...Continued

Tumbleweeds rolling in the wind greeted the brothers upon their arrival in the one-horse town of Strawberry. Heath remained stoic while ambling through the main street, tilting his head merely to glance at the cemetery to spot his mother’s tombstone. He flashed a small curl of the lip at the flowers gracing the grave, his heart fluttering at the thought of Hannah honoring her dear friend’s memory.
His parched throat was screaming for a cool beer, but Nick wrestled with his thirst to keep it at bay as the prospect of quenching it at the saloon was definitely not on Heath’s agenda for now. He silently followed his brother’s path to Hannah James’s house; a small decrepit cabin on the outskirts of town that people fled like the plague mostly on account of the occupant’s dementia. Nick witnessed firsthand the degree of psychosis when the black woman sprung out of the blue brandishing a branch in Heath’s direction.
Nick swiftly grabbed the branch before it crashed onto the unaware intended victim’s head. “Ya cain’t get me. I ain’t goin’ with ya,” the hysterical woman shrieked, struggling to wring herself free from Nick’s grip.
“Hannah, it’s me, Heath,” he pacified, grabbing her shoulders to level his eyes with hers. “Look at me, Hannah. It’s Heath.”
The madness subsided as she focused on the familiar grin flashing before her. “Heath? Heath my boy. Is you? You here?” she enthused with a gentle hand against his cheek. “Heath is here. Heath is good.”
“Yes Hannah,” he reassured, taking her hand to sandwich in his own. “And this is my brother, Nick.”
She turned to the darkhaired sibling still holding the branch. He shot her a dubious look, eyeing her from head to toe to size her up. “He bad,” she sputtered with a glare.
“No Hannah. He only wants to protect me. You are the one who came at me with that branch. He stopped you before you hurt me,” he explained calmly to avoid upsetting the delicate balance between sanity and insanity. He nodded to Nick to put the branch down. “This is my brother. He would never hurt you.”
“He take care of my Heath?”
“That’s right, Hannah. Nick is my best friend.”
Upon hearing those comforting words, she fashioned a grateful smile and kissed Nick on the cheek. “Good for my Heath. Come.” She clasped Nick’s hand and pulled him to the cabin. “Come inside. Hannah make you coffee. Come.”
Nick shot Heath a confound look that received an amused grin in return. “She likes you Nick,” Heath chaffed.
“Swell.”
Barely had he stepped inside the small abode that Heath caught sight of a photograph of his mama on a worn-out dresser. While Hannah was tending to Nick, he walked over to the picture and picked it up. A wistful smile graced his lips as he traced the woman’s face with the tip of his middle finger. He started drifting on a sea of blissful memories until a sudden storm came washing them down; smudging the colorful slice of life of a boy’s childhood. With a heavy heart Heath closed his eyes and set the picture down.
“Heath? Want some coffee?” Nick’s query steered the soul all adrift back to reality.
“Yeah.” He turned to join Nick at the kitchen table.
“Ah say, is it safe to drink that stuff?” Nick raised with a strong suspicion that he was about to be poisoned.
Heath chuckled and gave him a reassuring clap on the back. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. To prove it to you I’ll drink first.”
“Say, d’you want me out of the room when you start asking her questions?”
“No. In fact I’d prefer you stay. You might understand things that I might miss.”
“Okay. Anytime you’re ready.”
Heath locked stares with Nick, holding his focus on those hazel orbs to draw the strength needed to pursue his quest. He waited for a signal to engage in his task, which came in a form of an emboldening nod of the head. He rose to his feet and ambled up to Hannah by the kitchen counter. Her constant humming was indication that she had drifted back into her own little realm of fantasy, which was somewhat annoying to Heath who needed her sober to provide truthful answers to his crucial questions.
“Hannah. I need to talk to you about mama. It’s serious. Please, listen to me.”
“Your mama. She dead, child.”
“I know that, Hannah. I wanted to ask you about her husband Charlie Sawyer.”
Hannah cringed at the name. “No. No talk about that man.” She flailed her hands about as though she was chasing flies.
Heath grabbed her by the shoulders. “Hannah, it’s important. I need you to remember,” he beseeched with imploring eyes that shook Hannah’s inner core.
“He bad man. Don’t wanna talk about him.”
“I know you don’t but you must. I need to know if my mama loved him.”
Hannah wriggled herself free from Heath’s grip to run to her bedroom. Heath was hot on her trail, preventing her from bolting the door behind her. “Hannah, please. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“You do. Hannah ain’t gonna talk. Cain’t talk.”
“Why? Because it’s not true? She didn’t marry him out of love?” Heath probed deeper, causing the frightened woman to huddle in a corner of the room. He hated what he was doing to her but he needed to clear the air so he could breathe easier again. “Please Hannah. Please tell me. Was my mama in love with Charlie Sawyer?”
“Charlie bad,” she whimpered. “He came botherin’ your mama. She let him. I’s told her he was bad man. Not worthy of Leah. But…”
“But what?”
“She would go to him.”
“Go to him. How do you mean?”
“No more talk, Heath.” she pleaded but couldn’t deter him from his purpose.
“Go to him?” Heath snapped involuntarily. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m sorry.”
“Why you ask questions about him? Was no good. He no love your mama like a husband do.”
“Then why did she go to him? Was she in love with him?”
“She was. But he don’t want her at first.”
“Why?” When silence came as his reply, Heath insisted. “WHY?”
Heath’s outburst sent Hannah’s sanity spiraling out of control. “He don’t say,” she screamed.
“Is it because he already had a wife?” Heath blurted out to burst the abscess, causing Hannah’s head to rear up in shock. “Was it? Mama broke up his marriage, is that it?” Heath ached at the vile treatment he was putting himself and Hannah through but considered this harsh method his only choice to delve out the truth.
“No! No! No! Told her to leave him be,” Hannah yelled hysterically until she finally broke free from Heath’s grip and ran out of the room in tears, whizzing by Nick as she dashed out the door. Heath shuffled shamefacedly behind her.
“What’s going on here?” Heath’s forlorn expression was self-explanatory. “Heath?”
“It’s true, Nick. It’s all true,” Heath wailed, feeling the woe of the world bearing down on him. Shattered were his memories of a grand lady that stood tall on the high pedestal he had erected for her. He suffocated under the massive sense of betrayal that weighed heavily on him.
“Pshaw!” Nick rebuffed. “I heard what you put that poor woman through. You scared her half to death. I’m sure she didn’t know what she was saying.”
“That was necessary Nick. It was the only way to get the truth out of her.”
“Truth? What exactly did she say?”
Heath slid over to the table and flumped down on a chair. “She said that Sawyer didn’t take a liking to my mama at first but that she somehow convinced him that she was the right woman for him. It proves that she pursued him. Maybe she did know he was married.”
“Are you actually listening to yourself?” Nick seethed. “What happened to the man who belted anyone that bad mouthed his mama? I ought to give you a taste of your own medicine, boy.” Nick sputtered through clenched teeth.
“That means she did the same to Tom Barkley,” Heath said resignedly.
Nick lunged at Heath and grabbed him by the shirt. With one pull he jerked him to his feet and smacked him in the face; the force propelling Heath clear across the room. “DON’T you dare talk about your mother or our father like that, do you hear me?” Nick blasted with an angry finger to emphasize his threat. “I won’t let you smudge the name of two decent people because of a misinterpretation.”
“Nick, Hannah said…”
“I don’t care what she said, or rather what you think she said. She’s not the one to ask. I’m sure there’s someone in this town we can ask about Charlie Sawyer and your mother. Someone who still has all his marbles.” Nick softened up and stepped up to Heath with an olive branch. “Come on, brother.” Heath flinched at the hand offered as he dabbed at the blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. “Let’s go into town and find someone who will settle this once and for all. But first I think you’d better find Hannah and apologize to her.”
Heath wavered whether to accept the peace offering, but one look into Nick’s pleading eyes was enough to convince him to follow his brother’s advice and seek another opinion. That blow to the jaw had knocked his senses back on track.
While the brothers’ quest for the truth went on, in Stockton, a surprised visitor showed up at the ranch.
“Hello Silas,” Gloria greeted sheepishly. “Could I speak with Heath?”
“Mr. Heath is not here right now. Please do come in.” He bade the young woman enter just as Victoria climbed down the stairs.
“Gloria?”
“Mrs. Barkley. I’m sorry for disturbing you. I was hoping to speak with Heath but Silas tells me he’s not here.”
“That’s right. He and his brother Nick went to Strawberry.”
“Strawberry?” Gloria trembled at the town’s name. “I might have known,” she muttered to herself. “Please, can I talk to you? It’s important.”
“Well of course,” Victoria said obligingly, reaching for the girl’s arm to escort her to the parlor. “Silas, would you bring us some lemonade?”
“No it’s okay,” Gloria objected courteously. “I’ll only stay a couple of minutes.”
No sooner had Victoria slid close the majestic oak door that Gloria opened the dam of apologies. “First I would like to say how sorry I am for what happened with Heath. I never knew my mother could be so mean. But I understood how she felt.”
Victoria gave a reassuring smile and walked Gloria over to the settee where they both sat. “I’m sure this is a misunderstanding. Hopefully Heath and Nick will clear it up.”
“That’s why I came here. I know the truth about what happened.”
Victoria’s brow furrowed. “You do? How?”
“I wrote to my aunt. My father’s sister who lives in San Francisco and asked her about how Charlie met my mother and Leah Thomson.” She pulled a telegram from out of her skirt pocket and handed it over to Victoria. “I just picked it up at the telegraph office and came here directly. I didn’t say anything to my mom yet.”
Victoria unfolded the paper and read the message. Gloria waited for a reaction to the content of the letter before adding, “She says she’ll be coming to Stockton by the noon train on Friday to make sure my mother understands exactly what Charlie did to her and Heath’s mother.”
“I see.”
“Is there any way we can get in touch with Heath? I think he should hear this.”
“Yes of course he should. Problem is there are no telegraph offices in operation in Strawberry. I will need to ask one of our hands to ride over there.”
“If you could?”
“Of course I will.” Victoria assured with a comforting hand on Gloria’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m just hoping that Heath and I could be friends again.”
“I’m sure you’ll be more than that once your mother hears about this.”
Gloria breathed out a shuddering sigh, her heart fluttering with delight at Victoria’s blessing. “Thank you Mrs. Barkley. I really do love your son. And I mean YOUR son.” She leaned in to give Victoria a hug before following the matriarch across the room to the oak doors.
They met with Jarrod in the foyer.
“Jarrod?!” Victoria exclaimed. “You’re home early.”
Briefcase in hand, Jarrod leaned forward to give Victoria a dutiful kiss. “I finished my backlog at the office so I thought I come here and work on the court trial for Thursday.” He threw Gloria a dubious look. “Gloria?”
“Gloria brought some interesting news about Charlie Sawyer.”
“Oh?”
“I came to speak to Heath about it but your mother tells me he’s in Strawberry.”
“Yes, he was fairly upset about your mother’s accusations,” Jarrod spoke icily.
“We know the truth of what happened,” Victoria informed as she handed the telegram to Jarrod. “Gloria’s aunt is traveling to Stockton on Friday to set the record straight.”
“This is good news,” Jarrod exulted after reading the message.
“I agree and Heath needs to hear this, that’s why I’m sending a hand to ride into Strawberry.”
“No need, Mother. I’ll go to Strawberry myself.” He turned to Gloria and waved the telegram in the air. “Can I keep this?”
“Sure.”
“Just some insurance against a likely skeptical brother,” Jarrod jested with a sly smile as he stuffed the telegram in his jacket pocket. “I’ll go pack my things.”

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Pink-tinged clouds were mantling the evening sky when Jarrod trotted into Strawberry. He stopped at the saloon to ask directions to Hannah James’s place then proceeded to the dim-lit small shack where horror was about to strike him.
“Who you be?” Hannah asked tensely as she answered the door.
“I’m Jarrod Barkley. Heath’s brother.”
“Jarrod!” Nick shouted from the end of the hall. “What the devil are you doing here?”
Jarrod stepped inside the house and removed his hat out of the deference for the lady present. “I came to get you and Heath. Gloria brought some good news regarding…” Jarrod’s voice trailed off upon noticing the mask of doom painted on Nick’s face that sent an ill wind across the room. Brows creased in worry. “What’s the matter?” he asked qualmishly.
Nick silently beckoned him into the bedroom where Heath was lying unconscious. “My God, what happened?” Jarrod queried, cringing in disgust at the sight of vicious contusions on Heath’s face.
“We were in town asking around about Charlie Sawyer. I left him at the saloon while I went to check at the hotel. I swear I was gone only five minutes. When I returned I saw two guys beating him up to a pulp.”
“Who were they?”
“Some men Sawyer owed money to. They demanded that he pay up his old man’s debt. When Heath refused…”
“Has he seen a doctor?”
“Yeah. He was by this morning. Says aside from the cuts and bruises he’s got a couple of busted ribs and a mild concussion. He should be fine in a couple of days, but Jarrod, he’s still out of it.” Nick’s tone dripped with desperation. “It’s like he’s giving up.”
“I take it you haven’t been able to find out anything?” Jarrod surmised.
“Zilth! And Hannah was no help. He scared the hell out of her and she said things that made it worse.”
Jarrod perched himself on the edge of the mattress and nudged Heath’s shoulder lightly. “Heath, it’s Jarrod. Come on, open your eyes. I need to talk to you.” Jarrod waited for a sign of acknowledgement before turning the nudge into a shake. “Come on, Heath.” A muffled moan escaped the bruised lips, eliciting a ray of hope in the two brothers’ heart but was quickly darkened when a deathly silence followed. “We have to get him back to Stockton.”
“I agree but the doc says it’s best not to move him for the next two days,” Nick stressed, fearing the return trip would both aggravate the physical wounds and fan the flames on the psychological scars.
“Here, read this.” Jarrod pulled out the telegram from his breast pocket and handed it over to Nick who read it with absorbed interest. “You see why we need to get back to Stockton?”
“The doctor said he’d be back later tonight to check on him. I’ll ask him if it’s safe enough for him to travel in the back of a rig. We could use the one in the back of the shack.”
“Good idea.” Jarrod turned to Heath and brushed the back of his hand against his flushed cheek. “His temperature’s normal.”
“I know. He should be awake.”
Jarrod gently lifted Heath’s eyelids to study the corneal reflexes and then winked at Nick. “Well if he doesn’t regain consciousness soon, we’ll have to leave him here with Hannah. I need to return to San Francisco for the trial on Friday and you have the ranch to run,” Jarrod and Nick exchanged conniving looks. “Can’t have Duke do it all.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Nick played along.
“And you’d better tell Hannah not to tend to Heath’s mother’s grave anymore since …well… you know…the woman is trash.”
“Don’t you call my mother trash,” Heath muttered peevishly under his breath.
“Oh, well looks who’s awake,” Jarrod uttered with sarcasm. “Welcome back, Brother Heath.”
“Leave me alone,” he drawled, tilting his head sideways.
“No can do. As soon as the doctor deems it safe for you to travel we’re taking you back home to face the real truth about what Charlie Sawyer did to both your mama and Gloria’s mother.” Heath’s brows furrowed at Jarrod’s statement. Slowly his head rolled to its original position to stare quizzically at his brother. “That’s right, your darling Gloria took it upon herself to contact Sawyer’s sister in Denver. She’s coming to Stockton on Friday to explain everything. You need to be there, Heath. She will clear your mama’s name.”
“How?”
Nick waved the telegram in the air. “It’s all in this telegram she sent Gloria. She knows everything about how her womanizing brother charmed the pants off women with promises of gold and glitter.”
“My mama would never have fallen with that.”
“Didn’t she?” Nick scoffed with skepticism. “From what that woman says he was pretty persuasive and your mother could have seen him as the knight who was sent to save her from her wretched existence.”
“Was he married when he courted my mama?” Heath croaked feebly, squinting in fear of the answer he dreaded to be true.
“Yes, he was,” Jarrod answered. “He left Gloria’s mother when she was pregnant with his child. A month later he sent her a goodbye letter saying he was divorcing her on account that he’d met another woman.”
“My mother?” Both Jarrod and Nick nodded dejectedly. Heath squished his eyes together to prevent the torrent of tears from gushing out. “Does Gloria’s mother know?”
“Yes she does. I have no idea if she believes it or not but she won’t have any choice come Friday.”
Heath attempted to elbow himself up but the searing pain made him freeze in place. He was grateful for the two brotherly hands that reached out to ease him back onto his pillows. “The men that attacked me…”
Heath needed not finish his sentence that Nick caught its meaning. “They’re in jail. I saw to that before I brought you here and fetched the doctor in the neighboring town.”
Heath’s eyes began welling up with tears at the shame he readily brought on an innocent woman; the mother he idolized, who sacrificed everything to provide him with the best care and enfolded with unconditional love. He berated himself for allowing Delia Halliday to riddle him with doubts on his mother’s integrity. “God I hate myself,” he loathed, his face distorted in disgust, one that his brothers were prompt to restore to a serene expression with words of wisdom.

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“And that’s my womanizing brother did to a good dozen young spinsters,” Geraldine Sawyer expounded. “He would seduce them with promises of wealth and then leave them out in a lurch when mostly they became pregnant, like it was the case with you,” she turned to Delia sitting to her right, “Delia and,” she then motioned to a distraught Heath sitting across from her, “with your mother.” Gloria felt Heath’s squeeze on her hand as though he was clinging to a lifeline. “But know that he did love each and every one, but he just couldn’t hold on to that promise of love, honor and obey, once he had fallen for another woman. He often came to me for money to provide for his wives when his business would run aground. I would oblige but in the end I severed all relations with him. I just couldn’t let him use me as he did all those innocent women.” Gerry paused to allow the audience gathered in the Barkley living room to absorbed it all before concluding, “Delia, Heath, please don’t feel ashamed. If you feel the need to put the blame on someone, Charlie’s the one to bear it. He was my brother and I loved him, but he was sick.”
Overcome with emotions, Delia placed a hand on top of her sister’s and gave it a light squeeze. “Thank you,” she breathed out, her voice broken with sobs. “ I suspected as much but kept blinking the truth for fear of hurting. I’m not anymore.”
“My brother wasn’t such a bad man. He suffered from the lack of love and compassion our mother wouldn’t give him as she always favored me over him. He needed to feel appreciated by so many people and the way to achieve that was to keep on the move and conquer as many women’s hearts as he could. He hated to be tied to just one. That’s why when he found out you were with child, Delia, he ran off.
“Well,” Delia sighed heavily, drying the last of tears to regain her composure. “It’s water under the bridge now. “She turned to Heath who sat prostrate. “Heath, please forgive me for what I said about your mother. I was so sure…”
“It’s okay Mrs. Halliday. I reckon my mother might have done the same if she’d been in your place,” Heath offered courteously; the comment intended to convince himself more than Gloria’s mother.
“And if you so desire to continue seeing my daughter, you have my consent,” she proffered; her blessing drawing two grateful smiles her way.
“I’d like that very much. Thank you.” Heath glanced Gloria’s way and flashed her a meaningful smile to which she responded with a slight blush.
In the background, Jarrod was seen retreating quietly out of the room. A move that didn’t go unnoticed by the young Barkley who excused himself from the assembled company to follow his brother to the parlor.
“Jarrod? Something wrong?” Heath asked, puzzled.
Jarrod drew in a deep breath to summon the courage to purge his conscience. He turned to Heath with doleful eyes and sighed heavily. “Forgive me Heath.”
Heath’s brow knitted in suspicion as he stepped up to his repentant brother. “For what? If it wasn’t for you riding to Strawberry to tell me about the telegram you might not have seen me again.”
Jarrod’s head jerked up at the disturbing news. “What were you planning to do?”
“Either die or ride out of Stockton for good. I couldn’t stand the idea of bringing shame to my family.”
Jarrod’s face crumpled in disgust. “Heath it’s me who’s shameful. I honestly thought Gloria was a fortune hunter. That she only wanted you for the Barkley name.”
“What’s the shame in that? I did too,” The casualness of Heath’s reply threw him for a loop. “In fact she told me herself that she pursued me because I was a Barkley.”
“Well we have to give her credit for honesty. I don’t believe that’s the case now because if she had been after you for your name and wealth she never would have bothered contacting Charlie’s sister to settle the matter. I do believe she genuinely loves you.”
Heath flashed a lopsided grin and nodded. “I think so too. I sure do love her. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.”
Jarrod stepped up to Heath to lay a brotherly hand on his shoulder. “You okay with what happened?”
“It was a rough ride for a while but I guess it was worth it to clear mama’s name and Gloria’s mother’s.”
“Don’t doubt your mother’s integrity ever again,” Jarrod advised with a tinge of warning in his voice, “or our love and affection for you for that matter.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Heath replied with a hint of tease.

THE END

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