A Pair of Second Chances (Ben Jensen Series Book 1) (18 page)

"You fellas look like you ran into a grizzly with a grump on!" She told the men as she poured more coffee.

Jamal just looked at her without comment, but Musa was not so reticent. "No bear lady... it was a mahn. A mahn on a horse! and that mahn going to pay for his mistake!"

"Don't mean to stick my nose in other folks business Mr.", Eunice replied, as a few of the local patrons eavesdropping on the conversation snickered at her lie. Eunice Tindel never passed up an opportunity to stick her nose in anyone else's business. Especially not if she saw a chance for a good laugh in it, or the possibility of landing a good poke or two of her own!

"But," Eunice continued; "unless that cowboy you speak of, looks a whole lot worse'n you boys, I'm not sure was him that made the mistake!"

"Old Cowboy ya say?" Eunice asked standing hip shot, with the coffee pot in her hand about to pour asked; "Grey felt hat?... Making smart ass remarks? Didn't I hear one of you say something about Lodgepole creek?"

"Yeah Lady. We were at a place the sign said was Lodgepole Creek Campground." Terrance told her.

"Grumpy Old Cowboy up on Lodgepole Creek?" Eunice looked around the room; "Sounds to me like you boys ran into Ol' Ben Jensen!" she laughed. "He's got a ranch just over west of there. That's just that crazy old fool's style." Eunice leaned in to top off their cups one more time. "Wha'cha think Toby" she called to a grizzled old mountain cowboy sitting up at the counter. "You think this cowboy these boys are talkin' 'bout sounds like Ben?"

Wearing a frayed denim jacket, dirty wranglers, run over packer boots, and his own grey felt hat, so old and greasy it was nearly black; Toby MacDonald looked over his shoulder at the four men sitting at the table. "None of my business Eunice. I do my best to stay out of Ben Jensen's affairs. But if I had to guess, I'd say it sounds a lot like the man." Toby gave the men a disdainful look they missed, and turned back to his coffee cup sitting on the counter.

"You fellas tied into just about the roughest Ol' Twister around here." she went on; "You'da been better off to tie into a bear! Was me? I'd leave that Ol' two legged chainsaw alone! But, you boys, do whatever you're of a mind to. Just don't say you weren't advised of what ya'll was tyin' in to!" with a laugh she turned and carried the coffee pot back to the hot plate behind the counter.

Jamal, looking at Musa, spoke low; "I was gonna whack your ass for talkin' too much. But I guess we should thank you for runnin' off at the mouth fool!" He reached across the table and punched Musa in the shoulder.

"This, Ben Jensen, has a ranch west of the campground. Should be able to find such a place, without too much trouble, don't you think?" he asked, without expecting an answer. "You boys finish your food. We got somewhere to be." Jamal said as he attacked that remaining on his own plate.

A few minutes later, the Yukon was rolling back north headed back into the country around Lodge Pole Creek Campground.

After a couple hours of several dead ends and conversations with a couple of wary ranchers, apologizing for being lost, and driving by mistake into their ranch yards, they turned onto the graded dirt road, between Lodgepole Creek Campground and Columbus. The road that led west, past the gate at the end of the ranch road into the Rafter J... Ben's Ranch.

Jamal had come up with the idea to tell the last rancher they'd talked to, that; "They had heard Ben Jensen was an outfitter in the area, and they wanted to talk to him about that. Their problem was, being city boys, they had gotten the directions to his ranch all confused. Did he know how to get to the Jensen Ranch?"

With clear directions, they'd back tracked to Hwy 78, turned north again... and were now, closing on their prey once again.

"He said, there was, an overhead he called it, a gate at the end of the road we're looking for. It'll be on the left. He said it would have a thing hangin' on the gate. Would look like the letter J with a rooftop looking bar over the top of it. He said the gate would only be maybe four miles up this road" Jamal told Musa, who was driving.

It was two thirty when the Yukon turned in and stopped under the weathered overhead that carried the brand of the Jensen Ranch, the Rafter J.

"OK, no jackin' aroun' this time. You hear? We go in there. We take down that fucking cowboy... we grab that bitch and the money and we get out of here. One of you, Terrance, you bring that red car she's driving. We don' wan' to leave anything that might be tracked back. You all understand? We'll burn it somewhere, once we're clear of here. If any of you fire your weapon, you pick up your damn brass. We leave nuthing in this shit hole, but tracks, and one, dead, mahn. Otherwise, you don't even spit on the ground. You all understand?" Jamal demanded.

With everyone in agreement of what was to happen, Jamal gave Musa the command to pull on up the road... and as soon as he saw the house or cars, to hit it hard and run in as fast as he could...

Chapter
18

Ben sat up just after sunrise, in the bedroll he'd laid out on the porch. He'd surrendered what privacy the cabin might afford to Amanda and Timmy for the night and slept outside. He'd slept in his jeans, not knowing what the night might offer. Throwing back the cover, he pulled on his boots, before standing up and stamping his feet into the worn and scuffed leather.

When he looked across the yard he smiled. He'd slept well enough through the night that he'd not heard the horses come in. Likely arriving in the early morning, most were already in the corral working on the hay in the bunk. The few stragglers still outside, he easily pushed in and closed the gate.

A quick head count reassured him that every animal he'd brought off the mountain had come home. It was starting off to be a good day. But then, yesterday morning, the same thought had occurred to him...

"We did Mr. Jensen." she smiled back. "Truth is, Timmy is still sleeping. This Montana air has just knocked him out I guess."

"Yeah well, that or the fact you're up almost to six thousand feet altitude. A little higher than Chicago, especially if you're not used to it!" Ben replied.

"We've got to get moving today Amanda. We've got to get the hell out of here. I can't help but believe we're pushing our luck sitting here. I don't want to find out we've stayed here too long as it is. I'm going to have to do a few chores so the horses are OK for a couple days... but then, we gotta roll."

"OK Ben... but why? They haven't got any idea who you are. And you're not the only cowboy in Montana. How are they going to find you?"

"Look Amanda. I got lucky. They were surprised and that gave me a big advantage. But now, those boys are warned. They might be city boys Amanda, but they aren't green. I might not be the only twister left in Montana, but the country sure ain't overloaded with us. It's just a matter of time, before they find me. They find me, they find you... so, we got to go!"

"Ok, just asking. I'll make breakfast, while you do your chores."

"Good, guess I'll get back to my chores for a while then." With that, he turned and walked back toward the corral.

His horses were range raised and mountain smart. He didn't need to worry about them over eating, so he loaded the bunk with as much hay as he could stuff in, and drug a couple unused water troughs in, to do double duty as feed bunks. These he loaded up with hay as well.

With that done he returned to the cabin, walked in through the door Amanda had left open and sat at the table. He watched her sorting through the meager supplies he had in his cooler and supplementing with that from hers.

Timmy had woke up and was sitting at the table. He was quietly drinking orange juice from a small paper cup, still a bit groggy with sleep.

While she finished up preparing some eggs, bacon and coffee for their breakfast Ben thought quietly about what he should do... and an idea began to form.

The more he thought about it... the more her words rang in his ears. "they seem to find us no matter where we hide."

"These guys aren't amateurs. They might be townies... but they're smart townies... maybe..." and his thoughts trailed off as Amanda stepped up to the table with a plate piled up with his breakfast.

"No worries girl. What's the use of livin'... if you can't laugh at it?" and Ben went to work on the hearty meal she'd served up. She even brought him a plate of toast she'd buttered and toasted in the frying pan.

Once the food was finished off, Ben told Timmy; "Boy? Take your crayons and your book, and go set on the porch for a bit. Your Momma and I need to talk, Ok?"

"Yes sir." Timmy responded quietly.

"Good boy." Ben told him, rubbing the top of his head as he passed walking to the door. "We'll only be a few minutes." The boy smiled at the cowboy, and went on outside to do his coloring.

"Sit down Amanda. Let's get this hashed out."

"Yes sir" she told him, meekly sitting down in a chair. "Are you going to rub the top of my head too?"

"Wha... you... Damn, lady, you just don't give a guy a break do you?" he laughed, and reached over the table, to rub the top of her head... and thought how nice it would be to...

"Shove that thinking right out of your head old man!" he thought to himself. "You go confusing things with such craziness, and you'll find yourself in a jackpot you can't handle ya old fool!"

"Look" he told her. They're coming. Sure as the Pope is Catholic, they're coming. Today, tomorrow, the next day... they'll be, right here!" Ben poked the table top with his finger for emphasis.

"When they get here, we need to be long gone; and, I need to have you in a place they can't find. Someplace there's no possible way they can connect the dots to find."

He tossed a small notepad down on the table top. His idea, floating around in his head again, was starting to come clear.

"There's a guy I used to know. From years ago, back when I did some outfitting. He had a couple of hunting camps down here, and one up on the east side of the Bob. He died last year... just up and fell over. His whole outfit, horses, mules, all the gear, got sold off in an auction last fall... all except those hunting camps.

Last I heard, his wife was holding on to that real estate for a while. But, they're not being used. Just sitting there doin' nuthin'. His kids have all moved back east somewhere. There's a few small cabins, not as high grade as this one" he allowed a sarcastic smile; "But they'll do, and it's a few hundred miles from here. Hunters Cabins and a main Lodge. They're remote, not hard to get to, but out of the way for sure. I'm thinking, I'll give her a call. Heard she moved in with a daughter down in Florida..."

"The Bob?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, yeah, the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Just about the biggest, wildest bit of country left in Montana, or the whole damn country for that matter. You'll be safe there... until I can... sort all this out."

As he was talking, Ben wrote out the directions, turn by turn to the cabins on Deep Creek, a ways above Gibson Reservoir, then tore out the page and handed it to Amanda. "You'll drive my old truck. It ain't much, but it'll get you there. You've got plenty of cash to get gas" he grinned.

"When you get there, look beside the steps of the main Lodge, on the left. There should be a big rock there. Turn it over, you'll find a key there."

At the look he got from Amanda he explained. "Look. Lots of locals go snow mobiling, and snow shoein' up there come winter. Sometimes they get caught by a storm or breakdown, and need a place to ride it out. Blythe always left the key there when he'd shut the place down for the winter, and ever'body knew it. It's a gamble, but I think it unlikely Ann picked that key up when she pulled up stakes, just not like her."

He tore out the next couple pages and wadded them up. As he continued talking he kept on writing on the note pad, slowly printing each word with his pencil. "I'm going to take that lil' red car of yours, and dump it. They've seen it. They're looking for it. They know the plates... we can't keep anything around they might be able to use to find you. So... I'll take it and get rid of it, then meet you at the cabin. Got it?"

He just looked at her for a few seconds and laughed. "I've done more in my life than just chase cows Amanda. Yeah, I do. For the first time, in a long time, I know. I know exactly, what I'm doing."

"This is something I truly do know. Believe me. This, what is about to land on your old friend, Tyrone and his boys, is something I know, a lot, about... and they ain't got no idea what's comin'. No idea at all Amanda. Fact is, that advantage I told you I'd lost? Well" he laughed again; "I just remembered where I put it!"