Montana Summer Ch. 12

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any real person is just amazing. All characters are eighteen years and older.

*

Ryan sat high up on the hill behind the old cabin. He had hauled the horses from the ranch to the cabin earlier in the morning and then had returned with hay and feed for them. Even though his uncle told him that it worked, Ryan was still surprised when, with just a few pumps on the handle, water flowed into the trough from the old cast-iron pump.

He had almost forgotten what quiet, real quiet, was like. No man-made sound was audible. He strained his ears for the sound of anything mechanical and was pleased that none could be heard. The rustle of the leaves moving in the breeze and the buzz of insects were the only sounds. The hands of time seemed to have moved backwards by a hundred years and more.

The horses were gathered around the trough where Ryan had placed their feed and seemed to be enjoying a leisurely lunch. At least that's what it looked like from where Ryan was sitting.

Ryan's thoughts turned to Jessi. Something had happened just before Jessi and Becky had left for Missoula. He had tried to get Jessi to tell him what it was, but all she would say was that when the time was right, she would tell him, and that it had nothing to do with their relationship.

They hadn't had much time together since Ryan got out of the hospital. It seemed lately that there was always something going on to keep them apart. He missed the early days of the summer when there always seemed to be time for them.

He plucked a piece of dry grass and began to tie it into little knots. When he was done, he looked at the once-straight piece of grass and thought it resembled his life in a way, what had been something fairly simple had slowly complicated itself as the summer rolled by. He still had no idea how to approach his uncle and aunt with the possibility that he and Jessi were not related in any way.

The sound of a laboring truck engine broke into Ryan's thoughts. He looked down the hill and towards the road. He recognized the sound of the motor before the truck became visible. Ryan stood up and brushed the grass from his jeans and made his way down the mountain.

If there was one bright spot, it was that Jessi and Becky should be home this evening. He had missed Jessi. It was more than just the sex, a lot more. It was just being around her and being with her that he missed. He missed her smile, hearing her laugh. He missed seeing her come downstairs in the morning for breakfast and having her wink and blow him a kiss. He missed the way she would reach under the table and squeeze his knee.

The truck emerged as Ryan got down to the cabin. Long wooden poles were stacked in the bed of the truck and hung over the cab and Walter's old horse trailer was hooked onto the. The truck pulled to a stop in front of the corral and Walter and Charlie got out and stretched..

"We made it!" Walter announced.

Ryan shook both Walter and Charlie's hands. "I'm glad you did." He pointed at the corral. "I've got feed and water in there for the horses."

"Good." Charlie nodded. "You two take care of the horses and I will look for a good place to set the tipi."

Walter shook his head and laughed good-naturedly. "Oh sure, whenever there is work to be done."

"This is serious business." Charlie pointed around the clearing. "One must find the best spot."

Walter rolled his eyes and then directed his comments to Ryan. "And at his age, that means a spot close to the outhouse."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh, and he found the thought of Charlie making a midnight dash to the outhouse somewhat amusing. Hell, it was downright funny.

After the horses had been unloaded, Walter backed the horse trailer next to the corral and unhitched it. They looked around for Charlie and found him staring at a piece of ground in the far corner of the clearing.

"I wonder if that's the spot?" Ryan asked.

"I dunno," Walter replied. He then yelled down at his father, "Is that where you want to put it?"

Charlie looked up from the ground and waved Walter and Ryan over.

"Guess that's it," Walter stated. "Hop in the truck and let's get this thing set up."

"Look." Charlie pointed at the ground. A ring of rocks was visible on the ground beneath the grass. "It looks like someone set up camp here once before."

Ryan stared at the rocks that Charlie had found. "Do you think that was before or after the cabin was built?"

"After," Charlie replied. "If it was before there would be more than just one tipi set up here."

"Would you mind giving me a hand unloading the truck?" Walter asked.

"No, not at all," Ryan replied.

They unloaded the long poles first, and then the bundles of canvas that had been carefully folded and bound with rawhide laces.

Walter pointed to three poles that were tied together at the top. "This goes up first."

Once the poles were vertical, Walter told Ryan, "Hold on to this one and I'll spread the other two out."

Walter set the two other poles so they were equal distance apart, and formed the diameter for the base of the tipi. A long rope hung from where the poles were tied to the ground. Walter pointed to the remaining poles. "Okay start placing them about the same distance apart."

Ryan followed Walter's lead and began to set the other poles in place. After the last pole was set in place, Walter grabbed the rope that was hanging and began to slowly walk around the base of the tipi pulling it taut with each step. He made three trips around the base before he stopped.

Charlie had been busy getting the lift pole attached to the canvas. He walked around the poles and inspected each one.

Once he was satisfied, he looked at his son. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ryan watched as the father and son lifted the canvas into position and began to cover the pole frame. A sudden gust of wind threatened to carry the canvas sailing.

"Ryan," Charlie called out. "Get in the middle and see if you can't hold the canvas down."

Ryan laid himself against the tipi with his arms spread wide and tried to keep the material flat against the poles. Several times the wind threatened to take both Ryan and the canvas for a ride.

"Come around front," Charlie called to Ryan. When Ryan got to the front of the tipi Charlie pointed to where the canvas joined. "Pull tight on that as high as you can reach. Walter is going to put in the lacing pins."

Walter was inside of the tipi, standing on a stepladder. He started from the top and inserted the lacing pins one at a time. Once that was complete, he emerged from the interior of the tipi and admired his work.

Two poles remained on the ground and when Ryan asked what they were, Charlie replied, "Those are for the smoke flap. See how the ends of the pole are tapered and smooth? There are pockets sewn into the canvas for the poles."

With an expert eye, Walter guided the pole into the pocket and set the pole into the correct position. Last came the medicine pole and once it was set in place Ryan stood back and looked the tipiover. The bottom two feet of the canvas had been dyed a dark red, and the top was covered with stylized drawings of hunters on horseback chasing buffalo, and of other scenes of traditional Lakota life.

"Who did the paintings?" Ryan pointed at the tipi.

Charlie grinned. "My wife and Walt's wife."

"Wow!" Ryan shook his head in admiration. "They did a good job." This was the first time Ryan had been up close to a tipi and he was surprised at how large it was.

"I'm gonna put the interior up," Charlie remarked. "You can help Walter stake it down."

Ryan looked at the edge of the canvas and wondered how they were going to stake it down as there were no grommets or holes of any kind along the bottom of the tipi.

Walter saw the look on Ryan's face and chuckled as he carried a sack of rocks and a bag with wooden pegs and ropes.

"Come here." He motioned to Ryan, opened the sack of rocks and pulled one out.

From what Ryan could see all of the rocks were about the same size and very smooth. He watched as Walter wrapped the rock with the canvas and then tied one of the ropes around it. Walter then drove one of the wooden stakes into the ground and lashed the rope to the stake. He looked up at Ryan. "See, Lakota technology at work."

Ryan nodded. "I'm impressed!. Do you want me to give you a hand?"

"Sure," Walter replied. He took another one of the rocks and showed Ryan how to tie the knot. "We want two of these between each pole. Try to space it out so they are even."

Walter watched Ryan tie two of the small rocks to the canvas and, once satisfied, he began following behind Ryan, pounding wooden pegs into the ground and tying them off.

"How secure is it in the wind?" Ryan asked.

"I dunno, but I've never seen one blown down that has been put up right." Walter replied. He grinned and pointed towards the door. "Let's see how the interior decorator is doing."

"I heard that." A voice came from inside the tipi. "If you're done out there you can always come on in and give me a hand."

The inside of the tipi was roomier than Ryan expected. He watched as Walter helped his father finish tying up the inside liner.

"No floor?" Ryan asked.

"Some people put floors down, I don't," answered Charlie. "I got a couple of old Navajo style rugs that I put down."

Ryan helped Charlie and Walter haul their gear from the truck into the tipi. He chuckled when he found a couple of air mattresses. "This doesn't look too authentic to me."

Charlie winked at Ryan. "Comfort over tradition. It's more for the wife than for me."

Walter rolled his eyes and just grinned at Ryan.

"See if you can't find me some nice sized rocks for the fire ring," Charlie asked.

Charlie dug out a shallow pit in the center of the tipi for the fire. As Ryan and Walter brought in rocks, he began placing them in a circle until he had surrounded the pit he had dug.

"Well, that looks good," Charlie announced as he stood up. "All we need to do now is make the beds and head home to pick up the women and the food."

"Can I just leave the horse trailer up here?" Walter asked.

"I don't see why not. I'm just going to leave that one here too. I guess I'll back it in next to yours." Ryan pointed in the direction of where his truck sat and where Walter had parked his horse trailer.

---

Jessi and Becky had left Missoula and were headed home. The three days they had spent at the university had been hectic. There had been books to buy, registrations to complete for student services. They had attended the freshman orientation and had gotten loaded down with all sorts of booklets and pamphlets.

"Maybe I should have just stayed at the apartment." Becky looked out the window as Jessi drove.

"Don't be silly. We'll have a great time up at the old cabin. You love going up there." Jessi responded.

"I know but..." Tears began forming in Becky's eyes again.

In the information that they had received in orientation, there had been a flyer advertising the family planning clinic on campus. Jessi had taken Becky in for a pregnancy test. The nurse said that they would have the results back in a few days and that they would contact Becky when the results came back from the lab.

"There is nothing you can do right now. No amount of worrying is going to change the fact that you are or you aren't pregnant." Jessi tried to alleviate some of her friend's fears. "And remember what the nurse said, those home pregnancy tests sometimes give false positives."

Becky smiled weakly and looked over at Jessi. "Yeah, I know. But, what if, Jessi? What if I'm pregnant? What do I tell mom and dad? That Stan and I were fucking and he knocked me up? What a fucking mess!"

Jessi shivered momentarily. "I know what you mean. Well, for the weekend, let's just go on the assumption that you aren't pregnant. Let's just have a good time and we will deal with the 'what ifs' when we get back to Missoula."

Becky knew Jessi was right. She tried to put her fears behind her and to look forward to the weekend. She smiled and poked Jessi in the ribs. "Do you think your cowboy missed you?"

Jessi beamed. She couldn't wait to see Ryan again. After all, it had been almost four days since she had last seen him. A virtual lifetime. "If he knows what's good for him, he will have missed me." Jessi laughed and made a fist.

Becky couldn't help but laugh. She looked at her friend and chuckled. Jessi was more than just a friend. There was a bond between them that had been there from the first day they met at school in the first grade. She remembered how they would dress alike and pretend to be perturbed when people thought they were sisters. No matter what disaster befell, one of them the other was always there for support.

Becky closed her eyes as Jessi drove. She was glad that she came and she was glad that they were spending the weekend at the old cabin. Her eyes closed and she began to doze as they traveled along the highway.

Jessi was glad when she saw that Becky had fallen asleep. Rest was what Becky needed right now, since she hadn't been sleeping well lately. Jessi had been embarrassed when her mother had taken her to see Doc Taylor to get a prescription for birth control pills, but now she was relieved that pregnancy was the one thing she didn't have to worry about.

---

Bill looked into the back of Ryan's truck. "Do you think we have enough stuff?"

Ryan leaned against the bed of the truck and looked at all of the gear and supplies stacked in the back. "Looks like we are going on safari for a month, doesn't it?"

"Well, four days. I guess Jessi and Becky will have to head back on Monday. I think she said classes start on Tuesday." Bill stretched. He was ready for a weekend of relaxation.

"Yeah, my first classes are on Tuesday also," Ryan stated.

Bill studied his nephew for a moment. He had been almost dreading having this conversation with Ryan. "Well, it's probably good that Jessi is headed off to school. I think you two have gotten too close. And, according to your aunt, she thinks you two are even closer since we had our talk."

Ryan was shocked at the turn the conversation had taken. He was going to reply, but there was no point in denying what his uncle had said. It was probably pretty obvious that he and Jessi were in love.

Bill's eyes looked sad as he looked at Ryan. "I just don't want anyone getting hurt. Not Jessi and not you. Hopefully this time apart will cool things down between you. I wish things were different, Ryan, I really do."

"What if I told you that Jessi and I weren't related at all? What would you say then?" Before Ryan realized what he was saying, he had already blurted it out.

A look of shock crossed over Bill's face. "What the hell are you talking about? You heard what your dad and I told you that night."

Ryan nodded. "Yes, I did. But, something happened when I was in the hospital." Ryan paused for a moment as he studied his uncle's face, he knew he couldn't stop now, he had to tell him what everything he knew. "You know about the Wanagi. When Jessi was with me, Spotted Owl appeared. He told us that Jessi would make a fine wife and that she would bear me a fine son. I told him that it was impossible, that Jessi was my half-sister. He told me that no blood of Little White Wolf flowed in her veins. That would mean that we are not related by blood in any way whatsoever."

"A ghost told you that," Bill scoffed. "Come on, you were probably dreaming, they had you on a lot of medication while you were in the hospital."

"Yeah, that's true, but Jessi was with me when it happened. She saw and heard the same thing. How would you explain that?"

Bill remembered the conversation that he had with Charlie Red Elk at the hospital. He knew he was dealing with things that couldn't be normally explained. He would talk to Charlie once he got up to the cabin. Charlie might be able to shed some light on what Ryan was saying. "I can't explain any of it, Ryan. The only thing I ask of you right now, is that you say nothing to your aunt. It was hard enough on her telling Jessi that I wasn't her real father. She is convinced that it is your dad that fathered Jessi."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Ryan lowered his voice, he didn't want to take the chance of his conversation traveling through the kitchen window. "Jessi and I were thinking of having a DNA test done to confirm it. We thought we would need actual proof before coming to you."

Bill leaned up against the bed of the truck and looked at the ground. "God damn!" He looked over at Ryan. "I'm not upset with you, Ryan, this is just a big damned mess. I guess the DNA test would certainly help set the record straight." Bill kicked a rock across the driveway and then he gave Ryan a stern look. "Okay, I want your promise on one thing. That if the DNA test comes back and shows that you and Jessi are related, I want your promise that you two will move on with your lives."

Ryan nodded. What his uncle was telling him was nothing but the straight truth. If the DNA test came back and showed that they were indeed related, there couldn't be any future for the two of them. Finally Ryan raised his head and looked his uncle square in the eye. "You've got my promise."

"Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate that." Bill walked around the truck and put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I really do. You already know where I stand. I would be more than proud to have you as my son-in-law."

"Thanks," Ryan answered. "I do appreciate you telling me that."

Bill looked at the time. "Why don't you get this stuff up to the cabin. As soon as Jessi and Becky show up, your aunt and I will head on out."

---

Kenny picked up the phone, "Yeah?"

Hank's gravelly voice came from the other end of the line. "It's me."

"Have you made any progress?"

"Yeah," Hank replied. "Campbell and I went out looking at office space and we think we found something. I gave them a cash deposit to hold it."

"Good." Kenny was surprised that they had found an office this quick. "I should have the incorporation papers back after the weekend. You will need to have Campbell go down and apply for a business license. I don't want my name, or your name, on the license. As soon as the license is taken care of, I will be able to open a bank account for the business."

"Okay, I'm going to need some money, I'm starting to run a little short. I got myself an apartment. With what I put down on that and then the office, I'm just about tapped out."

"Can it wait until after the weekend?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, I can hold out that long." Hank replied.

After hanging up the phone, Hank lit another cigarette. Things were going well in Denver for Hank. All of the objectives that Kenny had given him had been met. Norm Campbell had proven useful in finding an office. He had hooked up with a stripper and now was moving from living in a hotel to living in an apartment. Life couldn't get much better for Hank at the moment.

Hank gave the hotel room one more cursory look. He had packed his belongings and was getting ready to head over to the small one-bedroom furnished apartment he had rented.

---

Ryan pitched his tent on the other side of the clearing, away from the house and away from Charlie's tipi. He wanted some privacy in the off chance that He and Jessi would have some time together. Ryan really wasn't expecting it to happen. He thought his aunt and uncle would keep a close watch on their daughter.

He had carried the boxes of food and supplies that his aunt had packed into the cabin and put away what he could. He walked outside and admired the view. There was something majestic about Charlie's tipi sitting at the edge of the clearing.