Throughout lunch, Victoria and Audra couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces. They both were relishing in the conversation the brothers were sharing and the topic of conversation was of interest to them also.

“Heath, why did Miss Weston say you ‘still hadn’t learn to duck’?” inquired Audra.

Heath blushed as he said, “That’s how I met Sue and Jack in Texas. I flew out of the saloon and landed at her feet.”

“Déjà vu huh, Heath?” said Jarrod as he and the rest of the family shared a chuckle over the circumstances.

“Yeah, you could say that. She looked down at me and said ‘If you’re gonna be in a brawl, you better learn to duck if you want to win’”.

“Then what happened, Heath?” asked Victoria curiously.

“Then she looks at Jack and said ‘I think this cowboy may need a job to keep him out of trouble’. “ Heath smiles fondly as he recalls the scene for his family. “Jack says ‘whatever you say boss’. Then she proceeds to offer me a job which I accepted. It was the best job I ever had.”

“Why did you leave?” puzzled Nick.

“I left to be closer to mama when Aunt Rachel wrote and told me she was sick. Texas was too far away.” said Heath quietly as his eyes reflected sadness.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Heath. We didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.” said Victoria quietly.

Nick smiled and winked at his little brother and said firmly, “What’s done is done, Mother. You can’t change the past.”

“That’s right! “ agreed Heath with a smile. “Anyway, Sue and Jack became good friends but I’m not much on letter writing so I didn’t keep in touch with them.”

Jarrod smiled at his brother, “Good friends are hard to come by Heath. I can tell they really do care about you.”

“They’re wonderful and the rest of the ranch crew was like a family to me.” explained Heath to his new family.

“Well, I certainly would like to get to know our new neighbors better. I think we should have them over for dinner some night soon.” stated Victoria.

“Yesterday I wouldn’t have used the word wonderful to describe our new neighbor.” stated Nick as Jarrod chuckled.

“She’s very passionate about everything she does. She won’t let a wrong go without it being righted. We all respected Sue for that although, sometimes she does go a little crazy.”

“You mean she’s nuts?” asked Nick with disappointment that the beautiful new comer to the valley would end up in a loony bin someday.

“Nick, she’s not nuts! She doesn’t backdown from nobody. One time in Texas, I saw her take down a 240 pound man that was pushing around one of the saloon girls.”

“No way! She can’t be more than five feet, six inches tall!” exclaimed Nick. “You’re fooling us. Maybe the guy was drunk and tripped or something.”

“I’m telling you Nick, she had this Yaqui guardian growing up and he taught her lots of stuff. This is a person you want on your side. She’s the nicest person but you wrong her and watch out!”

“You mean she can defend herself, right Heath?” asked Audra.

“Yeah, she can rope, ride and shoot. She’s as honest as the day is long and also a great employer. Her hands are very loyal to her and her father.”

Jarrod’s blue eyes sparkled as Heath became more animated as his excitement of his friends moving here became clearer in his descriptions of the time he had spent in Texas on their ranch. Nick on the other hand had a pensive look on his face and seemed to be deep in thought.

“Nick, what’s wrong dear?” asked Victoria as she saw he seemed to be miles away.

“Oh nothing, Mother”

“Maybe Nick is a little concerned since he appears to have gotten on Miss Weston’s bad side already.” joked Jarrod.

“Very funny, Jarrod! I’m not concerned.” stated Nick with more bravado than he was feeling when he thought of their meeting in town.

“Com’n Heath, lets check the other mare to see if she’s ready to foal.” said Nick as he rose from the table and walked out of the dining room.

“Heath, don’t forget we are going riding this afternoon!”

“I won’t forget Audra. I’ll let you know when it’s time to go.” Heath stated as he hurried and caught up with Nick at the front door.

“Heath, do you think Miss Weston thinks I ran her over on purpose?” whispered Nick.

Heath laughed heartedly as he walked with his brother to the barn. “Don’t worry Nick. I’ll put a good word in for ya. That’s what brothers are for!”

Sue, Jack and Charity arrived in Stockton riding high on enthusiasm and excitement later that afternoon.

“I’m gonna send Davey a telegram so he can leave tomorrow and bring the horses here.” said Sue as they walked their horses down the street to the hotel.

“Do you want me to bring the packhorse to the hotel, boss?”

“Yea that would be great Jack. I’ll purchase some supplies after I send the telegram and then we can check out after I offer Maria a job at the ranch. Charity, do you need any supplies?”

“No, I don’t need anything, thanks.”

“You will come out to the ranch won’t you Charity? You can live there with us if you want.” offered Sue.

“I can’t leave the mission, Suzanne. I would love to come and stay some night though if that’s not a problem.”

“You’re welcome anytime Charity. You don’t need an invitation.” smiled Sue as she tied Rio to the hitching rail. “I’ll see you next time I am in town.”

As Sue headed off to send telegrams to the crew in Texas, Jack walked Charity to the livery and then to the mission.

“You will come out to visit, won’t you?”

“Sure Jack. I’ll be busy with the upcoming festival but I’ll try to get out there as soon as I can. “ smiled Charity as they walked to the mission from the livery.

“If you need any help, just let me know. I’ll be glad to help if Sue doesn’t need me at the ranch.” offered Jack as he opened the door.

“Thank you Jack. I’ll keep that in mind. You better go, you know how anxious Suzanne is to get out of that hotel.”

“Okay, but promise me if you need anything, you’ll let me know.”

Charity nodded as Jack put a stray lock of her hair behind her ear and softly kissed her lips. “I’ll see you soon.” he whispered before he turned and walked to the hotel with the packhorse as Charity watched his receding back and hugged her arms to her chest.

As Jack walked to the hotel from the mission his step seemed a bit livelier and he couldn’t help but admire what a beautiful day it had been.

“Jack! JACK!” called Sue as she walked by him in the street.

“Hi, Boss. Didn’t see you there!” said Jack with a startled look.

“I guess not! I thought for a moment there you had lost your hearing.” teased Sue. “Let me see. Were you thinking of all the work we have to do on the new ranch? No, somehow I don’t think that was it. Would it have anything to do with a favorite missionary of ours?”

“Sorry Sue.” blushed Jack.

“Jack, I’m not a complete ogre. You can have a social life and still be a cowboy.”

“I know that Sue. I was just thinking is all.”

“Really, about what?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Well thinking of ‘nothing in particular’ must really be something.” chuckled Sue while stopping Jack with a hand on his arm. “You’re not getting any younger Jack.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!” exclaimed Jack.

“It means that if you want to settle down and raise a family, you should start thinking about it now.” suggested Sue with a smile.

“What about you? I don’t see you drinking from the fountain of youth, Sue.” snickered Jack.

“Jack, you know I’m married to ranching. That’s my one and only love.”

“Then it seems we’re in a predicament then, boss. Maybe we should marry each other?” suggested Jack with a glance at Sue who burst out laughing as they started walking towards the hotel again.

“Geez Jack, I’d think you could find a better solution than that!” sighed Sue as Jack chuckled.

“I’m gonna speak to Maria before we leave, Jack. I hope she will agree to come and work at the ranch.” said Sue as Jack tied the packhorse in front of the hotel.

“Did you get the supplies you wanted?” asked Jack.

“Yeah, they’re at the store. We can pick them up on the way out of town.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Weston.” stated John Travis as he stopped on the boardwalk.

“Mr. Travis.”

“Did you like the Henderson ranch?”

“Yes, I have given Mr. Baldwin a check and signed the necessary papers for the purchase.” explained Sue politely.

“Boss, how about if I check us out of the hotel so you can have a chat with Mr. Travis?” asked Jack with a grin.

“Why Jack, that is so nice of you.” smiled Sue with a look that could freeze the sun.

“I’ll be a few minutes. Nice to see you again, Mr. Travis.” said Jack grinning as he walked into the hotel while feeling his boss’ eyes boring into his back like hot pokers.

“Well, I am so happy you like the ranch, Miss Weston. If you need anything, please let me know and I’ll be glad to help in any way that I can.” offered Travis.

“Thank you Mr. Travis, but I think we’ve got everything under control. Now if you will excuse me, I have a few details to attend to before we start for home.”

“Oh, I was hoping we could have that dinner tonight. It would have been my pleasure to be your escort.” said John with disappointment.

“Mr. Travis, thank you but I never mix business with pleasure.” stated Sue as she walked into the hotel to check on her thoughtful employee.

John Travis grinned as he thought to himself as he walked to his house, “It’ll be my pleasure to wind up with your ranch before I’m through with my business, girl.”

As Heath rode to the old Henderson ranch, his thoughts were on his family. This afternoon had been the first time since his arrival to Stockton that he truly felt he had made the right choice in staying. His conversation with Nick before and the time spent together after lunch had lifted a giant weight off his shoulders. He felt as though he were renewed and reborn. He and Nick still had a long way to go, but at least now they were on the same path and headed in the same direction. They were more at ease with each other and the whole family seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Heath chuckled as he remembered his conversation with Audra while they were enjoying their afternoon ride.

“Heath, did you see Nick’s face at lunch?” asked Audra.

“What do you mean?”

“When Nick thought you meant Miss Weston was nuts. I thought he looked a little, well, forlorn.” laughed Audra.

“He did seem to be miles away at one time.” admitted Heath.

Audra rolled her eyes, “Men! Sometimes you can’t see what’s in front of you. I think he’s attracted to Miss Weston. Why else would be look so disappointed when he thought she may be a crazy woman.”

“I didn’t notice anything like that. He looked like Nick to me.”

“I think she would be good for him. He needs a woman who can keep up with him. Someone who can understand his devotion to the ranch. He certainly doesn’t need someone who is all window dressing.” stated Audra.

“Are you playing matchmaker, sis? Somehow I don’t think Nick would like that.” snickered Heath.

“I’m just saying that I think they would make a good couple. Hey, you can find out from Sue what she thinks about Nick when you see her tonight.” suggested Audra as the idea of an impending romance thrilled her.

“I know Sue wouldn’t like me playing matchmaker for her.” said Heath with a chuckle.

“Oh come on Heath! Can you think of anyone else around here that would be perfect for Nick? I can’t!” smiled Audra. “We’d be doing them both a favor by helping them find each other. It’ll be fun Heath. Unless you were interested in being more than her friend, Heath. Are you?”

“I can honestly say that while she is a beautiful woman, I have never thought of her in that way.” explained Heath “That doesn’t mean that I’m sure I should be helping you with this crazy scheme. I think Nick and Sue together would either be like bread and butter or dynamite and a match. I’m not sure if the state of California would ever be the same.”

“Thanks Heath! You won’t regret this! Race you home!” called Audra as she brought her horse to a gallop.

Heath shook his head as he remembered the excitement in Audra’s eyes as their conversation had progressed.

“With her social calendar, I am surprised that she will have time to play matchmaker between Nick and Sue. Somehow, I don’t see that happening.” he said outloud to Charger who twitched his ears at his rider.

Heath grinned as he remembered Nick’s conversation with him as he was saddling Charger.

“Duke and I will take care of the other mare. When’ll you be back, Heath?”

“I don’t expect it will be too late, Nick. After all this is a working ranch.” grinned Heath as he tightened Charger’s cinch.

Nick laughed. “Don’t you forgot it! Don’t forget that this is your home either while you’re visiting your friends, little brother.”

“I won’t, big brother. Would you like me to extend a hello to Miss Weston for you?” asked Heath innocently.

“I can say my hellos to the ladies myself, Heath.” smiled Nick “Some of the women in this valley do like me.”

“Yeah? Which one are you taking to the festival?”

“I was thinking of taking Miss Jamie Foster. She’s a pretty lady and I think we would have lots of fun together. I will probably ask her this week sometime. Who are you taking?” inquired Nick.

“Oh I haven’t decided yet. Well, I’ll see you when I get home later, Nick.” said Heath as he walked Charger out of the barn and mounted.

“Have a great time, Heath.” replied Nick as he walked towards the house. Heath chuckled as he knew Audra would consider Jamie Foster a woman who was all window dressing. “Wait til she hears that Charger! She’ll be fit to be tied.” chuckled Heath as he entered the Henderson ranch yard.

“Heath! Glad you could make it!” shouted Jack from the porch.

“I’m glad to be here. Where’s Sue?” asked Heath as he dismounted and tied Charger to the hitching post.

Jack chuckled, “She’s out back beating the daylights out of a rug. She’s probably imagining its me.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Because the lowdown miserable skunk of a foreman I have thought he was being cute today by playing matchmaker!” snarled Sue as she gave Heath a hug.

“What’s wrong with that, Sue?” said Heath innocently.

“I wouldn’t let John Travis court me if he was the last man on this planet! There’s something slimy about that guy.” stated Sue with a shiver.

“I was only teasing, Sue.” Jack said with a smile.

“I see you two haven’t changed much.” chuckled Heath.

“Let’s all go into the house.” suggested Sue. “It needs work but at least all the dust has been cleared out. Dinner’s almost ready and we can have a nice talk.”

“Sounds good and then we can play poker since I need that extra cash.” said Heath as he and Jack shared a laugh as they followed Sue into the house.

“Since you two think you’re so funny, I think I may burn the dinner.” warned Sue as she poured drinks for all of them.

The three friends enjoyed a leisurely meal and talked about the things they had done the last two years. The conversation contained lots of laughter, teasing and sadness over the turn their lives had taken from Sue losing her father and ranch to Heath finding his father’s family and ranch. They discussed Sue’s plans for the ranch and her happiness over Maria accepting her offer of a job. After an hour of cards, Heath announced that he had to get back to the ranch.

“Heath, I hope we see you soon.” said Jack. “I sure’d like to win some of my money back. I swear you’re a better poker player than you were two years ago!”

“I’ll see you soon. I couldn’t let you settle down here without showing you the Stockton highlights.” smiled Heath.

“Good night! I’m off to the bunkhouse.” said Jack as he put on his hat. “See you in the morning, Boss.”

“Night Jack. Oh Jack, if you need a loan til payday I can loan you some of your money back” said Sue with a smile as Jack rolled his eyes and Heath chuckled.

“I’ll never hear the end of that!” Jack grumbled as left the house.

“Sue, when you get everything settled why don’t you come to the ranch and I’ll give you a tour.” suggested Heath as they walked outside.

“I’d like that very much, Heath. I’m happy that you found a new family in the Barkleys, but are you sure I can’t change your mind about working with us here.”

Heath laughed, “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to turn it down.”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to try!” smiled Sue as Heath climbed aboard Charger. “Make sure you’re not a stranger now!’

“You either! See ya’ soon.”

The week flew by for the new residents of Stockton. The work that had to be done around the once neglected ranch was tiring, invigorating and soul building. Maria and Jose had moved their belongings out to the ranch on Monday. With their help, the ranchhouse and bunkhouse had been scrubbed clean, furniture had been dusted and polished, broken windows had been replaced. Shutters were replaced, roof repairs completed and the water closets were functional again. Sue and Jack had replaced decaying posts in the corrals, repaired stalls in the barn and cleaned the barn of unwanted inhabitants. The grounds of the ranch were cleared of weeds and thistles and flowers replanted. Each night they went to bed on a full stomach, exhausted but proud of all that they had accomplished each day.

Sue and Jack had ridden two of the ranch’s boundaries and made notes as to the fences that had to be replaced, spreader dams that had to be built and other details that needed to be taken care of once the crew arrived from Texas.

During the week, Jose and some of his friends who had wanted to earn some extra money, painted the house and the bunkhouse white. Next week they were going to work on completing the barn and the corrals.

On Friday after lunch, Sue excused them from their work and paid them a handsome bonus for the work they had completed.

“Boys, thank you for your help. You’ve done such a great job. You should be very proud of yourselves.” smiled Sue. “Now, Maria is going to take you back into town. Have a nice weekend and I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Si senoritas” could be heard as the kids climbed into the wagon with Maria and Jose.

“Miss Sue, are you sure you don’t need Jose and I here this weekend?” asked Maria hesitantly from the seat of the wagon.

“Maria, you enjoy your weekend with your parents. You and Jose have done a lot of work this week and you deserve this break. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” smiled Sue.

“We will be back Sunday night, Miss Sue.” said Maria as she started the wagon towards Stockton.

As Jack watched Maria and the kids leave he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come into town and see Charity with me?”

“What and be a third wheel between you two lovebirds? No thanks!” chuckled Sue as Jack blushed. “Go on! I’m just gonna take a ride and check out the mountains to see what kind of pasture we have up there. Then when the boys bring the herd we bought from Mrs. Swenson, we can hopefully move them up there.”

“It was nice of Dan to let us know about that herd and those horses.” stated Jack.

“Yeah, it’s sure better than having to drive them from another state and there are some fine looking horses in that remuda. Although, I feel real bad for Mrs. Swenson. It’s not gonna be easy for her to raise three kids on her own.” said Sue sadly.

“I know but it sure sounded like she was gonna have a lot of help from her family when she moves back to Louisiana and the money for the cattle and horses will help too. Life sure has a way of changing everything, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does! You better get moving if you want to see Charity before nightfall. Why don’t you just stay in town? I’ll meet you at the train station in the morning.” suggested Sue.

“Are you sure? You’ll be here all by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine and I could use the peace and quiet before everyone gets here.” teased Sue with a smile.

“Well, if you’re sure Boss.” said Jack as he mounted.

“I’m sure! Now git out of here and invite Charity to Sunday dinner for me.” said Sue as she walked to the barn to saddle Rio.

“I will and see ya’ in the morning.”

As Sue tied Rio in front of the house, she was unaware that a pair of eyes was watching. The same pair that had spied on the Weston ranch periodically throughout the week and had reported the goings on to his silent partner in Stockton.

Barrett was still unsure as to why Travis wanted this particular ranch as there were a few other ranches for sale in the valley.

“What do I care!” thought Barrett as his anger at the new arrival to the Barkley family had clouded his judgment. “At least I’m getting paid nicely and I get to help get rid of that bastard along with the other high and mighty Barkleys. I still can’t believe Nick though. I thought for sure he was gonna chase him off the ranch.”

He smiled as he remembered when he told Travis about Nick and Heath. He thought Travis was gonna blow a blood vessel. This was something that Travis sure hadn’t counted on. After he had calmed down and contemplated on the idea, Travis decided he wouldn’t let their new found brotherhood stand in his way.

“Things can still go as planned, Barrett. It’s probably not going as smoothly as you may think between the two of them. I’m sure Nick is probably still angry deep inside, even if he doesn’t know it himself.” grinned Travis. “We’ll have to help him find that anger and use it against him, the Barkleys and our Miss Weston.”

“If you want the ranch so badly, why don’t you just git rid of her?” asked Barrett.

“We can’t just kill her outright. It would have to look like an accident or something, otherwise too many people would be asking questions. Besides, I’d like to use her against the Barkleys. Although if an opportunity did present itself, I certainly wouldn’t mind that either.” admitted Travis.

He grinned maliciously as he thought of the fireworks that Travis had in mind for the Barkleys and Sue Weston. The start of the plan had already been set in motion with the removal of a section of fence and the hazing of some Barkley cattle onto the range of the Weston ranch.

As Sue walked out of the house and climbed on Rio, Barrett headed back to the Barkley range as he thought, “It sure wouldn’t be good if I get caught over here spying on her or got fired for not doing my job. I sure can’t wait to spend my new earnings, though.”

Sue turned Rio towards the mountains, enjoying the solitude, the warm weather and nature they traveled steadily towards their goal. Her keen eye taking in the terrain as she rode watching for anything they may need to take care of before the cattle arrived next week.

The gentle breeze tickled the grass and it waved to her as she passed. Pheasants and other waterfowl flew up and rabbits scurried from their hiding places as the unknown intruders startled them when they trotted by.

As she neared the beginning of the mountains, she slowed to a walk observing tracks the wildlife indigenous to the area had left on the ground. Once again, she was thankful that Haavi had taught her to read sign. It had helped on several occasions and was useful in getting to know an area. She saw the tracks of deer and the larger hoof print which was an elk. “We can add venison to our menu.” she said to Rio. “I’ll have to send one of the boys up here next week to get us some.”

Rio shook his head and kept on walking. As with other people who rode horses everyday, she talked to her horses as if they could understand everything she said.

A horse was more than just a horse to her and to others who lived with them, it was a trusted friend that could save your life or could haul you out of harm’s way when necessary. She always took good care of her horses and demanded that all who worked with her do the same.

She smiled as she thought of a conversation she once had with her father, “Susie, you treat those horses better than most people you know. What would your mother say of how I raised you?”

“She’d say, ‘good job on raising such a caring, hard working and level-headed daughter.”

“No, I think she’d say ‘she’s scaring away her beaus with that gun and the way she’d rather spend time with the horses’” teased her father.

“Oh, Daddy! If they scare that easy, they ain’t worth having around and I certainly don’t want to know them.” chuckled Sue as her father joined her.

“Ah Rio, I sure do miss him. He would love this new ranch as much as he loved the old one. He loved building things.” said Sue as her tears filled her eyes.

Rio whinnied as he sensed the mood of his master shifting. Sue wiped the tears from her eyes, blew a kiss up to her father and one to her beloved Haavi.

As she reached the top of a small rise, she stopped to take in the view of the mountains before her. “Such grandeur and beauty” she thought as she sighed with pleasure. Pine, birch and other types of trees dotted the landscape.

Noting a trail about 10 yards in front of her, she started Rio forward. As they followed the trail it wound up the mountain, crossing streams and wading through plush meadows. Changing direction as it went around the obstacles nature had provided. She could see some canyons with meadows that could be used to feed the herd. “If we section off some of those canyons, we could use the meadows as grazing land.”

“Someone else has ridden this trail, Rio” said Sue as she spied the horse tracks in front of her. “Let’s see where they go. Maybe someone has found a good fishing hole.” As Rio and Sue followed the trail, a pair of eyes was watching from a hidden spot at the top of the trail.

“Where’s your shadow, Miss Weston?” whispered Travis.

He searched and couldn’t locate Jack Franklin, he sighted his rifle and couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice. “Well, it does appear you’re alone. Let’s see how well you can hang on Texas cowgirl. If you’re lucky, you’ll live. If you’re not lucky, well, I’ll get the ranch that much quicker.”

As Travis looked down the barrel of his gun, Rio shied from something on the mountain trail. “What’s the matter, Rio?” asked Sue as she stood in her stirrups to see a snake slithering off into the brush when a crack of thunder caused Rio to rear up and throw his unprepared rider from his back and down the mountainside as Rio bolted and ran up the trail.

Travis watched as Sue disappeared from his sights. “Nice shot if I do say so myself.” he said to himself chuckling as he climbed into the saddle and headed down a side trail so he could be in Stockton when he heard the tragic news.

....Continued