Page 90 of River Ride

The door of her cabin wasn’t locked, and I was pretty sure Sunday told us she locked it up when she left and decided not to live there anymore.

Travis pushed in first, then turned and pushed us out. “Stay here.”

“What is it, Dad?”

“Decomp. Old. Been dead a long time.”

“Who?”

“I’m guessing it’s her husband,” said Travis.

“She said the bear got him,” said Virge.

“Stay out here. I’ll only be a minute.” He went inside and came right back. “He was shot in the head.”

“What the hell,” said Virge. “What was that story about how hard it was to dig the hole to bury him?”

“Just a story,” said Travis. “That’s all it was.”

We went down the mountain to our own cabin and had canned stew for supper with bread and butter. Wasn’t bad. I’d had worse.

Me and Virge cleaned up the dishes and then we sat at the table with Dad and drank a couple of beers.

“I’ve been thinking about something, boys, and it’s time. In two weeks, Harlan will be nineteen and you will be seventeen, Virge. Old enough to make your own decisions.”

“What do we have to decide, Dad? Don’t give me any hard ones.” He laughed.

“When I go back to the ranch, I’m going to start liquidating everything I own or own part of in Harrison County. Most of it my uncle’s property that he left to me.”

“Why are you gonna do that, Dad?” I was afraid of the answer and didn’t want to know.

“Time for me to retire from the Sheriff’s office and turn it all over to Billy. The stress is too much, and I have to give it up before it gets me.”

“Okay. That doesn’t sound unreasonable,” I said.

“What do we have to decide, Dad?” Virgie asked the big question. “You said we were old enough to make our own decisions. About what?”

“I’ve decided to move back to Texas and buy a spread and retire there. That’s where I belong. You boys have to decide whether you’re coming with me or if you want to stay with Billy and continue being deputies. Y’all are old enough to decide and I’m not gonna yank y’all out of Montana if this is where y’all want to be. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Y’all have choices.”