Chapter 52: When All is Said and Done

~Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.~—King David

The soft music of the harmonica came to an end, and for a few seconds the only sound was the wind as it gently blew over the terrain.

Dannie sighed contentedly as she deeply breathed in the evening air. She turned and softly caressed the little stone that marked Roy’s grave.

It had been a month since the incident with Calhoon, and life in Hopewing had gone back to normal.

Calhoon had been buried on the outskirts of the little Hopewing cemetery, and Roy’s body had been laid to rest not far from the place where he had breathed his last breath.

The news that Calhoon was dead spread around like a wildfire, and Jake knew that a lot of bounty hunters throughout the area were a little disappointed.

There had been a great price on Calhoon’s head, and to have him killed by a dog sort of left everyone without a reward.

Jeremiah Grant had tried to give the reward money to Dannie, since it was her dog who killed him, but Dannie had refused to take it. Jake didn’t want the money, either. After all, he hadn’t caught Calhoon; all he had done was nearly get Dannie killed.

In the end, they gave the money to Tarak. Many thought it was unfair and stupid to give a “red-skinned Indian” all that money, but Jake and Dannie both felt it was best.

Bessie, Asop, and Jem had been taken to Fort Rivers where there was a federal prison. Jake didn’t care what happened to them, as long as they stayed away from him and didn’t interfere with his life or the lives of the people he loved.

Clay Walkers had, of course, been very perplexed over the whole incident, and had asked Jake to please tell him next time an outlaw was after him.

Sophie was mad at Jake for putting Dannie in danger, and blamed him and the “stupid Indian” for Roy’s death.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were also rather upset about the whole incident, as were Reverend and Mrs. Simmens. But, with Jake’s apology and Dannie’s interference, they had allowed Jake to continue to court Dannie.

So, these days, when Jake was not working on the Cora Belle, he was riding to Hopewing. The two would go horseback riding, have picnics, and go on long walks. Jake was always in a hurry to get Dannie away from Hopewing. He hated being at the mercy of the town busybodies.

Today, they had gone for another long ride and, upon returning, came by the church to visit the little grave that meant so much to both of them.

It was evening now, and the sun was just starting its descent toward the horizon. At Dannie’s request, Jake had been playing his harmonica, but had at last put it down and allowed the cool evening breeze to take a turn at making music.

“I think evenings are my favorite time,” Dannie told Jake after a few minutes of silence. “The heat of the day is gone, and it is cool and pleasant. And of course, there are the sunsets. Nothing in this world can compare to an Arizona sunset. Somehow, the reddish landscape becomes almost ~vibrant~ when the sun glows orange and red.”

Jake smiled and stroked her hair. “So, Arizona finally startin’ to grow on you?”

Dannie laughed. “I don’t think I’m quite accustomed to the summer heat, but I have discovered that home is where your family is. Before, my family was in England, and so it was my home. But now I’ve got family here. The Martins, the Simmens, Carolina, the Rellwares—and you.”

She turned to look at him with love-filled eyes. “And at last, I feel like I’ve truly come home.”

Jake smiled at her. “It’s been a bumpy road, hasn’t it?”

“Tell me one road in life that is smooth,” Dannie replied, ever practical.

“Still,” Jake argued. “There were some moments that could have been avoided.”

“Jake.” Dannie tenderly touched his arm. “It is all right. This is a dangerous area, I understand that. I am just glad we are all safe, that you are alive, and that Calhoon is gone. It could have ended so much worse.”

Jake shrugged. He still felt really bad about the whole ordeal with Calhoon, and the fact that Dannie had been dragged into it. But she was right—it was over, and they were all alive.

“I wish there was some way we could tell your mother and sister that Calhoon is no longer a threat,” Dannie said.

“So do I,” Jake confessed. “But that’s just wishful thinkin’.”

“Does your brother know?”

“Yup. I wrote him a letter tellin’ him that Calhoon’s no longer a part of our lives. I haven’t gotten an answer from him, and I don’t expect I will.”

“Why not?”

Jake gave a sad chuckle. “I think Daniel’s afraid that now, with Calhoon out of the picture, I might decide to come back and claim the farm. He probably hopes if he just ignores me, it might discourage me from coming back.

“Poor fellow, I don’t want that silly farm. I’ve got a great life here, doing what I always wanted to do. I just wish he’d get over his grudge or hate or whatever it is that causes him to dislike me.”

Jake shrugged in a sort of indifferent defeat. “Well, if he don’t want to communicate, that’s his problem.”

“I’m so sorry your whole family seems to have abandoned you.”

“Ah, I’m all right,” Jake reassured her. “I’ve got the Cora Belle. Clay Walkers and myself come from completely different backgrounds, but somehow I’ve found in him the brother Daniel always refused to be.”

“When am I going to meet this wonderful Clayton Walkers?” Dannie asked. “You talk about him so much, and Sam talks about him so much, but it seems impossible to meet him personally. Does he ever leave his ranch?”

Jake shook his head. “Nope. He doesn’t like meetin’ new people. I don’t know why. He can be kinda strange.”

“So it would seem.” Dannie laughed. “But if he is your friend, he must be good—because, like Tarak says, you don’t hand out your friendship to just any old person.

“Speaking of Tarak, how do you think he will use his reward money? There was an awful lot of it.”

“I’ll say. Six hundred dollars is no joke. I know he split the reward with Sam, so he’s only got three hundred dollars now.”

“Split it with Sam?” Dannie was rather perplexed.

“He wanted to give me half, but I won’t have any of that money. So he went to Sam, who helped catch Calhoon and his hooligans, and offered to give him part—and Sam said yes without so much as blinkin’ an eye.

“I thought it kinda strange. The man already collected the rewards for Bessie, Jem, and Asop. Sam don’t got no debts, and he lives alone with no family. It’s not like he needs the money. He probably spends about a tenth of his salary. The rest is just lying around in the bank, and now he’s going to add all that money?”

“Maybe he’s saving for something?” Dannie suggested.

“But for what? He’s past forty, and it’s clear as day he ain’t plannin’ on gettin’ married. He’s very kind and polite toward women, but any lady who tries to reel him in is always politely turned down.”

“Maybe he’s hiding something?” Dannie suggested with a naughty twinkle. “Though I can’t say he’s the hiding type. Those eyes are far too honest. Either way, he’s very nice—considerate to just about everyone he comes across, almost like a father.”

“Yup, we call him the Father of the Cora Belle, mainly because he’s the oldest person on the ranch. Everyone else is no older than thirty-five.”

“How old is Mr. Walkers?”

“He’s somethin’ like a year older than me, so that would make him about twenty-eight…maybe.” Jake laughed. “I’m not big on rememberin’ people’s ages, you know.”

Dannie giggled and settled more comfortably into Jake’s embrace. “I find it a little ironic, Jake, how you and I, despite being so different, have such a similar situation. We’ve both left behind everything we once had. And we’ve both come to Hopewing and found a new life and new family.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Jake said slowly. Maybe now was the right time to approach a subject he had been trying to bring up ever since Calhoon’s death. “But I can’t come right out and say that I’ve found…well…family—yet.”