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.
Heath’s legs felt like
they were constructed with saplings instead of bones while he made his way to
the hotel with the dark haired rancher holding him up, taking most of his
weight the further they walked and neared the hotel. Nick heard the mumbled curse from the smaller man when he
stumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time in their small trip from the
physician’s office to the hotel.
He increased his hold on
the blonde and grunted, “You’re heavier than you look.”
“Sorry, Barkley.” groaned
Heath through clenched teeth, his sigh of relief matching Nick’s when they
entered the door to the hotel.
“Which room?” asked Nick
helping the blonde up the stairs after sending the desk clerk to the saloon to
fetch his foreman.
“Thirteen.”
Smirking, Nick took the
key from the blonde’s hand, “Kinda matches your luck tonight, I’d say.”
The chuckle from Heath
turned to a wince from the headache threatening to rip his head off his
shoulders. Nick helped the blonde over
to the bed and gently lowered him onto the quilt.
Heath closed his eye to
stop the room from spinning at his prone position, talking to the man he heard
moving in the room. “You can go home
now, Barkley.”
Rolling his eyes, Nick
squeezed the extra water from the towel and brought it over to the bed, placing
it on the left side of the battered face.
“Here this should help some.”
“Thanks.” replied Heath
raising his hand to hold the cloth in place.
“I don’t need ya’ to stay. Go on
home.”
Pulling the chair over,
Nick sat by the bed and shook his head, “I told doc I was staying and I
am. Tomorrow’s Sunday and Duke can
assign any work that needs to be done.
Besides Dr. Merar will have my hide if he finds out I left.”
Pushing himself up to a
sitting position against the headboard, Heath snorted, “Suit yourself,
Barkley. You’re gonna be mighty
uncomfortable sleeping in that chair.”
Scowling, Nick picked up
the frame on the nearby table and studied the pictures. “Is this your mother, Thomson?”
Looking over, Nick saw the
sapphire eye full of emotion and Heath smiled tenderly, his voice soft. “Yes, it is. The other ladies are my aunts.”
“She’s beautiful.” smiled
Nick before teasing, “Did you learn how to be a bounty hunter from your
father? Like mine taught me ranching.”
“Not hardly.” snapped
Heath before taking a deep calming breath.
“Sorry didn’t mean to bite your head off.”
Waving off the apology,
Nick sighed, “Nah, it’s my fault. It’s
none of my business, Thomson.”
Heath looked at the dark
haired man who had readily given up his time to help him and drawled, “I don’t
know who my father is. My mama and
aunts raised me.”
“Damn.” whispered Nick,
his pride showing in his hazel eyes.
“Your mother must’ve been some kind of woman to do that on her own.”
“I think so.” smiled Heath
before frowning. “It’s not easy being a
bastard let alone, being the mother of one.
She didn’t have it easy and I sure didn’t help sometimes either.”
“I can’t imagine how hard
it was for her. I had two parents and
sometimes I’m sure they felt overwhelmed raising us kids.” pondered Nick.
“With you for a son, I can
only imagine.” smirked Heath, closing his eye and sliding down to lay back
against the pillow.
“Hey now, play nice.”
chuckled Nick walking to the door and opening it at the knock.
Duke nodded at his boss
and asked, “How is he?”
“He’s fine.” called Heath
from the bed. “Take your boss home.”
“Shut up, Thomson.”
growled Nick turning back to his grinning foreman. “I told Dr. Merar I’d stay
here with him tonight. Will you let the
family know and assign the chores in the morning?”
“Sure, Nick.” agreed
Duke. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Closing the door, Nick
walked back in the room and glared at the man on the bed, pointing his finger
at him. “You go to sleep. You’re gonna need a lot of beauty sleep to
look presentable for your date tomorrow morning.”
“I’d have to sleep for ten
years before that could happen.” groaned Heath. “I swear it feels like Charger stepped on my face instead of
being blindsided by some snake.”
“Who’s Charger?” asked
Nick sitting back in the chair.
“Mackenzie suggested that
name for the Red Ghost.” replied Heath, stifling a yawn. “Mackenzie Knight. Do you know her?”
“Pretty waitress, auburn
hair and purple eyes?” stammered Nick.
“Violet eyes, Barkley.”
sighed Heath in contentment, his lid drooping as his body demanded sleep. “Beautiful eyes and I can’t wait to look in
them tomorrow at ten.”
Staring at the battered
man before him whose breathing evened out and he succumbed to sleep, Nick
whispered to himself after he pushed himself out of the chair and covered the
sleeping form with a blanket.
“Four days! Four days he’s been in town. He catches my Red Ghost and then has a date
with a woman who wouldn’t look at anybody else! Four days! Damn, that
boy’s fast!”
Shaking his head and
smiling to himself, Nick couldn’t keep his thoughts off what the future would
bring for this new resident of Stockton, California. Settling down on the floor with an extra pillow and blanket, he
wondered about the feeling of excitement rising up within him at the thought of
getting to know more about this man who ventured their way because of the lure
of a bounty.
A sapphire eye opened in
confusion and the blonde head turned towards the growling sound he thought he’d
heard. Sitting up on his elbow, Heath
fought a spell of dizziness before leaning slowly over the side of the bed, his
bruised body protesting the minute movement and he rolled his eyes at the sight
of the noisemaker. Trying to keep from
waking the owner of the horrible sounds, he gently worked his way to the other
side of the bed and sat up.
His head throbbed but at
least it was still attached on top of his shoulders. He’d had concussions before and knew what to expect, knew what he
could do. Riding was definitely out of
the picture for at least two days.
Sighing to himself, he felt the disappointment rise up from inside
remembering the excited violet eyes of Mackenzie at the prospect of a morning
ride.
Looking down at his blood
stained shirt, he slowly undid the buttons, leaving the shirt hanging open and
moved to the dresser. Standing in front
of the chest of drawers, he held on to the oak and fought the nausea caused by
his mobility. When the queasiness
passed, he quietly opened the drawer and pulled out another set of
clothing.
Glancing in the mirror, he
examined the dark purple bruising and swelling on the left side of his face
which closed his left eye. His head
wound covered by a white bandage, his blonde hair sticking out underneath
it. His left side and shoulder were
stiff and painful, compliments of the instrument, a piece of wood he thought,
which he’d been struck with after it hit his head.
Closing his right eye, he
tilted his head and tried to remember everything about the attack, trying to
bring a tidbit of information to the forefront which would disclose who the
attackers were. After the first blow,
he’d fallen into the corral and lay stunned, fighting unconsciousness until the
desire to fight back surged through him.
Climbing shakily to his knees, he received another blow to his shoulder
and then his side. He couldn’t remember
anything after that until he woke to see the two hooves by his head.
The realization of the
stallion standing over him caused a smile to flit across his face. The horse had saved his life no doubt. It wasn’t the first time a horse had rescued
him and he’d rescued horses in the past also.
Gentling and working with horses had been one of the few jobs as a child
that he relished. Old man Ackers used
to say he and the horses must’ve had the same soul from the way they responded
to him, trusting him almost from the onset.
Their instincts guiding them, telling the animals this human was
special.
Tomorrow he would realize
his dream of owning a ranch, being able to claim full title to it after the
bounty was paid.
Glancing over at the
sleeping man on the floor, Heath frowned and wondered to himself why he felt a
need to know more about the dark haired Barkley son. The desire confused him since he was usually a loner, only having
a few friends, only trusting a few people explicitly in his life. As a child, he’d learned at a young age not
to expect any of the Strawberry residents to allow their kids to be his
playmates or friends. The lesson was
learned the hard way over his tender years, his tears replaced with anger and
then stoicism.
Later as a teenager in the
elite sharpshooter unit, he’d become friends with several men, the trust
between them essential in the chaos of war.
The time spent in the confederate prison an eye opener to the brutality
of mankind and the lowest depths of despair.
During the months in the prison, he and three others from his unit
formed a small band to strive to keep each other sane and alive in the dankness
of hell. In the end, he’d been the sole
survivor of their group. When the camp
was liberated, the field physicians had not expected the teenager to live but
he’d shown the doubters what a strong will to survive could accomplish.
Bringing his sapphire eye
back to the sleeping man on the floor, the blonde wondered if the nearing
sunrise would bring a change to the attitude of the rancher. The truth of his birth and upraising caused
many to shun him, pushing him to arms’ length.
Sighing to himself, Heath slowly walked across the room and quietly
opened the door, closing it behind him and entering the watercloset down the
hallway.
Thirty minutes later,
Heath returned to the room, smirking at the loud sounds coming from the
floor. Walking past, he lightly kicked
the socked foot with his boot and growled loudly, “Day’s a wasting,
Barkley! Rise and shine!”
Abruptly the noises in the
room quieted and Nick rubbed his face of sleep, hazel eyes squinted upwards
before he slowly climbed to his feet and stretched his back. “Thomson, should you be up and walking
around?”
Shoving his dirty clothes
in his saddlebags, Heath snorted, “I’m alright, Nurse Barkley.”
“I already told you once,
you’re not funny Thomson.” grinned Nick putting on his boots, looking up at the
bruised face and reading the hesitation in it.
“Something wrong?”
Turning to the window,
Heath sighed, “I appreciate you helping me yesterday.”
“It’s not that big of a
deal.” said Nick offhandedly. “You’d
have done it for me if the positions were reversed.”
Closing the curtain, Heath
turned around and latched onto the back of a chair at the moment of dizziness
feeling a strong hand grasp onto his arm to steady him.
“Sit down before you fall
over and get another crack on your head.” ordered Nick, helping the man to a
seat, concern in his tone at the sudden paling of the blonde’s face, an
aftermath of the head injury.
“Thanks.” whispered Heath
holding his head in his hands for several minutes before looking up into the
hazel eyes and taking a deep breath.
“Now that you know, tell Mrs. Barkley thanks for the offer but I can’t
make it.”
Puzzled, Nick stared into
the battered face, “Now that I know what?”
Rolling his eyes, Heath
snorted, “That I’m a bastard. I
understand the, uh, ramifications of associating with me.”
“THE RAMIFICATIONS!”
shouted Nick causing the blonde to wince as the shout echoed through his
head. “Sorry, Thomson.”
“Barkley, it’s okay I’m
used to it. I appreciate the offer
though.” sighed Heath rubbing his temples, stopping his fingers at the hand on
his shoulder. Looking up he saw the
anger in the hazel eyes of the man kneeling beside him.
“I don’t know what kind of
person you think I am or the type of people my family is, but you sure got us
figured wrong.” snapped Nick angrily at the assumption directed at them. “I don’t give a crap if you don’t know who
your father is. You have no control
over that. That occurred between two
people long before you were born. I
only care about the man I see before me and nothing else. Now if you turned out to be lower than a
snake’s belly, then that’d be a different story.”
A stunned sapphire eye
stared long into the determined hazel eyes and Heath nodded slightly, his
shoulder squeezed before the rancher stood, helping the blonde to his
feet.
“How about some breakfast
while you tell me how you got the Red Ghost to trust you so quickly?” suggested
Nick.
“His name’s Charger.”
corrected Heath buckling on his gunbelt and gingerly putting on his hat.
Smirking, Nick growled,
“Charger. Red Ghost. What difference does a name make? All I know is I thought he was gonna finish
the job the others started when you were lying in the corral.”
Opening the door, Heath
winked, “Same thought crossed my mind but then all I had to do was sweet talk
him just like I do the ladies.”
Walking down the hallway,
Nick snorted, “Sweet talk? Like I
believe that would work!”
Chuckling, Heath smiled, “You
want I should show you how to sweet talk the ladies, Barkley?”
“Oh shut up, Thomson.”
sighed Nick in aggravation, trying to hide his grin, unable to before the man
beside him saw it.
The morning treated the
two men to a glorious sunrise as they walked down the boardwalk to the
restaurant. Nick drank in the fresh air
with deep breaths while the blonde fought to get past the pain in his
head. Entering the small diner, Heath
stopped in his tracks and felt Nick barrel into his back.
“Dang it, Thomson.”
growled Nick stepping to the side of the still man, following his eyes to the
pretty waitress alone in the room of the just opened establishment.
“Mackenzie, what are you
doing here?” asked Heath. “I thought
ya’ didn’t have to work today.”
“Heath! My god, what happened?” stammered the girl
rushing over to his side and gently touching his face with her fingertips. “You look awful.”
Heath reached up and
grabbed hold of the small hand, holding it in his own. “It’s nothing. Seems someone took a disliking to me or something. I’m fine.
It’s not as bad as it looks, right Barkley?”
Violet eyes turned towards
him and Nick nodded, “Right Thomson.
Good thing you got a hard head.
Excuse me, Miss Knight.”
Waiting til Nick walked
away, Heath lowered his voice for her ears only, “Your father?”
“He left early this
morning. Mrs. Jenkins took sick and I
have to fill in for her.” explained Mackenzie, disappointment filling her
eyes. “I have to work all day, Heath. There’s nobody else who can fill in.”
Tenderly caressing her
cheek, Heath smiled slightly, “It’s okay, Mackenzie. We can always go riding another time. We have lots of time to do things.”
“I know, Heath.” smiled
Mackenzie. “Besides, I don’t know if you
should be riding in your condition.”
Winking, Heath took off
his hat and held it in front of their faces after he bent over to place a
lingering kiss on her lips. Nick sat at
the table and rolled his eyes when the blonde’s hat cut off his view of the two
people.
“I’ll miss you today.”
whispered Heath staring into the violet eyes, barely hearing her repeat the
same statement to him over his beating heart.
“Heath, you better go sit
down. I’ll bring you and Mr. Barkley
some coffee.” instructed Mackenzie squeezing his hand and entering the kitchen.
Walking over to the table,
Heath sat across from the older man and grinned. “Sure you don’t want any lessons in sweet talking?”
“I don’t need lessons!”
snapped Nick at the blonde who lowered his head and bit back his chuckle. Nick turned crimson when Mackenzie who was
placing cups of coffee in front of the two men jumped from the outburst. “Sorry, Miss Knight.”
“That’s okay, Mr.
Barkley.” replied Mackenzie curiously at the men. “I’ll be right out with your breakfasts.”
Heath chuckled after
Mackenzie left and shook his head at the glare he was receiving from across the
table, calmly sipping his coffee.
“Boy, one of these days
that mouth’s gonna get you killed.” teased Nick, startled at the flash of pain
which shot through the light blue eye.
The dark haired man not
understanding the pain the one sentence revived in the blonde for a second
before the memory flashed before him and left his eye darkened with anger. Clenching his hands, Heath turned his gaze
downwards into his coffee cup, the dark liquid the stage in which the memory
played out and he was lost in it for a minute.
The basement of the
Strawberry hotel, the man who should have been a loving relative instead was
the monster for his childhood nightmares, the dreaded basement room where he’d
heard those words spoken before the beatings would start. His young mind not comprehending what he’d
done to warrant such treatment from a person ten times his size.
“Heath?” queried Mackenzie
softly, touching his arm and startling the blonde back to the present, his eye
closing down the shutters, effectively snuffing out the emotions brought back
in a torrent.
“I’m sorry, uh, I was lost
in thought.” apologized Heath with a slight smile at the two concerned faces
looking back at him, before turning his attention to the breakfast. “Thanks, Mackenzie.”
“You’re welcome.” smiled
Mackenzie worry showing in her violet eyes before turning back to her job.
Nick watched the man across
from him take a deep calming breath after he tried to pick up his fork with a
shaky hand. Nick turned his attention
to his breakfast and felt his stomach twist from the expressive blue orb, the
mirror to the man’s soul telling him more than words could. The meal passed in silence with each man
lost in their thoughts. Nick felt
uncomfortable as the silence continued, almost as if in that brief moment, a
dark cloud surrounded the blonde keeping him inside of it.
“You know I didn’t get a
real good look at the Red Ghost, uh, Charger up close yet.” suggested Nick
quietly.
Grinning slightly, Heath
nodded, “It’d be a shame if you couldn’t see what you’ll be missing out on.”
Snorting, Nick grinned
back and stood up, “Well, lets go then.”
Saying goodbye to
Mackenzie who was steadily working, the two men left the small building
behind. Heath’s queasy stomach felt ten
times better after partaking in breakfast, although if anyone asked him, he
wouldn’t be able to say what he’d eaten.
Making their way down the boardwalk, both men heard the gunfire which
broke the early Sunday morning silence of the town. Rushing down the street towards the sounds, Nick pulled Heath
behind a wagon after two men galloped towards them, their guns spouting flame
as they came abreast of the them. The
bullets of the men sailed harmlessly over their heads.
“You okay?” asked Nick at
the blonde who was holding his shoulder.
“Yeah, I just hit the side
of the wagon when you pulled me down.
I’m okay.” drawled Heath, hearing shouts coming from down the
street.
Hurrying, Heath and Nick
ran up to the crowd gathered in front of the sheriff’s office. Dr. Merar knelt beside someone in the street
and they forced their way through the crowd. Nick stayed with the physician who
was working on the sheriff and Heath ran into the small jail.
Billy, the deputy was
being attended to by another man who was wrapping his shoulder in a
bandage. Entering the holding area,
Heath looked into the cell and sighed at the now deceased man, Jake Garrett.
“Is he gonna be okay?”
asked Heath pointing to the unconscious deputy.
“Yeah, it went clean
through.” nodded the stranger.
Walking out, Heath knelt
by Nick and smiled at the wounded sheriff.
“Fred, I thought you said this was a nice quiet town.”
Chuckling softly, Fred
grimaced from the pain of the wound in his left side and gasped,
“Guess…I…lied.”
Nick smirked and Heath
nodded before frowning, “Garrett’s dead.
You and Billy can’t ride. You
got anyone who can track in this town?”
“No.” gasped Fred.
Howard looked up angrily,
“Can’t this wait, Mr. Thomson?”
“No fraid not, Dr.
Merar. We gotta get after those men or
their won’t be any tracks left. The
clouds are building up in the west.
It’s gonna rain today.” advised Heath looking back down at the pale
lawman. “Swear me in Fred, just so
it’ll all be legal.”
Whispering, Fred swore the
former deputy in and grabbed his hand.
“Thanks…Heath.”
Patting the quickly fading
man’s hand, Heath nodded, “It’s my town too, Fred. Sides, I have more experience than your other two men.”
Two men from the crowd
picked up the now unconscious sheriff between them and carried him towards the
physician’s office. Howard grabbed hold
of the new deputy’s arm and sighed, “You really shouldn’t be riding with that
concussion, Mr. Thomson.”
Winking, Heath drawled,
“I’ll just add it to the list of other things I shouldn’t have done in my life,
doc.”
Shaking his head, the town
physician handed the blonde some powders.
“Headache powders. You’re gonna
need them.”
Nodding, Heath looked up
at the two new deputies and drawled, “Get me a badge then get your horses. I’ll meet you at the livery after I get my
rifle.”
Nick hurried to reach the
side of the blonde heading towards the hotel, “Hey, wait for me!”
Stopping, Heath looked at
the rancher, “Sorry, Barkley. You’ll
have to see Charger on your own.”
“I’m coming with you,
Thomson. Somebody’s gonna have to pick
up your sorry carcass when you fall off your horse.” stated Nick with a smile.
Heath grinned, “That’ll
never happen, Barkley. But I’d welcome
your help.”
The morning temperature
was warming rapidly when the small group of men left the town behind. The group led by the newly deputized blonde watched
his skill at tracking showing itself to those following his lead. Their leader was determined, tightlipped and
possessed the driving desire of a bloodhound on the trail of an animal.
The three men following
marveled at the ease in which the fugitives’ trail was picked up after it was
lost among one of nature’s ordinary obstacles.
Water and rocky ground were surfaces leaving little or no tracks. To an untrained eye, nothing seemed to be
disturbed. Everything appeared as it
should be in nature’s world.
To the eye of a tracker,
the rocks turned over and revealing their muddy ends in the water was
significant. Something or someone had
to create force to move the rock which was embedded into the muddy bottom of
the stream. This was not natural, it
was out of place.
To an untrained eye and
untrained mind, there was no way to track a horse across a rocky section of
land. This land didn’t have any dirt
for the horse to press down onto leaving an outline of a hoof print. To the eye of a tracker, the rocky ground
would tell its own tale just as the stream did. A small whitened mark would be left on the rocky surface, the end
result of the metal of the horse’s shoe striking the rock. No deep impression, only a small blight but
one that kept the riders moving.
Heath stopped the group of
men after they left the small rocky section which lead towards the west, his
eyes on the horizon, the dark low lying clouds creasing his face with anger as
much as the realization of the splitting of the two they were after. One continuing west, the other heading
north.
Nick and the others took a
drink from their canteens, the air was quickly becoming thick with humidity and
heat. The day was threatening to draw
all the moisture in the riders’ bodies out by means of perspiration.
“How far ahead do you
think they are?” questioned Nick.
“No more than an hour, I’d
guess.” drawled Heath wiping his sweatband on his hat before gingerly replacing
it back on his head. The headache
powders he’d taken before they left Stockton had worn off allowing a low
throbbing to start again. His head
rejoining in with the melody the rest of his body was playing.
Hazel eyes stared intently
at the bruised face of the man on the chestnut. The jaw was clenched against pain, his face pale under the
bruises, his lips never spoke of the world of hurt Nick knew the blonde was
in.
Heath glanced at the other
three with him and pointed down to the trails.
“They split up. If we don’t
catch them now, we may never find them.
Barkley and I will take the man going west, you two take the one headed
north. Their trails may come back
together. We’ll just have to see cause
a lot is gonna depend on the weather.
Watch yourselves and we’ll see you back in Stockton.”
With the decision made and
orders given, the group split into two sets.
Both sets of men knowing their jobs and willingly going forth to bring
the killers to justice. Heading further
west, the trail was easy to read and follow.
The man they sought no doubt was relying on mother nature to ensure his
escape was made. The men behind him
hoped to receive enough time from mother nature to folly his plans.
Today was not their lucky
day. Today was not the day mother
nature would smile down upon them.
She came rushing forth
announcing her intentions by first sending a strong cooler wind to reduce the
temperature in their hot, sweaty bodies.
The cool air was refreshing and at any other time would have been
welcomed with open arms on a hot summer day.
After the cool wind, small droplets of rain fell forcing the riders to
grab the slickers wrapped in their bed rolls behind the saddles.
The outer garments had
barely covered them before she let loose with a hard driving rain. Father nature surely must have gotten on her
bad side to have caused the force she used to drive the water to the
ground. Mother nature was upset and the
men on the ground knew it.
The rain was steady, the
lightning and thunder scaring the horses beneath them. Heath shouted to the rancher beside him, his
voice barely heard over the howling of the wind and the pelting of the rain
drops.
“Barkley, any place close
by to hole up?”
Nick gestured and turned
Coco heading back the way they came.
Heath and Brownie followed the new leader, grateful he was familiar with
the area and both hoping to be out of the elements soon. Nick felt the hair on his neck raise up
after the jagged streak of lightning cracked close by, he felt Coco’s muscles
bunching beneath him and he steadied his faithful friend. Glancing backward to ensure he was still
being followed by the blonde, Nick returned the wave he received and moved on.
Heath followed behind
keeping the other rider in sight in the darkness of the day. His head felt as if it had been reopened
from the pain shooting from the side and radiating upwards to the top of his
scalp. His jaw was stiff from clenching
it, his fingers grabbed onto the saddlehorn when dizziness threatened to topple
him from the saddle. Blinking his eyes,
he fought to keep them open and focused on the rancher in front of him.
Nick glanced backwards
again and stopped at the sight of the blonde slightly slumped in the
saddle. Waiting til Heath was alongside
him, Nick yelled over the wind.
“Thomson, we’re almost to
the ranch. Can you make it?”
Nodding slowly, the pained
sapphire eyes reflected determination not wanting to shout for fear the echo in
his head would steal his last remnant of control. Nick nodded back and started onwards. The main house of the ranch the closest port in the storm.
Entering the yard, Nick
rode up to the house and hollered for Ciego after he jumped down from
Coco. Heath climbed down slowly,
holding onto the leather saddle with a death grip until one of his hands were
pried away and his arm put across a strong set of shoulders. Nick walked the blonde into the house, his
call bringing his mother and oldest brother running into the foyer who stopped
in shock at the battered face of the man they saw under his hat.
Heath smiled slightly at
the other Barkley family members, his slicker dripping onto the oak paneled
floor. “Nice ta see ya’ again, Mrs.
Barkley.”
Nick rolled his eyes and
growled, “Let’s get these slickers off, Thomson. Then mother can look at your head.”
Grimacing when he nodded,
Heath closed his eyes briefly before speaking, “No need to go to any trouble,
ma’am. The headache powder’s in my
saddlebags. That’s all I need, Mrs.
Barkley.”
Victoria looked at Jarrod
who nodded and shrugged into a coat, opening the oak door and letting the
dampness into the foyer before it was closed again. Putting a hand on his covered arm, the gray eyes were warm and
concerned.
“Mr. Thomson, Nick will
get you over by the fire while I wait for Jarrod to bring in the medicine.”
suggested Victoria, her keen eyes noting her middle son was dragging the blonde
more than he was walking.
Jarrod entered and closed
the door behind him, handing the bottle to his mother. Victoria smiled her appreciation at Silas
who held out a glass of water to her, his ears hearing the conversation in the
foyer from where he was dusting some pictures.
“Thank you, Silas.” smiled
Victoria pouring in some of the powder and leading the way into the
parlor.
After taking off their slickers,
Nick had grabbed onto the shaky blonde when he wobbled and steadied him before
sitting him on the sofa. Feeling the
blonde’s shirt, he growled at the slap his hand received.
“Knock it off,
Barkley. It’s dry.” muttered Heath,
rubbing his temples in his fingers.
Sitting in the chair next
to him, Nick grinned, “Somebody’s gotta watch out for you, Thomson. I think you’re accident prone.”
Looking up, Heath snorted,
“I done told ya’ already, you’re bad luck, Barkley.”
“Here you go, Mr.
Thomson.” said Victoria holding the glass out to the young man, who smiled
gratefully and drank it down. Nick
chuckled at the scrunched up face of his trail partner at the taste of the
medicine.
“Thank you, Mrs.
Barkley. I’m sorry to inconvenience you
like this.” apologized Heath.
Sitting across from him,
Victoria waved off his apology. “Please
there is no reason to apologize. We’re
happy to be of help, Mr. Thomson.”
Jarrod walked over to
stand behind his mother and smiled, “Seems you may have had a bit of trouble
since we last saw each other, Mr. Thomson.”
“Somebody jumped him last
night at the livery.” stated Nick answering for the younger man who was sitting
back and holding his forehead in his hand.
“Mother, Garrett’s dead.”
“What!” exclaimed Jarrod
placing a hand on his mother’s shoulder.
Heath looked up into the
shocked gray eyes of the woman across from him. “Mrs. Barkley, we were trailing
one of them when the rain started. I’m
afraid we lost his trail. I’m terribly
sorry.”
Patting Jarrod’s hand,
Victoria wiped the tears which formed in her eyes and sighed, “We are grateful
for you bringing him to Stockton, Mr. Thomson.
I admit to wanting a chance to hear what Mr. Garrett would have said in
a court of law regarding the murder of my husband, however, it appears we’ll
never have that chance. It would have
been a closure for our family.”
Understanding reflected in
the sapphire eye and Heath nodded slightly, “Yes, ma’am. All is not lost as of yet though, Mrs.
Barkley. If we can find out the identities
of the two men from this morning, it will be another trail for the law to
follow. Catching them may reveal who is
behind Garrett’s murder, who wanted to make sure his secrets were never
spilled. There is still hope.”
“Thank you, Mr. Thomson.”
smiled Victoria standing and turning to Nick.
“Nicholas, please show our guest to one of the rooms so he can rest.”
“I’m fine, ma’am.”
protested Heath quickly, his words earning him an upraised eyebrow and two
small hands on her hips.
“I can see you’re not
fine, young man. You are in no
condition to ride at this moment and I insist you make use of our hospitality.”
stated Victoria firmly.
“Yes, ma’am.” whispered
Heath with a sigh before pushing himself to his feet. Nick grabbed onto the slightly teetering man and put his arm over
his shoulder steering him out into the foyer.
“Thomson, maybe you should
move in with Dr. Merar when we get back to town.” teased Nick helping the
blonde up the grand staircase with Jarrod and Victoria watching.
“Barkley, you’re lucky
your mother is here or you’d hear exactly what I think of that idea.” growled
Heath, his voice carrying down to the entry and lighting up two faces with
smiles. “Boy howdy, ya’ didn’t tell me
we had to climb a mountain to get to the room.”
Chuckling, Nick shook his
head and entered the room next to his, sitting the blonde on the bed. Turning to get a blanket out of the closet,
he returned to the bed and covered the exhausted man, already deep in sleep or unconscious. Taking off the boots, Nick quietly closed
the door and headed downstairs to the parlor to explain the events of the
previous night and the beginning of the day.
Nick leaned against the
frame of the open french doors, his arms crossed while he inhaled the freshness
of the early evening air. The rain
stopped an hour ago, a beautiful painted rainbow graced the valley with its
appearance. After delivering the
explanation of the events in the last twenty four hours to his mother and
brother, the rancher settled in the study to complete some long neglected
paperwork.
Staring at the figures in
the books, he couldn’t get his mind to focus and wrap itself around the dreaded
chore. His eyes would stare unfocused,
looking unseeing at nothing through the droplets of rain on the window. It’d been four hours since he’d helped the
newly deputized blonde up to a guest room and the last time he’d checked, he
was still asleep.
The blonde was deep in
slumber and hadn’t moved at all. Nick
felt a smile lift the corners of his mouth at the toughness of the younger
man. Thinking, Nick knew this man was
one of the strongest he’d ever run across and yet, he was so young. His line of thought had him closing the
books and opening the doors where he now stood.
Jarrod walked into the room
and studied his younger brother’s profile before quietly making his way over
and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“You okay, Nick?” inquired
the family attorney, his blue eyes looking out over his mother’s carefully
manicured garden.
Sighing, Nick shrugged,
“I’m just thinking, Jarrod. Thinking
about Thomson.”
Removing his hand, Jarrod
leaned against the other door frame and suggested, “Mr. Thomson surely is a
contradiction, isn’t he?”
“A contradiction?” repeated
Nick turning his hazel eyes to pierce the light blue ones. “What do you mean?”
Jarrod replied, “Nick, how
many bounty hunters are polite and courteous as him? How many are willing to bring a man in alive rather than
dead? How many would ask to be
deputized to chase after those two men today?
Nick, he is a contradiction to everything I’ve ever known a bounty
hunter to be or heard of.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re
right.” admitted Nick before turning his eyes back to the outside world. “I was real worried about him last night and
today. He shouldn’t have been out
riding with his head injury. If it
hadn’t started pouring, I don’t think he would’ve stopped til he caught them. He’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever
met Jarrod.”
Surprised, Jarrod heard
the admiration in the rancher’s voice and smiled, “He can’t be more than twenty
years old, brother Nick.”
Nodding, Nick walked over
to the bar and poured two drinks, handing one to Jarrod and moved to perch
himself on the corner of the desk.
“That’d be my guess too. You
shoulda seen him in the fight with the Craddock crew, especially when the knife
was pulled on him. Then today, he
tracked those men til the rain came not once worrying about himself. I think he’s had a very difficult life so
far, Pappy.”
“What makes you think so?”
questioned Jarrod curiously, watching the wonder in the hazel eyes.
Shrugging, Nick took a sip
of his drink, “Just some things he’s mentioned in passing and I’ve seen in his
eyes.”
Understanding lit up the
blue eyes of the attorney and he smiled to himself. Nick was already almost as protective of the new citizen as he
was of anyone in the family. Jarrod
could read in the hazel eyes, the trust his little brother placed in this
man. Nick was not a man who gave such
trust readily and Jarrod found himself eager to know more about the man resting
upstairs.
“When I first met him
after he caught the Red Ghost..” said Jarrod looking up at the interruption.
“Charger. He named the stallion Charger.” informed
Nick with a grin.
Bowing slightly, Jarrod
smiled, “Sorry, Charger. When I first
saw him after he caught Charger, I felt something familiar about Mr. Thomson.”
“Me, too!” replied
Nick. “It feels as if I’ve known him
for years. Funny, ain’t it?”
Clapping his younger brother
on the back, Jarrod nodded, “Since he’s going to be staying around, I’d say we
can look forward to knowing our Mr. Thomson for a lot of years to come.”
Nick stood up and placed
his glass on the desk, “Lucky for us and Stockton, he decided to buy a ranch
here. I’m gonna see if he’s awake yet.”
Jarrod watched the
retreating back of his brother, the excitement in the hazel eyes when he stood
up to leave the room left a broad smile on the eldest Barkley son’s face. He took Nick’s place at the french doors and
found his mind wondering about the familiar feeling the blonde rose in him and
the other members of his family who had come in contact with the bounty hunter.
A soft groan filled the
room before the sapphire eyes opened and stared at the ceiling above in
confusion. The state of befuddlement
quickly disappeared from the dissipation of the fog surrounding his mind. The events of the day returned providing the
answer as to why he was in the strange room.
Pushing back the blanket, Heath took a deep breath and swung his legs
over the side of the bed, gently rubbing his bruised face for a moment before
spying his boots on the floor. Pulling
on the tan foot coverings, he stood and folded the soft warm material before
stepping to the door.
Jerking the door open, he
moved to the side as the large fist slide by his face. The hazel eyes of the fist’s owner were wide
and startled from his miss of the door panel after it was unexpectedly opened.
“Dang it, Barkley. I got enough bruises without adding another
one.” drawled Heath before a lop-sided grin lit up his face.
“I thought maybe you were
hibernating in there, Thomson.” teased Nick before leading the way down the
hallway to the staircase. “Feeling better?”
“Yep.” drawled Heath. “Sorry about crashing out on ya’ Barkley.”
Nick smirked in
understanding, “It’s not like you were sleeping off a bender! You shouldn’t have been riding today.”
“Yes, Nurse Barkley.”
grinned Heath as they reached the bottom step.
“Boy howdy, I don’t know how I made it through my first twenty years
without your nursing skills.”
Nick’s angry response was
cut off by deep robust laughter and clapping hands. Jarrod’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement on his way to the two
men. “It’s nice to know Nick has a
profession to fall back on in case the ranch goes under, Mr. Thomson.”
Chuckling, Heath smacked
the scowling dark haired rancher on the back, “Just promise us we won’t have to
see you in a nursing uniform, Barkley.
That’d be an awful frightening sight!”
Clenching his hands and
shaking his head in disgust, Nick snorted, “You two are just a barrel of
laughs! Ha! Ha!”
Victoria smiled to herself
at the three men in the foyer, the light banter between then seemed as natural
as breathing. Moving into the entry,
she smiled and stopped in front of the youngest man, her hand on his forearm as
she scrutinized his face, satisfied with the benefits he received from his
rest.
“A rest has done you a
world of good, Mr. Thomson.”
“Thank you, Mrs.
Barkley. I feel like a new man.” agreed Heath with a nod. “I appreciate the use of one of your rooms,
ma’am.”
“I hope we’ll still have
the pleasure of your company for dinner tonight, Mr. Thomson.” suggested
Victoria feeling the sapphire eyes pull her deeper into their depths.
“Mrs. Barkley, I should be
getting back to town. I need to check
on Fred and Billy, then fulfill the duties bestowed on me with this badge.”
replied Heath with a small smile.
Nodding, Victoria sighed,
“I understand. You will agree to have
dinner with us soon though Mr. Thomson.
Please feel free to come out at any time.”
A wide smile spread across
the blonde’s face and he nodded, “It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Barkley.”
Nick poked the blonde in
the back, “Com’n, I’ll ride into town with you.”
“There’s no need for that,
Barkley. I can make it on my own.”
stated Heath firmly.
Winking at the bruised
man, Nick snorted, “I just wanna make sure you don’t get lost.”
Rolling his eyes, Heath
repeated his thanks again to the silver haired lady and shook the hand of the
smiling blue-eyed brother before following Nick to the door, stopping as Silas
entered the foyer with a glass of water mixed with headache powder and the
bottle containing the remaining medicine.
Smiling, Heath took the glass and saluted the older dark gentleman.
“Boy howdy, Mr. Whiting, I
haven’t had so many people fuss over me in a coon’s age.” grinned Heath after
downing the concoction. “Thank you,
sir.”
Dark eyes twinkled before
the small man nodded, “Ya’s welcome, Mr. Thomson.”
Nodding his good-byes
again, Heath followed Nick out the oak door, leaving the three people standing
in the foyer, each wondering at the sense of loss which had suddenly risen up
in them.
Entering the town of
Stockton alone, Heath rode to the livery and stabled Brownie. The ride into town for Nick Barkley had been
cut short by the discovery of a weakened dam on their property. He and his crew had ridden out to reinforce
the structure after stating a promise to catch up to the blonde during the
week. Completing the grooming of
Brownie, Heath left the livery and climbed up on the top rail of the fence,
spending a few minutes with the red stallion and thanking the animal for his protection
of the other night.
Throwing his saddlebags
over his shoulder and carrying his rifle, he bypassed the hotel and headed
straight for the jail. The other
deputies were back, their progress also stopped by the fury of mother nature. Both groups of men had ended up empty
handed. The men had already been
instructed by Fred Maden to keep watch on the town for the evening. Heading to the physician’s office, Heath
sighed in relief when the doctor reinforced the knowledge the sheriff and
deputy were out of danger. Howard
smiled at the irritation of the blonde man when he grudgingly allowed the
medicine man to examine his handiwork before sending Heath on his way.
Mackenzie Knight’s violet
eyes were fraught with worry, the day spent working not dispelling the fear at the
thought of the man who haunted her dreams riding after the two men who
committed a Sunday morning murder. The
restaurant’s business was slow, the hours agonizing crawled and her mind
conjured up all types of nasty scenarios.
By the time she left, her stomach was in knots, her hands hurt from the
clenching and unclenching of them. She
tried to dispel the nervousness but couldn’t.
The blonde occupied her every thought that afternoon, his battered face
flashing in her mind. She found herself
walking to the window and peering out at the street every few minutes, hoping
to see him riding in, safe and sound.
The sound of knocking on
the door had her running across the room and flinging the door open. She cried out in relief and pulled the man
who captured her heart into the dwelling, shutting the door and wrapping
herself in his arms.
“Heath, I’ve been so
worried about you all day!”
“I’m fine, Mackenzie. I’m sorry to have been a worry, honey. Shush it’s okay.” assured Heath, surprised
and warmed by the woman in his arms.
Heath held her tightly in
his arms and drank in the smell of roses in her auburn hair before claiming her
lips in a deep lingering kiss. Melting
against him, Mackenzie matched the passion in the kiss, her hands pulling him
closer to her, the trembling in her limbs sending a surge of need through
her. Releasing her lips, gentle kisses
and nibbles on her neck left her gasping for air, control between the two was
rapidly falling away.
Heath held onto her, his
body screaming out for the feel of her.
Pulling her to the sofa, he held her in his arms and placed another kiss
on her lips before laying his head on her shoulder, his ragged breaths filling
the air. Mackenzie closed her eyes
feeling his warm breath on her neck, her body hungering for the feel of his
touch. Her ragged breaths matched his.
Lifting his face, she
stared into the full emotive eyes and teasingly kissed the corners of his lips,
a groan of pleasure rose from his throat, her tongue pried open his lips,
searching in his mouth.
Shifting her to sit on his
lap, Heath met her exploring tongue with his own. His hands ran down her back and clasped onto her tiny waist. He pulled her closer to him, seeking to
merge with her, their clothing stopping them from becoming one.
A small hand opened the
top button of his shirt and Heath stiffened, his large hand stopping her
fingers. He saw the questioning look in
her violet eyes.
“Heath, I want to.”
whispered Mackenzie, barely hearing his whispered response after he shook his head.
“Mackenzie, I’ve led a
life which has left physical scars on me.”
His voice weakened with emotion and desire, his sapphire eyes were
filled with pain and shame.
Seeing the look in his
eyes, Mackenzie took his hand and kissed its palm before moving to straddle his
lap. Heath closed his eyes as the small
fingers slowly unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it open revealing his muscular
chest. Her eyes saw the bruising
received the night before and tears filled her eyes.
Heath shuddered at her
light touch, her fingers running lightly over the dark bruising, slowly
outlining the moon birthmark before trailing down to his side. He inhaled sharply as her fingertips touched
the start of the scar, her eyes widening with anger before she pulled him
forward into her. Her arms wound around
him, one hand holding him against her, the other slowly removing the blue
shirt.
Her eyes ran over the
scars she saw on the top of his shoulders, shifting to look at the remainder of
his back. Understanding at the scars
flashed in her eyes, her heart crying out for the man who was trembling against
her. Running her hand over his back,
she nibbled his earlobe before whispering, “All I see is the man I love.”
Choking back a sob,
Heath’s emotions were spiraling out of control from her acceptance and the soft
biting of his earlobe, her tongue flicking inside. Pulling back, Heath held her face in his hands, love filled
sapphire eyes stared into love filled violet eyes.
Lowering his mouth, he gently
kissed her eyelids, his lips leaving her face tingling after each sensual touch
before he took her breath away with his passionate and promising kiss.
“I love you, too.”
whispered in the room, his hands trembling as he opened her blouse, pushing back
the material to reveal breasts tightened against the lace chemise. Mackenzie pulled his head down and his lips
followed her wishes, stirring the flame into a blazing forest fire, her back
arched from the progress of his kisses.
The slow tender touches
replaced with hands fueled with urgency.
The need to become one overwhelming them both, making them oblivious to
everything but each other. The sofa
becoming their place of lovemaking, their bare bodies allowing both to gasp as
they merged in their entwined sitting position. Their moans of pleasure and fulfillment darkened their eyes, two
became one in their souls and physically, their sounds filled the room of the
small house.
Spent, satisfied and
smiling as they lay facing each other wrapped in a quilt on the sofa, Heath
brushed back the fallen lock of auburn hair and kissed the rosy lips.
“I’ve been yours for this
lifetime and the next from the moment I first looked into your eyes. Mackenzie Knight, will you marry me?”
His heart which was
pounding in anticipation of the answer to his question, twisted slightly when
no answer was heard in the room.
Looking down at the woman in his arms, Heath smiled and his eyes filled. Her beautiful face was relaxed in sleep, her
head lay in the crook of his arm, the warmth of her body melded with his.
He’d known since the first
time he looked at her, she was the woman for him, the sight of her filled his
inner being with desire, hope and promise.
Shifting slightly on the sofa, he pulled her closer into him and smiled
at his name mumbled in her sleep. His
leg draped over hers and her hand reached around his back and absently rubbed
his scars in her sleep.
Her touch light and
gentle, stopping after a few minutes but the damage had been done, she’d stoked
the flickering into a flame and gentle kisses woke her from sleep. Tender ministrations followed, the pace slow
and caressing, both sets of hands taking their time exploring their partner,
searching for each other’s tantalizing spots.
The desire reaching a point of explosion and raising himself above her,
both promised their love to each other again before they culminated
together. Wrapped in each other’s arms,
their sweat drenched bodies gasped for air, the frenzy of their emotions
matched each others. Rolling onto his
back with Mackenzie on top of him, Heath brushed back her hair and smiled at
the wild emotion in the violet eyes.
“I can’t imagine the
future without you, darlin’. Mackenzie
Knight, will you marry me?” asked Heath as he stared into the violet eyes which
filled with tears.
She lowered her mouth and
captured his lips, her passion flowing and he wrapped his arms around her,
matching what she was giving. Her tears
spilling out of her eyes when she lifted her head and smiled into the burning
sapphire eyes.
“Yes, Heath Thomson, I’ll
marry you.”
Joy and happiness spread
across the two faces staring at each other, smoldering violet eyes looked at
him with desire as she moved her body on his, her locks of auburn hair falling
and unkempt as she brought him again to the edge where all reason and control
was lost.
Falling asleep in each
other’s arms, the night passed and early morning arrived, the promises reflecting
in the two sets of eyes as they gazed at each other before tasting the passion
of each other again.
Walking Mackenzie to the
restaurant, Heath left her with a lingering kiss before heading to the hotel
looking forward to enjoying dinner with her that night. Changing and cleaning up, he made his way to
the livery, entering the corral and spending time with Charger. The horse reveled in the soft words, the
tone a welcome sound, the scratching behind the ears a welcome gesture.
Jim Fargas stood outside
and watching the activity in the corral, his wrinkled face smiling with
wonder. The blonde bounty hunter taking
his time, his actions deliberate, each action happening for a reason, each
action in their own way needed to achieve the end goal.
Heath smiled to himself
when Charger nudged him as he walked away, the massive horse responding to the
gentle master before him. Reaching up
and scratching his ears, Heath winked at Jim Fargas before climbing over the
corral fence leaving the stallion looking at him before walking away, head down
wondering why his master had left.
“Morning.” drawled Heath
returning the man’s greeting before asking, “Mr. Fargas, do you like working
here?”
Shrugging, Jim sighed, “I
don’t have much choice, Mr. Thomson.
I’m an old man and opportunity is not knocking on my door. With this bum leg, there’s not much
cowboying I can do.”
“Well, my name’s not
opportunity but I’m buying a ranch today and could use a good man to help me
get started off on the right foot.” suggested Heath quietly. “I’m gonna be hiring a crew to help restore
the ranch buildings and need someone to keep the work progressing while I’m out
rounding up horses. I’m also looking
for someone to help me take care of the ranch site and my family’s welfare.”
“You’re married?” asked
Jim in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
Smiling, Heath shook his
head, “I’m engaged but I want a large family.
I’ll also be bringing my aunt here once the house is made livable. I need a trustworthy person to keep them
safe while I’m away from the ranch.”
Nodding, Jim thought over
the offer and held out his hand to the younger man, “I’m honored you’d consider
me for the job. You don’t know anything
about me, Mr. Thomson.”
Smiling, Heath sealed the
deal with a firm shake, “Mr. Fargas, I wouldn’t make such an offer unless I’d
checked out your qualifications first.
Fred Maden speaks highly of you and I’m a pretty good judge of character
myself. Tomorrow, we’ll head out to the
ranch.”
Heath spent the afternoon
in the bank, collecting his bounty from the shocked returning bank
manager. Setting up a new account with
the funds, he added another significant amount from his account in Pine Crest
before stopping at the general store.
Knocking on the door of
the small house, Mackenzie greeted him with a passionate kiss, hands flying to
cover her mouth when the blonde knelt on one knee and reproposed, placing a
diamond ring on her finger, a sign of their commitment to each other.
As the former bounty hunter
sat on the hill and overlooked the ranch that lay at the bottom of the
mountains, he had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake and not
dreaming. It had taken one month and a
crew of five men to get the ranch buildings into shape. Wells had been dug, corrals put up, one barn
repaired and another erected to shelter the horses which were the future
earnings of his ranch. The month had
been long, the work hard, the schedule grueling with only Sundays off for the
workers and boss.
He’d made the right choice
to hire Jim Fargas, the man was the definition of trustworthiness and
loyalty. The older man’s knowledge
gained Heath a crew of five steady and reliable men who shirked no duty,
delivering what their boss asked and required.
The completion of the work a week ahead of schedule was rewarded with a
bonus and the rest of the weekend off.
His ranch. His barns.
His home. The place to which
he’d soon bring Mackenzie, the woman who was to be his wife.
“I’m a lucky man,
Charger.”
Smiling, he leaned down
and petted the red stallion beneath him, the animal shaking his head in
agreement and stomping one hoof.
Laughing, he turned his head towards Stockton and nudged the stallion in the sides. Today was Saturday and tonight was an annual dance held for the
benefit of the orphanage. He was
looking forward to spending the evening with Mackenzie encased in his arms, the
thought of her sending a surge of desire and happiness through him.
In two weeks, they would
be wed becoming one, forming a partnership for life and on Monday he would
leave for Strawberry to bring his Aunt Rachel to her new home. He knew Mackenzie was nervous about
meeting the other woman near and dear to his heart. The time spent traveling into town passed quickly and he dismounted
at the small shed in the back of the house, unsaddling the stallion and leaving
him in the small corral after a quick grooming.
Knocking and entering the
house, Heath wrapped his arms around her and hungrily kissed her lips as he
fall back against the door. Moving his
lips over her throat and into the hollow of her neck, he worked his way back up
to nibble on her ear lobe turning her knees to butter, his hands running down
her back and to her buttocks, pulling her closer to him.
“God, I’ve missed you
honey.” whispered Heath his breath warm on her skin, her hands working their
way under his shirt, feeling his muscular body, her fingertips dancing over his
skin.
“Oh, me too.” moaned
Mackenzie, quivering as he picked her up and carried her further into the
bedroom. Wrapping her arms around his
neck, she ran her tongue over his lips and smiled at his groan of pleasure as
she teased him.
Placing her gently on the
bed, he slowly untied her dressing gown and lightly ran his fingertips over her
body before undressing and lowering himself over her. Eyes burning with need and smoldering with desire met each other
before he claimed her lips in a deep searching kiss, moving to join with her,
until the fireworks exploded in each of them.
Lips meeting again, hands rolling her on top of him before his limbs
wrapped around her, holding her tightly as they both shuddered from the
wildness they created in each other.
“Let’s stay here like this
all night, Zie.” whispered Heath, gently kissing her lips before caressing her
cheek.
Mackenzie smiled tenderly
at the nickname and shook her head, “You know we can’t. The Barkleys are expecting us at their
table. Nick’ll be upset if we’re late.”
Groaning in
disappointment, Heath drawled, “Lordy can’t have Barkley upset now, can we?”
Running her fingers over
his chest, she followed it’s path with kisses, searing his skin. “We have plenty of time til we have to get
ready. That’s why I wanted you here
early.”
Closing his eyes and inhaling
at her touch, he mumbled, “I thought you wanted to talk about the wedding.”
“Hmmm, more like the
wedding night.” purred Mackenzie,
violet eyes flashing wickedly, working the man beneath her into a frenzy again
with her touches, his response matching hers, the flames bursting all around.
An hour later, Heath
growled and cursed in front of the mirror.
“I heard that!” called Mackenzie from the bedroom.
Rolling his eyes, Heath
sighed and gave up on the tie hanging from his neck. “I hate ties!”
“I heard that too.”
whispered Mackenzie wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Let me do that for you, hon.”
Turning in her arms, Heath
stared at the woman holding him, his hands reached up and pushed her back a
step, his eyes taking in the sight before him.
“WOW! Zie, boy howdy!”
Mackenzie reached up and
tied the black string tie, her cheeks rosy with pleasure at his widened
eyes. Patting his chest, she asked, “Do
you like my new dress?”
Heath grinned at the pale
lavender silk dress, her bare shoulders and a slight amount of cleavage
showing, her hair swept up and back, brushed to a shine, her earlobes holding
two amethyst earrings which matched her necklace.
“New dress? I was just noticing your necklace.” replied
Heath, receiving a slap on the arm at his wink. “Zie, you look ravaging, beautiful and I’m not gonna be able to
keep my eyes off you tonight.”
Holding out her wrap,
Mackenzie smiled as he held it for her, “Heath, you look very handsome
yourself. You clean up nicely, Mr.
Thomson.”
Taking her hand and bowing
over it, Heath placed a kiss on it before saying, “Why thank you, Miss Knight.”
Giggling at each other,
Heath held open the door and locked it behind her. The couple walked down the street to the hall where the dance
would be. The moon full under the night
sky shining down on the two in love.
Entering the hall, Heath nodded his greetings on their way to the table
where the Barkley family sat.
“Thomson, I thought maybe
you weren’t gonna show. Where you been,
boy?” growled Nick taking the blonde’s hand in his, receiving a rolling of eyes
at his greeting from Heath and his family.
“Boy howdy Barkley, I
didn’t know ya’ was the mother hen of the evening.” smirked Heath winking at
the man who over the past month offered his friendship readily and without
reservation. “Jarrod, you finally
decide to see if Nick can get along by himself and earn his keep as a
baby-sitter?”
“You are not a funny guy,
Thomson.” grinned Nick slapping the blonde on the back at the family’s
laughter. The friendship between the
two men growing deeper as time passed, common ground of ranching and love of
the land, helping to draw them closer.
“So you’ve said, Barkley.”
drawled Heath before greeting the other members of the family and their
guests. The start of the orchestra
signified the movement of people onto the dance floor. Victoria danced with Nick and smiled at the
young couple obliviously much in love.
“They look so happy.”
sighed Victoria looking up at her middle son’s face, receiving a wide grin of
agreement.
“I have to agree with you,
Mother.” admitted Nick. “I can’t
believe they’re getting married in two weeks.
I know I feel as if I’ve known Heath forever but even that’s too fast
for me.”
Victoria smiled, “You
can’t put love on a timeline, Nicholas.
I, of course, wouldn’t mind if one of my sons announced an upcoming
engagement.”
“I’ll speak to Jarrod
about that Mother.” teased Nick with a wink, her laugher of delight filling his
ears.
The night passed quickly,
the hall becoming stuffy and hot.
Mackenzie made her way to the door to get a breath of fresh air, hoping
to quell the hotness of her face. The
stars were sprinkled like glitter on black velvet, her eyes looking up into the
clear night sky as she stood on the boardwalk.
Closing her eyes, she enjoying the cool night air on her face.
Her eyes opened suddenly
when a hand clamped over her mouth and the smell of whiskey reached her nose
before she was pulled off the boardwalk, kicking her feet and flailing her
arms.
The sawdust floor of the
hall was filled with men and woman twirling around, their smiles and laughter
filling the air. Heath caressed the
cheek of his dancing partner and whispered in her ear.
“Darlin’, Fred is here and
I need to speak with him. Would you
mind if I left you for just a moment?”
Shaking her head,
Mackenzie smiled, “I’ll go speak with Audra for a little while, Heath.”
Placing a gentle kiss on
her cheek, Heath smiled his appreciation and led her off the dance floor. Nick watched the inseparable couple parting
and Heath strode purposely towards the lawman who was circling the room
greeting his citizens. Jim Fargas and
another of the hands, Matt Duer saw their boss heading to the sheriff and moved
forward in the same direction. Nick touched
Jarrod on the arm and motioned with his head, the two brothers heading towards
the gathering in a corner of the room.
Flanking their boss, the men listened to the conversation, their faces
darkened with scowls.
“No, we haven’t seen
anything, Fred. All’s I know is twice
Craddock cattle have been on my land.” stated Heath firmly. “That fence is rock solid. Someone had to take it down.”
“Heath, you pushed the
cattle back and they fixed the fence both times.” replied Fred calmly. “Sounds to me like they corrected the
problem. You know the law.”
“Boss, tell him about the
waterholes and the shot.” pleaded Jim, earning a cold glare from the younger
man which silenced any further comments, before turning back to the lawman.
“What shot?” demanded Nick
hearing the older man’s statement.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing I can’t take care
of, Barkley.” drawled Heath, his outer calm a contrast to the flashing sapphire
eyes.
“Heath, what is Jim
talking about? Someone shot at you?”
questioned Fred intensely.
“I can watch out for
myself, but I’m telling ya’ Fred, if I catch anyone on my land, I’ll take care
of them my way. I didn’t work hard to
have someone destroy what I built up!”
Turning on his heel, Heath
walked away with the men, taking a calm breath, inwardly knowing there would be
nothing the sheriff could do about the strange events happening at his
ranch. The conversation was more of a
heads up for Fred in case things went further or became deadlier. Searching the crowd in the hall, Heath made
his way to the Barkley table inquiring where his fiancée was. As he neared the door to the outside, a
scream of terror in a familiar voice sent him rushing outside into the darkness
with others following.
Eyes wide in terror,
Mackenzie felt the strong arm holding her by the waist, the hand clamped over
her face and she was bodily propelled backwards into the blackness of the
alley. Screaming under the hand, her
shouts of distress were muffled, her hands and legs flailing. Kicking the shin of the man, she heard him
curse before he pushed her roughly against the side of the building. The air whooshed out of her lungs and she
cried out in pain, tears springing into her eyes. Seeing light flashes before her eyes when the back of her head hit
the wall, she barely felt his hand roughly groping and pulling at her, his
mouth crushing her lips. Coming out of
the stunned fog, she screamed after she bit his lip, his hand backhanding her
and her knees buckled, his voice cold in her ear before she lost consciousness
and fell into the dirt of the alley.
“Tell your man, next time
I’m gonna kill him then I’ll finish what we started here.”
Heath rushed out the door
shouting for his fiancée, fear climbing up his spine from the silence greeting
him. Jim and Mike turned left down the
boardwalk while Nick and Heath turned right.
Glancing into the alley, Heath shouted “MACKENZIE!”
Kneeling beside the still
woman, Heath bent over and brushed back her hair, his voice trembling with
fear, his hands shaking, “Mackenzie?
Zie? Honey, it’s me. I’m here.”
Nick took off his coat and
laid it over the unconscious woman to keep her warm and ordered someone to
fetch Dr. Merar. Heath stroked the
auburn hair, his finger sticky and he saw the blood on them. His eyes looked up into the concerned hazel
eyes, his voice deadly serious, “Whoever touched her is as good as dead, Nick.”
Squeezing the smaller
man’s shoulder, Nick pulled Heath to the side when Dr. Merar arrived, stating
it was safe to move her. Heath wrapped
the large suit coat around the tiny woman and picked her up in his arms, his
eyes glistening with tears at her lax body remembering carrying her in his arms
earlier that afternoon. Victoria and
Audra followed with the rest of the family to the physician’s office and
examination room as Heath carefully laid her on the cot, his eyes filled with
anguish at the bruises quickly formed on her face.
Taking his arm, Victoria
pulled the distraught blonde into the waiting room before Heath could react to
his exclusion from her side. Nick and
Jarrod stopped him as he moved towards the room.
“Heath give Dr. Merar a
chance to examine Mackenzie.” said Jarrod quietly and firmly. “He needs to concentrate on her right
now. Mother and Audra’s there with her. They’ll take good care of Mackenzie.”
Closing his eyes, Heath
nodded before moving away from the brothers, clenching his hands at his sides,
his body shaking with conflicting emotions of anger and fear. His legs feeling heavy, he sat in a chair and
held his head in his hands. His
tormented whisper reaching the ears of Nick who knelt by the chair.
“I shouldn’t have left
her. She should’ve been by my side all
night. It’s all my fault.”
“Heath, it’s not your
fault.” assured Nick placing a hand on the hunched over back. “Thomson, we’ll find whoever did this.”
Jumping up from the chair,
Heath walked to the window and looked out before turning and pacing the small
waiting room. Nick and Jarrod sat in
two chairs, their eyes following the pacing of the worried man. Nick frowned when he thought back on part of
the conversation he heard between the blonde rancher and the lawman at the
hall.
“Thomson, someone giving
you problems on your ranch?” asked Nick curiously, his question stopping the
pacing. Leaning up against the wall,
Heath took a deep breath and shrugged.
“Well, life is never
without it’s trials and tribulations.”
Jarrod covered the smile
on his mouth when Nick’s scowled deepened at the calm statement. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sapphire eyes met hazel
eyes and the message was soft but firm, “It means, I’ll take care of my house
in my own way. Don’t concern yourself,
Barkley.”
“I’m sure you can take
care of it, whatever it is, which you haven’t said anything about this past
month.” replied Nick, his wounded heart reflecting in his words. “Course, if I’d known something was
happening, I’d have offered my help or just an ear. In case you didn’t know, that’s what friends do.”
Lowering his eyes, Heath
felt a stab of shame inside him at the hurt in the large man’s words. Having to take care of himself for so many
years, he’d never considered handling the difficult situation any differently. This man in the same room offered nothing
but his friendship and it was frightening to the blonde. Frightening in the sense he had few friends
in his life and wasn’t sure of exactly all the intricacies friendship created,
meant or demanded. Frightening and yet
it offered a sense of reassurance he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Barkley, I’m used to relying on myself, you can’t
change something like that overnight.
But I appreciate your offer.” offered Heath in a matter-of-fact voice,
raising his eyes to relook into the hazel ones, glad he saw understanding in
them.
Smiling slightly, Nick
growled, “Just don’t forget, boy.”
Nodding, Heath looked up
at the opening of the inner door and rushed to the entering physician, his eyes
wide, his questions flying out fast and quick.
“How’s Mackenzie? Is she
awake? Can I see her?”
Holding a hand up to stop
the verbal barrage, Howard nodded, “She’s awake, Mr. Thomson. A little banged up, a very mild concussion,
bruised and sore. I’m sorry it took so
long but I had to make sure her head injury wasn’t worse than it appeared. She didn’t know her last name when she woke
up. She said her name was Daye. But, her confusion is cleared up now.”
Stiffening slightly, Heath
inquired hopefully, “I can see her, right?”
Smiling, Howard nodded and
held the door open allowing the blonde access into the examining room. Victoria released the small hand she was
holding and squeezed Heath’s arm on her way out of the room with Audra beside
her. Howard closed the door, leaving
the young couple alone.
Standing beside the bed,
Heath blinked his tears away and held her small hand to his lips, a tender kiss
bringing tears to her eyes before he leaned over and pushed a stray lock of
hair behind her ear. His hand cupping
her unbruised cheek, his words barely reaching her ears.
“Zie, I’m sorry. I should’ve been there by your side.”
Sobbing, Mackenzie held
his hand to her cheek. “It was
awful. I was so scared, Heath. I can still feel his hands and I, god, I…”
The sobbing continued
stopping any further words, her small frame shaking with terror. Sitting on the bed, he picked her up and
rocked her gently, chasing away her fears with his strong arms, his words of
love the last sound she heard before sleep took her into relaxation. His lips kissing her temple, his eyes crying
silent tears, her pain his, her terror his.
The sun had risen an hour
before Heath entered the small bedroom with two cups of coffee, his eyes tired
from lack of sleep, his heart full as he gazed upon Mackenzie in slumber. Setting the cups on the bedside table, he
propped himself up by his elbow brushing his fingertips across her lips,
smiling when a hand lifted to brush away the feather. Repeating the light touch, he bit back a chuckle when Mackenzie
let out a groan of despair after she opened her eyes and sunshine greeted her.
“Morning, Zie. How are you, honey?” asked Heath after
placing a tender kiss on her forehead, his eyes heavy with worry, his fingers
absently playing with a lock of auburn hair.
Capturing his hand,
Mackenzie yawned, “Better knowing you’re here, Heath. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
whispered the blonde, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on her lips before
turning away. “I brought you some
coffee, Zie.”
His movement to the cup
was stopped by a small hand and he looked back over his shoulder into the
questioning violet eyes. Rolling back
on his side, Heath picked up one of the small hands and held it to his lips.
“I carried you here last
night, Zie. You were asleep and figured
you’d be more comfortable here.” explained Heath quietly. “Dr. Merar says you have a very mild
concussion which may give you some headaches for a couple days.”
Closing her eyes,
Mackenzie thought for a moment before inquiring, “Did you speak to Sheriff Maden
about, uh, what happened?”
“Fred spent half the night
questioning people but nobody saw anything.
Are you sure you didn’t see his face, Zie?” inquired Heath hesitantly,
not wanting to cause her to relive the terror she’d experienced in the darkness
of the night.
Shaking her head, the
violet eyes welled with tears and her rosy lips trembled, “I don’t know who it
was. I wish I could tell you, but I
can’t. The last thing I remember is him
threatening you. I’m sorry.”
“Zie, don’t
apologize. You have nothing to be sorry
for.” chastised the former hunter firmly.
“I’m just worried about you, is all.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m not gonna let this overshadow
everything, Heath. In two weeks, we’re
getting married and nothing is stopping that.” assured Mackenzie, reaching up
and holding his face in her hands, drawing him closer. “You’re not gonna have second thoughts, are
you?”
Sapphire eyes pierced the
orbs of violet before he lowered his mouth, brushing his lips across hers and
whispering, “Never, Zie. Never.”
Reaching behind his neck,
Mackenzie pulled her man closer and parted her mouth slightly, the passion
between them bursting with the searching kisses. Pulling his shirt up, she ran her hands over his muscular temple,
before he kicked off his boots and slid under the bed coverings with her. Fingers undid buttons and buckles, hands
pushed pieces of cloths aside while wandering over the skin of the partner as
they lay by each other. Freeing her
lips, Heath left a trail of kisses down her neck, hungrily seeking the valley
before moving over to each peak, her breath inhaling at his tender nibbles and
her back arching in response, his hand moving over her stomach. Pulling him onto her, she wrapped her legs
around him, crying out his name when he complied with her wish, pushing her
fevered desire into a crescendo before ending the symphony. Kissing her deeply, their arms wrapped
around each other, sweat ridden bodies were held against each other, not
willing to let go of the wild emotion.
“Please I need to stay in
your arms longer.” protested Mackenzie when he moved to release his hold of
her, feeling his arms tighten at her request, his lips placing a kiss on her
auburn hair.
“I’m here, Zie.” assured
Heath quietly waiting til she fell back to sleep before leaving her arms and
taking the cold coffee back to the kitchen.
Cleaning up, he dressed and made a lunch of sandwiches before waking her
with a kiss and helping her dress.
Sitting at the small table
in the kitchen, Heath sighed, “Mackenzie, I’m going to wire Aunt Rachel and let
her know I can’t come get her right now.”
“Heath, she’s expecting
you. You told me how excited she was in
her letters to move here and be by you.” exclaimed Mackenzie. “You have to go.”
“Zie, I’m not leaving you
now.” stated Heath firmly, before placing his elbows on the table.
Picking up her plate,
Mackenzie set it in the sink and stood with arms crossed, “Heath, you have to
go. She’s been planning to have
everything ready.”
“Mackenzie, Aunt Rachel
will understand. There’s no need to
discuss it further.” sighed Heath.
Violet eyes flashed at the
challenge in the tone of his words, her voice rising in anger, “There is a need
to discuss this further, Heath.”
“Zie, I’ve made up my
mind. I can’t leave you alone, not after
what happened.” snapped Heath her anger fueling his.
“Heath, I’ll stay with
Mrs. Jenkins and you won’t have to worry.” explained Mackenzie walking into the
living room and sitting in a chair, the blonde dogging her heels.
“Zie! Mrs. Jenkins is a widow! That doesn’t make me feel any better at
all!” pleaded Heath, his eyes turning darker with worry as he ran his hand
through is blonde hair.
“At least I won’t be
alone. What’s wrong with that?” puzzled
Mackenzie.
“For pete’s sake
Mackenzie! If something happens or if
that bastard, well, how is she gonna protect you? Throw a pot at him?” retorted Heath. “YOU ARE NOT STAYING THERE!”
“HEATH THOMSON! YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOUR AUNT AND THAT’S
FINAL!” shouted Mackenzie, both looking at the door when a knock sounded, any
further words choked off in their throats.
Heath stalked to the door and opened it, Victoria smiled widely and Nick
looked sheepish, their faces showing they overheard the heated words.
“Mrs. Barkley, how nice to
see you.” greeted Heath with surprise stepping back into the room. Victoria smiled at the blonde and greeted
the young woman.
“Mackenzie, I wanted to
stop after church to see how you were.” stated Victoria. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Mrs.
Barkley. Thank you for being with me
last night.” sighed Mackenzie, sitting on the sofa with the older woman. “Please thank Audra for me, too.”
Heath closed the door
behind the Barkley middle son and nodded a greeting. “Barkley.”
“Thomson.” replied Nick,
smiling slightly at the confusion on the blonde’s face, their arrival throwing
a monkey wrench into the discussion.
“Heath, Nicholas was
telling me you had planned to go out of town tomorrow.” said Victoria.
“Yes, ma’am, I was. But my plans have changed.” drawled Heath
meeting the rolling violet eyes of his fiancée. “I’ve put it off for a few days.”
Looking at the young woman
beside her, Victoria smiled and squeezed her hand. “I was hoping Mackenzie would spend a few days at the ranch with Audra
and me while you were going to be gone.
I guess it’ll have to be another time.”
“No, Mrs. Barkley!”
exclaimed Mackenzie rapidly. “I’d love
to stay at the ranch with you and Audra.
It’d be perfect! This way you
can still go to Strawberry, Heath.”
“Mackenzie, I..” drawled
Heath.
Interrupting his protest,
Mackenzie sighed, “Heath, it’s a great solution. If that’s okay with you, Mrs. Barkley.”
Patting her hand,
Victoria’s gray eyes sparkled, “Of course it is. We’ll take good care of her, Heath.”
Leaning over, Nick
whispered in the blonde’s ear, “You may as well get used to not getting your
way now, Thomson. In two weeks, you
won’t know what hit you.”
Flashing a lop-sided grin,
Heath sighed and nodded, sapphire eyes moving from the gray ones to the hazel
ones, “Thank you, Mrs. Barkley. It’d
sure take a lot of worry off my mind knowing Zie was with friends.”
Grinning widely, Nick
winked and clapped the blonde on the back.
“You learn fast, boy!”
The acceptance of the
invitation had Victoria helping Mackenzie pack some clothes in a valise while
Nick followed Heath out to the small shed to saddle Charger. The red stallion greeting his master with a
whinny and a gentle nudge. Nick watched
mesmerized as the younger man talked softly while saddling the horse and led
him around front of the small house.
“Charger has some great
lines, Thomson.” said Nick, his eyes admiring the horseflesh tied in front of
the house.
“Yeah, he sure does. If you’re nice, I might let ya’ ride him one
day.” teased Heath climbing the steps with the growling man behind him.
“Gee, don’t do me any
favors.” snorted Nick, before entering the house following the soft chuckle
from the man before him. Heath grabbed
the valise from in front of the door and thrust it into Nick’s arms, winking at
the large man’s grumbling which ceased when his mother entered the room.
“Did you say something,
Nick?” inquired Victoria.
“Ah, no Mother. Are we all set?” replied Nick quickly, his hazel
eyes boring into the blonde’s blue eyes.
Nodding, Victoria smiled,
“Yes, we are all ready.”
Walking the ladies
outside, Heath helped them into the surrey before climbing on Charger. Nick placed the bag on the floor of the
buggy and flicked the reins. Stopping
to pick up Audra, the small cavalcade left the town of Stockton. Jarrod and Heath rode beside the surrey on
their way to the ranch. The
conversation light and joyous under the mid morning sun. Heath felt a sense of reassurance inside at
the kind offering of the Barkley family, glancing down at the buggy, he met the
hazel eyes and offered a lop-sided grin.
Nick grinned back and
nodded, reading the thanks in the soulful eyes of the young man who had worked
himself into each of the hearts of the family members since his arrival into
their lives. Turning his eyes back to
the road, he found himself enjoying the warm feeling the blonde caused to rise
up in his heart at the mere thought of him.
He found himself wondering again at the familiarity and like all the
times before had no answers.
Pulling up to the main
house, Heath breathed a small sigh of relief.
He’d spent the night going through people from his past and people in
Stockton, searching for the one who’d have accosted Mackenzie and sent the
message to him through her. The thought
of someone’s hands on her sent a flash of fury through him and he shook his
head to clear the anger before dismounting.
Reaching the side of the buggy, he helped Audra first then Mackenzie,
his eyes taking in the slight paleness of her face. Setting her feet on the ground, he held onto her waist a little
longer.
“Zie, you okay?” asked
Heath quietly.
“Just a little headache,
Heath.” assured Mackenzie with a smile.
Victoria put a hand on her arm and studied the pale complexion.
“Heath, why don’t we get
Mackenzie upstairs and she can rest.” suggested Victoria.
“I’ll be fine, Mrs.
Barkley.” protested Mackenzie, closing her eyes to fight a sudden bout of
dizziness.
Heath swept her up into
his arms and followed the Barkley matriarch through the front doors, continuing
up the grand staircase. Opening the
door to the first guest room, Victoria pulled back the covering on the bed and
smiled at the gentleness which the man used when he lowered the tiny woman to the
bed. Nick placed the valise on the
dresser in the room and nodded at his mother’s request to fetch some headache
powders. Heath rolled his eyes at the
protests of Mackenzie and looked into the gray eyes across the bed, smiling
slightly at the sparkling gray eyes.
Taking the powders from her son’s hand, Victoria mixed a glass and urged
the tiny woman to drink it down.
“You’ll feel better in a
little while, Mackenzie.” assured Victoria receiving a smile of appreciation,
leaving the room with Nick beside her.
Heath sat on the side of the bed and caressed her pale cheek, his lips
placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Zie, I have to go and
make sure the boys know what to do while I’m gone. I need to take care of a few things before I can leave tomorrow.”
informed Heath quietly, his words opening the lids which covered the violet
eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s just a little
headache, Heath. It took me by surprise
is all.” sighed Mackenzie. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” smiled
Heath, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, her hand reaching up behind his neck
and held him there while she deepened the kiss. Regretfully breaking the tingling show of affection, Heath pulled
the cover over her and held her hand until she fell to sleep. Placing another kiss on her lips, she
responded in her sleep, his name leaving her lips, leaving a wide smile on his
face. Standing, he tenderly caressed
her cheek again before walking out of the open door and descended the grand
staircase.
Victoria met the blonde in
the foyer at the bottom of the stairs, her smile genuine as she placed a small
hand on his arm. “We’ll take good care
of her, Heath.”
Nodding, Heath grinned, “I
know you will, Mrs. Barkley. Thank
you.”
“Will you stay and have
lunch with us?” asked Victoria.
Shaking his head, Heath
sighed, “Thank you but I have a lot to do before I leave tomorrow.”
“I understand, Heath. I hope everything goes smoothly on your
trip.” stated Victoria, puzzled at the sudden look of discomfort which flashed
in the sapphire eyes.
“Mrs. Barkley, I, uh,
well, I need to, well, Zie, uh.” stammered Heath, his face turning crimson at
what he was about to say.
“What is it, Heath?”
questioned Victoria, concern filling her gray eyes.
Taking a deep breath,
Heath fiddled with his cufflink and whispered, “I know it’s not proper, ma’am,
what I’m about to say, cause we’re not, uh, married and all. It’s just that last night Mackenzie had some
nightmares about what happened and I, uh, I, um.”
Victoria’s eyes shone with
understanding at the highly embarrassed young man before her. Stopping his fidgeting with his cuff, her
two hands encased his one and she smiled.
“Heath, I’ll take
exceptional care of her. Thank you for
letting me know.”
Squeezing one of the small
hands, Heath smiled and nodded, “Thank you again, Mrs. Barkley. I’ll be back by the end of the week.”
Showing him to the door,
Victoria leaned against the closed door and smiled to herself at the young man
not afraid to show his love for the woman who’d captured his heart. Walking up the stairs, she peeked in the
guest room at the sleeping woman before entering her room. The love between the two young people
brightening the world from the aura of happiness around them.
Rising early the next morning,
Heath saddled Charger and spoke to Jim before climbing on the horse, heading
towards the east with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. He fought the urge to ride over to the
neighboring ranch, the lure of looking into her violet eyes strong inside
him. Sighing deeply, he nudged Charger
into a gallop, not changing direction, the gait of the large horse eating up
the ground beneath him as he put both ranches behind him. Seeing a horse heading towards him from the
side, Heath slowed Charger to a trot and pulled his rifle from his scabbard,
placing it across his lap. The horse
too far away to see the rider, his sapphire eyes widened and then narrowed at
the man coming towards him and pulling alongside him.
Stopping Charger and
shoving the rifle back in its holder, Heath scowled, “Barkley, what are you
doing here?”
Nick shrugged, “I thought
since Jarrod was gonna be home all this week, I decided I deserved a small
vacation.”
Cocking an eyebrow at the smug
man, Heath drawled, “Where exactly were you planning on vacationing?”
“I thought maybe you could
suggest someplace while we’re riding, Thomson.” replied Nick starting Coco down
the trail with the blonde riding beside him.
“In case you didn’t know, I haven’t been east of Stockton before. I thought I’d see what was over there.”
Heath shook his head,
“Well, Barkley, you ain’t missing much and I don’t wanna listen to any
complaining when we get there.”
“Complain? Me?” asked Nick with an innocent look into
the rolling sapphire eyes.
Time passed quickly for
the two men riding side by side under the warmth of the day, stopping only for
a brief lunch before continuing on. The
light of the day was waning, soft colors of the upcoming night slowly replaced
the brightness on the land when Heath directed Charger to a sheltered spot
beside a stream and dismounted.
Both men having ridden
enough trails in their lives, automatically performed the tasks necessary to
set up camp. Surprising to both, no
words were needed as to which task each man would perform. Nick gathered wood to last the night,
coaxing a small spark to start and burst into a flame in the center of the
stone ringed enclosure. The blackness
of the rocks had seen lots of use by different travelers through the
years. Undoubtedly, men and women
following the same trail for a wide variety of reasons. Taking the coffeepot from his saddlebags, he
filled it up at the stream, kneeling a few yards away from the blonde who was
pulling in dinner.
Walking back, he set the
coffeepot on a stone by the fire, dumping in grounds when the water was
boiling, adding more water to settle the grounds. He poured two cups when the concoction was finished, handing one
to the blonde who was pan-frying the catch, the smell of fish mixed with
seasonings filled the still night air.
The bounty in the well used pan was split evenly on two tin plates with
two biscuits decorating the plate. The
meal eaten in silence, each with their separate thoughts, their dinner time
musings kept to themselves.
Heath took the used items
to the stream and washed them off, letting them air dry while he rolled a
smoke, letting the hard to break habit soothe him after his dinner. Staring at the harsh red glow at the end of
the cigarette in the darkness of the night, he wondered at the sense of
companionship. Companionship? No, he thought to himself, that’s not the
right word for what I feel when I’m beside Nick Barkley.
Thinking for several
minutes, he ground out the cigarette and shook his head at himself at the
thought that perhaps brotherhood was the right word to describe the
feelings. Pondering over the years
past, he couldn’t recall ever sharing such a feeling before with another man.
Picking up the dry items,
he walked back to the beckoning fire and put the things away, sitting up
against his saddle. Nick pulled a
bottle from his saddlebags and added some of the amber liquid to two cups,
saluting the blonde before either man took a drink.
“Nothing like dinner on a
trail.” sighed Nick patting his full stomach in satisfaction.
Grinning, Heath agreed,
“Well, except when ya’ can’t catch fresh dinner and have to chew on jerky
that’s hard enough to be a year old, Barkley.”
Laughing, Nick nodded, “Is
your Aunt going to live with you at the ranch?”
“That was my original idea
but she wants to open a dress shop in Stockton to earn her own keep. So, we worked it out with Mackenzie’s
landlord and Rachel will take over her lease on the house in town.” replied Heath with a smile. “My Aunt’s a very independent person.”
“Kinda like her nephew,
I’d say.” teased Nick with a grin to the man across the fire.
Chuckling, Heath stared at
the stars of the night, “Yeah, I guess so.”
“My family used to own
part of the mine in Strawberry. I think
it was about twenty one or twenty two years ago when my Father and his partners
opened it.” stated Nick.
“What a small world.”
whispered Heath, taking a sip of the smooth liquor and welcoming the warmth
which overtook the coldness he felt at the mention of the dreaded reminder of
his youth.
“What’s wrong?” questioned
Nick at the anguished flare in the sapphire eyes, “Heath?”
Waving off his concerns,
Heath smiled slightly, his efforts not completing erasing all the anguish in
his orbs before he sighed, “My first job was as a charge boy in the Strawberry
mine.”
“A CHARGE BOY!” exclaimed
Nick, sitting up quickly at the discovery.
“HOW OLD WERE YOU?”
“Just turned five.”
admitted the blonde quietly before shuddering at the renewed claustrophobic
fear the mine created in a small boy which carried over to his adulthood. “We needed money and I was a small kid. Small enough to fit into tight places.”
“But you were only a
child.” whispered Nick, torment thickening his words. “I can’t believe my Father allowed such a thing to happen.”
Worried at the image of
the father he may have shaken, Heath scoffed firmly, “Barkley, don’t let it get
to ya’. It was a business dealing and a
necessary job I took on. Simple as
that! A fair trade! Pay for services is after all what makes
businesses work in this world.”
Nick frowned, his inner
sense telling him to a boy of five, it had been more than that, much more. The words of the blonde across from him did
little to alleviate the sudden fury and guilt he felt inside. The realization this man had performed such
a dangerous profession at a young age was condoned by his Father wouldn’t be
discarded easily. The pain and panic in
the blue pools before he’d looked away tore at Nick’s heart, twisting it with
the reality the blonde had lived through.
“I’m sorry, Heath.” said
Nick causing the blonde to sigh loudly.
“Barkley, you had no say
in something that happened fifteen years ago.
You can’t change the past, you only try to live with it.” stated Heath
with a small smile. “It’s funny though,
ya’ gotta admit.”
“What’s funny about you
working as a kid with explosives?” growled Nick angrily.
“Guess you could say your
family helped pay for where I lived as a child and now it’s helped pay for
where I live as an adult.” smirked Heath.
Rolling his eyes, Nick
shook his head and refilled the tin cups, “Few more cups of this scotch and
maybe I’ll be able to see the humor in it, Thomson.”
Chuckling, Heath winked
and drank down his cup in one gulp, laying on this bedroll and placing his gun
by his hand. Moving his hat over his
eyes, he drawled, “We’ll make Strawberry by late morning and with luck, we won’t
have to stay overnight. Night, Barkley.”
“Night.” acknowledged Nick
finishing the rest of his drink, sleep long in coming to close the hazel eyes
who couldn’t get the vision of a small blonde boy working in the deep, dark
recesses of one of the Barkley holdings.
The ride which started in
the early morning hours was quiet.
Heath was withdrawn, preparing himself mentally for the moment he would
re-enter his hometown, the place which housed most of his past demons. Mentally, he sought to minimize the feelings
the demons brought out by concentrating only on the memories of the three women
who tried to shelter a small boy from life’s dirty reality. Their voices, the feel of their arms around
him, the love in their eyes filled his mind and his heart as he rode. Stopping on the edge of town, he stared at
the sign hanging by a single nail on the post, the town name faded almost into
oblivion before glancing over into the hazel eyes.
“Nick, stay by me while
we’re here. Don’t go wandering
around. Aunt Rachel is the only
relative I care to see.”
Nick said curiously, “You
have other relatives that live here, too?”
“An uncle and aunt who run
the hotel. Nobody in their right mind
would willingly seek them out.” warned Heath stopping any further questions by
moving Charger forward, leaving a deep frown on Nick’s face at the quietly
spoken words as he nudged Coco beside the red stallion.
Entering the town in the
full light of day illuminated the deterioration and haphazard condition of the
once thriving mining town. Desolation
and disrepair evident on all the buildings as the two riders started down the
main street. Nick glanced around, his
eyes not seeing any other living being other than a mangy dog laying in the
shade under a partially fallen down overhang and some squirrels chasing each
other.
Riding on the right side
of the blonde, he saw the faded sign indicating the hotel and couldn’t stop his
eyes from glancing in the window, squinting intently as he rode by, wondering
if the movement he saw was a figment of his imagination, planted there by the
blonde’s hissed words.
Looking over, Heath’s eyes
were forward, his hand near his gun and his jaw clenched tightly. Even from where Nick sat, he could see his
muscles quivering in preparation like a tightly wound spring. The tension around the blonde peaked Nick’s
protective nature and he found himself studying the surroundings in a different
light. A light of caution not a light
of curiosity.
Neither men relaxed until they
reached the end of the street and turned to the left, the small street taking
them towards an area where several buildings stood together, a small community
of sorts. The first buildings were
abandoned and unlivable, the roofs collapsed inward, now a home for varmints
and birds.
Heath pointed to a small
shack on the right, his words barely reaching Nick’s ears, “My mama’s house.”
Nick smiled at the emotion
in the blonde’s voice and nodded. The
small house would’ve fit in the foyer of the Barkley mansion and Nick felt
guilty at the realization of how little this man beside him had as a child
compared to how much he had. The small
amount of pay he’d brought in as a charge boy helped keep he and his mama in
the small shack. In his mind’s eye,
Nick could imagine the pride a five year old Heath would’ve displayed placing
his earnings in his mama’s hand.
The horses walked,
stirring up the dust in the small street until Heath stopped in front of a
well-kept cabin. Slightly larger than
his boyhood home, the picket fence stood straight, the window boxes contained
flowers of all colors, the small yard clear of debris. The condition of the home standing out like
a sore thumb in it’s environment.
Dismounting, Heath opened
the gate and stepped through with Nick falling in step beside him. Nick stopped frozen at the massive dog which
appeared suddenly from behind the shack, growling and baring its teeth as it
came running at them. Heath held onto
his arm when Nick moved slightly intent on avoiding the charging animal.
Nick watched in disbelief
when Heath knelt and the massive beast propelled the blonde off his feet and
onto his back in the grass. The tongue
slobbering over the blonde who was giggling, the deep growling replaced with
whines of joy. The wagging tail
reflected the animal’s happiness and he bounced away slightly when Heath
finally pushed the animal out of the way to climb to his knees before it
returned faithfully to his side.
“Damn, Atilla. What ya’ been eating? Cattle?
Grizzlies?” teased Heath to the animal, the eyes of the dog never
leaving the blonde’s and he panted while the man patted his shaggy coat.
“What is that?” whispered
Nick, his eyes wide in his tanned face.
Heath laughed and climbed to his feet.
“That Nick Barkley is the
reason Aunt Rachel can sleep secure at night in this town.” smiled Heath,
taking hold of Nick’s left wrist and holding his hand by the massive
snout. “Atilla, this is Nick. BE NICE!”
Smelling the hand of the
new person and hearing the command, Atilla licked the limb thoroughly before
moving away, keeping both men in sight while Nick kept the four legged watcher
in sight.
“He looks like a wolf!”
stated Nick, still unsure of the large ball of fur while he rubbed his wet hand
against his pant leg.
“Part wolf and part mutt.”
admitted Heath. “One hundred percent
loyal!”
Climbing the stairs, he
knocked on the door of the shack and his ears picked up the soft singing he
heard coming from behind the house.
Motioning to Nick, he led the way to the back of the shanty, stopping at
the sight of his aunt taking down clothes.
“Aunt Rachel!” exclaimed
Heath, excitement lighting up his eyes at the woman who dropped her basket and
rushed over into his arms. Picking her
up, Heath swung her around, his face caught in her hands after he set her back
on the ground.
“Heath! You look wonderful!” cried Rachel through
her tears, placing a kiss on his cheek and hugging him tightly. “You’re here! I can’t believe this day is finally here!”
Smiling and returning the hug,
Heath placed a kiss on her cheek before gesturing to the man by his side, “Aunt
Rachel, this is Nick Barkley. His
family owns a ranch outside Stockton.
Nick, this is my aunt, Rachel Caulfield.”
Rachel held out her hand
and it was swallowed up by the large hand of the tanned handsome man. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Barkley.”
Nick bowed slightly over
her hand, “ The pleasure is mine, Miss Caulfield.”
Blushing at the gallant
cowboy, Rachel looked over at Heath and smiled, the joy evident in her brown eyes. “Let me finish taking these clothes down and
we’ll have some coffee before we do anything.”
“Okay, Aunt Rachel.”
agreed Heath, placing a kiss on her cheek.
“I’m gonna visit mama and Hannah.
Then we can start packing the wagon after I get back. I’d like to be on the trail tonight.”
Commanding the scruffy
beast to stay, Heath motioned with his head and walked around the front of the
shack with Nick following. Recalling
the cemetery they rode by at the beginning of the town, Nick moved towards the
horses, stopping at the hand on his arm.
“It’d be faster to ride.”
stated Nick puzzled.
“They’re not there,
Barkley. The god fearing Christian
people of the town said they weren’t good enough for the church cemetery.” said
Heath releasing the arm and heading across the street, moving between the
overgrown space in between two collapsing shacks. Nick followed, unsure of where they were heading until he stopped
beside the blonde in a small clearing containing two graves, the area kept
groomed and flowers decorated the clearing.
Taking off his hat, Heath
walked forward stopping at the grave of Hannah, his head bowed for several
minutes before he placed a hand on the small cold stone marker. Taking a deep breath, Heath knelt on his
knees in front of the other grave, his eyes filling with tears as his eyes
studied the mound of dirt covered in new grass. Closing his eyes, he lifted his head and smiled as the breeze
brushed his face, the wind bringing his mama’s voice to his ears. Moving to kneel on one knee in front of the
stone, he ran his fingers over the carved name before placing a kiss on the
stone, resting his forehead for a moment before rising and wiping the tears
away.
Moving back to the side of
the dark haired man, Heath sighed, “Com’n Nick, I wanna get on the road before
dark and get home.”