Sins of the Father Read Online Free PDF Page A

done a whole lot differently than back East. You might as well start learning to adjust to it.”
Jess retrieved the two horses and a couple of brand new Winchester rifles from the dead men. He looked over and the vultures had already found the third dead man down in the flat land. He felt no remorse for killing the man, but he shook his head in sorrow for shooting the horse. He went back and helped Hadley hook up the two horses to the wagon and they traveled a few hours until they found a nice stream with a rocky ridge close by. Jess had them set up so that the ridge protected them from one angle.
Jess started to unpack some of his things and as he did, he watched the Brown family unpack the wagon. Each one of them had their tasks to do and they all went about it like little ants scurrying around and moving around each other as they did their assigned duties. Harold immediately went around gathering up firewood. Harold looked to be about ten and had a thick head of dark curly hair. Jessica, who looked to Jess to be about seven or eight, went about using two buckets to refill the water barrels on the wagon. She had long blond hair and seemed to always be smiling. Jane got some food out and got ready to cook supper. Jess figured her to be in her early twenties and she had short blond hair and was very pretty and petite. She had piercing deep blue eyes and they had not gone unnoticed by Jess. Hadley took care of the horses and checking out the wagon for damage from the onslaught earlier. Hadley was probably in his early thirties and he was of a slight build and not very physically strong. Jess noticed all of these things but he would not say anything, he kept such things to himself. Jess unpacked his bedroll and removed the saddles from both of his horses and got out some coffee. He started the fire with the wood that Harold had piled up neatly by a small hole he had dug with a shovel.
Jane had four boxes sitting around the campfire that held all the cooking supplies and they used them for seats. She was setting up to cook and looked at Jess apologetically. “We only have four boxes but we can have Harold sit on the ground so that you can have a seat, Mr. Williams.”
“No need for that, ma’am. I always sit against my saddle, or on it. Hell, a seat would spoil me.”
“I’ll have to apologize for the meal, too,” said Jane. “I don’t have any meat left at all. Just potatoes and some carrots I’m afraid. We usually take time each day to hunt for meat but today was not our ordinary day.”
Jess smiled at her and walked over to his pile of stuff on the ground. He retrieved two large rabbits he had shot in the morning. “Well, I just happen to have these two rabbits I shot this morning. I’m sure it will be enough to make a pretty good stew.”
Jane almost cried. “Mr. Williams, you are certainly a savior. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Can you whip up some biscuits?”
Jane smiled. “I certainly can.”
“That will be all the thanks I need, and call me Jess.”
Jane took the rabbits and immediately went to cleaning them, cutting them up and making the stew. She let it cook a long time while they all sat there and talked about what had happened that day. Jess made more coffee and he realized he was really enjoying the company. It made him feel like he was part of a normal life to some degree. Jane finally served the stew and some wonderful biscuits just as she had promised Jess. They all ate in silence and devoured every bit of stew and every biscuit, the last one going to Jess at Jane’s insistence. Jess made another pot of coffee and Jane and Jessica went to the stream to clean the pans. When that was all done, they all sat back down around the fire, which had been replenished with some fresh dry wood by Harold.
Jane put Jessica and Harold to bed in the wagon and came back to the fire where Jess and Hadley were sipping hot coffee. “So, Jess, where are you bound for?”
“Actually, as luck would have it,