Do Not Forsake Me (40 page)

Jeff watched the procession, much like the one he'd watched that first Sunday when he'd sat on the church steps with a Jake Harkner who'd refused to go inside. He'd left the whole family alone this last month, knowing they all needed some healing time—time he'd used to work on all his notes and get them in order for the book about Jake Harkner. It wouldn't be easy. Jake was the most complicated man he'd ever met. How did one describe a man who could be so incredibly ruthless and seemingly unfeeling, yet such a loving family man? The one walking toward the church now couldn't possibly be the same man who'd blown another man's guts out from under a card table.

He watched Evie walking with Brian's arm around her and Little Jake holding her hand, and he felt like crying at how lovely she looked. Lloyd and Katie walked with them, arm in arm, Stephen holding his father's other hand. They all greeted Jeff warmly.

“Are you coming to Mother's for dinner after church?” Evie asked Jeff. “I made peach pie. It's Daddy's favorite.”

“Oh, I'll be there, all right,” Jeff answered. “Jake and I have a lot to talk about. And thank you for the invite.” He studied her with deep admiration. “You look really beautiful today, Evie.”

Brian pulled her closer. “A woman who is expecting always looks extra beautiful,” he told Jeff.

Evie smiled, moving her arms around Brian. “This man is spoiling me something awful,” she told Jeff.

Little Jake ran off then, right toward Jake and Randy, who approached them with young Ben in tow. Jeff curiously studied the guns Jake wore, visible under a black suit coat. He wore a white shirt and a string tie and black cotton pants. It was the first time Jeff had seen him wearing a suit, and he looked strikingly handsome. Still, he wore those guns. Jeff knew Randy would never allow him to wear them into church. Had he changed his mind?

Evie leaned up and kissed Brian's cheek, then left him to greet her father, who wrapped her into his arms and kissed her hair. “Daddy, you look wonderful!”

Jake looked her over. “So do you, baby girl. You getting along all right with that worthless husband of yours?”

“It's terrible! He's so good to me it makes me feel guilty. You've got to tell him to let me do things on my own, Daddy. He's wearing himself out trying to do
everything
. Will you talk to him?”

“Hell, no! Why would I ask a man to stop treating my daughter like she's some kind of princess?”

Evie pushed at him. “You know what I mean, and Daddy, you just said a cuss word right before walking into church. I am
praying
Little Jake doesn't blurt out some kind of horrible swearword during the service.” She looked him over. “Why are you wearing those guns? Don't you dare walk into church with those on.”

Jake kept an arm around her as he led her back to Brian. “You get more like your mother every day. I hear enough preaching from her.”

“You
are
coming inside, aren't you?”

Others walked past them, some stopping to greet Jake and the rest of his family. Jeff figured most of them probably did not realize Jake intended to actually step inside church today.

“I'll be there,” Jake told Evie.

“Without the guns?”

“Without the guns.”

Brian moved his arm around Evie and nodded to Jake. “Jake, you have never looked more dapper.”

“Dapper? I'm not sure I like that word. I'm not the ‘dapper' type.”

Brian smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“She doing okay?” Jake asked, sobering.

“She's doing fine.” Brian pulled Evie closer and kissed her cheek. “This is one strong woman.”

“Forgiving people can be healing, Daddy,” Evie told him.

Jake didn't answer. He turned away and noticed Peter approaching with a rolled-up piece of paper in his hand. He walked closer to greet Jake and Randy, eyeing Randy with an obvious appreciation for how beautiful and well she looked today—wearing, of course, a yellow dress. He nodded to Jake, then handed out the rolled-up paper.

“In six months you will have served a full three years, Jake. Then you can head for Colorado if you still want to go,” he told him.

Randy gasped as Jake unrolled the document and read it. “My God,” he muttered, sobering. He looked at Randy. “In six months I'll be a truly free man.”

“I think that petition everyone signed helped,” Peter told him.

Randy's eyes instantly teared. She threw her arms around Peter. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, Peter!”

Peter glanced at Jake as he embraced her in return, giving him a look of helplessness. “You're very welcome,” he told Randy before gently pushing her away. “And don't just thank me. Thank the whole town, because all those signatures made an impression on the judge, or so I'm told.” He looked at Jake. “A lot of the people in that church signed it, Jake. I hope you understand how welcome you will be in there.”

Jake put out his hand and Peter shook it. “Thanks for everything,” Jake told him, true sincerity in his eyes.

“You are very welcome. I'll be heading back to Chicago soon. I was just waiting for this order to come through.”

Jake nodded. “I hope you find someone again, maybe in Chicago.”

“Yes, well, maybe so. But you, my friend, have the best of them all.”

They squeezed hands. “I am well aware of that,” Jake told him.

Peter let go of his hand and tipped his hat to Randy, then glanced at Jake again. “Come and see my gun collection sometime before I leave.”

“I'll do that.”

Peter turned and walked up the church steps.

Randy could barely see for the tears in her eyes. “Oh, Jake, we can go to Colorado!”

Jake held up the rolled-up order. “Lloyd and Evie, get over here,” he called. The whole family gathered around him, and Jake held out the paper. “My reprieve. We're all going to Colorado next spring.”

“Oh, Daddy!” Evie burst into tears and hugged her father. The rest of them took turns reading the reprieve, hugging Jake one at a time.

“We'll find the prettiest spot in the foothills and run the biggest ranch in the state,” Lloyd told his father. “No more violence, Pa. You and Mom and the rest of us can finally have some peace.”

Jake hugged Randy close. A little part of him worried that peace was impossible. He kissed Randy's hair. “And no more being apart,” he told her.

A very joyful but tearful Harkner clan all headed for the church. Stephen and Ben, already friends, shoved each other back and forth playfully, and Lloyd warned Stephen not to get his clothes dirty. He watched Ben take Katie's hand and head for the church steps. Lloyd hesitated, then turned and walked back to Jake. “You sure you can handle this?” he asked.

“Handle what?”

“Church.” Lloyd grinned.

Jake gave him a shove. “Get in there with Katie. She doing okay?”

Lloyd nodded. “Her belly is already getting bigger. And don't you go teasing her about it. She embarrasses so easy.”

“And I'm sure you have your own ways of embarrassing her. Maybe I'll ask her about that. I'd like to see if her face gets as red as that hair.”

“Don't you dare do that to her, you mean sonofabitch.”

“I promise to try to hold my tongue.”

Lloyd pointed a finger at him, then walked back to Katie and gave her a quick kiss before walking into church with her.

Randy took Jake's arm. “The time has come,” she told him teasingly.

“You make it sound like a hanging,” Jake quipped.

“To you it probably
does
feel like a hanging. Now take those guns off and come inside, Jake.”

Jake went up the steps, where Jeff stood leaning against the railing—grinning. “Want me to hold those guns for you?”

Jake looked at Randy. “Go on inside. I promise on my honor that I'm coming.”

Randy put her hands on her hips. “Your
hono
r
?”

“Hell, I can be honorable sometimes.”

Randy closed her eyes and shook her head. “Don't you dare disappoint Evie. She's here because of
you
, Jake.”

Jake looked her over lovingly. “I'd rather shoot myself than break a promise to Evie. I'll come inside in a few minutes.”

Randy glanced at Jeff. “Make sure he does.”

“Sure. Jake does anything I tell him to do,” he joked.

Before Randy turned to go inside, she and Jake shared one more look, one Jeff thought burst with absolute, sublime love. She finally went inside, and Jake turned to Jeff.

“That woman has been trying to change me for twenty-six years. You'd think she'd give up by now.”

Jeff grinned. “You both look very handsome and very happy. I take it Randy is completely well now.”

Jake grinned as he lit a cigarette. “Jeff, you don't know the half.”

“I have a feeling I do.”

Jake drew on the cigarette. “Yeah, well, she's one hell of a woman.” He began untying the holsters from around his thighs, then unbuckled his gun belt, handing out to Jeff. “Watch these for me.”

Jeff took the gun belt, shaking his head. “You're really going to do it?”

Jake took another drag on the cigarette. “Got no choice. Between Randy and Evie, I'm hopelessly hog-tied.” He frowned. “By the way, you can hang those guns over the railing if you want. I doubt anyone is crazy enough to try to steal my guns. Come on into church with us.”

Jeff grinned. “Jake, I'm Jewish, remember?”

“Well, Jeff, I highly doubt anyone is going to attack you in there and force you to convert.”

Jeff shook his head, laughing. “Only you would put it that way. Just go on in. I'll keep an eye on these guns. For all you know, Little Jake will come running out looking for them.”

Jake shook his head. “That kid is fully back to his old daring, fearless self.” He looked past Jeff then to see Dixie standing under a nearby tree. “Well, I'll be damned.” He hurried down the steps, and Dixie stepped closer.

“You come see me soon as you can, Jake, and tell me all about everything.”

Jake tipped his hat to her. “I'll do that, pretty lady.”

“I thought I'd come and watch you walk into that church, you mean-spirited, black-hearted sinner. This is going to be right entertaining.”

Jake grinned, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the forehead. “Thanks for all of it, Dixie.” He told her about the reprieve.

Her eyes teared. “You just come visit a few times before you move away. I'll miss you like hell, Jake.”

He nodded. “I'll miss you too, Dixie. And we can't go till next spring, so I'll be by a few times yet.”

She stepped back. “You'd better get your worthless hide into that church.”

Jake gave her a smile. “You can come too.”

Dixie laughed. “Please! If we
both
walked in there, the entire congregation would faint dead away. Just seeing you will be enough of a shock.” She gave him a shove. “Go on with you now.”

Jake reached out and squeezed her hand before turning away and heading back up the church steps. “There stands one fine woman, Jeff.”

“Yes, sir, I agree with you.”

“You coming to see us in Colorado?”

“I'll have to. I won't have this book done until next spring, and you need to see it first.”

“Well, we might not leave till spring anyway. Winter isn't exactly the best time to head for the mountains, and that's where six months lands us. By the time we head for Colorado, I'll have four grandchildren instead of two, and an extra son. How's that for a worthless bastard like me?”

“You're a lucky man, Jake.”

Jake nodded. “Damn lucky.” He sighed, staring at the doors as those inside started singing.
Just
as
I
am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me.

Jake put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. “Jeff, I am going to make you a bet.” He squeezed his shoulder, then stood back and took one last drag on his cigarette.

“What's that?” Jeff asked.

Jake tossed the cigarette into the dirt at the bottom of the steps. People inside the church continued singing.
But
that
thy
blood
was
shed
for
me.
“I am betting you that when I walk into that church, people's mouths will drop open in shock, and they will be so surprised that within one minute, all singing will stop. Five bucks says I'm right.”

Jeff took a watch from his jacket pocket. “All right. As soon as you go through that door, I'll watch this thing. If all singing doesn't stop within sixty seconds, you owe me five dollars.”

Jake nodded. “It's a deal.” He took a deep breath as the hymn continued.
Oh, Lamb of God, I come…I come
. “Lord, I'd rather face ten men with guns than walk into that church,” he told Jeff.

“There's no turning back now, Jake.”

Jake rubbed at the back of his neck. “I guess not.” After one more deep breath, he glanced at Dixie and tipped his hat, then removed the hat and walked inside.

Jeff watched the second hand on his pocket watch. After twenty seconds, he could tell fewer people were singing. After another twenty-five seconds, only a couple of people still sang. And just before the full sixty seconds, the singing stopped.

Jeff shook his head, smiling. “Jake Harkner, you sonofabitch.” He sat down on the steps to wait, his smile turning to a surprising urge to cry. He glanced at Dixie. She smiled and nodded, then walked away. Jeff sighed, wondering…hoping that Jake, and Lloyd, for that matter, would really find peace at last in Colorado. With men like that, who knew? He couldn't stop thinking about the day they'd rescued Evie and how the man called Mike Holt had threatened Lloyd for shooting Mike's brother. But Holt was on his way to prison. Maybe he would even hang. Jeff hoped for the latter.