The transaction for the cattle went smoothly, probably far smoother then Molly and I anticipated. Some of it was surprising. Simon and Laura were willing to accept less then what we were offering for the cattle, which no one expected. It lead me to believe that the generosity that urged Michael York to give us our cabin and allow, at the time, Molly to hunt on his land, as well as rewriting his will to allow us to inherit the land ran in the family. Even still, it was a surprise.
But Frank Rhoer had a workable idea that would allow us to get most of the money we would be spending on the cattle back. Laura and Simon weren't going to take the large pieces of furniture and things from the small home that Michael York had lived in. What they had said they intended to take were the smaller keepsakes that would probably be the reminder of the family member lost. Auctioning off that which the Rush didn't take would gain back a fair portion of the money. On top of that, Frank had the idea to move from his land to what was now an empty house, selling the one he'd left.
"Thank you for helping us with this," Molly said to Frank Rhoer and his daughters as we prepared to head back to our cabin.
The York-Rush family was already on its way there.
"We're family," Frank Rhoer replied, "you and George have allowed me to keep doing what I know how to do. And in theory, you could claim the profits of the ranch for yourselves..."
"We're just trying to make up for the BS that Beauregard pulled when we first moved here," I told him, "apologize for over-reacting."
"We know," Nessie came forward, "but family is more then just making up for mistakes. I'm sure you both know that."
"We do," Molly nodded, "it's just..."
"Water under the bridge," Frank Rhoer dismissed it, "it is the past, and we are all a family now. Not the nuclear family, mind you, as you are my niece, Molly, but a family none the less."
"Thank you, Uncle Frank," Molly told him and then lifted him into a strong hug.
"You're welcome," Frank Rhoer said slowly, "anyway we have other chores to take care of... as well as setting up a plan for putting the tiger's brand on the cattle that you've bought."
Molly slowly nodded and set him down, carefully.
"Thank you again," I spoke as Molly and I then left and began our own trek back to our Cabin.
"Things are changing quickly," Molly commented after a few moments, "you don't suppose we ought to look more into how the ranching industry works? I mean we're being suckered into it..."
"You're Uncle seems rather smart on things," I commented, "If he needs the help, I'm sure we can manage some way to help him... and follow his lead."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next few days past rather quietly as the date of Michael York's funeral approached. Things were relatively quiet at work with Officer Barnes and I only having what would be called "routine" calls. Traffic infractions and so on. And so far, despite the concerns about having to deal with Marcella and the teen drama that I was certain would appear eventually... nothing on that level had showed up so far. I still expected it to arrive, but a good part of me hoped that Marcella and the girl she had a crush could sort it out themselves... or went to someone who had a degree in psychology for help.
The "big" thing that went on during those days related to dealing with the Rush family. Laura and Simon may have expected Michael York's death to come, but that didn't mean they took it well. Molly and I noticed that they tried to put on a brave face and power on, but a lot of that broke down in the evenings. Even with our door shut, for our own privacy at night, we could hear Laura and Simon talking. Much of the time, Laura was going back into her childhood. Recalling birthdays, Christmases, home movies, and other things like that. These talks tended to go into the night and Molly and I were asleep before they finished.
Helping with Herman and Ulysses proved to be a bit easier. Ulysses made next to no effort to hide the fact that he missed his Grandfather. Herman tried a little more then that, but it was still clearly obvious that he loved and would miss his Grandfather. Because of that, helping them was a bit more direct then it was with Laura and Simon. Talking with Ulysses usually revolved around getting him to talk of happier times and asking questions about things he liked. That went fairly well until he nervously asked of Molly and I ate bunnies. We assured him that we did not.
Talking with Herman dealt more with his love of nature. It was amazing how much he knew, particularly about the plant and animal life that lived in the area. He told us about how Elk migrated in elevation in many mountainous areas. Higher in the summer and lower in the winter. He told us about how determine the health of the pine and spruce trees that grew in the area around our cabin. He talked of hikes he had taken in the area when he was younger, commonly escorted by Michael York. Some of them, apparently even went beyond the land that Michael York legally owned and into the public lands outside the boundaries of his ranch. Going up into the areas that were too mountainous for cattle and once startling a couple of Bighorn Sheep. And he talked about his dreams of being a member of the Park Service. He was a smart kid and I wished him well.
Molly and I never really came up with some method to help Laura or Simon. Simon wasn't troubled by Michael York's death much. His pain seemed to come from the fact that Laura was deeply in mourning for her father. It was like walking on egg shells. Molly and I feared that if we tried anything, we'd only upset her. Eventually I got to asking if there was anything Molly and I could do to help. Simon assured us that everything would be fine.
As the day of Micheal York's funeral arrived, I hoped Simon was right. He and his family would be returning to their home in Billings shortly after and would need to continue their lives. Hopefully they had friends that could give them help. As Officer Barnes and I began our patrol for the morning, my mind seemed to dwell on this as we rode along.
"So, you're taking the afternoon off?" Officer Barnes asked as we began our patrol.
"Part of it," I answered, "to attend the funeral."
"I see," Officer Barnes slowly nodded from his spot in the front seat, "the guy that gave you your home."
I nodded back.
"Sorry you're having to deal with is," Officer Barnes commented, "it's never easy to lose a friend."
"We truly weren't all that close," I answered, "Just as I told Officer Won when we found that he'd been attacked... he was a benefactor to Molly and I. He could be called a friend because he was friendly to Molly and I... especially when we needed it the most. And for that he deserves our respect... even if we didn't "hang out" with him all that much."
"I'm sure," Officer Barnes replied, "trust me, you aren't the first guy to have friends outside his/her family that are older then he/she is. Not all friends are close... but if they're still friends, that is all that really matters, right?"
"I suppose so," I shrugged.
Officer Barnes then nodded and we continued our patrol. For the morning, things went quietly. And things usually did in the morning. Even with routine calls, most of them usually came in the afternoon. But, I would miss the beginning of that patrol at the funeral. I would probably return to work after it, even though it would probably mean desk duty for the afternoon. As Officer Barnes couldn't just sit around the station for the duration of the funeral, and it would be a waste of effort to call him back in when I returned to the station.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Following the directions that Laura and Simon had given Molly and I that morning, I arrived in a small and quiet cemetery on the northwestern edge of the town. The area looked like it had been well gardened and had several large trees planted in various places. I met with Molly at the gate to the cemetery as I arrived.
"Still in uniform?" Molly asked.
"I do intend to return to duty after the services are over," I answered, "I can't use the funeral as an excuse to miss half the day."
Molly slowly nodded. The school had given her the entire afternoon off, but with it still being summer and the Summer Sun program essentially being a baby-sitting service, it wasn't like Molly was missing out on the things that provided a serious education. So long as they knew in advance, Molly had informed me that the school was very lenient when it came to leave and time of during the summer. And even if they weren't "lenient", the funeral would probably still be a legitimate reason to take time off.
A small crowd had gathered when we arrived at the plot where Michael York was to be buried. A Protestant minister was there to do the services, and he stood near the head of the grave while Michael York's casket sat on a platform over the grave. Most of the people there were fellow ranchers that had know Michael York for years. Laura and Simon where there as well of course, as they had likely had to be there early to help set things up. Molly and I politely nodded to them and moved to stand among the others, so that we weren't blocking anyone's view. We found ourselves standing next to Albert Ames.
"Never thought it'd happen like this," Albert said to me, quietly, "glad you caught the man that did this."
"It was the Park Rangers that dealt the final blow to Washerman," I told him, "He had me on the ropes."
"I'm sure you still helped," Albert replied, "Mike was a good friend. Helped me a lot when I took over my ranch from my father... and now... a lot of wisdom that's always been here is gone."
"It'll probably remain so long as you remember what he taught you," I said softly.
Albert nodded as the Minister began a brief sermon before the actual burying of the body.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we gather today to say goodbye to Michael Jeremiah York," the minister began, "a leading rancher in the area and from a family that has called the area around Columbia Falls home for many generations... and yet despite his age, he was taken from us before his time."
The minister then looked up the small crowd that was there for the funeral.
"Even with how his end arrived," the minister continued, "he still touched many with his advice and wisdom. Love and generosity. He raised a daughter, whom I am sure he would be proud of. He has given a home to those he barely knew and saw past the orange and black of their fur. He has lived as we all imagine that we live, and has left us with a grand example to follow. And hopefully we will be able to follow that example."
The service was calm and elegant as the minister continued. Michael York's rivalry with Pierre Beauregard was never mentioned, but I figured a funeral wasn't the place for mentioning such things. It eventually ended with the singing of "Amazing Grace" as the casket was lowered into the grave.
Once finished, most of the others were quick to continue on their own way after giving a quick voicing of condolences to Laura and Simon. With their own ranches to tend to, it was a fairly obvious move. Given our place in the "audience", Molly and I ended up being last to go through the same process.
"Thank you both for coming," Laura said slowly.
"Your father did a lot to help us," Molly answered her, "treated me with more respect then most. For that alone he deserves our respect."
I nodded beside her.
"We owe him much," I added, "and I fear now we'll never be able to truly own up to those debts."
"You've done far more then you know," Laura answered, "trust me. I'd think he'd be proud of both of us for all that we've done. Me for living as he taught me. You for giving his ranch the opportunity to live on."
"It's nice of you to say that," Molly sighed.
"It is the truth," Simon nodded, "and that's why we thank you for coming."
"You're welcome," I said politely, "so what will you do now?"
"The truck that will be carrying the rest of my father's herd to Billings for us will be arriving tomorrow morning," Laura answered, "it'll probably be a bugger to get the trailer on it turned around the right way, but once that is done we'll be heading home."
"Hopefully you have a safe journey," Molly told her.
"We intend to," Simon replied, "and thank you for letting us stay with you. I hope we didn't get under your feet too much."
"Your visit has been fine and caused us no real trouble," I answered, "and it was nice to meet you."
"It was nice to have met you both too," Laura answered.
"Will you need any help?" Molly asked, "moving the cattle?"
"No, I'd think tomorrow getting help form your Uncle and his daughters will be all the help we'll need," Simon answered, "thank you for offering."