Chapter Eleven
The visit to the Double H was unproductive. Harrison Hardy seemed surprised to hear about the shooting, and Roen decided he was either a fine actor or telling the truth. He was less certain about Hardy’s four sons, but they weren’t about to break ranks. If any one of them had done it, then he wasn’t saying, and no one was going to point fingers.
Ben Madison escorted Roen back to town by way of the Twin Star Ranch. Thaddeus and Remington Frost were interested in what Roen had to say about the property lines being drawn up wrong but not eager to make the correction for the benefit of the railroad. Roen did not bring up eminent domain. That was an option of last resort as far as he was concerned, although he wasn’t sure his employer, the government, or the Stonechurch mining operation would agree with him.
During the weeks that followed, Roen made regular surveys of the country outside of Frost Falls but stayed clear of the property that he considered in dispute. Clay Salt remained helpful in a limited capacity and gradually accepted that his role had changed. He still acquired the horses from the livery, packed them, and picked up Roen’s provisions from the Butterworth. He studied the maps and the proposed routes, and saw familiar territory with fresh eyes. As far as Roen was concerned, the boy was a sponge, absorbing everything Roen could teach him with an eagerness that was exciting but occasionally exhausting.
The first significant snow fell early in November. The temperatures dipped dangerously low even for the natives, and Maxwell Wayne complained that his bones ached as fierce as the wind that howled through the center of town.
When Clay showed up on Roen’s doorstep after another burst of snow, shovel in hand, Roen thought it was because the boy wanted to earn some money for clearing a path from the porch to the street. It turned out that Clay already had an arrangement with Ben to do that, and his purpose at the door was to resume his math studies. Roen suggested they return to it the following evening or even in a few days and that Clay go back home before winter swallowed him whole. That’s when Roen was pointedly reminded that winter hadn’t yet arrived and that he’d better get himself a coat fit for the weather. Roen invited him inside.
“Your enthusiasm for trigonometry does you credit,” Roen said, taking Clay’s outerwear as he peeled it off in the entranceway. “But wouldn’t you rather spend the evening reading a book? An adventure story? A mystery?”
Clay dropped to the floor, removed his snow-covered boots, and massaged his toes through his thick woolen socks. “Is that what you were doing?”
“As a matter of fact, I was. Someone finally returnedBeckwith’s Ghostto the library. I decided I should read it.” He hung Clay’s things on the coatrack and toed the boots aside so they weren’t blocking the door. “We’ll work in the front room tonight. It’s warmer there.”
Clay stood and followed Roen into the parlor. He sat on the end of the sofa closest to the woodstove and warmed his hands while Roen went to get paper and pencils. When Roen returned, Clay reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that was folded into quarters. “I got that problem you gave me a couple of days ago right here. It was a real head scratcher. Took me some time, but I think I got it.”
“Let me look.” Roen set the paper and pencils on a side table on top ofBeckwith’s Ghostand took Clay’s offering before he sat down. He unfolded the paper, smoothed it out over his knee, and examined it for errors. There were none. It was hard not to be aware that Clay was anxiously awaiting the verdict. “Excellent work,” said Roen. “But I don’t think it’s yours alone, is it? Who helped you?”
Clay hung his head. “Ma,” he whispered.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Ashamed I didn’t get it on my own and embarrassed you figured it out.”
“I see. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. How much of it did your mother do?”
“Most—” He stopped, shook his head. “All of it. I had to teach her some about tangents and cotangents, sines and cosines, but then she took to it like a cat to a mouse. Played with the problem like she was enjoying herself.” He glanced up at Roen. “She’s real smart, isn’t she?”
“She is. Do you understand how to solve the problem now?”
“Uh-huh. She showed me. I had to do it on my own. I guess I brought the wrong paper. She’ll be tickled when I tell her she got it right.”
“I think she probably knows that she did.”
Clay shrugged. “Maybe. What are you going to show me tonight?”
“I guess that depends on what your mother wants to learn.”
“Oh, you figured that out, too.”
“None too quickly, I think. You’ve been teaching her all along.”
“Best I can. I had to get some books for her from the library.” He hesitated. “You don’t mind?”
“Mind? No, of course not. Teaching her probably helps you.”
“It does. Kinda cements it in my mind. At least sometimes it does. Sometimes, like with this problem, she has to teach me.”
“How is your mother?”
“Fine.”
“I haven’t seen her except in passing, and she passes quickly. I managed to thank her for altering my clothes. That was the extent of our conversation, and the talking was mostly on my end.”
“You still like her, though, right?”
