The Cat

Jess had slept all afternoon. He�d had several drinks with dinner, and that night, was feeling very little pain for a change. Slim had always been grateful, and more than a little surprised that Jess was a pleasant drunk. With his temper and short fuse, he could�ve gone the other way and been dangerous. As it was, Jess tended to talk a lot, and became more gregarious than was his usual nature.

�Slim. I been thinkin�.�

Slim�s eyes twinkled. He couldn�t wait to hear this one. Jess had already been thinkin�. He seemed to be thinkin� about everything from how, when he got back he could show Mike about his fractions by using one of Daisy�s apple pies, to how mountain lions could bring down a steer that outweighed them by three or four hundred pounds.

Jess seemed to wander a bit, so Slim guided him back. �What were you thinkin� about, Jess?�

�Oh. I was thinkin� that we�re probably making it possible for that cat out there to have the best winter of his life. I mean here we just gave him his food supply for the entire winter. Those poor cattle won� t know what hit �em.�

Slim nodded. �Well, I figure it�s a small price to pay.�

Jess' brow furrowed in a puzzled scowl. �For what?�

�For it leaving us alone. For it leaving you alone the other night. It could have killed you, you know.�

Jess nodded. He knew that although he hadn�t really acknowledged it until now.

�I found tracks right next to where I found you. He was there, Jess.�

Jess shot a glance over to Slim, sitting at the fireplace. A sobering thought, to be sure.

That night, Jess dreamed about his father. Not the bad, horrible dreams he used to have with fire and death, but about working side by side with him, riding trail with him. His father had always been a mystery to him. Oh, he�d known him, but he�d never understood him. Until now. He�d never understand how a man could give up the freedom of the trail, or going where you want to go, when you want to. Of not answering to any man and only working when you wanted to. Giving all that up in order to stay in once place, tied down to a family and responsibilities. Jess had never understood that before. Now he wished he could tell his father, he did.