also in the people. These good brave people of the great territory of Montana.
He smiled to himself as he imagined Abigail as he had seen her just before dawn. Standing in the drive with Juno at her side – her face still flushed from their last lovemaking.
There had been no tears – no goodbyes. Their meeting and coming together had been predestined and they both knew it. Only fate would determine if and when they would ever see each other again.
What they had found in each other’s arms would remain with them forever and he knew that Abigail would smile through his dreams for the rest of his life.
Jess glanced over his shoulder towards the stand of tall trees ringing the ridge behind the main house. He thought for a moment he saw a familiar figure standing there, his hand raised as if in a salute. But when he looked closer, the figure was gone.
Also gone was the little voice in his head. The one that had warned him to always keep his distance. Never again would he be afraid to let down his emotional guard. Never again would he fear being close to another human being.
He sighed and then settling his hat low over his eyes, he turned Traveler southward towards Laramie and home.
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