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The stars shined brightly, the moon was setting, and the sun had not yet begun to rise over the mountains when Jake woke and quietly dressed. He had more work than a man could do in a week, he thought, let alone in one day.
He headed to the barn, saddled Dusty, and turned him loose in the corral while he went in for a quick breakfast. This was a day when every second counted.
Seeing Tiny was the only one in the cookhouse, Jake called out with a grin, “Any bacon and eggs left? I’ve got an early start today, barely time to eat.”
“Pull up a chair,” Tiny called back. “Bacon’s ready. Eggs just about done. Biscuits in the oven. You’re the first one at the table this morning.” After a pause, Tiny kidded, “You’re usually the last one here. I see you don’t have any orders for Colt or the boys today. Givin’ them a day off? They need one!” Tiny laughed.
“No time this morning,” Jake replied. “Gave Colt and the boys Caldwell’s orders late last night. Some are still sleeping; they worked late. You know we’re short-handed. I saddled Dusty by lamplight and he’s waiting in the corral. After I tighten his cinch, we’ll be ready to hit the trail.”
As Jake finished his breakfast and took his last sip of coffee, he looked up and saw Thomas coming through the cookhouse door for breakfast.
Thomas stopped short. “Jake! What are you still doing here? I thought you’d already left. Your saddle’s not in the barn, Dusty’s not in the corral, and the gate was open.”
Jake stood so fast, his chair scraped the floor. “That don’t make sense. I saddled Dusty, left him in the corral. I know I shut and fastened that gate. Besides, Dusty wouldn’t leave this ranch without me.”
Without another word, Jake rushed for the door, Thomas right behind him. As they neared the corral, Mary stepped out from the ranch house kitchen. “What are you two doing running like that?” she yelled. “You’d think the barn was on fire.”
“Not that bad, but bad enough,” Jake said. “Dusty’s gone. I saddled him. Left him in the corral. Busy day ahead, and now no horse?”
“Oh no!” Mary said running toward the barn. “We’ll find him.”
At the corral, they saw the gate had been shut and fastened again by Thomas, proper ranch practice. Inside the barn, Jake confirmed Dusty wasn’t in his stall. “Horses don’t go through locked gates,” Jake said, his voice tightening. “And Dusty can’t jump that fence. Let’s see what’s going on.”
In the light of the rising sun, they carefully retraced their steps, and then they found the new boot tracks. “Here’s some fresh ones that ain’t ours,” Thomas declared.
“I know this corral pretty well by now. These marks show where someone took that rope that’s left there on the ground and roped Dusty,” Mary pointed out.
“Yep, and here is where he mounted him and rode him through the gate. Let’s go find where Dusty’s tracks will lead us, Jake said with disgust. “And, just because Boone is tired out, I’ll never leave Boone sleeping in the bunkhouse again. He’d have sounded the alarm barking and chasing. Now, with all I’ve got to do, I’ve got to chase rustlers.”
Mary stepped forward quickly, “Go saddle Spirit and Freedom. You and Thomas take them and track that thief. They’ve got more staying power, and they’re faster than Dusty. You’ll catch that thief, and you’ll bring Dusty back.”
“Mary, we can’t take your horses,” Jake said firmly. “They’re too valuable. Their yours! They don’t need to be chasin’ after rustlers! Something might happen… ”
“Oh yes, you can, and you will,” Mary argued in her seldom needed commanding voice. “You trained them for me and with me. You’ve ridden them. You know what they can do. Now go, time’s wasting.”
Reluctantly, but grateful, Jake and Thomas saddled Spirit and Freedom to follow Dusty’s unmistakable tracks. As they led them out of the corral, Mary hesitated just a heartbeat as Jake reached for the reins, those were her horses, but she nodded firm as she touched Spirit. “Go!”
Over the hoof beat sound of the racing horses, Thomas yelled between breaths, “So far, he’s staying on the road… Headed toward Caldwell Crossing... Strange… But good for us… Must not know his way around here... We’ll trap him there… He’s got to rest Dusty sometime!”
“Well,” Jake replied, “Spirit and Freedom can outrun any horse any day, even Dusty… If that rustler stops long at Caldwell Crossing, we’ll catch him. If he goes on over the bridge, we'll track him and we’ll get him.”
To Be Continued in Chapter 39 — What I’d Give My Son