by catgirl63
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No copyright
infringement is intended by the author.
The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
Chapter 61
Riding slowly back to the
ranch, Melinda suddenly gasped. “Oh
no!”
Stopping Charger, Heath
looked at her with concern, “What’s the matter?”
“Heath, I can’t wear your
ring tonight, it’s Audra’s birthday party!” exclaimed Melinda.
Heath kissed her lips
gently, “Audra hinted she wouldn’t mind if we came back from the ride engaged.”
Happiness lit up the green
eyes and she wrapped her arms tighter around his slim waist. “Really?
Audra wouldn’t mind if we stole some of her attention tonight?”
“Nope! I think she said something about less
competition for the bachelors in the county if we got engaged.” smirked Heath
nudging Charger back into a walk, his blue eyes sparkling with laughter.
“Very funny!” shot back
Melinda, tickling his ribs.
“Mel, stop it!” laughed
Heath, trying to move away from her fingers.
“If I fall off, you’re gonna get it little lady. Ouch!”
“Sorry, I forgot about
your right side.” apologized Melinda. “Is it getting better?”
“It’s okay, honey. Almost healed I’d say, just a little tender.”
stated Heath drinking in the scent of lavender in her hair. “What do you think your Mother will say?”
“She won’t be happy. She’s been trying to talk me into moving to
Sacramento.” sighed Melinda. “I told
her several times I’d never leave Stockton.”
Nodding, Heath said
quietly, “I’m sure she wants to spend more time with you and the children. I can understand that.”
Frowning slightly, Melinda
looked up, “Heath, I think you should know my mother isn’t too happy with your
background. I told her to mind her own
business but I felt you should know. I
don’t want you to be blindsided by it.”
“I can’t change my birth,
so there’s nothing I can do to change people’s minds about it.”
replied Heath with a shake
of his head.
Caressing his cheek,
Melinda smiled warmly, “I wouldn’t care if you were raised in a zoo with
monkeys, I’d love you anyway.”
Laughing, Heath kissed her
nose and his eyes picked out Nick by the corral with the kids, “Hey, there’s
the head gorilla over there!”
Nick looked up at the loud
sounds of laughter from the couple and asked, “What’s so funny?”
Waving off Nick’s
question, Heath wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Nothing, big brother!”
Jumping down, he helped
Melinda dismount and they walked over to the children. “Mama, we had lots of fun with Mr. Nick!”
“That’s wonderful, Timmy!”
smiled Melinda as Heath picked up Megan and tweaked her nose.
Grabbing his mother’s
hand, Timmy stared at the ring, “Where’d you get that, mama?”
Heath knelt down and
smiled into the wide brown eyes, “Timmy, I’ve asked your mama to marry me. What do you think about that?”
Looking between the two
adults, Timmy frowned, “Will we live in Stockton or at the ranch?”
Glancing upward, Heath
raised an eyebrow. Melinda saw the
question and tousled the red hair on Timmy’s head. “I’m guessing we’d live on the ranch, Timmy.”
“Really? That’s great!” shouted Timmy. “No more
school!”
Chuckling, Heath shook his
head, “Sorry, Timmy. You’d still have
to go to school.”
Stomping his foot, Timmy
growled, “Dang it!”
“Timmy!” scolded Melinda
watching her son’s crestfallen face and Heath trying to hide his
amusement.
“Sorry, ma’am.” apologized
Timmy.
“Just don’t say that word
again, okay?” replied Melinda receiving a nod from her son.
Wrapping his arms around Heath’s
neck, Timmy asked. “Mr. Heath, does
this mean you’ll be my pa?”
Hazel eyes saw the tears
well up in his little brother’s sapphire eyes at the question. Heath’s voice trembled slightly and he
patted the small back. “Nothing would
make me happier than to be your pa, Timmy.”
Timmy nodded and hugged
his hero while Nick smiled widely.
Stepping closer, he placed a kiss on Melinda’s cheek, “Welcome to the
family, Melinda!”
“Thank you, Nick.” smiled
Melinda, reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for this afternoon.”
Turning red, Nick growled,
“Well, Heath here was getting to be a little grouchy and difficult to live
with.”
Rolling his eyes, Heath
pulled Nick into a one armed hug, “Thanks, big brother.”
Melinda took Megan from
Heath and smiled, “We’d best be getting ready for the party.”
“Let me put Charger away
and then we can go in together.” said Heath.
Grabbing the reins, Nick
smiled, “I’ll put him away, little brother.
You go on up to the house with your family.”
Squeezing the strong
shoulder, Heath grinned, “What a wonderful offer, Nick!”
Pushing the blonde towards
the house, Nick shook his head and lead the bay into the barn. Duke grabbed the reins and pushed his dark
haired boss towards the house. “Get up
there and celebrate with him. I’ll take
care of Charger.”
Clapping the foreman on
the back, Nick caught up with the others and swung Timmy up on his
shoulders. Duke smiled at the scene
before turning to care for the big horse.
Chapter 62
Grace Fields’ eyes couldn’t
hide her unhappiness over the engagement news from her daughter. The remaining Barkley family members were
overjoyed at the news and eagerly greeted the happy couple enthusiastically
with hugs and kisses. Gene took Timmy
by the hand and offered to help him get dressed in his Sunday best.
Heath made an effort to
talk to Melinda’s mother to no avail.
She would not be swayed. Nick
looked ready to throw the woman out of the house but Victoria placed a small
hand on her son’s arm, reining in his volatile temper. Heath threw an arm over Nick’s broad
shoulders and directed him up the stairs while speaking quietly in his big
brother’s ear.
Heading up the grand
staircase to dress for the party, Melinda paused at the top and looked back
towards the parlor. Audra put an arm
over her shoulders and lead her towards the guest room, “Melinda, I can’t wait
to see the new dress you told me about.
It sounds beautiful!”
Melinda hugged Audra and
whispered, “Are you sure you don’t mind us stealing some of your limelight
during your party?”
Audra’s blue eyes sparkled
and she nodded, “I’m so happy for you two, I’ll probably tell everyone before
you can!”
“Thank you, Audra.” smiled
Melinda. “Let me show you the
dress. I made it myself.”
Entering the room, the two
girls talked about fashion and parties.
Melinda, an only child, felt tears spring into her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” queried
Audra.
“I’ll have brothers and a
sister! I’ve never had siblings
before.” said Melinda wiping her eyes.
Handing her a hanky, Audra
giggled, “It’s not all fun, let me tell you!
Those brothers of mine are real rascals. I don’t think they got spanked enough when they were little.”
Melinda chuckled and
hugged Audra again, “I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!”
Victoria handed Megan to
Jarrod, her gray eyes relaying the desire to be alone with Melinda’s
mother.
“Come on, little
princess. Let’s go get your party
dress on.” said Jarrod walking up the
stairs with the toddler, away from the adult conversation about to take place.
Grace stood looking
outside the window and turned at Victoria’s words, “As mothers of the bride and
groom, we certainly have our work cut out for us. Planning a wedding takes a lot of time. I’m so happy Heath and Melinda found each other.”
“Mrs. Barkley, he is not
your son, not really.” stated Grace.
“Really? In my heart and soul, Heath’s been my son
since the first time I saw him.” smiled Victoria. “I’m not sure what children or family mean to you, but to me they
mean more than life itself, more than the air I breathe.”
Shaking her head, Grace
sighed, “I don’t understand you or your family. How can you welcome him?
Isn’t he a reminder of what your husband did to you?”
“Heath is an innocent
person in what happened. He had nothing
to do with his parents’ indiscretions.
He is a person I’m proud to call my son. If you allow yourself time to get to know him, I think you’ll
feel the same way.” urged Victoria.
“All you have to do is open your mind and heart.”
“He’s not the type of
person who should be around Melinda and the children. His past is too violent and well, his background is quite
questionable!” snapped Grace.
Gray eyes flashed with
cold anger and Victoria took a step closer, “I am finding it hard to believe
you’d question Heath’s integrity while as a mother, you did nothing to protect
your own daughter from her father’s less than loving treatment. You are the one who is a disgrace, not my
son!”
Shocked, Grace stepped
back, “You have no right to question how I raised my daughter!”
Victoria’s eyes flashed,
her voice cold. “I have every right
when you impugn the character of my son.”
“Well, I never!” shouted
Grace in outrage.
“Mrs. Fields, this is my
home and you are here at our request for a happy occasion. I will allow you to stay because quite
simply, you are Melinda’s mother.
However, if I hear one whisper out of you regarding your opinion of my
son Heath tonight – I will personally throw you out myself!”
“You are threatening me!”
gasped Grace.
Turning to leave, Victoria
spun around, “No, that is a promise!”
Grace stared at the petite
woman as she walked back towards the kitchen.
Melinda walked into the parlor carrying her bag, the angry words had
floated to her ears on her way to the watercloset. Setting it down, she looked at her mother’s look of outrage.
“Melinda, this family is
shocking!”
“No, Mother. They are real people with real
feelings. Much more real than I think
you’ve ever been capable of or have ever shown me. I don’t believe you will enjoy yourself tonight. At my request, Silas has informed Ciego to
take you to the hotel. A train leaves
in the morning for Sacramento. Be on
it.” stated Melinda firmly.
Grace’s face was red with
fury and she picked up her bag. Melinda
watched as her mother glared at her and opened the front door. Tears streamed down Melinda’s face at the
sound of the closing door and two strong arms encircled her from behind.
“Let me talk to her again
and bring her back. I’m sure we can get
her to change her mind.” whispered
Heath in her ear.
Turning in his arms,
Melinda shook her head, “No, Heath. I’d like to think in some way, she does
love me, but I’m afraid my mother will never get past the ideas she’s been
forced to live with for so many years.
I know it took me a long time but with Mike’s help, I was able to become
a whole person instead of a shell of a person.”
“Mel, she’s your..”
Putting her fingers on his
lips, she sighed, “You and the children are what’s important in my life. My mother may never be able to experience
the same joy the rest of us can. It’s
sad and I’d like to think the future would be different, but no one has control
over these things. It’s not your fault
and it’s not my fault.”
Realizing the truth in
what she was saying, Heath placed a kiss on her forehead and stroked her hair
while he held her in his arms, amazed at the woman who agreed to be his
wife. Melinda leaned against the man
holding her, his arms were the safest place in the world to her and she
welcomed the strength and comfort they provided.
Jarrod’s voice shouted
from the top of the stairs, “Megan, come back here! Nick, grab her!”
Hurrying up the stairs,
Heath and Melinda laughed at the suave attorney and strong rancher chasing
after a giggling two year old who escaped from the watercloset, dressed only in
her undergarments.
Timmy, who stood in the
guest room doorway with Gene, watched the two grown men chase his little sister
in the hallway and stated simply, “She’s only running cause you’re chasing
her. She thinks it’s a game, Mr. Nick.”
At Timmy’s words, Nick and
Jarrod stopped their pursuit. Both men
rolled their eyes when Megan walked over and took the dress out of Jarrod’s
hand. “Pary ess”
Melinda squeezed Heath’s
hand and whispered, “This family is wonderful.”
Placing a kiss on her
hand, Heath winked, “Don’t I know it, darlin’.”
Chapter 63
Melinda opened the door of
the guest room and entered the hallway, holding onto Megan’s hand. The mother and daughter wore matching
dresses of a deep green color. Melinda’s hair was swept up into ringlets, her
eyes appeared darker from the contrasting dress. The rounded neckline revealed a hint of cleavage, teasing the
sapphire eyes staring at her. Her bare
arms tingled when Heath ran his fingers over her soft skin, his lips tenderly
kissed her cheek.
“You look absolutely
stunning, Mel.” whispered Heath unable to take his eyes off her.
Blushing, Melinda
smiled. “You are looking rather dashing
in your tux, Heath."
“More like a monkey suit.”
teased Heath before placing a tender kiss on her lips.
Megan pulled on Heath’s
hand and looked upwards at the tall man, vying for his attention. “Mr. Heaf.”
Heath knelt down and
grinned, “Who’s this beautiful girl in her pretty dress?”
“Me.” said Megan holding
out her arms to be picked up. Heath wrapped
her in his arms and stood up, his eyes sparkling at the two women in his
life.
“Shall we, ladies?” asked
Heath holding his right arm out for Melinda to hold and carried the toddler in
his left. Watching the trio descending
the stairs, Nick and Jarrod nudged each other at the picture before them.
“What a beautiful sight.”
said Jarrod.
“It is, Pappy. They’re perfect for each other.” stated
Nick, a wide grin spreading across his face.
As soon as the couple hit
the wooden floor of the foyer, Mrs. Collins rushed over and greeted the couple,
showing them with congratulations.
Taking the toddler out of Heath’s arms, she winked and encouraged them
to not worry about the little one.
Thanking her, Heath took
Melinda’s hand and stopped in front of his grinning brothers. “What are you two smiling at?”
Leaning over to kiss his
future sister-in-law’s cheek, Nick winked at her and stated, “Pappy and I were
saying how the sight of Melinda on your arm makes it a whole lot easier on our
eyes when we look at ya’.”
Jarrod and Melinda laughed
while Heath grabbed his brother by the back of the neck, “Twit brain!”
Audra and Victoria came
over and stole Melinda from his side.
Heath’s blue eyes twinkled at the sight of the arriving physician and
his wife. Nick and Jarrod saw the
deviltry pop into the sapphire eyes and followed when Heath made a beeline to
the older couple.
“Mrs. Merar, what a vision
of loveliness you are tonight!” exclaimed Heath gallantly bowing over her
hand. “I believe dances three through ten
are ours, right my dear lady?”
Helen giggled at the
outrageous behavior and smiled, “Heath, you are a few years too late, I’m
afraid.”
Feigning a wounded look,
Heath watched Howard roll his eyes upwards and shake his head. “Come along, Helen. I can see that I’ll have to keep guard over
you all night!”
Chuckling, Heath winked
when Howard walked by and squeezed the blonde’s shoulder. “You’re looking healthy, Heath. Try to stay out of trouble tonight.”
Nick and Jarrod snickered
and pulled their blonde brother over to where Gene stood. Timmy was helping Silas carry trays in from
the kitchen and place them on a table.
Seeing Heath, he ran over, “Mr. Heath, you look different in those
clothes!”
“Different, huh?” teased
Heath. “Well, sometimes even ranchers
have to dress up.”
Timmy agreed, “Not just
for church, either.”
Nick knelt down and
tousled the boy’s hair, “You helping Silas, Timmy?”
“Yep! He said I’m a hard worker!” stated
Timmy. “Hey, Mr. Nick, I heard a lady
asking about you.”
Heath and Jarrod chuckled
at the hopeful grin which spread across Nick’s face, “You did? Can you tell me which lady without
pointing?”
“Nick!” admonished Jarrod
with a shake of his head.
“Sure. She has on a dress and earrings.” stated
Timmy before heading back to help Silas.
Groaning at his brothers’
laughter, Nick growled, “Heath, you gotta teach Timmy to be more
observant! A dress and earrings? That’s every woman here!”
Putting an arm across the
scowling man’s shoulders, Heath sighed, “At least we know four women you can
rule out for sure, Nick. Mother, Audra,
Melinda and Megan!”
“Smart ass.” smirked Nick,
his hazel eyes sparkling with laughter.
“Time for a drink. You too,
college boy!”
The four brothers made
their way to the table and stood sipping their beers, talking with the other
men at the party. Heath’s eyes glanced
around the room, stopping at the sight of Melinda engrossed in conversation
with another young lady. Feeling eyes
on her, Melinda looked up and smiled.
The two women made their way
across the room. “Heath, this is the
new school teacher, Miss Baxter. I met
her last week at the shop. This is my
fiancé, Heath and his brothers, Jarrod, Nick and Eugene.”
Returning the greetings,
the others watched the two sets of hazel eyes meet. Nick bowed over the extended hand of the pretty young school
teacher, his radiant smile oozing with charm.
“Miss Baxter, the pleasure is all mine.”
Melinda grinned while the
young woman blushed, “Thank you, Mr. Barkley.”
The small string orchestra
in the corner struck up a chord signifying the start of the dancing. Excusing themselves, Heath led Melinda
towards the dance floor. Nick followed
with the newest lady to Stockton on his arm.
Jarrod and Eugene looked down at the mugs which had been thrust into
their hands.
“You planning on being a
mug holder tonight, Jarrod?” sighed Gene.
“Not me!” stated Jarrod
emphatically putting the crystal on the table.
“Care to join me, college boy?”
“You bet!” exclaimed Gene
scanning the crowd and leading a young lady out on the dance floor.
Victoria stood with the
Merar’s and watched her children on the dance floor. The waltz had the couples
spinning around in perfect circles.
Silas whispered in her ear and she frowned before whispering back.
The waltz ended and
Victoria made her way towards the rest of the family. Heath saw her gesture and excused himself.
“Mother?”
“Heath, there’s some
marshals here to see you. I asked Silas
to show them into the study.” said Victoria catching the look of surprise in the
sapphire eyes.
Nodding, Heath left her
with a kiss on the cheek and made his way to the study. Overhearing their Mother’s words, Nick and
Jarrod followed his path between the guests, curious at the unexpected
arrivals. Gray and green eyes were
filled with trepidation watching the sight of the brothers heading towards the
study.
Chapter 64
Reaching the study, Heath
put his hand on the doorknob and stopped when he left a large hand squeeze his
shoulder. Looking over, he flashed his
big brothers a grateful lop-sided grin before turning the brass fixture.
Entering the room, Heath
greeted one of the two men with a large hug, “Nate, what are ya’ doing here!”
Nate Jackson returned the
enthusiastic hug and walked around his friend, checking his clothing attire
like he’d check a horse.
“Wowee, Heath. Can’t say I’ve ever seen you look prettier.”
drawled Nate.
“My brothers, Nick and
Jarrod Barkley.” smiled Heath. “Nate
Jackson. We go back a long ways, before
the marshal service.”
Nick and Jarrod shook
hands with the marshal and nodded their greetings.
“Heath, this here’s
Marshal Thane. Out of Texas.” noted
Nate standing to the side.
Introductions aside, Heath
waited for the reason for the visit.
Marshal Thane, a man in his forties with almost white hair, cleared his
throat.
“Mr. Thomson, I think it’s
best if we speak alone. Too many ears
create loose lips.”
Nick and Jarrod glanced at
each other, their surprise evident on their faces. Nick opened his mouth to protest as he stepped forward, “Listen..”
Heath put a hand on Nick’s
chest and shook his head. “Nick.”
The two lawmen watched the
anger deflate from the hazel eyes at the small gesture from the former
marshal. Acquiescing, Nick nodded and
stepped over to lean against the desk.
Turning back, Heath stood
with arms folded across his chest and smiled, “Whatever you have to say, you
can say in front of Nick and Jarrod. I
trust my brothers with my life, so can you.”
Marshal Thane nodded, “Mr.
Thomson for the past several years we have been working to destroy a
counterfeiting operation which runs from Houston to Sacramento. As you may recall from your prior service
with the agency, these operations are often shoddily run and more often than
not, easy to break up.”
Heath leaned against the pool
table. “Yes, I know. Perhaps you’d like to get to the reason you
are here. As you see, we are in the
middle of entertaining guests. This is
our sister’s birthday.”
“Of course.” agreed Thane
and then asking, “I believe Martha Simmons is your aunt?”
“Yes and not by choice.”
snapped Heath.
Jarrod and Nick’s eyes
riveted back and forth between the two men.
Immersed in the conversation and afraid of what it meant for their
little brother.
“Your aunt and uncle were
associated with Jediah Parker. Parker
was deeply involved in the counterfeit ring until his death over two months
ago. Approximately three to four weeks
ago, all circulation of the money stopped.
We’re not sure exactly why, however, we think it has to do with whoever
the middle man was. We found the press
in Strawberry at your uncle’s hotel and the plates are the only items not
accounted for.”
“You think my aunt has
them?” asked Heath squeezing his temples.
“Yes, we do.” stated
Thane. “We need to find those
plates. The circulation of the fake
money has already put a strain on several states’ economies. We cannot allow it to start again in another
place and perhaps jeopardize the nation’s.”
Sighing, Heath replied
quietly, “As you are no doubt aware, Marshal Thane, I killed my own uncle and
Jed Parker. My aunt disappeared shortly
after. I have not seen her since that
morning.”
“We know that, Mr.
Thomson. I read the report from Sheriff
Watkins in Pine Crest.” admitted the marshal.
“There is something else you should be aware of.”
“What?” growled Heath, his
patience wearing thinner by the minute.
“Dan Nichols has escaped
from prison. He appeared to have been
one of the ringleaders before you arrested him.”
Staring at the man, Heath
frowned, “Nichols was imprisoned over a year ago. How could he have continued leading the ring from prison?”
“The Simmons’ visited him
each month, which provided our first big lead on the operation. We need your help to find your aunt and
recover the plates. Of course, we also
want to get our hands on Nichols, too.”
Shaking his head
negatively, Heath stood up, “Marshal Thane, I am a rancher now. If I run across my aunt, I’ll either shake
the plates out of her or haul her to the nearest jail cell. I will not actively seek her out. That is all the help I can give. Good night.”
“Heath.” stated Nate
softly. “You know he’ll come after
you. Being a former lawman, he didn’t
have an easy time in prison, even though he was crooked as the rest of the men
in there.”
Nate’s words stopped
Heath’s progress towards the door.
Heath turned slowly. Nick and
Jarrod saw the warring emotions in the blue eyes. “Nick, will you tell Mother and the rest of the family we’ll be
right out?”
“Sure, Heath.” assured
Nick leaving the room seeing the concern in the ocean eyes, reading his
brother’s request to stay by the side of the other family members.
Jarrod stood by Heath and
placed a hand on his back. His limb
felt the tension in the strong back.
His blue eyes, slightly darker than his little brother’s, were
inquisitive and demanding as they stared into the older marshal’s eyes.
“Marshal Thane, how can
you be positive he’ll seek out our brother?
After all, he is an escaped convict.
I’d think freedom and lessening the chance of capture would be utmost in
his mind, not revenge.”
“You are correct, Mr.
Barkley.” admitted Thane with a slight nod.
“However, due to Mr. Thomson’s family connection with the Simmons and
Strawberry’s proximity to Stockton, Jack
Larkin has requested we place a marshal here until we deem the threat has
passed.”
Heath glanced over towards
Nate and received a wink. “I drew the
short straw, Heath.”
Smiling slightly, Heath
sighed, “I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about tonight. Too many people around. Silas will show you both to a room where you
can sleep tonight.”
Nate and Marshal Thane
nodded their agreement and followed the brothers out the door. Jarrod caught Silas’ eye and motioned him
over. Shaking the hands of the two men,
Heath frowned, “We’ll talk more tomorrow.
Good night.”
Melinda met Heath in the
foyer, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Wrapping his arms around her, Heath whispered, “Sorry for the missed
dances, Mel.”
“We have our whole lives
to dance together, Heath.” whispered Melinda in his ear. “Are you alright?”
Heath smiled, “I’m fine,
honey. We’ll discuss it tomorrow. Tonight, I want to hold you in my arms as
we dance and forget the rest of the world.”
Placing a soft kiss on her
lips, Heath caressed her cheek before leading her back to the party.
Chapter 65
Rising early the next
morning, Heath knocked softly on the door of a guest room. Repeating his action, he knocked louder, the
door opened and a blurry eyed marshal scowled.
“Damn, I forgot how early
you get up.” groaned Nate wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Heath smirked, “I’m gonna
have coffee with Silas. Hurry up, I
want to see the sunrise.”
Nodding, Nate closed the
door and quickly changed. Descending
the backstairs into the kitchen, he took a seat at the table with Heath and
Silas.
Extending his hand to
Silas, he smiled widely. “We weren’t properly introduced last night. I see Heath’s manners haven’t improved over
the years. Nate Jackson.”
“Silas Whiting.” replied
Silas shaking the extended hand with a slight smile when Heath rolled his eyes
at the man’s teasing.
“This here’s some mighty
fine vittles, Mr. Whiting.” claimed Nate digging into his breakfast with
gusto. “Best cooking I’ve had in a
coon’s age.”
Silas smiled widely and
waved off the young man’s thanks.
Finishing their breakfast, the two men left Silas alone. Nate walked beside Heath, stopping and
leaning against the corral beside him, his eyes not watching the glorious
sunrise instead scanning the outlying areas away from the ranch buildings.
An hour passed while Nate
watched Heath work with a new horse in the corral. The scene caused memories to flood the marshal’s mind from years
before. Patting the horse one last time
on the neck, Heath joined him outside the corral. Nate nudged Heath when he saw a vision walking towards them. Heath looked over and smiled.
“Heath, what a beautiful
woman!” whispered Nate. “Who is she?”
“I’ll introduce you.”
drawled Heath seeing the gray eyes light up.
“Melinda, this is Nate Jackson.
Nate, this is Melinda Rankin, my fiancée.”
“Fiancée?” groaned Nate
softly. “I’m always a dollar short and
a day late, eh Heath? Nice to meet you, Miss Rankin. Hard to believe you tamed this wild one.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr.
Jackson.” smiled Melinda. “I do believe
however, Heath is anything but tame.”
Heath glared at Nate’s
laughter and held Melinda’s hand as they walked back to the house. “Are the kids up yet?”
“KIDS?” shouted Nate in
disbelief, stopping the couple in their tracks.
“Yes, kids. You know small people about yea big.” stated
Heath holding his hand below his hip, palm down. Melinda giggled at the red which appeared across the marshal’s
face.
“I see your sense of humor
hasn’t improved over the years, either.” snorted Nate, his gray eyes darkened
with amusement.
Heath’s reply was cut off
by Nick’s call from the house, “Heath, everyone’s in the parlor.”
Heath squeezed Melinda’s
hand gently and winked at her questioning look. “This’ll be your first family meeting, darlin’. Be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” asked
Melinda curiously.
Chuckling, Heath smiled,
“The fireworks Nick is usually good for.”
Entering the house, the
trio made their way to the parlor where Marshal Thane was with the rest of the
family. After introducing Nate, Heath
explained the reason for the appearance of the lawmen at the ranch.
“Heath, do you think Dan
Nichols will come here?” asked Victoria.
All eyes in the room
turned towards the blonde standing in front of the mantle. Heath’s inclination to keep his family from
having to face the truth had him hesitating.
He didn’t want them to worry. He
didn’t want them to be constantly watching, but he knew preparation was the
best offense.
Heath’s slow nod of ascent
thickened the tension in the room. “As
the old saying goes ‘revenge is sweet’.
At first, I was inclined to wave off Jack’s concern. But I could see how revenge for what he had
to suffer in prison would be great motivation to Nichols.”
“We’ll just be prepared!”
stated Nick firmly. “We’ll set up
watches and the men can parole the grounds.”
Shaking his head, Heath
said quietly, “Nick, this is a ranch.
We can’t stop the workings of the ranch because of something that may
not happen.”
“Heath’s right, Nick.”
agreed Jarrod.
Nick’s frustration clearly
showed on his tanned face, “Well, what do you expect us to do? Just let him waltz in here and kill our
brother!”
“NICK!” snapped Heath at
the three female faces draining of color.
“That’s why Nate is here. He can
keep watch and I’m capable of using a gun also.”
Running his hand through
his hair, Nick sighed and looked over at the three ladies on the sofa, “I’m
sorry for how that sounded.”
“It’s okay, Nick. We know you’re just worried.” assured
Melinda with a smile, her eyes leaving the hazel ones to seek the sapphire
ones. Heath grinned at his lady, his
eyes reflecting the emotions in his heart.
“Nick, we can let the men
know what’s going on and they can watch for anything unusual while they’re out
on the range.” explained Heath calmly.
“The crew can’t pull double duty of guarding at night and working a full
day. Instead of leaving Ciego on the
ranch during the day alone, we’ll start leaving a second man behind. His job will be to watch the home base while
we’re working.”
“Okay, we’ll try it,
Heath.” scowled Nick. “I’m not giving
you up to Nichols so if I think it’s not enough, we’ll do it my way!”
Victoria smiled and caught
Jarrod’s eyes. Smirking, Jarrod shook
his head and winked at his mother. Her
thoughts the same as his, two sons, both stubborn.
Gene cleared his throat, drawing
Heath’s attention to him. “Heath, you
and Melinda are still getting married, right?”
The question had lingered
in all of their minds. The fear which
almost drove the couple apart was still fresh in their thoughts and souls.
Dropping his gaze to the
floor, Heath said softly, “Only if she’ll still have me.”
Melinda smiled widely and
jumped up from the sofa. The tension
was replaced with relief and happiness as the couple embraced. “Of course, I do. I wouldn’t let you off that easy, Heath.”
Laughing, Heath looked
over at his little brother, “There’s your answer college boy. Let’s check on the little ones, Mel.”
Heath and Melinda left the
family with smiles on their faces. Climbing the staircase, Heath took her hand
and lead her into his room. Closing the
door, he leaned against it and pulled her to him.
“I’m not going anywhere,
Mel. I’ll be right here with you. Dan Nichols or not.” whispered Heath firmly.
“I know.” whispered
Melinda, drawing his face to hers and urged his lips to respond.
Closing his eyes and
breathing deeply, Heath groaned, “Boy howdy, we better get married soon.”
Laughing softly, Melinda
teased, “How about next week?”
“Don’t you want a big
wedding?” asked Heath kissing her eyelids tenderly, his hands caressing her
back softly.
“No, just us and the
family. That is all I want.” sighed
Melinda, her knees rapidly becoming weak from his touch.
“How about the day after
grandfather returns from Virginia as our wedding day?” suggested Heath,
receiving a gentle kiss of agreement on his lips.
Chapter 66
After the couple left the
room, Marshal Thane thanked the family for their hospitality and left the
parlor motioning to Nate. Reaching the
front door, the senior marshal put a firm hand on Nate’s shoulder.
“Jackson, don’t leave his
side when he’s out of this house. I’m
counting on you to handle this personal favor Larkin requested.”
“I am aware of that,
sir. I’ll stick to him like a tick.”
replied Nate firmly.
“Good! I’m headed to Sacramento. Hopefully they will have found out some news
on the middle man. I’ll keep you
informed.” explained Thane shaking Nate’s hand before departing the house.
Closing the door after his
superior, Nate headed back to the parlor.
Nodding to the family, he took a position by the wall where he could
watch the foyer.
“Marshal Jackson, how did
you meet Heath?” asked Audra curiously.
The other family members
watched the man’s face break out in remembrance before being replaced by a mask
of professionalism. “I’m sorry, Miss
Barkley. You’ll have to ask Heath.”
Surprised at the answer,
the family members exchanged looks between each other.
Each desiring an
explanation for the man’s reluctance to share the information.
Audra frowned, “I don’t
understand, Marshal. Why can’t you tell
us?”
“Well, Miss Barkley. It’s not that I don’t want to, mind
you. I, uh, well, we have just known
each other a long time.” stammered Nate, shuffling his feet and twirling his
hat nervously.
The puzzled looks of
Heath’s family shifted from him to the small dark clothed blur that ran into
the room and jumped into Nick’s arms.
“Mr. Nick, you ready to go
fishing today?”
Nick’s grin turned into a
frown at the small voice quivering with excitement, “Timmy, we may not be able
to go today. Why don’t you see Mr.
Silas and I’ll let you know after breakfast.”
Timmy’s wide smile faded
from his face, his brown eyes loaded with sadness. “Mr. Nick, can’t you go fishing like we planned?”
Seeing the uneasiness on
his brother’s face, Heath stated from the entry, “Mr. Nick needs to talk to me
first about some ranch business. Your
mama’s waiting in the kitchen with your breakfast, Timmy.”
Satisfied with the
explanation, Timmy nodded, “Okay, Mr. Heath.”
Waiting until Timmy left
the room and foyer, Nick growled, “Heath, I didn’t know what to say to
him. He caught me by surprise.”
Heath said quietly, “Nick,
why don’t you take him fishing with Scotty or Joe?”
“I don’t know.” hesitated
Nick.
“Nick, he’s been looking
forward to it since yesterday.
Melinda’d like to keep everything as normal as possible for the kids.”
explained Heath.
Victoria smiled, “I think
that’s the wisest thing to do. Children
can sense when something’s not right.”
“Yeah and besides, the
stream isn’t that far from the house.” added Heath.
“Okay, I’ll take both
Scotty and Joe. Joe can watch and
Scotty can haul all the fish back I’m gonna catch.” grinned Nick with a wink at
the groans heard throughout the room.
“Marshal Jackson won’t
tell us how you two met.” stated Gene curiously to Heath.
“Well, Heath I wasn’t
exactly sure…” paused Nate.
Looking into the gray
eyes, Heath nodded, “They know, Nate.”
Nate sighed loudly, “If
you told me that before, I wouldn’t have been standing here stammering like an
idiot!”
Heath rolled his eyes, “What’s
unusual about that?”
Snorting, Nate said to the
family, “Heath recovered on my family’s ranch in Texas.”
“From what?” asked Audra
before any of the others had time to blink.
“From Carterson, sis.”
clarified Heath quietly. “Nate’s
parents, who are quite unlike him I might add, offered me a place to recuperate
after the army released me.”
“Unlike me? Heck, I’m the one who dragged your sorry,
uh, carcass home to the ranch!” retorted Nate.
“Nate, I dragged you back
to the ranch after you got beat up, remember!” declared Heath crossing his arms
across his chest.
“Beat up? Now, Miss Barkley, you’d best close your
ears to such foolish talk.” stated Nate with a smile. “Sometimes, I think your brother here kissed the blarney stone.”
Puzzlement flew across
Heath’s face, “Blarney stone? What’s
that?”
The gray eyes flashed
victory to the rest of the family members listening to the exchange with
interest and amusement. Nick clapped
his little brother on the back and laid an arm across his shoulders, directing
him out of the room.
“Heath, don’t be
upset. Pappy kissed the blarney stone,
too.” stated Nick loudly, laughing at the shout of outrage from the oldest
Barkley son, before asking. “You ever
been to Ireland?”
“You crazy, Nick. With Nate on my side, I’m lucky I even made
it out of Texas!” declared Heath.
“HEY!” called Nate
following Jarrod’s path after the two brothers, leaving the others to shake
their heads in wonder and laughter.
Chapter 67
The sun was high in the
sky, shining down, glancing off the water and glistening in the faces of the
two fishermen. Nick leaned against a
tree, his line in the water, his thoughts on Heath. After explaining the legend of the blarney stone to his little
brother, he left Heath in Jarrod’s
hands going over some ranch accounts.
Nick and Nate walked to the bunkhouse and gathered the men. Briefly, Nick explained the reason for
Marshal Jackson’s presence at the ranch.
Nate was surprised at the
willingness of the men to watch over one of their bosses. His surprise must have reflected in his gray
eyes causing Scotty to stand and speak for the rest of the crew. “Marshal Jackson, all of us have the deepest
respect for Heath. He has earned it the
hard way. We all admire the man he is
and we intend to see no one takes our marshal boss from us. No matter what the cost.”
The men loudly voiced
their agreement to the short but honest speech. Joe looked over and asked quietly, “Marshal, if it comes down to
you or our marshal boss, how do we know you’d make the right choice?”
Nick’s eyebrows raised at
the question and all eyes turned towards the lawman. Nodding, Nate smiled, “Well, that’s a good question. You men don’t know me from a hill of beans. I could say simply because it’s my job, but
that’s not the strongest reason.”
Glancing around the room
at each other, their eyes went back to the man standing beside Nick.
“Heath and I’ve been
through some tight spots in the past, way before we were both marshals. I was surprised at your readiness to fight
for Heath, but knowing your marshal boss like I do, I shouldn’t have been. He’s the type of person everyone should be
fortunate enough to meet once in their lifetime.”
Several of the men mumbled
their agreement and Nick firmly nodded his head. Nate put a boot on the seat of a chair and leaned forward, his
voice earnest and sincere.
“That man up in that fine
mansion’s had a rough time in his life, starting just seconds after his
birth. Now, he’s got a fine family, a
grandfather, a beautiful fiancée with two kids he adores and loves. He’s works with a fine crew of men. He’s a rancher! A dream I know he held in his heart for a long time. A dream he never realized ever come
true. That man was afraid to dream for
years and years. He’s always put others
before himself. If you think, I’m gonna
let some tainted, backstabbing, no good, lower than a rattlesnake’s belly
escaped convict take all that away from Heath, a man I’m proud to call a friend
– You boys can think again, cause it ain’t gonna happen if I can help it!”
Nodding, Nate looked at
the faces of the men once more before leaving the bunkhouse and walking to the
house. Nick and the crew were stunned
by the passion behind the words, the firm tone causing their fears to be laid
to rest. ‘Yes, this man would make the
right choice by their marshal boss.’
Nick cleared his throat
and handed out some minor work to be done.
“Seeing as how today’s Saturday, Scotty and Joe will be taking Timmy and
I fishing.”
A chorus of cushy jobs and
boss kissers was whispered jokingly around the crew. Nick grinned and held up his hand, “After the section of fence is
mended, you can all have the day off.
Tonight, Heath and I will not be joining you in town for poker, but you
boys can head in if you want.”
Jim, an older hand stood
up and stretched, “Reckon I’m too tired for town tonight, boss. Think I’ll stay here.”
Nick watched, his hazel
eyes filled with gratitude when the rest of the crew followed the older hand’s
example and his deep voice trembled slightly, “Thanks, boys.”
Timmy sat by Nick, waiting
patiently for a tug on his line.
Glancing to his left, he saw Scotty further down the bank, his line in
the water but his eyes keeping watch upstream.
Joe was nowhere to be seen
by Timmy. When they reached the stream,
he disappeared and hadn’t come back.
Timmy wondered at the actions of the two men.
Unknown to the small boy,
Joe had circled the area and was in a tree on the other side of the
stream. High up in the branches, he
stayed at his post and scanned the horizon around them.
“Mr. Nick?”
“Yeah?” answered Nick, his
mind on everything but fishing.
“Who’s Dan Nichols?”
queried Timmy.
Startled, Nick glanced
down into the small face beside him, “Where’d you hear that name?”
Shrugging, Timmy said, “I
heard the two marshals talking about him on my way to the watercloset. They was in their room, but the door was
open a little. They were talking about
him and Mr. Heath.”
“He used to be a marshal.”
replied Nick, hoping his answer would end the questions.
“Like Mr. Heath?”
“No. He’s nothing like Mr. Heath.”
Puzzled, Timmy looked
upwards, “Mr. Nate’s kind of like Mr. Heath.
He’s real nice. Wasn’t this
other marshal nice?”
Putting an arm across the
small shoulders, Nick sighed, “Timmy, do you know the Swenson brothers, Mike
and Mick?”
“Yeah, I know them.”
nodded Timmy.
“The marshals are all like
a family and being a marshal is like being a brother. Sometimes two people raised in the same family can be
different. One good, the other bad. Mike is the good brother, Mick is the bad
brother.”
Timmy’s face reflected his
thoughtfulness and he bit his lower lip.
“Mr. Mick went to prison cause he was the bad one.”
“That’s right, Timmy. Mick went to prison for breaking the
law. Now, his brother Mike is a fine
man, a good husband and a good rancher.”
“So, this Mr. Nichols is a
bad marshal? Mr. Heath and Mr. Nate
are the good marshals?” asked Timmy seeing the nod Nick gave him. “Mr. Heath put Mr. Nichols in jail.”
“Mr. Heath did arrest him
for breaking the law, but the judge put him in jail.” stated Nick.
Timmy’s brown eyes widened
and his lower lip shook, “They said he was coming after Mr. Heath!”
“Now, don’t you worry,
Timmy. No one’s gonna do anything to my
little brother or your soon to be papa.” assured Nick squeezing the quaking
shoulders. “Me, Mr. Nate and the men
won’t let that happen.”
“Mr. Nick, can we go back
to the ranch now?” asked Timmy quietly.
“I don’t feel much like fishing.”
“Alright, Timmy.” agreed
Nick tilting the boy’s face upwards. “When we get to the house, you, me and Mr.
Heath’s gonna have a talk, okay?”
“Bout what, Mr. Nick?”
“Your mama and Mr. Heath
need time to plan the wedding. So I
was thinking I could take over your riding lessons instead of Mr. Heath for
now. Would that be okay with you?”
inquired Nick with a smile.
Smiling widely, Timmy
nodded, “Sure, Mr. Nick.”
Gathering up their fishing
gear, Timmy stopped Nick with a small hand on his wrist. “Mr. Nick, when mama and Mr. Heath get
married, you’ll be Uncle Nick, right?”
Grinning, Nick knelt down
and nodded, “Sure, but you can call me uncle now if you want to practice.”
“Alright!” exclaimed Timmy
wrapping his arms around his neck.
“Thanks, Uncle Nick.”
Patting the small back and
holding on tightly, Nick sent a prayer upwards for some extra help to deal with
whatever the future might bring.
Chapter 68
Rising early on Monday,
Heath knocked on Nate’s door and grinned at the blurry eyed marshal. Nate shook his head and shut the door,
changing into his clothes. Buttoning up
his shirt, his fingers stopped their motion and his head tilted slightly to the
side. A brief picture of the two guns
belted around Heath’s hips flashed in his mind. Frowning, he grabbed his hat and hurried down the back stairs to
the kitchen.
Glancing downwards as he
walked to the table, he verified what his subconscious had picked up on. Greeting Silas, Nate grabbed a cup and
poured some coffee before he sat down at the table, across from the blonde.
“Don’t you ever sleep in?”
complained Nate, taking a sip of the hot coffee.
Smirking, Heath nodded,
“Sure. Christmas day.”
Silas smiled slightly and
put a full plate of breakfast in front of each man. Heath smiled his thanks and Nate rubbed his hands together in
anticipation of the feast. “I’m gonna
have to buy new jeans if I keep eating your vittles, Mr. Silas!”
Looking across at the thin
man, Heath snorted, “Nate, ya’ could eat a whole herd of cattle and still have
room for dessert.”
“You got some dessert, Mr.
Silas?” asked Nate with a wide smile.
Silas couldn’t stop his
chuckle from escaping at the question and smiled at the two men before leaving
the kitchen to prepare the dining room.
Finishing their breakfast
and sitting over coffee, Nate stared into the ocean eyes, his tone held a hint
of accusation, “Planning on going somewhere, Heath?”
“I was gonna take an early
morning ride before we take Melinda and the kids back to town.” stated
Heath.
Setting his cup down hard
on the table, Nate leaned forward, his gray eyes flashing, “Consider me an
attachment of you, Heath. You’ll not
step foot outside this house without me.”
“I woke your ass up,
didn’t I?” snapped Heath.
“You know the drill,
Heath. No excursions unless planned
before!” retorted Nate firmly, his eyes not leaving the other’s.
Heath’s eyes hardened with
anger briefly before he took a deep breath.
He rubbed his hands over his face and smiled slightly. “You’re right, Nate. Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last
night. This whole thing’s making me
edgy. I’d prefer action to waiting for
the other boot to drop.”
Accepting the statement,
Nate replied, “I know how hard this is on ya’, Heath. I don’t like anyone watching over me either, just think of your
new family when the confinement seems to be too much and how it’ll all be worth
it in the end.”
Smiling widely, Heath
nodded, “You’re right.”
“Besides if anything
happens to you, Larkin and Thane will ship me off to the Dakota territories.”
groaned Nate.
Heath flashed a grin, “We
can’t have that now, can we?”
Leaning forward, Nate’s
eyes were wide, “Damn right we can’t!
Heath, do you know how cold it gets up there? Do you think this Texas boy would survive up there? You can get frostbite on places you don’t
even want to imagine!”
Heath smirked. “Boy howdy, I could’ve done without that
picture, Nate!”
Walking outside to the
barn, the two men saddled their horses and rode out of the ranchyard. Topping a rise, they dismounted and sat
beneath a tree to watch the sunrise in silence.
“Heath, I thought the
nightmares stopped years ago.” stated Nate quietly, catching Heath’s slight
jump out of the corner of his eye.
Surprised at the
observation, it took a minute for Heath to gather his thoughts and admitted
quietly, “Sometimes, they’ll start after I see something that reminds me of the
war or Carterson. Sometimes they come
on when I’m feverish. I won’t have them
for months and then I’ll have them for a week.
Nothing like before, though.”
Nodding, Nate stood up and
scanned the land around from their vantage point. “That’s good. Ya’ used to
scare the pants off me with those dreams, Heath.”
“I know.” replied Heath
softly.
Pushing himself to his
feet, Heath put a hand on Nate’s shoulder, “How about getting in some shooting
practice before we head back?”
Smiling, Nate slapped the
blonde on the back, “You shoot and I’ll keep watch.”
“I’ve seen your shooting,
maybe you should spend the time practicing and I’ll keep watch.” teased Heath
walking over to Charger and tightening the girth.
“Heath, you’re such a bad
shot I don’t know how you made it into the marshal service.” retorted Nate
climbing into the saddle, his eyes picking up a lone rider coming towards
them. Taking out his field glasses, he
smiled. “Hey, Nick’s headed this way.”
Stopping Coco, Nick
growled, “Morning boys!”
“Nick, kind of early for
you ain’t it?” asked Heath, his eyes full of innocence.
“Smart ass.” retorted Nick
with a grin. “I had to check on that
fence section so thought I’d ride back with you to make sure you two young’uns
keep out of trouble.”
Snorting, Nate winked,
“Nick, I’m only a day younger than you.”
“You’re still younger!”
replied Nick.
“At least, I don’t have
gray hair!” teased Nate kicking his horse into a cantor and listening to Nick’s
loud objection. Heath laughed from
where he was safely tucked in between the two men.
Three hours later, the
Barkley surrey stopped in front of the small house in Stockton. Heath jumped down, reaching up to help
Melinda and Megan from the front of the surrey. Nate and Nick climbed down from their horses. Timmy waited and jumped into the waiting
arms of his uncle.
Opening the front door,
Melinda’s smile turn to horror and her cry sent a shiver along the spines of
the three men.
Chapter 69
The shrill cry was a
mixture of horror and fright. Dropping
the bags, Heath rushed up the steps and pulled Melinda out of the open
doorway.
“Nick take care of Mel and
the kids!” shouted Heath, pulling his gun and entering the small house with
Nate on his heels.
Nick took Melinda and the
kids back to the surrey, wrapping an arm around the shaking, crying woman who
was holding tightly onto Megan. Timmy
sat on his uncle’s lap, his eyes wide and fearful at the chaos he’d seen beyond
the doorway into his home. Megan was
quiet, the tension of the others around her causing the little girl to sit
silently in her mother’s shaking arms.
The men’s eyes stared at
the sight of the living room in complete disarray. Furniture laid strewn around the room, broken beyond
recognition, smashed into kindling.
Figurines which had decorated some of the furniture were crushed and
glass lay everywhere.
Pictures once gracing the
walls lay smashed on the floor, the cushions of the sofa and chair were cut
with slashes, the insides spread around the room. The backing of the upholstered items was nonexistent, the inner
construction of the pieces open for all to view.
Splitting up, Nate took
the kitchen while Heath headed to the bedrooms. The destruction in the rooms evident to the men, whoever did this
was searching for something in particular, the clues lay clear before
them. Any items of value were destroyed
along with items of everyday use.
The cabinets in the
kitchen had been emptied, the contents of the drawers spilled out onto the
floor, glass mixed in with porcelain, crunching under Nate’s boots as he walked
through the room. The icebox lay empty
on it’s side, the house smelled of rotting and spoiled food from the build up
of heat created by the closed windows.
Opening the back door, Nate glanced around the exterior and examined the
door. The lock on the door was shimmied
open, the point of entry into the house.
Entering Megan’s room,
Heath’s anger rose several notches, his eyes hardened at the destroyed items in
the little girl’s room. Dolls were torn
open, clothes lay everywhere, dressers broken and the closet stripped of all
the items inside. Melinda and Timmy’s
rooms resembled the same pattern of cruelties, nothing was left untouched by
the invader’s hand.
The only difference in one
of the rooms was the smell of death and the discovery of a body by the lower
leg visible under some discarded clothes.
Pulling the garments away, Heath knelt beside the once living being and
his hand shook as he tried to feel a pulse.
To his experienced eye, he knew he wouldn’t find one. Rigor mortis had already set in.
The face showed bruises
and the neck was broken, causing the head to lay in an impossible
position. Leaving Melinda’s room, Heath
stepped into the living room and leaned against the doorway, bent over at the
waist gasping for air.
“Heath?” asked Nate, his
eyes panicking at his friend’s shaken countenance, putting a hand on the
blonde’s shoulder and kneeling to look in his face.
Gathering himself, Heath
answered, “Melinda’s mother. She’s
dead. Somebody worked her over and
broke her neck.”
Nate’s gray eyes widened
with shock and he followed Heath into the bedroom. Heath and Nate covered
Melinda’s mother with a blanket, leaving everything else in the room untouched
and in it’s state of unnatural destruction.
Nick saw through the open
doorway how shaken Heath was and his heart flipped in his chest while he
climbed down from the surrey. Closing
the front door behind them, Nate took Megan out of Melinda’s arms and whispered
in Nick’s ear before the two men walked approximately forty feet away with the
confused children. Nick grabbed a
passerby, sending the man to fetch the sheriff and the town physician.
Melinda climbed down,
staring at her fiancée, seeing his eyes which were unable to hide the anguish
and her words shook with fear. “Heath?”
Taking her in his arms, he
held on tightly and whispered in her ear.
The whispered hushed words tumbled through her brain for a minute before
their meaning sunk in and took hold, leaving her to cry out in denial, her
scream piercing the heart of the man holding onto her. Her body became dead weight, her legs no
longer had muscles and the couple sank to the grass together.
Rocking her gently,
Heath’s tears mixed with the tears of the woman he held in his heart and his
arms, his firm promise not reaching her ears.
The news stopping everything else around her, all she knew was pain and
guilt.
Chapter 70
Fred, Howard and Helen
were shocked at the whispered news from the marshal after they arrived. Helen walked over and knelt beside the couple
in the grass. Melinda’s sobs had
stopped but her body was still trembling.
Heath unwrapped his arms
from her and said quietly, “Mel, Mrs. Merar will take you and the children to
her house. I’ll be there with you after
Nate and me speak to Fred.”
The red rimmed stunned
green eyes still fresh with tears gazed into the sapphire one and she shook her
head, “No, I have to stay here and take care of mother. I can’t leave her like this.”
“Melinda, there’s nothing
you can do here now.” pleaded Heath softly, holding her face in his hands.
Her lips trembled and
Melinda whispered, “I sent her away and now she’s dead.”
“Mel, it’s not your
fault. You didn’t do anything wrong and
you couldn’t have stopped it.” assured Heath wiping the tears from her
cheeks. “Please take the children to
Mrs. Merar’s. They don’t need to be
here, honey. Please.”
“You’re right, I’m
sorry. They shouldn’t see this.” nodded
Melinda, her voice weak from spent tears and emotion, thankful for the strong
hands lifting her onto her feet.
Heath gently placed a kiss
on her forehead, held onto her arm and lead her over to Nick with Helen
Merar. Helen took Megan out of Nate’s
arms and Melinda held Timmy’s hand firmly, sending him a small smile, saddened
by the fright in his eyes.
Heath put an arm over
Nick’s shoulders and pulled him to the side.
“Nick, can you go to doc’s and stay with them?”
“Why don’t you come with
us, Heath? Fred’ll take care of this
robbery and murder. Melinda and the
kids need you.” stated Nick quietly.
“I didn’t tell Mel, but it
wasn’t a robbery, Nick.” informed the blonde, his eyes hardening with
fury. “Whoever did this wasn’t looking
for things they could sell and if they were burglars, well, they usually don’t beat
a woman and kill her. No, this is
something else.”
Nick’s face darkened at
the news and he whispered, “I thought her mother went back to Sacramento on
Saturday. What was she doing here?”
Heath frowned, “I don’t
know, Nick.”
Nate stood quietly by while
the brothers conversed and he put a hand on Nick’s shoulder, “I’ll be with
Heath. Nick, we need you to watch
Melinda and the kids so we can find out what we can.”
“Alright. We’ll wait at Dr. Merar’s til you’re
finished and then we can all head out to the ranch.” agreed Nick.
Wrapping his arms around
Nick and patting his strong back, Heath whispered, “Thanks, big brother. I’ll feel better knowing you’re there
keeping them safe.”
Nate and Heath stood with
Fred and Howard until the small group climbed in the surrey. Nick turned the surrey and headed down the
street to the physician’s office.
Entering the small house,
the men walked back to the bedroom and lifted the sheet to reveal the grisly
find. Howard set his bag down on the
floor and knelt beside the woman. The
lawmen watched while the physician examined the still lady, assisting Howard
when asked.
Standing, Howard wiped his
hands on a cloth and sighed, “I’d estimate two days ago based on the bruising
and stiffness. She left her mark on
whoever did it.”
“How do you know that,
doc?” asked Fred as he wrote in a small notebook.
Lifting one of the small
hands, Howard indicated to the fingernails, “Skin and blood under the
nails. I’d venture to say they have
some deep scratches on them somewhere.”
“What else, doc?” queried
Heath, his blue eyes noting the physician’s slight hesitation.
“The majority of the
bruises are on the right side of her face, well, whoever did this could be left
handed.” admitted Howard. “I can’t be
sure though. It’s just a guess.”
Nate frowned and glanced
at Heath, “Nichols is left-handed.”
“Nichols?” repeated
Heath. “Yeah, he is but this doesn’t
make any sense. He didn’t know Melinda
and what would he be looking for in her house?
Sides, Nichols isn’t the only left-handed person in the state.”
“Heath, did you say Ciego
brought Mrs. Fields into town on Friday night?” asked Fred.
Nodding, Heath stated, “He
brought her to the hotel.”
“Let’s check to see if she
got a room there. I’ll have the
undertaker come for the body, Dr. Merar.” said Fred. “Thanks for your help.”
“Heath, I’ll go see how
Melinda is doing.” informed Howard after the men left the house.
“Thanks, doc.” said Heath gratefully.
The lawmen headed to the
hotel and obtaining the key from the desk clerk, the three men climbed the
stairs. Heath’s face paled slightly
when Fred stopped outside the room and put the key in the lock.
“Heath, what’s wrong?”
asked Nate in a low voice upon seeing the paleness in his friend.
Wiping his face with a hand,
Heath smiled slightly, “Nothing, it’s just this is the room I left through the
window instead of the door.”
Nodding, Nate squeezed the
blonde’s shoulder and whispered, “Freaky, huh?”
“There’s already too many
strange things going on.” whispered Heath with a slight grin.
Turning the key, Fred
swung the door open and walked in. The
room’s interior indicated a search occurred there also. The three men searched around the small room
and nothing was found. Frustrated,
they closed and locked the room, headed down the stairs and out onto the
boardwalk.
“I don’t get it.” snapped
Heath angrily as the men walked towards the physician’s home. “What are they looking for? What’s the motive for killing her? Why here in Stockton and not in
Sacramento? All we know is whoever did
this sure thought Mrs. Fields had something they wanted.”
“I’ll send a wire to
Sacramento to see if Mrs. Fields reported any problems to the law up
there. Someone could’ve followed her
from there.” suggested Fred. “What does
Melinda’s father do? He’ll have to be
notified so arrangements can be made.”
Opening his mouth to
reply, Heath stopped suddenly and grabbed onto Nate’s arm with a fierce
grip. “No, it couldn’t be or could it?”
“What?” asked Nate.
“Melinda’s father’s died
over three weeks ago. He was a banker.”
stated Heath.
Nate’s head tilted and his
gray eyes turned inquisitive, “A banker in Sacramento?”
Nodding, Heath looked into
the gray eyes and frowned, “Coincidence or motive?”
“If it’s not a
coincidence, Heath, it’d be a very powerful motive. A motive which would cause him to kill anyone who got in his
way.” stated Nate, his gray eyes with seriousness as he looked at the other two
men.
“If we’re right and he
thought Mrs. Fields had the plates, he might think Melinda knows where they
are. If we’re right, no sense in giving
him three more targets. We’d best get
Melinda and the kids to the ranch.” added Heath turning and rushing to the
doctor’s office down the street with Nate and Fred following.
Chapter 71
Unable to sleep, Heath
dressed and walked down the grand staircase, the mantle of the grandfather
clock chimed two times. Scowling at
the wooden time piece, Heath entered the study and poured a tumbler of scotch. Standing in front of the french doors,
Heath’s eyes gazed up at the stars while the smooth scotch burned his throat as
it went down.
Putting his empty glass on
the desk, Heath opened the french doors and leaned against the doorframe, arms
crossed over his chest, letting the cool night air brush against his face. His mind wandered over the past days, his
eyes fought the tears which recently seemed to be hovering just behind the
orbs.
The ride to the Barkley
ranch with Melinda and the children was thankfully uneventful. Stopping at the telegraph office, Nate sent
a wire before the small cavalcade continued on its way. Heath watched Mel out of the corner of his
eye, her pale face and shakiness concerning him.
Reaching the house, the
rest of the family was shocked and upset at the morning’s events. Heath whispered his concerns to his
Mother. Victoria saw the look in the
emerald eyes of the young woman, her heart cried out for justice to whoever had
done this. Victoria and Audra led the
young mother and the children upstairs.
The days passed and
Melinda seemed to be stunned to the core of her very being from the horrid
crime. Her motions almost mechanical
without a touch of emotion. She was
withdrawn and caring for her children without being aware of doing so.
Sapphire eyes watched,
full of concern and unsure of what to do, helpless to bring a spark back into
the green eyes of the woman he loved.
Victoria felt Melinda was still in shock and sent for Dr. Merar. Howard examined Melinda and prescribed a
sleeping agent to help the exhausted woman replenish her strength.
Time would take the shock
away, Dr. Merar had stated. But Melinda
found her mind constantly wondering if it would ever erase the overwhelming
guilt she carried inside. She had sent
her mother back to Stockton into the hands of a murderer.
Four days later, Marshal
Thane had arrived at the Barkley mansion where tension and worry hung over the
mansion like a thick summer fog. Nate,
Heath and Marshal Thane sat in the study, discussing the evidence which was
uncovered in Sacramento.
“You were right, Thomson.”
admitted Thane. “It was more than a
coincidence.”
Sighing, Heath nodded,
“So, Henry Fields was involved with Dan Nichols.”
“Yes, he was filtering the
counterfeit money through his bank. By
the way, we found Martha Simmons in Sacramento. She said someone paid her to bring a package to Sacramento.”
stated Thane.
Rolling his eyes, Heath
snorted, “Sure they did!”
Shrugging, Thane grinned
slightly, “Well, we can’t prove she knew she was carrying plates being used to
make counterfeit money. All we know is
her husband was involved with the counterfeiters and nothing else. We couldn’t hold her on supposition.”
“How’d Mrs. Fields wind up
with the plates?” wondered Nate.
“Mrs. Simmons stated she
was hired to bring the package to the residence of the Fields. She didn’t know how Mrs. Fields came to have
the plates. I’m guessing, she was
trying to keep any knowledge of her husband’s illegal activities hidden and out
of the public eyes. Seems
counterfeiting wasn’t the only thing he was into.” stated Thane. “Nichols probably followed her here to get
his plates back and then killed Mrs. Fields for them.”
All eyes turned to the
door at the sound of a loud gasp.
Melinda stood in the doorway and the men stood up as she walked slowly
forward.
“You lied to me. You said it was a robbery.” whispered
Melinda, her hands clenched at her side.
“You said that’s why my mother was murdered. When did you know?”
“Mel..” stated Heath
“WHEN DID YOU KNOW,
HEATH?” screamed Melinda furiously.
“TELL ME!”
Nick and Victoria ran into
the room at the sound of the screams.
Nate and Thane had stepped away from the couple to give them room,
mother and son joined the two marshals in watching the drama before them. Holding onto her arms, Heath stared into the
angry eyes, his voice was calm and soothing.
“Melinda, does it really
matter why she was murdered? The only
thing that matters is we have to catch whoever did it.”
Shrugging out of his hold,
Melinda’s voice was firm, “It matters to me that you lied to me, Heath. What else have you lied about?”
Clenching his jaw to stop
the angry retort, Heath shook his head, “Mel, you’re emotional right now and
not thinking clearly. Once you get over
the shock, you’ll realize I did what I did for you and the children. There was no reason to cause you further
pain, honey.”
“Did you ever consider
Heath that Nichols murdered my mother to get to you? Did you consider that?” snapped Melinda, her questions causing
Heath to physically flinch.
“Nichols was only after
the plates. He wouldn’t know we’d been
courting.” reasoned Heath softly, reaching up to caress her cheek.
Pulling her face away,
Melinda stepped back. “The children and
I are going to Sacramento to settle my mother’s estate. I received word from her attorney today.”
“No! Melinda, you need to stay here.” protested
Heath, his anger seeping through.
Melinda turned away and
Heath stopped her with a firm hand on her arm, “Mel, we don’t know if Nichols
found the plates. You can’t leave and
you certainly can’t go alone.”
“I’ll be leaving in the
morning.” replied Melinda coolly.
Heath’s eyes flashed with
anger, “I can’t believe you’d put the children in danger like this! It’s not right!”
Stepping in front of her fiancée,
the others in the room winced at the loud crack as her hand left a stinging
mark on Heath’s cheek.
“You have no right to
speak to me about right or wrong. You
kept the reason my mother was killed from me.
You lied! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO
QUESTION HOW I HANDLE MY LIFE!” shouted Melinda, tears burning her eyes while
she fled the room.
Heath stood rooted in his
spot, the mark of the slap clear on his face, the stinging feel of her hand on
his face reaching down into his soul.
Victoria followed the sobbing woman and Nick motioned for the others to
leave the study.
“Heath, she’s not thinking
clearly right now.” urged Nick placing a hand on Heath’s shoulder.
“God Nick, what have I
done?” whispered Heath looking into the
hazel eyes of his big brother. The
torture in the replica of his father’s eyes took the breath out of Nick’s
lungs.
Pulling Heath into his
arms, Nick held his shaking brother and whispered in his ear, “Heath, you
didn’t do anything but try to keep the woman you love from further pain. You did it out of love and when things are
clearer, Melinda will realize just that.
Give her time to deal with all this and then she’ll be back to herself,
you’ll see.”
Nodding, Heath laid his
forehead on Nick’s shoulder and fought the tears from spilling out, using his
brother’s strength to keep a sliver of hope alive within him.
A hand startled Heath out
of his late night thoughts and he turned.
Nick’s concerned hazel eyes looked over the weary face of his little
brother.
“Heath?”
“I’m okay, Nick.” stated
Heath with a small smile which couldn’t reach his eyes.
Keeping his hand on the
smaller man’s shoulder, Nick smiled slightly, “With the rest of the family and
Hiriam in Sacramento with Melinda and the kids, nothing will happen to
them. They’ll be well watched over.”
Nodding, Heath turned his
eyes upwards and his throat was choking him with emotion. “The day after grandfather came back from
Virginia was supposed to be my wedding day.
It should be today and now, I wonder if it’ll ever happen, Nick. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me. It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”
“Heath, you can’t give up
hope. Everything will get better with
time.” sighed Nick, squeezing the blonde’s shoulder again before Heath started
to close the french doors.
Both brothers jumped at
the sound of the clanging of the fire bell in the ranch yard. Running outside, Nick and Heath stopped at
the sight of the burning bunkhouse roof.
Men rushed out of the burning building, coughing and sputtering from the
smoke. Buckets of water were gathered
and thrown on top of the burning building.
Nate Jackson woken from
his sleep joined the others in the fight to save the building. Duke at Nick’s shouted order took a head
count of the men fighting the fire, relieved that all appeared to have made it
out of the inferno.
Silas had set up a small
table away from the frantic men fighting the blaze. He was there with the first aid supplies, ready to help if any of
the men needed medical attention.
Twenty minutes passed before the fire was under control and the damage
inspected.
“Thanks, Nate for your
help.” stated Nick as the marshal smiled and headed back to house to retrieve
more bandages for Silas.
“Go on, Heath. I’ll finish up out here.” suggested Nick
with a gentle push towards the house.
“Try to get some sleep.”
Heath walked to the
mansion and slowly climbing the stairs, he glanced downwards while he brushed
at his shirt covered in soot. Looking
up, his head exploded in pain and he didn’t feel the effect on his body from the
tumble down the grand staircase.
Chapter 72
Martha Simmons was
positive the arrival of her nephew at the hotel in Strawberry meant the law was
onto the gang. She hadn’t known Heath,
now an ex-marshal, was only there to bring a father and son, together face to
face, after years of separation. Her
assumption killed Matt and Jed, stopped the printing of the bills.
After fleeing Strawberry
upon Matt’s death, Martha Simmons traveled to the prison to meet with Nichols,
her late husband’s partner. Dan directed
the woman to travel to Sacramento and seek out the middle man, Henry
Fields. The law arriving in Strawberry
forced Nichols to make a desperate escape from prison.
When Martha Simmons
arrived in Sacramento with the plates, Henry Fields grew worried and ceased his
filtering activities. Martha stayed in
Sacramento and was angered weeks later at the news of Fields’ death, his heart
attack happening at a most unfortunate time.
Dan Nichols had uncovered
Fields’ involvement with an opium dealer and several other less than credible
people while working on an unrelated case.
Henry Fields held no love for anyone, not even his wife and
daughter. All he loved was money and
power.
Nichols showed up one day
in his office and gave the greedy man an opportunity to expand his net worth in
a plan which seemed fool proof. Fields’
acceptance was given after the marshal hinted what he knew and would readily
expose if the banker didn’t cooperate.
Henry’s responsibility in
the partnership was to filter the counterfeit money to the public using his
position within the bank. In the city
of Sacramento, the banker was considered an honest citizen and a leader in the
community. Such a man was ideal and
almost above suspicion.
The plan was simple
enough.
Dan and his other partners
would print the money. Dan would use
his position in the marshal service to help the gang keep one step ahead of his
fellow lawmen. Matt and Jed would
transport the money to Sacramento and Fields would take care of the rest.
It was a lucrative
business for all involved.
Dan Nichols hadn’t planned
on Marshal Heath Thomson uncovering evidence against him and Fremont’s nephew
signing a confession which lead to his arrest.
The only regret Nichols had while he was in prison was he hadn’t killed
Thomson years before at the time his mother been murdered by Terry Parker.
Grace Fields who had grown
comfortable with the lifestyle her husband provided to her through the years of
the loveless marriage, knew why the other woman was in Sacramento. After Henry’s death, she grew frightened of
the implications if anyone found out about her husband’s criminal
activity. Her mind screamed out at her,
shouting she would be considered an accessory if anyone found out what he’d
done.
Self-preservation caused
her to steal the plates and leave her home behind. She wanted the evidence out of her house and away from anyone who
could connect the metal items with Henry.
Arriving in Stockton,
Grace’s tears of joy which fell from her eyes at seeing her daughter were
real. She had missed her little girl
over the years. The shock of finding
out her daughter’s beau was the ex-marshal son of the Barkley family caused her
to quell up again with fear.
The ideas burned into her
psyche from years of degraded living with her husband couldn’t be put aside in
a matter of weeks. Those archaic and
prejudicial ideas caused her to be sent packing to Stockton, right into the
waiting hands of Dan Nichols.
Dan Nichols had done a
complete background check on Fields before he’d made his offer to the man and
was aware the daughter of Fields lived in Stockton before he arrived with Jack
Larkin and Marshal Fogarty. Stockton
was the logical place for Grace Fields to head after she stole the plates from
the unsuspecting Martha Simmons.
After searching the home
of Melinda Rankin thoroughly, Nichols surprised Grace Fields in her hotel room
early that Saturday morning. Gagging
and tying the woman, he searched the room, coming up empty handed. With a knife held to her side, he forced the
woman to the home of her daughter.
Nichols planned on using
the daughter and her children as leverage against the mother to get his plates
back, but the house was empty. Grace
pleaded for her life as Nichols used his hands to force the whereabouts of the
plates from her. In the end, his rage
caused his hands to snap her neck, stifling her pleas after the location was
revealed.
Dan Nichols spent the last
year of his life in jail, his desire for revenge, his focus for a chance at
escape driving him through the twelve months of hell, he’d been sentenced to by
his own criminal activity.
Prison was not kind to
those who once were on the side of justice.
He struggled to survive against attempts on his life, beatings from the
other inmates, beatings from the guards.
His features changed drastically in the past year.
Scars graced his once good
looking face, lines from constant worry and backwatching made him look older by
ten years. His muscles were hardened by
the labor and constant battles he waged in his concrete and steel home. His dark hair creased with gray, hung over
his ears, a mustache and beard hid the rest of his face.
His dark eyes watched the
parade of people arrive at the small house, his fists clenched tightly at the
sight of the former blonde marshal. His
presence on the roof across the street was hidden from those on the
ground.
Grace Fields had revealed
to the escaped convict the location where the plates were hidden on the Barkley
ranch, in the Barkley mansion. Moving
steadily to the trees, he grabbed the reins of his horse and mounted. Pushing the horse into a gallop, he rode
while his mind worked.
Dan Nichols had to figure
out how to retrieve the plates from the ranch house without being captured or
killed. If the marshal service had
taught him anything over the years, it had taught him patience. Staking out the Barkley ranch provided
Nichols with the opportune time frame he needed.
His dark eyes glittered
while the wagon was packed and headed into Stockton. His eyes were thoughtful when he realized only three remained at
the house. Moving away from his
position, Nichols turned the problem over in his mind, deciding upon a plan of
diversion.
Night had long fallen when
the trespasser crept closer to the Barkley buildings. Taking a can of kerosene, he pulled himself quietly up onto the
roof of the bunkhouse, on the end which was furthest away from the
mansion. Spreading the accelerant, he
climbed down and lit a cigarette.
Inhaling, the end of the
cigarette glowed red and he tossed it up onto the roof. Instantly, the red end ignited the kerosene
and it hungrily licked across the roof.
Running to the bell which hung from the other corner of the bunkhouse,
he rang it loudly and sprinted away from the light of the flames into the
darkness of the shadows. Three men ran
past him and he crept into the house through the opened front door.
Hurrying up the steps, he
opened the door of the nearest room.
Stepping to the window, he glanced down to ensure the men were still
busy with the fire. Grabbing the
dresser, he moved it away from the wall and felt the back with his hand. Striking a match, he frowned at the lack of
the items he was searching for.
Leaving the room, he
headed to the next room and continued his search. The last room on the left ended his repetitive search. Grabbing the plates, he headed down the
hallway to the staircase, hiding behind the curtain when Heath entered the
mansion. Grinning widely at his good
fortune, Nichols waited and hit the unsuspecting man in the head with his
pistol leaving a wide gash over the right eye of his former peer.
Heath crumpled and fall
backwards down the staircase, tumbling like a rag doll and landing with a
sickening thud on the wooden floor of the foyer below. Heath’s tumbling stopped with his legs on
the stairs, his upper body on the oak flooring. He lay still as a rock.
Nate entered the foyer
from the kitchen when Nichols was descending the stairs. Dropping the white bandages, his hand froze
above his gun when Nichols pointed his pistol and ordered.
“Move and Thomson’s dead.”
His order stopping Nate’s
hand. The gray eyes scorched him with
their hatred and watched his every move.
“I’m only here for my
property.” growled Nichols, moving slowly to his avenue of escape.
Nichols kept his gun
pointed at the unaware blonde man and walked around the obstruction on the
stairs. Nichols walked backwards to the
front door and Nate moved closer to his prone friend. The men mirrored each other’s movements in a half circle
pattern. An evil smile spread across
the convict’s face and his finger tightened on the trigger.
Jumping sideways and
grabbing his gun, Nate felt the bullet enter his body when he landed on the
floor in front of Heath. Throwing a
shot at the back of the fleeing man, his bullet entered the muscled body and
his gray eyes closed.
The sound of gunfire in
the house brought the crew and boss running towards the building, their feet
stopped at the sight of the man who staggered outside and leaned against the
doorframe before he fell to the ground, the metal plates falling into the dirt
of the Barkley ranch.
Running into the house,
Nick and Duke knelt by the men laying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs,
blood from both men mixed in together on the oak floor.
“Someone get the doctor.”
ordered Nick loudly from the floor where his shaky hands started to examine the
unconscious men.
Chapter 73
“Joe went for the doc and
sheriff, boss.” informed Jim. “The one
outside is dead.”
Nodding, hazel eyes burned
with anger at the large gash on his brother’s forehead. The area of the injury was bleeding
profusely, the swelling in the area causing Heath to appear to have a ball
under his skin instead of an eyebrow and eye socket.
The strong hands of Nick
ran down the limbs of his unconscious brother and his sides, the probing
causing groans of pain. Scotty held a
cloth to the head wound watching his boss as he made a rough diagnosis.
“Broken ribs, broken left
forearm and wrist, split open head and who knows what else.” muttered
Nick. “Duke, how’s Nate?”
“He took a bullet in the
left side. It’s still in him.” advised
Duke working on stopping the bleeding.
“Jim, help me turn Heath
while Scotty keeps the bandage on his wound.”
Kneeling on the other
side, Jim and Nick carefully turned Heath onto his back. Making a sling out of cloth, Nick’s touch
was gentle and firm as he handled the broken extremity, binding it to keep it
close to his chest.
The jostling of the arm
sent a fiery surge of pain through the unaware man, his head flopped from one
side to the other and his right hand reached outward, seeking the cause of the
flare up.
“Heath, don’t move.”
growled Nick grabbing hold of the seeking right hand and holding it firm in
his. “Lay still, Heath!”
Moaning, Heath fought to
open his eyes, confused as to why he could only open one. Nick smiled at the cursing from the pain,
glad Mother and Audra weren’t there to hear it. He caught the raising of the lid on the left eye and was relieved
when a sliver of blue looked outward.
“Nick?” whispered Heath.
“I’m here, little
brother.” said Nick placing his face in his brother’s line of sight. “How ya’ feeling?”
“Okay.” was the automatic
pain filled whisper.
“Yeah, sure you are.”
snorted Nick, holding up two fingers. “How many fingers you see?”
Heath’s eye drooped and he
whispered, “Don’t know bout fingers but there’s three of you.”
“I’d venture to say you
earned yourself a concussion, boy.” advised Nick with a shake of his head.
“What happened?” moaned
Heath before losing the battle to stay awake against the pain stealing him into
the darkness.
“Nichols.” stated Nick
quietly wondering if Heath had heard him.
“Let’s get these two upstairs into bed.
Silas, you help Duke take care of Nate til the doc gets here.”
Hours later, the sun was
high in the sky and Nick sat in a chair by the bed which contained his sleeping
brother, twit brained from laudanum.
Left arm and wrist encased in plaster, a wrap wound around his stomach holding
his fractured ribs in place, stitches on his forehead covered by gauze held in
place by a bandage tied around his head, tufts of blonde hair peeked out from
under the cloth. A concussion topped
off the list of injuries.
Bruising dotted every part
of Heath from his unceremonious fall down the grand staircase. Even though it was carpeted, Dr. Merar
stated he’d be feeling every inch of the fall for the next week or so.
Nate lay sleeping in the
next room being tended to by a rotating shift of Barkley hands. A mild fever started to rise in the man
from the foreign object that had been embedded in his body. The crew volunteered for sick duty when
Nate woke briefly to reveal what happened after Dr. Merar took the piece of lead
from his ribs.
The marshal’s act of
unselfishness had undoubtedly saved their marshal boss. The crew was indebted to the thin man for
keeping him alive and keeping his promise to them.
After leaving Heath in
Silas’ care at the request of Fred Maden, Nick had followed the sheriff outside
and knelt by the expired convict on the ground. Nick’s eyes trailed the deep scratches which graced the face of
the dead man.
“I bet he got these from
Mrs. Fields.” stated Fred explaining to Nick, the blood and skin found under
the nails of Melinda’s mother.
“Now we know who murdered
her.” sighed Nick standing. “The boys
give you the plates?”
Nodding, Fred motioned to
Billy who helped lay Nichols across the saddle. “I have them. Nick, you
want me to wire Jarrod in Sacramento?”
“That’d be helpful, Fred.”
replied Nick walking the man to his horse.
“Marshal Thane went back to Houston.
Can you wire him too?”
Agreeing to handle the
details and extending their well wishes to the injured men, Fred and Billy left
the ranch with the dead man. After handing
out work details to Duke for the upcoming morning, Nick relieved Silas and
slept in the chair by Heath’s bed.
Chapter 74
Nick stood on the
platform, anxiously waiting for the incoming train. Two weeks had passed since Nichols appeared at the ranch. The family members in Sacramento planned to return home immediately at news
of the two injured men but Nick’s answer back stated everything was fine and
there was no need to rush. In a
separate wire to Jarrod, Nick clearly stated he wanted Heath to have time to
handle knowing Nichols was Mrs. Fields’ murderer.
Two days later, the
blonde’s eyes were guilt ridden at the news given to him when he woke with
clarity for the first time. Nick was
surprised when after several hours of silence, Heath took hold of his brother’s
hand.
“At least we know who did
it, Nick.” informed Heath quietly. “Not
knowing would be worst, wouldn’t you agree?”
Patting the hand, Nick
agreed, “Yeah, you’re right about that.”
“I don’t know..” paused
Heath.
“You don’t know, what?”
puzzled Nick.
Frowning, Heath sighed,
“Nick, well, I don’t know if it’ll make a difference to Melinda or not. She was really angry when she left.”
“I know she was,
Heath. I think she’s had enough time to
realize she was acting out of grief and sadness.” replied Nick, the hope in his
voice not felt inside his heart.
“Maybe. Can I see Nate?” requested Heath, his left
eye pleading since the right was still swollen shut.
Putting his hands on his
hips, Nick stared down at the battered brother, his face and deep voice
thoughtful. “I don’t know, Heath. If a fly flew by it could knock you on your
ass.”
A grin flashed across
Heath’s face and he said quietly, “As long as you’re by my side, I’ll chance
it.”
“Like a shadow, little
brother.” assured Nick helping the shaky man to his feet, receiving a one armed
hug and a whisper of brotherly love.
Returning the hug, Nick
held onto Heath’s arm and assisted him next door. Sitting him in a chair by the bed, he frowned at the sweat
running down Heath’s face from the short trip.
“You get worse and doc
will string me up.” growled Nick wiping the sweat away with a cloth.
Nate grinned from his
place in the bed, “I don’t know, Nick.
He looks better to me this way.”
Rolling his left eye,
Heath snorted, “Nick, now we know who’s really twit brained.”
Laughing loudly, Nick left
the room promising to send Silas up with some food for the two friends. Heath leaned forward and squeezed Nate’s
hand.
“Thanks, Nate.” smiled
Heath gratefully.
Returning the squeeze,
Nate grinned, “Now, I only owe you one.”
“I think you better study
math again.” snorted Heath settling back in the chair. “What kind of schools they got in Texas
anyway?”
Winking, Nate smirked,
“Only the best my friend! Only the
best!”
Silas appeared with a
tray, his keen ears catching the bantering between the two men and his face
widened in a smile. Setting the tray on
the bedside table, Silas helped Nate to sit up against the headboard propped up
with pillows.
Heath and Nate’s
anticipating faces fell when a bowl of porridge was set before each man. Heath groaned from displeasure while Nate
stared at the bowl’s contents and poked at it with a spoon.
“Mr. Silas, what’s
this? Baby food?” drawled Nate, his
lips curled in disgust. “Guess I ain’t
got to worry about buying new jeans with grub like this.”
Howard stood in the
doorway, unsuccessful in an attempt to hide his grin. Two of the strongest men he knew looked like they wanted to
hightail it away from the porridge placed in front of them. Silas shushed the protests and ordered the
two to eat as that was all they was getting.
Patting the older man on
the shoulder as he left the room, Howard smiled, “You boys be good and eat all
that’s in front of you, maybe then we’ll talk about something more
substantial.”
Twin glares were directed
at the physician before hands slowly made their way towards the spoons and the
first tiny step into the porridge diet was taken. After the unsatisfying breakfast, Howard examined both men and
helped Heath back to his room to rest.
Satisfied with the progress of both men, Howard had left the ranch
advising Nick to let him know if anything changed.
Nick’s thoughts were
pierced by the sound of the far off whistle of the black shining locomotive
rumbling up the tracks. The train crept
to a stop at its destination. Nick
scanned the passengers disembarking and hurried towards the last car at the
sight of Hiriam and then Jarrod climbing down.
Reaching up, Hiriam helped Audra to the ground while Jarrod assisted his
Mother.
Reaching the family, Nick
greeted everyone and answered the multitude of questions launched at him over
the welfare of the two injured men.
Looking around, Nick asked, “Where’s Melinda and the kids?”
Heath smiled widely, his
face bearing the faint traces of bruises, lit up with happiness at the surrey
entering the ranch yard. Nate felt a
nudge in his side and followed Heath’s trail of sight.
“I swear Heath your sister
is more beautiful every time I see her.” drawled Nate with a wink towards Scotty.
Grumbling under his
breath, Heath growled, “Keep your eyes off my sister.”
Scotty chuckled as Nate
put an arm across his friend’s shoulders, “Now, Heath, I never said that to you
about my sister.”
Rolling his eyes, Heath
smirked, “No, you just kept trying to get me to marry her so she’d stay out of
your hair and off your horses.”
“Well, heck! How many guys ya’ know have a sister that
can out ride them?” complained Nate as they walked towards the surrey.
Nate stood by Nick and
watched the family greeting their blonde member. Leaning over, he whispered, “Nick, where’s Melinda?”
Not taking his eyes off
the reunion, Nick shook his head and Nate swore under his breath. The two men watched as Victoria took Heath’s
arm and lead him away from the eyes of the rest of the family.
Chapter 75
There were few times in
life which the two older male men of the Barkley family felt helpless and stood
with uncertainty filling their very being.
Jarrod moved to stand by Nick, the two men walked away from the others,
following their Mother and Heath’s path in the distance.
Victoria held onto Heath’s
arm leading the gentle man away from the hearing of others. Stopping under a tree, Heath cleared a space
and helped his Mother to a place in the shade provided by the outreaching
branches. Smiling her thanks, Victoria
waited until Heath lowered himself to a spot beside her and leaned against the
tree.
Gazing into the light gray
eyes, Heath’s sigh was barely audible, “Melinda’s not coming back, is she
Mother?”
Taking a hold of his right
hand, Victoria’s eyes dropped and she gathered her thoughts while tracing her
thumb over the large scarred knuckles.
Anger at the young woman’s decision had turned to despair on the trip back
to Stockton. Despair as to how to explain
one’s life changing decision to another.
Heath closed his eyes
briefly, the caress of his hand brought back memories from the familiar
touch.
“My mama used to hold my
hand like this and run her thumb over my knuckles when she was worried.” informed Heath quietly, catching a look of
surprise in his Mother’s eyes. “She was
a lot like you, Mother.”
“She had silver hair and
gray eyes?” teased Victoria softly, surprised at Heath’s train of thought and
conversation.
Flashing a grin, Heath’s
eyes sparkled, “No, but you both have the same mother’s touch. If you had met in a different place or in a
different lifetime, I think you may have become the best of friends.”
Thoughtful, Victoria
squeezed his hand. “If Leah’s soul was
anything like yours, Heath, I’m positive we would’ve been. She must have been an extraordinary person
to have raised a son by herself, in the conditions she had to.”
Sighing, Heath’s eyes were
taken back years, “I know we’ve never spoken about my mama and, uh,
father. I think the reason he loved
her was because of you, Mother.”
“Because of me?” puzzled
Victoria.
“Yes, you two are alike
and share many similar traits. You have
the same inner glow, the same motherly love, the same laugh and the same sense
of what your family means to you. I
think Father missed you so much when you were apart, he found you in my mama.”
explained Heath, his eyes glistening suddenly.
“Oh, Heath. I’m sorry for the pain it must cause you to
see the similarities.” whispered Victoria, her eyes filled with pain. “I never knew you saw those things when you
look at me.”
Shaking his head, Heath
grabbed her hand, “No, Mother, if anything it reminds me how lucky of a man I
am. I’m reminded that I’ve been
fortunate enough to have two mothers love me unconditionally, fight for me
unselfishly and box my ears when I’ve needed it.”
Laughing, Victoria wiped
her eyes and caressed his cheek. “You
are my son and that’s my job as a mother.
A job I’ve never give up for anything.”
The amusement faded from
the sapphire eyes and Heath turned his gaze out towards the horizon. Several minutes passed before his whisper
reached her ears, “Life’s not very fair, is it?’
“No, it’s not.” agreed
Victoria taking in the bruised profile of her son. Reaching over, she ran her fingers through his blonde hair and
saw a single tear trickle out of the corner of his eye.
“In books, I know it’s
said love conquers everything, but in reality, sometimes even love cannot
overcome. I’d do anything to take this
pain from you, sweetheart.” stated Victoria softly, receiving a slight nod at
her declaration. “I have a letter. She asked me to deliver it to you.”
“Would you mind if I read
it in private?” asked Heath, wiping his cheek as he continued to gaze at the
horizon.
Turning his face towards
her, Victoria replied, “There is someone for everyone in the world, Heath. Don’t let this stop you from finding that
someone. In time, the pain will fade
although it may never completely go away and really, it shouldn’t. A part of you will always love her. Remember, you have all of us, your family,
to help you when it gets too difficult.”
Staring into the love
filled gray eyes, Heath nodded and climbed to his feet. Holding out a hand, he pulled his Mother to
her tiny feet and stared at the letter she took out of her pocket.
Taking it in his hand, he
placed a gentle kiss on both her cheeks, wrapping his right arm around her, he
smiled and kissed her silver hair, “I
love you, Mother. I’m glad you’re
home.”
Victoria leaned back
against the tree, her tearing eyes watched as Heath turned to walk further away
from the ranch buildings, seeking a place of asylum to open and read the
letter. Nick and Jarrod’s steps towards
their brother was stopped by their Mother’s firm command.
“Not now, boys.”
Hours later, sitting on a
hill in the middle of the grass blowing gently in the breeze, Heath’s eyes
stared at the horizon, his hand clenching the unopened letter. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he
itched under the beginning of his cast, his eyes falling downwards to read the
writing.
‘Like a shadow’ written in
ink with Nick’s familiar scrawl. A
smile lit up Heath’s face and he took a deep breath. His hand shook as he opened the envelope and gently straightened
the paper.
Heath,
It is said adversity is the test of one’s endurance
and inner strength. I’ve been tested
and I have failed. Unfortunately, my
weakness has caused those around me a considerable amount of pain from my
failure.
I now realize I am not strong enough to stand beside
you in the future. I’m afraid and that
fear is overwhelming me. I thought my
love for you would be enough, but the recent events have proven to me, it is
not.
I’m sorry for giving you false hope. I find I am wondering if you’ll always be
there for me. You are a wonderful
person and deserve someone who will love you without reservation.
I know you were only trying to protect me and the
children. You did not deserve the
treatment I gave you out of anger and grief.
All I can ask is you can somehow find it in you to forgive me for the
pain I have caused.
Nick and Jarrod found
their brother sitting on the hill, eyes closed and facing the setting sun. Heath felt two strong hands squeeze his
shoulders and he sighed, the tears having stopped hours ago.
Two older brothers each
kept a hand on a shoulder, no words spoken but the connection between the three
could be felt all around them in the summer air. Their support given and accepted in the silence of the twilight
of the evening.
Chapter 76
Nate Jackson returned to
his family’s ranch in Texas a week after the Barkleys returned from
Sacramento. Before leaving, he secured
a promise to return and visit the Jackson family’s ranch from Heath.
Time was spent in the
trial of Barrett and Benton. After the
trial, Benton was shipped back east where he was wanted on several other
charges and faced more trials. Barrett
was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the attempted kidnapping
of Heath Thomson.
The sun rises and the sun
sets, days begin and end, time passes even if you want to stop the world from
moving. As with all things, there is no
constant. Things as constantly changing
and there is constantly work to be done on a ranch. The constant work a godsend if one wanted to seek a way to drain
themselves physically so the nights were shorter and be worked to a frazzle,
falling into a sleep of exhaustion.
So, it was the pattern for
several months which the family around the blonde son witnessed and frowned
at. Heath worked the ranch during the
day, rising early and heading out before anyone was awake.
Stopping his ranch work
mid afternoon, he would ride over to the house Hiriam purchased on his return
from Sacramento. Working around the
building, gave Heath time needed to further enhance his relationship with his
grandfather.
Standing in the yard,
grandfather and grandson, looked at the house before them. Heath put an arm over the older man’s
shoulders and said, “I think you can add construction worker to the list of
jobs you’ve done over the years, grandfather.”
Chuckling, Hiriam
nodded. “It wouldn’t have been possible
without you, Heath.”
Waving off the kind words,
Heath took off his hat and wiped the sweatband. Hiriam snickered at the hair pulled back into a ponytail. “I see Nick hasn’t gotten to you yet like he
threatened.”
Laughing, the blonde’s
head shook and he grinned, “I think Mother hid the scissors.”
Entering the house, Heath
sat at the kitchen table while Hiriam made coffee. “How are you doing, Heath?”
Smiling slightly, Heath
sighed, “I’m fine, grandfather. It’s
not as bad as it was.”
Patting the strong hand,
Hiriam nodded, “I’m here if you need to talk.”
Standing, Heath wrapped
the older man into a hug, “I know, grandfather. Thank you.”
Walking into the mansion,
Heath followed the daily ritual of taking off his gun and hat, placing them on
a round table.
“Heath, if I was you I’d
hide out in the barn for a while.”
Puzzled, Heath looked over
at his little sister, “Why?”
“Nick’s on the warpath.”
stated Audra.
“SILAS, WHERE’S MY BLACK
VEST?” shouted Nick loudly from his bedroom.
Silas entered the foyer,
muttering as he ascended the stairs, “Boys got least ten black vests, think
he’d able to find one.”
“What’s got Nick’s
britches in a twist?” wondered Heath out loud.
Laughing at the question
he heard when he entered the foyer, Jarrod clapped his little brother on the
back. “Seems our brother has a date
with the new school teacher tonight.
It’s taken him months to get her to agree.”
The sapphire eyes lit up.
“Really? Months, huh?”
Audra and Jarrod saw the
look in the ocean eyes and both siblings smiled widely.
“Yes, Heath. She’s been very elusive.” informed Audra.
“Excuse me!” whispered
Heath and ran up the stairs.
Audra held onto Jarrod’s arm
and the two giggled happily at the shout of indignation.
“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING,
BOY!”
“Sorry, Nick!”
Heath ran down the hallway
and down the grand staircase. Flying
past Audra and Jarrod, he opened the door and ran outside.
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT
BOY?” shouted Nick from the balcony down to his other siblings.
“He didn’t say, Nick.”
called Jarrod from below.
Stalking into the foyer,
Victoria stated loudly, “Will you please stop running and shouting in the
house!”
“Sorry, Mother.” was heard
throughout the house.
Jarrod lead Audra and
Victoria into the parlor, listening to their events of the day. An hour passed before Heath came running in
and slid to a stop on the wooden floor.
“Sorry, Mother.”
apologized Heath sitting in a chair and grabbing a newspaper to hold in front
of his face.
A raised eyebrow was
directed towards Jarrod, who shrugged in response. Nick entered the parlor, bowing at the compliments directed to
him from his Mother and siblings. Looking
at the raised newspaper, Nick sighed and shook his head, his hazel eyes showing
concern.
“Hey, Heath.”
“Yeah, Nick?” asked Heath
from behind the paper.
“Heath, I can’t see you
with that paper in front of you.” growled Nick in exasperation.
Lowering the paper, Heath
looked into the hazel eyes, “Sorry, Nick.
You want something?”
“I ain’t seen you for a
few days. Where you been?”
“We finished grandfather’s
house today.” replied Heath quietly.
“It looks real good.”
“That’s great! Well, I better be going.” explained
Nick. “I’ll see you all at breakfast in
the morning.”
Hearing the front door
close, Heath threw the paper to the side and ran to the window. Inside the house, an unearthly howl could be
heard from the outside.
“WHAT THE HELL? WHO DID THIS?”
“HEEAAATTTHHH!!!!”
Spying, Nick coming back
to the house, Heath ran past the foyer into the study. Nick caught the blue blur running past and
followed in a flash. The other family
members hurried into the room where Nick was chasing the blonde around the
room.
“When I get my hands on
you..” threatened Nick.
Heath’s eyes were filled
with tears of laughter and his body shaking.
“Now, Nick. It was all in fun.”
“What are you boys doing?”
asked Victoria, happy to see a spark in Heath’s eyes. “Nicholas?”
Stopping, Nick turned his
back to Heath and faced his Mother and other siblings, winking at them, he
stated angrily, “Just look at what he’s done!
It’s not right, Mother!”
Leading the family out of
the study, they left the front door and walked over to the hitching rail. Tied to the rail was Coco, mane and tail
braided with bright colored hair ribbons.
Heath leaned against the
post and chuckled, “Coco looks as pretty as you tonight, Nick.”
Nick suddenly grabbed the
blonde only to find his brother’s reflexes faster and leaving him laying in the
dirt on his back, shocked at the turn of events. Heath knelt beside Nick and grimaced, “Sorry, Nick. It was an automatic response.”
“Damn boy, someday you
gotta teach me those moves.” groaned Nick accepting the hand and climbing to
his feet.
Putting an arm across his
little brother’s shoulders, Nick shook his head, “I was wondering what you did
with those ribbons. That’s what I get
for wondering.”
Smirking, Heath winked,
“I’ll take them out for you.”
Heath found his progress
stopped with a firm hand on his arm. Looking over, Nick called out, “Scotty,
can you take Coco back to his stall and take out his braids?”
The directive causing
several hands to bust out with laughter and Nick to turn crimson.
“Nick, ain’t you been
trying to get this date for months?” asked Heath after Scotty lead the horse
back to the barn.
Clapping the smaller man
on the back, Nick shook his head, “Heath, I don’t know who insinuated that but
Nick Barkley does not beg women for dates!
Com’n Jarrod, let’s play a brotherly game of pool before dinner.”
Nick pulled Heath back
into the house, Jarrod followed with his Mother and sister. Their grins hard to keep off their faces at
the familiar bantering between their connected family members.
“If ya’ don’t beg, do ya’
bribe them?”
“Boy, you’re lucky I’m in
such a good mood!”
“This is a good mood?”
“Smart ass!”
“Twit brain!”
The End