Jesse has inherited his Grandfather’s ranch and now must fight his father to keep it while on a quest to find Coyote and his spirit animal.

In Western Native American lore, Coyote was either the maker of the earth or the messenger to those who made the earth. It was Coyote who was tricked in making death a part of life. I apologize to any who may be offended by my use of Coyote. He is central to the story and used with much respect. Native Americans have much for which to be respected; their love and care of the earth and the sacrifices made for this great land.

I hope you enjoy the second chapter of this story for Big Closet. If I have borrowed anything from someone unknowingly, please forgive me.

My thanks goes to Hope of Hopeeternalreigns. Her expertise in editing vastly improved the story. Any further slips, drips, or errors are my own. Also, thanks to those who sent comments after the first chapter. These comments will make me a better writer. HUGS to All. Barb.

Chapter 2 Premonitions

George Shilling proved himself to be a good foreman. His rugged face, burnt by the sun from days in the saddle, was handsome. He had the small paunch that comes with age, but he was fit. Jesse at first thought it was his tall stature and his strength that caused the men to respect him, but after Jesse watched him for awhile, he realized it was George's concern for the ranch hands that earned their respect. He was always willing to pitch in and help when needed. He praised when it was warranted, but he was firm but fair when the men need to be corrected. He was always willing to pass on the knowledge he had gained from the years he had been a ranch hand and ranch foreman.

Jesse and George worked on getting the ranch set up to be self-sustaining. Jesse hired George’s wife, Gail, to help him cook and feed the hands. Gail was a plump woman, but one could see she had been a beauty when she was younger. The easy banter between George and Gail showed the love they shared.

Jesse had the ranch hands put in a large garden to raise vegetables. They built a coop and fenced-in an area for chickens, for eggs for breakfast and poultry for dinners. They would shoot the wild hogs on the ranch for pork. Wild hogs can damage acres of land and pollute water sources that the cattle use. Jesse hoped to control the wild hog population by harvesting the hogs. Raising the vegetables and meat on the ranch would leave staples like flour and salt the only things they would have to buy.

With the knowledge that Jesse gained at college, he would be able to prune the fruit trees and grape vines to get them producing better. Also, he would be able to get the animals to reproduce at a better rate with better offspring.

Each night, Jesse would go to bed exhausted from his efforts. He was up before dawn helping to make breakfast for the hands, doing some chores such as gathering eggs, then working on the accounting and other reports. He would stop for a short lunch. Then he would meet with George to discuss the progress that was being made. He would do some more reports, look over the personnel files, and write down any ideas he had that day. He helped to get supper on the table and clean up afterward. At night, he would hear the wolf he heard the first night. It seemed to be getting closer and calling to him.

They had a good start at the revitalization of the ranch when George got the call that his daughter was in labor and he and his wife needed to come as soon as possible. Jesse told George that he had the ranch and to go ahead and leave. Jesse would see him when he got back.

Jesse was working late trying to find ways to make the ranch more profitable and ways to make the lives of the ranch hands better when he received a phone call from Gabriel Johnston.

“Hello Jesse? It’s Gabriel.”

“Oh Hi Gabriel, How are you?”

“I'm well, I heard you were back. Why haven’t you called or let me know you were in town?”

“Gabe, I've been very busy trying to get the ranch back up and running. Besides, I thought you would have been married by now.”

“No, I'm not married. There's only one girl for me and she has finally come back into my life”

Jesse thought Oh no, he is still in love with me. Now what am I going to do. “Really, that is so sweet, but you should have found someone else.”

“Maybe, but they wouldn’t compare to you. Are you doing anything Saturday? There is a dance in town that I would love to take you to.”

“Gabe, with George gone to see his new grandbaby, I don’t have a moment that I can spend out, right now.”

“I understand. How about after George gets back? I really do want to see you”

“I would like to, but I promised my Grandfather that I would spend sometime in the back country to speak with Coyote and find my spirit. He was really into the Native American culture when he was alive.”

“It sounds like you are trying to let me down easy. Don’t you want to see me?”

“I do, but there are some things we need to talk about when we get together. Why don’t I call you when I get back from the back country?”

“That sounds good, but I worry about you going alone. I've been hearing a wolf lately.”

“You too? I was beginning to think I was going crazy. No one has mentioned hearing the wolf. Anyway, for some reason, I think I need to go alone. I will be heavily armed so I should be okay. Also, I'm taking the satellite telephone in case I do get in trouble.”

“Are you sure? A girl in the back country alone can be dangerous. Can you handle a pistol or rifle?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. I am a bit nervous about going alone, but I don't think I have anything to fear from the wolf. Grandpa taught me how to shoot years ago, even though I haven't picked up weapon since I went to college.”

“Okay, I'll be looking forward to your call when you get back. Don’t forget.”

After saying their goodbyes, Jesse got back to studying what he could do to better the lives of the ranch hands. Several of the hands were married, but would leave their wives in town in apartments during the week while they worked the ranch. He thought it was terrible that the men would leave their families for weeks at a time when they went to the back country to round up cattle. He was trying to come up with an idea of how the hands would be able to spend more time with their families. He had to make sure that the work on the ranch was accomplished. Still he thought that there was some way he could help.

The other question he was working on this evening was where in the back country he would go to seek Coyote. He pulled up Google Earth to see if there were any pictures of the ranch and the back country. He noticed that there was a fairly level section of land between the main house and the road. He would look this over tomorrow. This might answer one question about how to make the ranch hands lives better. He was looking over the back country when he noticed a small lake. He remembered his Grandfather taking him camping at the lake. He also remembered there was a small spring to supply water. The lake should supply fish for food. If necessary, maybe he could kill a deer. He was not sure how long he would be gone, but with the satellite phone he could keep in touch and let George know when to expect him. Also, George would know where to come look for him if he didn’t check in at appropriate times.

Jesse finished his planning for the evening and decided to turn in. Just as he lay down he heard the wolf howl again. Each week the wolf seemed to be getting closer. It gave Jesse chills as the howl seemed to be saying to him “come run with us.” He didn’t understand why his imagination would put this thought in his head. He didn’t have anyone to talk with about this matter. Tomorrow he was going to visit the grave of his grandfather. “Maybe I will speak to Grandpa about it” he thought. With that he went to sleep. He dreamed of running through the woods, but everything looked different. Everything was like a black and white movie. As he ran, he panted with his tongue out. It seemed so strange that he woke with a start and heard the wolf again. Again, the thought “come run with us” came into his mind. He got out of bed and visited the bathroom and got a glass of water. Then lay back down. He slept soundly, but didn’t dream any more that night.

The next morning Jesse woke early as usual. With Gail away, he had to make breakfast for the hands that worked the weekends. After he assigned them the chores for the day, he changed to go see his Grandfather. It was still early and cool, so he wore a light weight jacket. His Grandfather was buried in the cemetery next to his wife at the little church a few miles from the ranch. He decided he would ride his horse. It would give him time to think and the horse needed to be ridden to get used to him before they went on their back country journey. The horse was a painted pony that his Grandfather gave him just before he went off to college. The horse was a yearling at the time, which he named Big Spot for the large black spot on its rump. The horse had been trained to be a cowpony, to work on the ranch. It was strong and nimble, but not overtly large. It could endure a long drive with short spurts of speed as needed to handle cattle.

He arrived at the cemetery next to the small white, clapboard-sided church, tied his horse and started through the gate of the picket fence. He met an old man coming out of the cemetery, so he stopped and held the gate for the old man. The old man was just a little taller than Jesse. The Native American heritage was etched deep in his face. He had the classic face with the traits of his heritage. His long gray hair was down below his shoulders. He had on a colorful shirt with western patterns. The old man stopped in the gate, looked Jesse in the eyes and studied him for a bit.

The old man said “You are Bill Hartman’s Grandson.” It was more of a statement than a question. “You have heard the wolf. It speaks to you. You must listen when it speaks. I can see it in your eyes. Your Grandfather had it, but he would not run with the wolf. Great changes will come to your life if you listen to the wolf. He will not call much longer.” The old man turned away and walked around the corner of the church. Jesse stood there stunned until the old man was out of sight. He ran around the corner of the church to ask the old man a question. When he rounded the corner, the old man was gone. Jesse looked in the church, but no one was there. There were no cars when he rode up on his horse, and he had heard no one drive up on the gravel drive. This was getting much more bizarre.

He walked into the cemetery to his Grandfather’s grave. He sat on the ground and began to explain the happenings to his Grandfather. As he finished, he heard the wolf again. Then he heard the old man chant in the language of the People. He knew if he looked around he would find neither the wolf nor the old man. His horse sounded nervous. After he soothed his horse, he mounted and rode back to the ranch. As he rode up to the house, he saw George sitting on the porch. George's rugged features and salt and pepper hair were enhanced by the afternoon sun. Jesse got off the horse and walked up to his friend. “I'm sure glad to see you! There have been some strange happenings around here after you left. Where’s Gail?”

“Gail is still with the baby. I would be too, but I had this nagging feeling that I was needed back here. It was worse last night, so I left early this morning to find out why I needed to be here.”

“You may want to sit back down. What I am about to tell you is going to sound crazy.” He began by telling of the wolf, the call from Gabriel and the meeting with the old man. “So what do you think? I’m crazy, right?”

“Normally, I would say you were imagining things or doing drugs, but I know you. Also, there was that nagging feeling that I needed to be here. No you aren't crazy. Unless, we both are.”

“George, I want to get ready to make that back country trip if you don’t need to get back to Gail. Before I go I want to talk to you about a idea I have.”

“No, Gail wants to stay a bit longer. If I need to go get her, I'll make it a quick trip. This trip of yours sounds like it's going to life changing. I can see my little one later. She doesn’t know her Grandpa exists. I was just in the way.”

“I'm sure that your kids loved having you there. Let’s get you a horse. I want to show you the plan I have once the will is settled. I haven’t heard from my attorney yet. He is watching my father and his attorney very carefully to make sure they don’t try anything underhanded. Also, the lawyers here are watching the lawyer back east.”

They went to the barn and saddled a horse for George. They rode down the drive to a grove of large oaks trees. “George, this is my plan. Once the will is settled I want to take this parcel of land and fix it into a mobile home park for the married ranch hands. This way they will have more time with their families. I am sure you would have wanted to spend more time with Gail and Susie as she grew up. While I am gone on my trip I want you to contact the County and find out what it would take to get this started. Don’t tell the hands until we make this happen. You may want to consult with that engineering firm in town about the number of spots we might be able to put in and things like power, water supply and waste management. I would also like to keep as many trees as possible.”

They rode back to the house, rubbed down their horses, and put them up. As they walked into the house Jesse heard the wolf again. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, I heard it. So, you are going out there to meet that wolf.”

“I think I had better. I'll take enough fire power to protect myself and the horse, but I don’t think I will need it. I will also take the satellite phone so we can keep in touch. I'll check in once I get to the lake. It’s on Google Earth, I’ll show you. Then I'll check in every other day about noon. If you don’t hear from me in three days, come looking for me.”

“What if I hear from your attorney about the will?”

“If you can’t handle it, come get me. I shouldn’t be gone more than two weeks. I'll pack a few provisions, but I’m supposed to live off the land. The lake is where Grandpa and I went camping once. I'll take a tent and such, so I should be okay. I will see to the supper tonight and turn in early. I want to get on my way at daylight.”