Gannon by Doug Bowman

Author:Doug Bowman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466881372
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

Thirteen

The carpenters had long since vacated the premises, and Jake was enjoying his new home. Fall usually brought much rain to central Texas, and this year was no exception. Jake would sometimes lie on his bed listening to the music of the rain splattering loudly on the tin roof, and daydream of the life he would soon be sharing with Jody Stewart. Both Barnes and Mellon applauded his decision to be married, eager to meet the young bride.

“You’ve got a lot of things going right for you these days, Jake,” Mellon said. “it’s time you started thinking about a family.” Though Jake had been slow to mention it, at supper he brought up the subject of Jody’s tender age.

“Sixteen’s old enough,” Barnes said. Then, smiling, he added, “Anyway, why should a man take an old bride when he can get a young one?”

“My mother was younger than that when she married,” Bake said. Gannon allowed the conversation to die on its own, knowing that his own mother had given birth to twins at the age of fifteen.

The following afternoon, the men sat in the shade of the Studying Tree discussing where they might find a milch cow and some chickens, when a rider splashed across the river. As the man rode into the yard, Jake recognized him as one of Ab Stewart’s hands who answered to the name of Joe.

“Coulda got here sooner if I’d knowed exactly where you live,” the man said, dismounting the heaving animal. “Been followin’ that crooked river for hours.”

“What’s the rush, Joe?” Jake asked, getting to his feet.

“Well … it’s Miss Jody, she … she’s bad off.”

“What do you mean?” Jake yelled. “Come on, man, out with it!”

“The sheepherder found her up on the meadow, more dead than alive. Somebody’d beat her up real bad, and she didn’t have on no clothes. She come to once and talked to her daddy a little bit, but then she lost her mind ag’in. The sheriff’s out at the ranch now.”

Gannon’s expression turned to stone. He spoke to Barnes. “Pack up some food, Mickey, while I put a few things together.” Then, turning to Mellon, he ordered, “Saddle my horse, Bake, and catch a fresh mount for Joe.”

Twenty minutes later, accompanied by the messenger, Jake pointed his gray toward the town of Groesbeck. Little conversation passed between the men during the frantic ride. Pushing their horses to the limit, they arrived at Stewart’s ranch shortly after noon the following day. Ab met them in the yard.

“It’s mighty bad, Jake,” he said, his eyes red and swollen. “She opened her eyes and asked for you yesterday, but she’s been unconscious since then. The doctor spent the night with her. He left for town this mornin’, sayin’ he’d done all he could. Said we’d jist have to wait and see.”

Jake was totally unprepared for the sight in Jody’s bedroom. The swollen mass of black, red and purple that lay on the pillow bore no resemblance to the beautiful face he had kissed only a short time ago.

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