New Start, Part 1

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.

Synopsis: This story follows the arrival of a new ranch owner and her crew to the valley and the Barkley family. The time period is set a few months after Heath arrived to claim his birthright.

Chapter 1

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as the two travelers were having coffee and breakfast. The sleep still showing in their eyes, they did not speak while waiting for the coffee to give their systems a jump-start. When they were finished eating their bacon and biscuits, the man took the plates to the stream and washed them off.

Jack looked over at his boss and friend, “How long before we arrive in Stockton, Sue?”

“I guess we will get there about noon or there about.” said Sue. “That will be plenty of time to see Charity, visit the bank, see the ranch and get some rooms for the night.”

“I can’t believe that Charity wrote you about that ranch. It sure sounds like a great deal. I wonder if there is some catch to it.”

“Jack, are you trying to tell me you don’t trust Charity? You better not let her catch wind of that, she would be mortally wounded!” exclaimed Sue.

“No! I would never consider Charity to be untrustworthy. I was just wondering why someone else hadn’t grabbed the ranch.” said Jack quickly.

“Well, we will see when we get there. I am looking forward to a new start, putting down some roots and building something.” said Sue with a far off look in her eyes.

Jack watched his friend’s face take on that far away look that it had been getting more and more lately since Charity had written her about the ranch. Most men didn’t like having a female as a boss since they seemed to think women should just be in the kitchen, keeping house and having babies. Not this woman though, this was a woman to ride the river with. She could take care of herself as well as any man and wouldn’t stand for any nonsense either. She could shoot as well as a man but because of her beautiful face with the green eyes, auburn hair and full lips most men were deceived into thinking she needed protection. Though sometimes her sarcastic tongue could hurt more than the bullets from a gun and it was the majority of men who needed protection from her.

All of the men that had worked with her on her father’s ranch respected, admired and would do anything for her. It was not something that she took lightly, it had been something that she had earned through hard work and dedication. When the ranch had to be sold as stated in the terms of the will, he could almost feel her losing a part of her soul. This was the new start she needed to once again put the life back into her and the spring back into her step.

“Let’s hit the trail Jack” said Sue as she poured the coffee pot over the flames to put out their fire. She then rinsed the coffeepot and put it in the pack on the horse. Jack took the rope for the packhorse while Sue tightened the girth on her saddle and climbed on her chestnut.

“It will sure be good to see Charity again, Sue. Do you think she’s still a missionary?” asked Jack.

“Unless she’s been swept off her feet, you can bet on it Jack. Why, are you going to offer her something better or are you afraid you may be too late?” asked Sue innocently.

“Hey, that’s not funny!” exclaimed Jack as his face turned a deep red. “She’s a nice girl and I was just wondering is all! I am not the marrying kind, I will always be a bachelor.”

“That’s what they all say, Jack. That’s what they all say!”.

Sue chuckled as she started her horse into a gallop with Jack following. Jack just shook his head as he heard his friend laughing. Sue was well aware of the fact that Charity occupied Jack’s thoughts a lot. In fact, he was quite smitten with her even if Jack thought no one else could see it.

Chapter 2

The two riders sat and watched the busy streets of Stockton hustling and bustling with Saturday shoppers. Their eyes were watchful and missed nothing under their hats as they walked their horses down the street.

“This sure is a busy place, Sue” said Jack. “I didn’t realize Stockton was this size of town.”

“Yeah, I think this will be a good place to put down some roots. Now let’s go to the bank before it closes and get the account all set up.” stated Sue while starting her horse towards the Bank of Stockton with Jack following.

Sue dismounted and tied her chestnut to the hitching rail. She dusted the trail dust off her black jeans, vest and shirt. Untying her saddle bags, she waited for Jack and started up the stairs to the bank. At that moment, a cowboy in a black hat stepped through the door of the bank. Since he was speaking to someone behind him, he didn’t see Sue before barreling into her.

“Excuse me, ma’am” he said after grabbing her arm before she could fall. “I didn’t see you there.”

“My name is Nick and I apologize for not watching where I was going.” said Nick while smiling and staring into the most striking pair of green eyes he had ever seen.

“I imagine you must be one of those people.” Sue said while glaring at Nick.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about. What kind of people must I be?” inquired Nick.

“Well, Nick, I can only assume you must be one of those people with eyes in the back of their heads from the way you walk with your head turned around.” stated Sue as she pulled her arm from his grasp.

“NOW LOOK HERE!” exclaimed Nick angrily.

“Well, I guess you have been found out, brother Nick!” chuckled Jarrod as he tipped his hat to Sue. “May I extend my apologies also, Miss. I am Jarrod Barkley, Attorney at Law. This as you have heard is my brother Nick. May I inquire as to your name?”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Barkley Attorney at Law.” quipped Sue sarcastically. “Let’s go Jack.”

Sue walked by the shocked brothers into the bank. Jack followed with a grin on his face.

“Gentlemen, her bark is as bad as her bite.” chuckled Jack as he closed the bank door.

Nick was the first to recover from the chance meeting. He looked at Jarrod with a shocked expression on his face. As they started walking towards Jarrod’s office, Nick started raving.

“CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I think someone needs to tame that spitfire of a girl!”

“I suppose you think you are the man for that job Nick. Somehow, I don’t think this is a typical woman. Did you notice she was packing a gun?” asked Jarrod.

“Yeah, I noticed. It is unusual to see a woman carry a gun unless she’s a criminal. Hey, they could be robbing the bank right now. Maybe we better check this out!” exclaimed Nick.

“Nick, we can’t go accusing someone of a crime just because they wear a gun. She may wear it for reasons like self-protection or varmints. I was just wondering if you noticed it or if you were just lost in her eyes.” joked Jarrod.

“Very funny! Let’s get this stuff taken care of so we can get back to the ranch.” said Nick angrily as he strode off in front of Jarrod while listening to his brother chuckle.

Inside his office, Jarrod offered Nick a glass of brandy and poured one for himself.

“That takes care of all of the paperwork, Nick. Heath is now a full pledged partner in the Barkley holdings.” stated Jarrod as he saluted Nick with his glass.

“I still think we are making a mistake Jarrod. I don’t care what you and Mother think. THAT BOY IS NOT A BARKLEY!.” growled Nick as he downed his drink.

“Nick, you may as well get used to it. Heath is here to stay and he is a Barkley even if you don’t want to admit it.” chided Jarrod. “As Mother has stated, he favors father and grandfather in more ways than one.”

“So, he has the Barkley coloring, that doesn’t prove anything to me. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Did you check into the Henderson ranch and see if there is anyway we could get around the terms of the will?”

“There is nothing we can do Nick. The will was quite concise in the terms of the sale of the ranch. It can only be sold to someone who previously lived in Texas and who has no family connections in Stockton. Abe Henderson really got the last laugh with the terms of his will.”

“That land would be perfect for us Jarrod. It has the water and grazing land that we need and borders our ranch. Isn’t there anything we can do? I still can’t believe that after all of these years Henderson hated Father that much. It is all out of spite and jealously. It wasn’t Father’s fault that Abe couldn’t make more of his ranch. It was because of his drinking and gambling and now we have to pay for Henderson’s own mistakes in his life.” said Nick angrily.

“I know that Nick, however, it doesn’t change anything. Only an outsider can purchase that ranch. No matter how we look at it we will be gaining new neighbors.” said Jarrod.

“Maybe Heath can buy it and sell it to us. He lived in Texas for a while and he is an outsider.” stated Nick.

Jarrod rolled his eyes and said, “Heath is our brother, therefore, he has a family connection in Stockton and not eligible to buy the ranch.”

“Yeah, so you keep saying he’s our brother. I don ‘t think we will ever agree on that subject. Let’s go home. I still have a lot of work to do before dinnertime.” said Nick as he walked to the door.

“Nick, you have to get used to the fact that you have a new brother. One who I may add works very hard and diligently at everything that he does trying to gain your approval. “ said Jarrod softly as his brother walked out the door.

Jarrod locked up his office and walked outside to Jingo. Nick was already on Coco and ready to go. As they walked the horses up the street, Nick motioned with his head towards the bank.

“Think we should make sure our money is still in the bank safe before we leave?” asked Nick.

Jarrod laughed and shook his head at his brother. Sometimes Nick had the strangest notions.

“No, I think we can let the law worry about that. Let’s see who can get home first.” challenged Jarrod.

“You’re on, Mr. Barkley, Attorney at Law” chuckled Nick while nudging Coco into a gallop.

Chapter 3

Sue and Jack paused letting their eyes adjust to the light of the interior of the bank. Glancing around they noted the bank was typical in its design with a couple of windows for customers to transact their business. In the corner of the bank was a large safe. Off to the side of the safe, an area of the bank was sectioned off by a wooden railing with a swinging door. Behind the desk in this area was a brown haired man dressed in a suit reading from a book of some sort. The sign on the desk read ‘John Travis, Manager’. As they walked up to the desk, the man looked up and stood as he saw the two people making their way towards him. Sue noted he was an average looking man and around 5 feet eight inches tall.

“Good morning, may I help you?” asked Mr. Travis while extending his right hand to Jack.

As Mr. Travis shook Jack’s hand, Jack hid a smile as Sue rolled her eyes and said, “Yes, I believe you can Mr. Travis. My name is Suzanne Weston and this is my foreman, Jack Franklin. I would like to discuss the purchase of the Henderson ranch.”

Mr. Travis blushed as he realized he had made an embarrassing mistake by assuming the woman was the man’s wife. As he shook her hand, Sue was struck by the thought that this man’s hand had never done hard work from the feel of it. He has probably been a city boy all his life. I don’t understand how someone can live in town all of the time, she thought with disgust.

“Please have a seat. Yes, that ranch is for sale, however, there are some particular provisions of the late Mr. Henderson’s will that must be verified before any purchase can be made.” explained Mr. Travis with a puzzled look on his face. “May I ask how you know this particular ranch is for sale, Mrs. Weston?”

“It is Miss Weston. A friend of mine wrote me to let me know of the ranch and also described the terms of the will that was left by Mr. Henderson” said Sue as she was taking a piece of paper from her saddlebags. “I have taken the liberty of having a letter notarized which states that I am from the state of Texas and have no family connections here in Stockton. My only living relative died six months ago. As you will see, the letter is notarized by Judge Nathan Mathis from Houston.”

As John Travis read the letter, he had to fight to control the fury that was building inside his body. He could not believe it! He had plans for that ranch himself and here was some snippet of a girl thinking she was going to buy it. First, the Barkleys and now this! His day was not going very well and it was all he could do from keeping it from showing on his face. He had to stall somehow until he could think this thing out.

Sue glanced at Jack with a question in her eyes while the manager was reading the letter. She could sense the manager’s hesitation and she wondered if they had made the long trip for nothing. Jack shrugged and winked at Sue.

Sue smiled sweetly at the manager. “I trust you will find that everything is in order, Mr. Travis. I have already notified Mr. Henderson’s attorney that I was interested in the purchase of the ranch.”

“Yes, everything does appear to be complete according to the terms of the will. Of course, as the executor of Mr. Henderson’s will, I will need to confer with Mr. Baldwin and obtain his confirmation before the sale can be completed.” advised John as he gazed into those green eyes.

“Well, of course, I would expect no less from the executor and attorney of Mr. Henderson.” said Sue smiling. “Mr. Franklin and I will be staying at the Cattleman’s Hotel until we have completed the purchase of the ranch. But, first I would like to open an account and deposit this bankdraft. I will be drawing against that and Mr. Franklin is to have access to the account, also.”

“Yes, that can certainly be set up for you. If you would complete these papers, I will be happy to assist you. Once I have conferred with Mr. Baldwin, I will contact you at the hotel.” stated John.

“Thank you, Mr. Travis, however that won’t be necessary. After we have set up the account, I will be visiting Mr. Baldwin and will let him know that we have discussed the property with you and have the necessary funds available for the transaction.” said Sue as she started completing the necessary paperwork.

“Jack, can you give me the check please?” asked Sue.

Jack took the check out of his pocket and gave it to his boss. Sue handed the paperwork and check to Mr. Travis. Mr. Travis’ eyes widen when he saw the amount of the deposit. This girl had more than enough money to purchase the ranch with extra. This is getting worse and worse he thought.

As John Travis handed a receipt to Sue, he smiled and said “Perhaps I could have the pleasure of dining with you this evening, Miss Weston and I would consider it a honor to show you around our wonderful city.”

Sue pouted her lips and with a look of disappointment on her face stated, “I am so sorry I will be unable to have the pleasure of your company this evening, Mr. Travis. I am afraid I have another engagement. However, perhaps another time.”

As Sue and Jack stood, Mr. Travis walked around the desk and escorted them to the door.

“Yes, perhaps another time Miss Weston. It was a pleasure to meet you and Mr. Franklin. I hope we have many opportunities to work together in the future. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you need anything.” said John as he smiled at her like a cat smiles at a canary.

“Thank you for your kind offer and good day to you, sir.” said Sue before she stepped out onto the sidewalk while Jack closed the door behind them.

As they walked to the horses, Jack chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t want to have someone else’s company for dinner tonight? I thought that smile was going to get stuck on your face! Hey, maybe this guy Travis is the one for you!”

“Ha ha, Jack. Shut up and get your horse.” said Sue as she was untied the reins of her horse from the hitching post. “ I guess what they about using honey to attract bees or something like that is true. But that guy was like a snake and I don’t think using honey to attract a snake will work.”

As they walked their horses toward the Cattleman’s hotel, Jack was looking around for the mission where Charity would be. Not seeing it, he said “I don’t see the mission on this street. What if Charity has had to move on? It has been a couple of months since the letter came.”

“I sent her a wire before we left Texas. I am sure she is still here. We will ask at the hotel for directions to the mission. Let’s get our rooms and then we will go visit your girlfriend.” teased Sue.

“Very funny, Mrs. Travis to be” shot Jack back as he ducked under the hand she swung at him.

“That is not funny Jack! You better be careful or I will have to find myself a new foreman! I am sure there are plenty of cowboys here willing to take that job.” stated Sue smiling at her friend.

“Okay, okay, I call a truce. I can’t loose a cushy job like this.” laughed Jack while following Sue into the lobby of the hotel.

Chapter 4.

The lobby of the Cattleman’s hotel was neat and clean. Through an opening outlined by a curtain, a dining room could be seen with tables covered by checked tablecloths and candles in the middle of the tables. The desk clerk smiled at the two newcomers.

“Good afternoon. Welcome to the Cattleman’s. My name is Harvey and I am the man to see if you need anything while you are staying at our establishment.”

“Well, thank you Harvey. We will need two rooms and a place to clean off some of this trail dust.” said Sue as she signed the register.

“Miss Weston, your room will be number 5 and Mr. Franklin’s will be number 6. They will be across from each other and I will have Maria and Jose show you to the bathing facilities after you have settled in.” stated Harvey as he rang the bell which signaled a Mexican boy of about age 14 to come to the front desk.

“Jose, please show these people to rooms 5 and 6 and then they will need to use the bathing facilities.”

“Si, Senor Harvey” said Jose as he lead the way up the stairs.

Sue smiled at Jose as he opened his door for her.

“Thank you for your assistance Jose and I would like for you to take our horses to the livery and see that they are properly taken care of. They are the two chestnuts tied up in front of the hotel. They have carried us quite a ways and need some extra grooming.” said Sue as she handed him a silver dollar and watched his eyes light up.

“Thank you senorita. I will take excellent care of your horses and will groom them myself!” exclaimed Jose with a proud look on his face as he ran down the hallway towards the backstairs.

Jack opened his door and said, “How about if we meet after our baths and take a walk to the mission?”

“Sounds good to me. See you in a bit, Jack” Sue said as she shut the door behind her.

Glancing around the room, she put her saddlebags on the bed and walked to the window. Opening the curtain, she glanced down at the street watching the people moving about. Spying two familiar figures on their horses, Sue chuckled as she remembered the look on Nick Barkley’s face when she commented on the type of person he was. It was definitely a handsome and strong face with such beautiful hazel eyes. Much better than that city boy, John Travis. Wonder if those Barkley boys are snakes like that bank manager. Sue frowned as she pondered on that. A knock on her door interrupted her train of thought.

Opening the door, she spied a matronly looking Mexican lady.

“Your bath is ready senorita.” said Maria as she stepped aside to allow Sue to follow her to the bathing facilities.

“Thank you, senora” said Sue as she handed her a silver dollar before closing the door.

Two hours later a freshly bathed Jack and Sue were walking to the mission after obtaining the directions from Dan Baldwin, esquire. They had made arrangements with Mr. Baldwin, Henderson’s attorney to ride out and inspect the property the next day. Mr. Baldwin was a very pleasant man with an outgoing personality. Sue liked him and felt he may be the person to hire as her attorney to handle any of her legal affairs. Jack and Sue stopped in front of a rundown building with the words “Stockton Mission” painted on the windows. Jack knocked on the door and they waited for a response. When no one answered, Jack knocked again.

“Guess she must be out.” said Jack quietly. “Probably doing whatever missionaries do.”

“Sure seems that way, Jack. Hey, we didn’t tell her what day we would be here. Don’t look so disappointed. We’ll ask Jose to come back, leave her a note and then she can come to the hotel to see us.” said Sue concerned by the look on her friend’s face.

Putting a smile on his face, he said “You’re right. Sorry, I was just looking forward to catching up with our old friend. How about if I buy you some dinner?”

“That would be my pleasure.” said Sue as they walked back to the hotel while discussing tomorrow’s visit to the ranch and what they hoped to see while they were there.

Chapter 5

Nick laughed as he and Jarrod walked to the house from the barn. “Did you honestly think you were going to win? A lawyer could never beat a cowpoke when it comes to a horse race!”

“Nick, Nick, Nick. You should know by now that I only let you win because you are younger than me.” joked Jarrod with his blue eyes sparkling.

“Sounds like typical lawyer smooth talking to me. You couldn’t see the day when you could beat me in a race.” boasted Nick.

“Mother,” shouted Nick as they came through the front door.

“Boy Howdy Nick, you almost burst my ear drum!” said Heath as he walked by his older brothers.

Jarrod chuckled and slapped Nick on the back. “Better get used to it Heath or get some ear plugs!”

“I didn’t yell that loud.” exclaimed Nick angrily as he saw Heath sporting a lopsided grin. “Did you finish that fenceline or do we have to get someone else to do the job?”

Jarrod winced as the grin on Heath’s face disappeared and fury shown from his blue eyes.

“It’s completed. But since you probably don’t believe me, why don’t you ride out and look for yourself, brother.” snarled Heath back.

“Boy, don’t talk to me like that! I only asked you if the job was finished.” shouted Nick. “I don’t need your attitude on top of everything else.”

“What is going on in here?” demanded Victoria as she walked in from the kitchen.

“Just a discussion of fenceline, Mother” said Jarrod as he kissed his mother on the cheek and gave her a “here we go again” look.

“Dinner will be ready in a half an hour. Why don’t we go into the parlor for a before dinner drink?” Victoria suggested as Nick kissed her cheek.

“Sounds wonderful Mother, but I need to go wash up.” said Nick as he turned and went up the stairs to his room.

“Thank you ma’am but I was thinking of taking a walk before dinner.” said Heath quietly as he hurried out the front door.

“It appears it will only be us for the before dinner drink. Will you join me kind, sir?”

“I would be honored, my lady.” stated Jarrod as he took his mother’s arm and they walked into the parlor.

As Jarrod poured their drinks, he told his mother of the paperwork he and Nick had filed with the bank. Jarrod turned around when his mother did not comment and saw her looking out the french doors. He came up behind her and saw Heath as he leaned on the corral watching a new stallion in the paddock.

Victoria sighed and was lost in deep thought. What if Nick never accepted Heath as a brother? Heath could be the partner that Nick needed to help with the ranch. He thoroughly enjoyed the work and would always do more than anyone else just to make Nick happy. Nick, however wouldn’t even acknowledge that his new brother worked like a dog all day long just hoping to hear one word of encouragement from his big brother. Why couldn’t Nick see that Heath wasn’t here for the money. It was due to his need for a family that he stayed and endured Nick’s wrath and the looks from others in the community. Everyone else in the family saw it, everyone but who really needed to see it. Those two were cut from the same cloth and needed each other very much.

“Mother,” said Jarrod shaking Victoria from her thoughts. “It will happen in time.”

Victoria smiled at her eldest son who had stepped into his father’s shoes as head of the Barkley family.

“I am afraid it will happen too late. Too late for Nick to take back all of the things he had said or insinuated towards Heath. Too late because Heath will be gone. I should have let Nick know before how I know that Heath is your father’s son. I only hope I am not too late.”

“Mother, if you have proof why didn’t you tell the whole family?” puzzled Jarrod.

“You and Audra had accepted Heath as a brother. Even Eugene in the short time he was here before he went back to school considers Heath his brother. It was not necessary to bring up old history that would affect your perception of your father. I just thought Nick needed a little more time. It is very personal and not something I wanted to discuss.” said Victoria.

“Have I told you lately how much I admire and love my mother?” asked Jarrod as he gave his mother a hug. “I know this is hard for you, but you have never shown it. Never given into what others have said to do. If Heath does decide he’s had enough of Nick, I think you will make the difference in whether Heath stays or goes. He needs you and he respects you, Mother.”

“Thank you Jarrod” said Victoria while returning his hug.

Chapter 6

The entire Barkley family was at the dinner table promptly at 7:00. Though the atmosphere was tense, Victoria was thankful that she could count on her vivacious daughter to find a topic of conversation that was lively and neutral. Audra was bubbling with excitement as she talked about the upcoming festival in two weeks to raise money for repairs to the orphanage’s buildings.

“The festival is going to be exciting and wonderful!” exclaimed Audra. “We are going to have a lot of different booths and a dance. Charity Jones really has some wonderful ideas.”

“Well, now that does sound like fun. I wonder which lovely lady will have the privilege of my company.” boasted Nick as he ran through a list of eligible ladies.

“Modest as ever, Nick. Perhaps you can ask the newest arrival to Stockton to accompany you to the dance.” laughed Jarrod as Nick’s face turned red.

“Jarrod…”

“What new arrival?” asked Audra.

“Oh, just someone Nick bumped into today as we were leaving the bank.” said Jarrod secretively.

“Really!! Was she pretty? Where does she live? What’s her name?” asked Audra excitedly.

“She didn’t give us her name and yes, she is very beautiful.” said Jarrod as he smiled at Nick.

“Yeah, I guess she’s all right if you like the thorns on a rosebush!” said Nick angrily. “I wouldn’t take her to the dance if she was the last unattached woman in the state of California or even in the whole United States!!”.

“Why Nick? What happened?” quizzed Audra trying to determine why a woman had this affect on her big brother.

“Nothing worth talking about, little sister.” said Nick as he shot a look at Jarrod who was laughing.

Victoria smiled at the teasing conversation bouncing back and forth between the siblings around the table. I wonder who this new lady is that has Nick in such a huff. She must have really done something to rub his fur the wrong way.

Her smiled faded as she noticed Heath was not partaking or even smiling at the conversation. He was pushing his food around on his plate, deep in thought.

“Heath, how was your day?” asked Victoria.

“It was fine ma’am.” stated Heath quietly while looking down at this plate.

“Do you have anyone in mind that you would like to accompany to the dance?”

Heath shifted in his chair. “Well, I wasn’t figuring on going to the dance since I am not much on dancing. I thought it might be best if I stayed here.”

“Heath! You have to come! It’s going to be one of the biggest social events of the year! I can’t wait to show off all my handsome brothers” exclaimed Audra.

“Yes, Heath. Audra is right. The Barkley family has had a long tradition of giving and leading in the community. The community would expect all of us to be there and as a member of the Barkley family, I would expect no less from you.” said Victoria while smiling at Heath.

“It will be fun Heath. I can introduce you to some of my girlfriends. You will have a grand time!”

“Hey, you never introduced any of your girlfriends to me Audra!” said Nick jealously.

“That’s because you scared them away before I could, Nick Barkley!” shot Audra back at her brother.

Jarrod and Victoria laughed causing Nick to blush. Victoria saw the corners of Heath’s mouth turn up and again was thankful for Audra’s outgoing personality.

“What do you say Heath?” asked Victoria after the laughter had died down.

Heath smiled at his stepmother, “I would be honored to be there as a member of the Barkley family. Thank you, ma’am. Now if you will excuse me, I am going upstairs. It has been a long day.”

Nick rolled his eyes but did not say anything as everyone bade Heath a good night. As Audra and Jarrod walked into the parlor, Victoria stopped Nick with a hand on his arm.

“Nick, I would like to speak to you in the study.”

“I am tired myself mother, can’t this wait?” asked Nick.

“No, I am afraid I have waited too long as it is. Come along, Nicholas.” stated his mother in a voice that left no room for discussion.

Nick followed his mother into the study feeling like he was being lead to the principle’s office in school. He poured a glass of sherry for his mother and one for himself. He handed his mother her drink and took a seat in the chair opposite her on the couch. Victoria could tell by how stiffly he sat on the chair he was not going to make this easy.

“Is there something you were wondering about the ranch, Mother?” asked Nick innocently.

Victoria looked at Nick and let him know with her eyes that she was not going to be swayed from the topic of conversation. As she sipped her drink, she gathered her thoughts and started speaking.

“Nick, I am going to tell you how I know Heath is your father’s son and your brother. I am going to tell you something that I have not told anyone else, including Jarrod, Audra or Eugene.” said Victoria while gazing into her son’s hazel eyes.

“I already know that you consider his coloring to be similar to father and grandfather, Mother. That doesn’t mean anything as there are lots of people in the world that have the same coloring!” huffed Nick.

“There are some things that a child should never know about his parent’s marriage. Things that are quite frankly, none of their business. However, I cannot have you treating your brother in the manner you have been and since my telling you Heath is your brother has not helped you to accept him, I will tell you how I positively know Heath is your brother.”

“Mother..”

“I knew about Leah, Nick” stated his mother matter-of-factly as the shock showed on Nick’s face.

Chapter 7

As Nick sat stunned, his Mother continued in a low soft voice.

“When you were eight years old, your father told me about Leah when he was sick with the fever . He thought he was going to die. He did not want to take that secret with him to his grave and felt he had to atone for his sins. Yes, he had an affair with her, he regretted it and begged my forgiveness that night. I was shocked and hurt, but I forgave your father. He had made a mistake and it had been slowly eating away at him. Once your father recovered from the fever, it was difficult but we put all our efforts into making our marriage stronger. I know your father loved me and his family, Nick. Your father was not a saint. He was just a man who had strayed from his path in life.”

“I don’t believe it! My father and another woman?” said Nick shaking his head as his mind reeled with this new information about the man he thought he had known.

“It is true Nick. Leah having a child was a consequence that we should have considered but never did. Perhaps, subconsciously I didn’t want to know. When Heath came to us, I knew that your father and I had make a dreadful mistake. I will have to live with that the rest of my life, Nick.”

“I don’t know understand how father could have done that to you, Mother!” said Nick with tears in his eyes. “How could he do that to his family?”

Victoria stood in front of Nick and raised his face to hers. “Don’t make Heath pay for something he didn’t have any control over, Nick. Open your heart and you will see that he is a fine man. A man you should be proud to call brother.”

Victoria stroked his cheek, kissed his forehead and walked to the door of the study. As she looked back at Nick , she knew she had done the right thing.

“This will make all the difference now,” she thought. As difficult as it may be for Nick to come to terms with his father’s actions, she had faith he would do the right thing.

“Nick, I do not want this conversation to leave this room. It was for your ears only. Now it is up to you to decide what you are going to do. I love you. Good night, son.”

Nick nodded as he was too stunned to say anything. Thoughts of anger and deception were running through his mind uncontrollably. His chest felt as though a band was being tightened around it, his throat hoarse and dry. His stomach was revolting from the disgust of it. His father and Heath’s mother!

Everything he knew about the man was a lie! How could the father he worshipped do such an unspeakable thing to his wife and family.

As he looked at the portrait over the mantle, tears streamed down his face as he shook his fist at his Father, “How could you, Father? How could you throw away your wedding vows? How could you hurt Mother that way? WHY? WHY?”

As emotions overwhelmed and engulfed his whole being, Nick sank to his knees and sobbed uncontrollably. After the tears and the shaking subsided, he gained a small measure of control. Nick wiped his eyes and stood slowly as though he was a newborn colt on wobbly legs.

“I will never forgive you, Father. Never!” vowed Nick as he shook his fist at his Father one last time and left the study slowly.

Chapter 8

Saturday night in the Red Dog Saloon was always a busy night. All different types of patrons came together to drink, play cards and pass the night away. The air was thick with cigar and cigarette smoke, the conversation was loud and boisterous. On a piano in the corner, a man tickled the ivory keys causing a lively tune to be heard throughout the room.

The lively tune did nothing to the improve the mood of John Travis as he sat at a table alone with a bottle in front of him. John Travis was the embodiment of an angry, ambitious and dissatisfied person. The citizens of Stockton knew him as a polite, friendly and generous person of their community, but that was all a façade. Inside the bitterness grew until he thought it would choke him.

“I want what they have! I deserve what they have,” he thought bitterly. “I am so close to getting everything I have planned and work so long for.”

“All that time I spent gaining the confidence of Abe Henderson, knowing that Henderson’s hatred of the Barkleys would work to my advantage. I can’t believe Abe didn’t tell me about that Texas provision in his will. Now it could all be for nothing just because someone wrote a letter to a girl from Texas!”

As he sat contemplating his next move, he heard the drunken slur of a dirty cowboy at the next table, “I don’t like it and I don’t like him. I don’t know why Nick don’t kick him off the ranch. It’s not right his living in the big house!”

“Knock it off Barrett, you’re drunk!” said his companion, Scotty. “You don’t want this to get back to the Barkleys. They wouldn’t like it.”

“I don’t care if it gets back to the high and mighty Barkleys! That bastard took away my chance at moving up in the future. You know Nick has always counted on me and now look what happens.” said Barrett angrily.

“Well, I am not going down with you, Barrett! You’re on your own!” said Scotty as he took his glass of beer and walked to the bar leaving Barrett alone at the table.

John Travis was nothing, if not an opportunist.

“Barrett, how about sharing this bottle with me?” asked John. “May as well not drink alone if you don’t have to.”

“Oh, sure. Sorry, I didn’t see you there, Mr. Travis.” said Barrett after he sat at John’s table. Barrett poured a drink from the bottle and saluted the bank manager across from him with his glass.

“How are things going at the ranch?” inquired John as he sipped his drink. “I couldn’t help but hear you are having some problems with a certain boss.”

“That bastard ain’t my boss! One of these days, he’s gonna push me too far!” growled Barrett.

“I can understand your position, Barrett. A hard working man like yourself shouldn’t be held back just because some mistake shows up from old Tom Barkley’s past. I hear that Nick Barkley doesn’t even believe his story and would like to see Heath gone.” sympathized John. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know, why?” asked Barrett suspiciously.

“Well, I have several avenues I have been considering. I think you and I can help each other with this particular situation. Are you open to being a silent partner?” smiled John mysteriously.

“Sure, I’d do anything to get rid of that bastard. What you got in mind?”

“Why don’t we meet tomorrow afternoon and discuss my plans in a more quiet location. How about my house around 2:00? Make sure you’re not seen. We don’t want anyone wagging their tongues and spoiling everything. Can you make it?”

“Sure, Mr. Travis. I will be there and thanks.” said Barrett.

“Anytime Barrett. I have to leave but you stay here and finish the bottle. It’s all paid for. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Things are starting to look better already,” thought Travis with an evil smile on his face as he walked out the swinging doors into the cool night air.

Chapter 9

On Sunday morning, the citizens of Stockton were treated to a glorious sunrise. The sky was streaming with brilliant rays of color as it peeked over the horizon and warmed everything it touched.

Suzanne Weston stood on the hotel balcony with her face uplifted to the rays of the sun soaking in the warmth it offered. “What a beautiful way to start a day!” she thought. “I hope the rest of the day holds such warmth and promise.”

A knock at the door and Jack’s voice interrupted her morning ritual. “Boss, are you ready for breakfast?”

“Come on in Jack, it’s open” called Sue from the balcony.

“You really should lock your door. This is a new place and we don’t know what type of people this town holds yet or who may be lurking around.” Jack said with a concerned look on his face.

“It was locked, Jack. I knew you would be knocking shortly, so I unlocked it.” said Sue smiling. “I needed to see the sun greeting the first day of our new start.”

“Yeah, it sure is a beautiful morning.” whispered Jack as he gazed at the sunrise with her.

“Did you speak with Jose last night after dinner?” asked Sue as she glanced at her friend.

“Yes, he delivered the note to Charity at the mission as you requested. I also asked him to bring our horses around front at 10:00 this morning.” said Jack smiling as he remembered how excited Jose was to be in charge of their horses again.

“Good thinking! Let’s go have some breakfast. I sure hope Maria is cooking this morning. That dinner last night was incredible!” exclaimed Sue.

“I agree! That was the best meal I have ever had.” Jack said as he rubbed his stomach and followed Sue out the door.

“Good morning, Miss Weston and Mr. Franklin. I trust you had a restful night’s sleep.” called Harvey as they walked down the stairs towards the lobby.

“Good morning Harvey. I didn’t hear anything til this morning. Thanks for asking. We are off to breakfast.” said Sue as she continued walking towards the dining room.

After they were seated at the table and ordered their breakfast, Sue glanced at Jack.

“If we purchase the ranch, maybe Maria and Jose will agree to come work with us. Harvey says the boy doesn’t attend school on a regular basis since his father died. He had to take jobs to help his mother make ends meet. Jose appears to be smart as a whip and I think he could make something of himself if he got a good education. If I offer her more money than they make here, he wouldn’t have to work as hard and he could attend school and we would get to enjoy Maria’s cooking everyday. It would benefit all of us!”

“And some people say you don’t have a heart!” chided Jack.

“Oh, Mr. Franklin, whoever would say such dreadful things about me!” joked Sue in a southern accent. “My heart is as big as the fine state of Texas.”

As they enjoyed their breakfast and morning coffee, Sue and Jack spoke about the telegrams they would need to send if they liked what they saw at the ranch later that morning. If Sue didn’t purchase this ranch, she would have to find another place to make a new start.

“Oh, I forgot to mention I saw your husband to be in the saloon last night.” teased Jack.

Sue choked on her coffee and sputtered, “What!”

“I was over to the saloon having a nightcap and I saw Mr. Travis, the bank manager in there sharing a bottle with some cowboy.” said Jack as his brown eyes twinkled with laughter.

“I would rather marry a skunk than that snake. I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t trust him. Something is not right with him, I can feel it.” scowled Sue as her thoughts and face darkened. “You know, I had the same feeling about her too. I hit the nail right on the head with that one.”

Jack covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry, Sue. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I was only teasing.” said Jack with a guilty look on his face.

“I know that Jack! Sometimes my mind takes me where I don’t want to go. It’s okay.” she assured him as she patted his hand and smiled.

Sue and Jack’s morning was brighten considerably when Charity Jones walked into the dining room.

“Charity! How wonderful to see you again, my dear. We have missed you so.” said Sue as she stood and gave her old friend a big Texas hug.

“Suzanne and Jack! Two of my dearest friends. I was so looking forward to being able to spend your first night in town with you. I am sorry I was unavailable. We have a festival in two weeks to help raise funds for the orphanage and I am on the planning committee.” explained Charity as she smiled at her friends.

“We don’t mind, Charity” said Jack as he gave her a hug. “We know the work you do is important and we wouldn’t want to stand in the way of that.”

“Why thank you for being so understanding, Jack. I know I can always count on you!” said Charity as she gazed into his eyes.

Rolling her eyes at Jack’s comments, Sue smiled as she watched the pair of them together. “They sure do make a cute couple,” she thought. “Both of them are tall and willowy. It’s like they were made to stand by each other.”

“Yep, one of these days I am going to have to either build a house for those two on my new ranch or find a new foreman. It won’t be long before she snags him, whether he says he’s the marrying kind or not!” she thought with a warm feeling in her heart.

“Let me look at you! Still wearing those long uncomfortable dresses, I see.” teased Sue.

“Well, I was hoping that this time I would see you in a dress and without a gun, Suzanne.” shot Charity right back at her.

Sue laughed heartedly “I would rather be comfortable and protected! I can wear a dress when the occasion calls for it. I just haven’t been invited to that occasion yet.”

“I would like to see that myself, Boss.” joked Jack. “Do you think it will be in my lifetime?”

“Watch it, Jack” threatened Sue with a smile on her face.

“Did you wear a dress when you met with Mr. Travis and Mr. Baldwin yesterday?” asked Charity with a knowing look in her eyes.

Sue shifted slightly in her seat, “No, we were just off the trail. I can’t pack a dress in my saddlebags, Charity.”

“You could have waited and met with them on Monday. I think meeting with a bank manager and attorney would be an occasion that would call for wearing a dress, especially since you may be purchasing a ranch from them.” stated Charity with a smug look on her face.

“She’s got you there, Sue!” howled Jack with laughter.

“Okay, you two. No ganging up on me!” laughed Sue as she poured Charity a cup of coffee. “Mr. Baldwin is taking us out to the ranch this morning, why don’t you come along Charity?”

“I would love to! It will be great to be out in the sunshine. Thanks for the offer. Would you like me to tell you anything else about the ranch before we go?” asked Charity.

“No, I got a good view of it in my head from your letter. It sounds perfect! The only thing I don’t understand is why Mr. Henderson stipulated the buyer must be from Texas with no family connection to Stockton?” puzzled Sue as she sipped her coffee.

“Oh, that’s because he was originally from Texas, around Houston, if I remember correctly. He also did not want any family member of Tom Barkley to be able to purchase the ranch. There was some bad feelings between them. That’s why he had also stipulated the buyer could not have any family connection to Stockton. The Barkleys are the most prominent family here in Stockton.” explained Charity.

“Hey, we met two of the Barkleys yesterday outside the bank. Nick and Jarrod were their names. They sort of ran into Sue as they were coming out and we were going in.” chuckled Jack as he saw the look on his boss’ face.

“You better get used to seeing them as they will be your new neighbors!” explained Charity.

Sue choked and sputtered for the second time that morning. Charity slapped her friend on the back, “Are you okay, Suzanne?”

“Fine. I am just fine!” stammered Sue with a strange look on her face.

“What did you do?” demanded Charity.

“Nothing.” said Sue as Jack howled with laughter.

“You didn’t try to shoot them or something else, did you?” asked Charity confused at their reactions to meeting the Barkley brothers. This question only caused Jack to laugh harder until tears were running down his face. Sue blushed with embarrassment and quietly told Charity of her “run-in” with the Barkleys brothers.

Charity shook her finger at Sue, “See what happens when you talk before you think. Those men are two of the most eligible bachelors around here.”

“I am purchasing a ranch, not looking for a husband!” exclaimed Sue as she glared at her friends.

Jack and Charity looked at each other and burst out laughing while their friend was trying very hard to ignore them.

“I am not the one who ran into them. I can be neighborly, they just caught me at a bad moment.” said Sue sweetly.

“I know you can, Sue. I don’t think this was a very good way to start though.”

said Charity as she smiled at her friend.

“We’ll be leaving at 10:00 to ride out to the ranch. Perhaps you should change into your riding clothes, Charity?” suggested Sue.

“I’ll be happy to accompany you to the mission Charity.” offered Jack as he put on his hat.

“Thank you Jack. We will be back in a little bit.” said Charity as she hugged her friend.

Sue watched her friends walk to the lobby of the hotel. As she drank the last of her coffee, she requested a pencil and paper to write out some telegrams to her ranch crew back in Texas. As she tried to concentrate on her writing, her thoughts keep shifting to the Barkley brothers.

“Great way to start with your potential neighbors. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come in the future. I can’t believe Charity actually thought I might have tried to shoot them or something.” chuckled Sue with a shake of her head and a thoughtful look on her face as she thought her brief meeting with Jarrod and Nick.

Chapter 10.

As Heath watched out the window, his soul was revived at the pallet of colors the sunrise brought when it peeked over the horizon to greet him Sunday morning. Buttoning his blue chambray shirt as he watch the new day take shape before his eyes, his thoughts were not of his future on the Barkley ranch that he had come to love, but on where he and his horse, Charger, would be off to next.

“It’s not as if I am admitting to Nick that I am unworthy of being a Barkley by leaving” he thought.

“I am saving the family from the heartache and disappointment in the future that my arrival has brought. Nick will never accept me no matter how I work to prove to him that I am his brother. In his eyes, I will always be an outsider and not worthy of the Barkley name. “ reasoned Heath in his mind. “There’s nothing wrong with the name Heath Thomson! It’s a good name from a good woman, my mama.”

Heath’s heart ached at the thought of leaving the new family he had come to love in the short time he was here. As he thought of each of them, his eyes filled with tears.

“Silas, my dear friend, is generous to allow me to share his hopes, dreams, fears and his faith. My first friend in this house, he will always be near to my heart.”

“Audra, my little sister, is a ray of sunshine in this life. Her spirit, passion and caring for others can be seen by everyone by the things that she does for her family, her friends and with the children at the orphanage.”

“Eugene, my little brother, is a man who will make big tracks in the future in the field of veterinary medicine. His keen mind and research skills will be of benefit to the world and his field.”

“Jarrod, my eldest brother, has filled the role of father and brother simultaneously for me. He is always ready to listen, offer encouragement, be a referee or confidant. His knowledge of the law is only second to his knowledge of people and the world in which we live.”

“Victoria, my stepmother, who fills the world around her with dignity, sophistication, caring and love. Her grace has helped me through many a hard day when I was ready to throw in the towel. She is always there for me with advise or just a comforting hand on my shoulder. She is so much more than a stepmother to me.”

“I will even miss Nick, my older brother. Nick and I are the same breed of person, even though he is a mite louder than me, we are the same. We have the same thoughts, same feelings and same goals in life. We share the same compassion for the ranch and I think, I will miss Nick the most.” thought Heath as he wiped his eyes. “Will he even notice if I am gone? Will he just be glad I am not here to cast a slur upon his father’s good name? Will he be relieved?”

As Heath sat on the bed and pulled on his boots, his stomach was in knots at the prospect of having Sunday breakfast with the family. During the week, Heath usually had breakfast with Silas and was out on the range working before the rest of the crew was stirring out of their bunks.

“I wouldn’t mind just having breakfast with Silas this morning too. Lord only knows what Nick is going to say or do to me today. I don’t know how much more I can take without coming to serious blows again with that stubborn brother.”

“Patience is a virtue, mama used to say. Wonder if whoever made up that line had given any thought to Nick Barkley. “ mumbled Heath with a slight smile on his face as he walked out the door of his bedroom.

“Good morning, Heath” said Jarrod as he was coming out of his room dressed in a shirt and jeans. “Do you have any plans for the day?”

“Morning Jarrod. No, there are a couple of horses that are ready to foal, so I thought I would stay around here.” answered Heath as they walked towards the stairs.

When they passed Nick’s room, Jarrod knocked on the door. “Nick, are you coming to breakfast?”

“I’LL BE THERE SHORTLY” yelled Nick from behind the door.

Jarrod looked at Heath and rolled his eyes. “Guess who got up on the wrong side of the bed, brother Heath?”

“Everyday since I been here” said Heath under his breath.

Jarrod, having heard what Heath said looked sharply at him as he started down the stairs to the foyer. “What does that mean?” thought Jarrod. “Surely Heath doesn’t think it is his fault that Nick couldn’t get up on the right side of the bed. He will come around. I’ll have to talk to Heath to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash while he and the rest of us are waiting for Nick to come to his senses.”

Chapter 11

No amount of sunshine or light could work its way through the darkness in Nick Barkley’s soul. His whole being had been shattered to its very core. His perception of right and wrong had been taxed to its limit. His heart burned with a rage that threatened to burst his heart from his chest. His hands clenched and unclenched steadily.

All night he had been lost in a sea of emotion that threatened to wash over and drown him. His sleep was disjointed pictures and fragments of days past with his Father and mother only to have another woman’s face appear over his mothers in the nightmares. His Father had appeared before him surrounded by other children while his family looked on with longing and unhappiness. He had woken up numerous times throughout the night startled out of the nightmares by images his mind had conjured up. His restless sleep was evident by the state of the bed and its covers.

He was angry! He was frightened! He was ashamed!

Angry at the man that betrayed his memory of him. Angry at the man that showed up and destroyed that memory. Angry that Heath’s mother didn’t tell his Father about Heath. Angry that his mother and his father didn’t take the time to find out if Leah had been carrying a child.

Frightened that he had no control over the thoughts in his mind. Frightened of closing his eyes and seeing those images. Frightened that his world was spiraling out of control.

Ashamed that Heath had grown up in that miserable town of Strawberry without a father. Ashamed that he was forced to be a charge boy in the mines at such a young age and working odd jobs just to help his mother by bringing home some pennies. Ashamed that Heath had to fight his way into the family that he should have been in from the day he was born. Ashamed that he had a brother from his father by another woman.

“Oh God, how ashamed I am that he had such a hard life while we were here in Stockton with our bellies full and going to school.” thought Nick as he held his head in his hands as he sat in the chair.

“How am I going to find the strength to go on when I feel so hollow and empty. How can I accept him when I don’t want to accept what my father has done?”

As Nick sat and contemplated it in his tortured mind, he was no closer to an answer this morning than he was when he was drinking himself to a stupor in his room last night. The brandy had helped dull his senses and lulled him into a false security of numbing his mind and thoughts. Then the nightmares had robbed him of the sleep that he needed to help revive his soul. The haggardness of his handsome face was evident, his eyes hollow and his color pale.

He had a knot in his stomach from the thought of having breakfast with the family. As he changed yesterday’s clothes for new ones, he didn’t know if he had the resolve to make it through the meal.

“What’s wrong with me? I am a man! Not a child! I have dealt with other tough things in my life, I can deal with this!” said Nick angrily at his thoughts.

As he heard a knock on his door and Jarrod’s voice, the anger caused him to shout out his answer to the question. “I’LL BE THERE SHORTLY!”

“Man can’t even get dressed without someone bothering him” he mumbled as he put on his boots and walked to the door.

Opening the door, he stepped out into the hallway and down the stairs to the dining room for breakfast.

Chapter 12

As Nick walked down the stairs, the first person to see his appearance was his mother, Victoria. She knew his look was one of the consequences of their talk last night.

“Nick, are you okay son?” asked Victoria with a concerned look on her face.

“I am just fine Mother” said Nick gruffly as he walked past his mother “Are we having breakfast here in the foyer or should we go into the dining room?”

Victoria stopped Nick with a hand on his arm, “Nick, have you considered what you are going to do with what you learned last night?”

“I am hungry Mother, can’t we discuss this later?. I do have things that I need to do today, this is a working ranch that won’t stay still because the owners father’s pedestal has a crack in it the size of the Grand Canyon.”

“Of course, dear” smiled Victoria as she took his arm. “Let’s have some breakfast.”

Nick escorted his mother into the dining room where the remainder of the family was gathered around the table. Good mornings were shared as Victoria and Nick took their respective places at the table.

“Nick, you look terrible! Are you feeling alright?” asked Audra with a shocked look at her brother’s face.

As Nick looked around the table, he saw that Jarrod and Heath also wore similar expressions of shock and concern.

“I’m fine, little sister. Nothing to worry about” replied Nick as he sipped his coffee.

“Perhaps brother Nick was out late with his prospective date for the upcoming festival.” joked Jarrod while filling his plate.

“I wasn’t out last night!” said Nick. “I just didn’t sleep that well is all.”

“Did you have insomnia or something like that Nick?” inquired Audra.

“I JUST HAVE SOME THINGS ON MY MIND! CAN’T A GUY JUST HAVE A BAD NIGHT WITHOUT GETTING THE THIRD DEGREE FROM HIS FAMILY!” growled Nick as he pushed his chair back and stormed from the dining room.

As Jarrod started to rise, Victoria spoke “Leave him be, Jarrod. Eat your breakfast.”

“Mother, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just concerned because of the way he looks.” said Audra sadly.

“I know dear, but we are all entitled to a bad night. If your brother wants to share with us, he will. Otherwise, I think it is best if we give him some space.” stated Victoria as she patted Audra’s hand.

Victoria glanced at Heath and saw that he was not saying anything, he was just looking at his plate. Her eyes went to Jarrod who shrugged a shoulder as if to say ‘I am not sure, Mother’.

“Heath, is there something wrong with your breakfast? You haven’t eaten hardly a thing.” asked Victoria.

“No ma’am. It’s fine. Guess I am just not very hungry this morning.” said Heath softly.

“Did you sleep okay, Heath?” asked Audra.

“I slept fine, sis. Thanks for asking. I think I had better go out to the barn and check on those mares. Excuse me.” said Heath as he got up and walked out of the dining room.

“What is going on, Mother?” asked Jarrod. “Nick looks like death warmed over and Heath just seems, well for lack of a better word, defeated.”

“I had a talk with Nick last night to tell him how I knew Heath was his brother. I think he’s in shock to say the least. We need to be patient and give him a few days to sort everything out.”

“What did you tell him?” inquired Audra with a puzzled look on her face. “It must have been something horrible for Nick to look like he does.”

“That young lady, is none of your business.” said Victoria firmly. “It was something that only Nick needed to hear and does not concern you.”

“Sorry, Mother” apologized Audra while feeling like a little girl who was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“As for Heath, I am not sure what is going through his mind.” sighed Victoria. “I wish he felt comfortable enough to tell me anything he wanted to.”

“I think Heath is feeling responsible for being the cause of Nick’s pain, Mother. I saw it in his eyes when you and Nick walked into the room. His eyes are so expressive, you can see to the depths of his soul when he doesn’t know you are watching and leaves them unguarded. I fear that Heath will feel the only way to take away Nick’s pain is to leave us.” admitted Jarrod with a shake of his head.

“He can’t leave us!” exclaimed Audra. “He belongs here in this family! I won’t let him leave!”

“You may be powerless to stop him, Audra. Heath is a proud man who would never want to be the cause of anyone’s pain. He’s had enough pain in his life and knows what it feels like. “ explained Jarrod calmly. “We can only let him know that he would be missed terribly if he were to go and that we love him as a brother. I hope he doesn’t leave. I hope Nick comes around before that happens, but only time will tell.”

“I think you are correct, Jarrod. I just hope for our sakes and Heath’s that he doesn’t leave. We will have to see what we can do about keeping here where he belongs, whether he sees it or not.” said Victoria as she pounded her fist on the table.

“You love him too, don’t you Mother?” asked Audra shyly.

As Victoria looked at Jarrod and Audra with tears in her eyes, she said “Yes, as if I had born and raised him myself and I will not let anything come in the way of Heath being my son.”

“We all feel the same way, Mother. Even Nick, even though he doesn’t know it yet.” said Jarrod with a smile.

“Yes, we will all help Heath so he doesn’t feel as if he has to leave and we will help Nick come to his senses.” said Audra as she hugged her mother.

“Let’s finish breakfast and see what we can do.” said Victoria feeling as though a united front was the one thing that would help Nick and Heath through this difficult time.

Chapter 13

After breakfast, Victoria and Audra climbed into the buggy and drove to town for church services. Jarrod was in the study completing his case and summation for an upcoming trial. Heath was in the barn attending to the mares. Nick was nowhere to be found as he had saddled Coco earlier and gone for a ride.

In a grove of trees, Nick sat on his horse beside his father’s grave. Gathering his strength, he climbed down and walked to stand in front of the tombstone as he had done many times since his father’s death. He had come here in the past to keep his father abreast of all of the businesses of the Barkley holdings and the lives of all of the family members. He had come here when he needed to think out problems or to have a sounding board for new ideas. He had come here just to say “Hello” to his Father when he felt the need. With tears pooling in his eyes, Nick thought back on his childhood memories.

He remembered how his father had appeared to be larger than life to him as a young boy. The man who worked so hard to build the Barkley empire into what it was today. The man who had the vision to diversify his holdings to ensure all their eggs were not in one basket. The man who taught all of his children the skills necessary to survive in this harsh land. He taught them to respect others and the property of others. He taught them how to run all aspects of the empire. The man who stood up and lead the community in times of trial and tribulation. The man who would play a child’s game just to please his children. The man whose life was cut short by a murderer’s bullet. This was the man that had a child by another woman.

As Nick, looked at his father’s grave he spoke, “How can you have done so many great and wonderful things in your life but you couldn’t stay true to Mother? I understand that perhaps you were lonely, but that’s no excuse! Mother didn’t deserve to be treated that way. She has stood by you all of these years!. Even now, she has never treated you in the manner you have treated her.”

“Did you even think of the consequences of your actions? Obviously not, otherwise, I would have known Heath as a brother growing up with us!”

“Do you know what his life was like, Father? Do you even care to know? IT WAS HELL! He worked like a slave, he couldn’t go to school, people treated him like dirt. Hell, even I treated him like dirt. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!!! He doesn’t deserve that. He deserves so much more. You should have been the one to give it to him. You should be here to teach him the things you taught me, Jarrod and Eugene. HE SHOULD HAVE HAD A FATHER!”

“I need to find some way to come to terms with what you have done, Father. I realize Heath is not to blame, but I am so angry I can’t help it. If you were here, I think I could beat you senseless. I have never had those thoughts before in my life, Father. Even when I was angry with you, I would never have raised my fists to you. Do you see what you have done? I need to find a way to control this anger. You have caused me to be angry at mother and Audra just because they care for me – THEY DON’T DESERVE IT EITHER!!”

As he paused and ran his gloved hand through his hair, he continued softly. “I still love you and always will, but forgiveness may never come from me, Father. But, I need your guidance. I can’t talk to Jarrod, sometimes he is too much of a lawyer. I definitely can’t talk to Mother, I don’t think she would fully understand the rage I am experiencing. I definitely could not talk to Audra either and Eugene, even if he were here, wouldn’t understand. I can’t think of anyone else who would understand what I am going through!”

As Nick paced back and forth, a gentle breeze blew through the trees. He stopped abruptly as he heard the words on the gentle breeze that blew through the grove, ‘Heath will understand’.

Nick smiled and shook his head as he realized the words were true. Heath would understand having such rage at one’s father. The answer was there for him all along in the form of his new brother.

Nick walked to Coco, mounted and tipped his hat to his father’s grave.

“Thank you, Father for your guidance.” he said before turning Coco for home.

Chapter 14

Dan Baldwin was a very conscientious man and attorney. Promptly at 10:00 he arrived at the front of the Cattleman’s hotel in his surrey. He understood the importance of keeping a schedule to appease one’s clients. He had brought with him a leather satchel that contained the purchase agreement and deed to the Henderson ranch. If Miss Weston, agreed to purchase the ranch, she could sign the documents today.

He was happy to have this last piece of business from Abe Henderson’s will taken care of and completed. He had been worried that we would never sell the ranch according due to the conditions Abe had stated in his will.

As he tied the team to the hitching rail, he saw Jack Franklin and Charity Jones walking up the street leading a horse.

“Good morning Jack and Miss Jones” called Dan. “Beautiful day for a ride, isn’t it?

“Yes, it sure is!.” said Jack as he shook Dan’s hand.

“Hi Mr. Baldwin, how are the twins?” asked Charity as she smiled at Dan.

“Just fine, Miss Jones. They sure keep Marie and me busy now that they are running. They don’t like to walk anywhere.” laughed Dan.

The three of them enjoyed a hearty laugh as they walked into the restaurant to meet Sue.

“Good morning, Sue. Are you ready to have a look at the ranch?” asked Dan.

Sue smiled as she stood and held out her hand, “Dan, I am more than ready.”

“I have my surrey out front if you would like to ride with me, Sue.”

“That sounds fine.” said Sue.

As they walked through the lobby, Jose called out to Sue, ”I have brought your horses, senorita. They are tied up out front.”

“Thank you, Jose. It is always good to have a man around I can count on. If it is not too much trouble, would you mind taking these telegrams to the telegraph office when they open. Here is enough money to pay for them.” said Sue as she handed Jose a five dollar bill.

“I will be there when they open the door senorita.” stated Jose proudly.

“I believe you will Jose and here is a little something for your help. Mr. Franklin and I will see you later today.” said Sue as she walked to the door with Jack.

As Sue and Jack stepped onto the sidewalk, Jack stopped Sue with a hand on her arm.

“There’s the cowpuncher who was drinking with Travis last night, boss.” said Jack as they watched Barrett tying his horse in front of the Red Dog saloon.

“He must not have a job to occupy him if he’s drinking this early in the morning.” replied Sue with a grin. “I’m sending a telegram to Davey to let him know we got here and to tell him I would let him know later today if we purchased the ranch or not. “

“Well, lets go look at that ranch and maybe you can let him know the good news later.” said Jack as he tied Rio, Sue’s horse to the back of the surrey. He walked to his horse and mounted as Sue climbed in the surrey with Dan Baldwin and Charity mounted her horse.

The group of travelers were treated to the warmth of the sunshine on their faces as they rode to the Henderson ranch. Dan and Sue kept up a steady stream of conversation in the surrey as Charity and Jack followed on their horses.

“I know that you will be impressed when you see the Henderson ranch. It is not the largest ranch here in Stockton, but it does have some of the best grazing pasture and plenty of water to help through any dry times.” explained Dan.

“Charity was kind enough to let me know a lot about the layout of the ranch and its features in her letter. I’m not looking for anything the size of the ranch we had in Texas, just someplace where we can put down roots and build it up. I understand that there are mountains on the backside of the property.” replied Sue.

“I‘m not sure if Abe Henderson even went into those mountains. He didn’t always take time to build something that would last, sometimes I think he was more of a rawhider than a rancher. He could have really made something of the ranch, but took to gambling and drinking instead.” stated Dan. “He really was a nice old man, just a little rough around the edges.”

“It’s been my experience that even the best of people have a downside to their nature.” said Sue wistfully. “Sometimes people are blind to what’s closest to them.”

“Yes, I know what you mean. If you don’t mind my asking Sue, what happened to your ranch in Texas? From your description yesterday, It sure sounds like it was a beautiful place.” inquired Dan.

Sue laughed dryly, “I don’t mind you asking, Dan. My father was one of those people who was blind to what was closest to him. God rest his soul.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t be offended.” offered Dan with a concerned look at his passenger.

“What’s done is done and there is nothing anyone can do about it now.” said Sue as her face took on a far away look. “I should start at the beginning so that you will have a complete picture and since you are considering my request to handle my affairs, you should know more about me."

“My mother died in childbirth with me. My father and the men on the ranch raised me. At the time I was growing up, the part of Texas we lived in was very isolated. I had learned to ride and rope before I was seven years old. By the age of ten, I had learned to shoot with a pistol and rifle. Everyone needed to know how to take care of themselves and help out wherever possible. The Indians would make raids on the ranch as well as the banditos from across the Rio Grande.”

“Now I see why you are comfortable wearing a gun. Were there no other women around when you were growing up?” asked Dan curiously.

“Oh sure, there were the wives of some of the hands. Mostly they were Spanish or Indian ladies. There weren’t too many white women in that area at that time. One of my caretakers growing up was a Yaqui warrior who had lost an arm in a fight with a bear.”

“When my father came across him in the hills, he didn’t think he would make it through the night. My father took him in and nursed him back to health. I guess he felt he owed my father, so he stayed and worked on the ranch. His name was Juan, but I addressed him as Haavi, which means ‘Father’s older brother’ in the Yaqui language. He taught me to hunt, track and to survive off the land. He died three years later during a raid on the ranch one night. I remember that at first, a lot of the hands were nervous about him when he arrived, but eventually everyone got along. I guess they were waiting for him to scalp them during the night or something.” chuckled Sue.

“That’s quite a way to grow up and here I thought growing up in San Francisco had been exciting. I would never have pictured an upbringing for you like that.” exclaimed Dan. “Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but you speak as those you had attended school on a regular basis. From what you say, there were no towns near you.”

“My extended family would have been proud to hear you say that I speak as if I had attended school.” smiled Sue.

“I was taught at home to read, write and all of the other subjects by my father and the others on the ranch. Some people think that a cowboy just knows how to punch cows and ride horses. That’s such an incorrect perception. We had cowhands who had all different types of upbringing and schooling. I even had a teacher who had been a professor back east, but came west after he had some sort of trouble back there. He didn’t say what it was and my father didn’t ask. As long as you pulled your weight and didn’t cause trouble, he gave everyone a fair chance.”

“We also gave refuge to people and missionaries as they passed through and that’s how I know Charity Jones. She was the first white child I played with and we are close friends to this day. She is also the only one who calls me by my given name. ‘She said, “Sue sounds like Lou and that’s a boy’s name and I will never call you that.”’

“My father had built the ranch into an empire by the time more white settlers arrived into the area. It was nice to have others around and I actually liked to attend school. My first day was a little rough though when the teacher had to explain to me I couldn’t bring my rifle into the school. I had a little bit of culture shock there.” laughed Sue as Dan joined her.

“How did your father happen to loose such an empire that he had worked so hard to build? Was it because of landgrabbers?” inquired Dan.

“He lost it when he lost his heart to a woman named Ramona. She blew into town, took my father by storm and he never saw the lightning that hit him. My father was a man wise to the hard ways of men in the world but not women. He married Ramona over my protests. I had a feeling she was no good but he wouldn’t be swayed. He thought I was just being jealous and petty since I had him to myself all those years. She was a beautiful woman and I think he thought she would be a role model for me.” explained Sue.

“What happened?” asked Dan completely enthralled with the story that was she was weaving.

“Well, as I said they were married. Ramona and I never got along. I saw her for what she was and she saw me for someone that stood in the way of her getting the ranch. My father was completely oblivious and thought everything was fine. They had been married for a little more than a year and one night as he was coming back to the ranch from town, he was shot and killed by someone. To this day, I don’t know who did it, but I’m sure she was involved.”

“Ironically, it was because of his will that I am here to purchase the ranch left by Abe Henderson in his will.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dan curiously.

“My father had left the ranch to Ramona because she was my stepmother and his wife. I had never considered her as a mother figure and never would. Well, as soon as she heard she owned the ranch, she gave me 48 hours to pack my belongings and leave. I think she thought I was going to be destitute and living on the streets, but she didn’t know my father had set up an account for me long ago, made money by investing in various things like the railroad and I was actually a well off woman. The account was in my name only and she couldn’t touch it.” explained Sue.

“My god, how could she throw you out like that! How ruthless!” exclaimed Dan angrily.

“I wasn’t too happy about it either.” said Sue with a grin. “I packed my things, took my two horses, the ranch crew and left her on the ranch alone. All of the boys elected to quit, take their families with them and move on to work on other ranches or to homestead a place of their own.”

“All of them!!” said Dan after he let out a whistle.

“Yep, all of them! I don’t think that was quite what she had in mind. She thought she would take over, get rid of me and continue to have a thriving enterprise. Eventually she did hire a new crew but they were nothing like the original crew. If it wasn’t for Jack and the others, I don’t know if I would have survived the heartache of losing the only home I knew. They got me thinking of a new start and looking ways to make that happen six months ago. I couldn’t find any ranches in Texas that I wanted to purchase. Then one day, a letter arrived from Charity and here we are.”

“Unbelievable! I must say I am impressed. You have led quite a life already and will have so much more opportunity to do things in the future. I hope you will consider me a friend and not only an attorney.” said Dan softly as they pulled through the gates of the Henderson ranch.

“I would be the one benefiting from such a relationship, Dan. It would be my pleasure to call you my friend.” smiled Sue as her eyes took in the beginnings of the Henderson ranch when Dan had stopped the surrey.

Jack and Charity stopped their horses alongside of the surrey while Sue took in the view of the ranch. In the distance, she could see the buildings in the foreground of the mountains. The sun was shining causing the colors on the mountains to stand out and be taken notice of.

“Beautiful” she whispered. “Let’s check out the rest of it.”

Charity smiled at the look on her friend’s face and nodded to Jack. “This is what she needs to get back on her feet completely.”

The tour around the ranch site and buildings took a few hours as Jack and Sue took their time in assessing everything. The buildings were in need of repair and painting as they had been abandoned for months. The well water was cool and refreshing. The grounds of the ranch had the potential to be so much more than it had been in the past.

Sue’s heart soared as the tour continued. Jack and Sue rode on horseback alongside the surrey as Dan explained the boundaries of the ranch. They made comments to each other and mental notes on the advantages and disadvantages they witnessed as they rode. Charity rode with a smile the entire time as she knew she had made the correct decision in writing Suzanne about the ranch.

“This is where she belongs.” thought Charity as she rode and watched the trio in front of her.

At noon, the group of travelers stopped by a stream for a picnic lunch that Maria from the hotel had packed for them. As they sat eating and talking, Charity was describing the upcoming festival with all of the booths and the dance that was to take place to benefit the orphanage.

“It will be so much fun and it will be a good time for you to meet other people from Stockton and the surrounding areas. You are going to come, aren’t you Suzanne?” asked Charity

“I could never disappoint you Charity. Of course, we’ll be there.” replied Sue.

“You’ll have a wonderful time.” said Charity happily.

“Do you have a date yet? Perhaps one of the Barkleys will ask you Charity?” smiled Sue innocently while watching Jack’s expression of annoyance.

“I already have a date. It is with a certain gentleman with a Texas drawl and an irritating boss. I think you know who he is, Suzanne.” chided Charity.

“Gee, that description doesn’t remind me of anyone in particular.” replied Sue trying not to smile.

“Very funny. I do believe Jack and I need a little stroll to stretch our legs before we get back into the saddle.” said Charity as she and Jack walked downstream from Dan and Sue.

“They sure make a cute couple, don’t they? How long have they been in love?” said Dan.

“About four years now.” replied Sue as she watched her friends’ disappear down the river bank. “Well, Dan I do believe I will gladly take this ranch off your hands. When can I sign the paperwork tomorrow?”

“Actually, I brought it with me. I had a feeling you would love the place. If we sign the papers today, you can move out of the hotel right away.” stated Dan as he retrieved his leather satchel.

“Great!” said Sue as she shook Dan’s hand. “I would like to get out of the hotel. I am not much on living in town as you probably guessed. When we get everything settled in the house, I will expect you and your family to have dinner with us.”

“We would be honored and thank you, Sue.” acknowledged Dan as he handed her the pen and inkwell.

“Well, looks like it’s gonna be a done deal Charity.” said Jack from behind the tree as the pair of them watched Sue and Dan conclude the purchase of the ranch.

“Let’s go congratulate our new ranch owner!’ exclaimed Charity as she pulled Jack along by his hand.

“Congratulations!” shouted Charity and Jack.

“Thank you both. It wouldn’t have been possible without you two.” said Sue as she gave them both a hug. “This is the easy part though, now comes the hard part. Let’s pack up and go back to town. I want to sleep under the stars tonight!”

“Suzanne, I was wondering if we could stop at the Barkley ranch. The fundraising committee wanted me to drop off some special invitations for the festival. The Barkleys are our biggest contributors and it’s not too far from here” asked Charity.

“Charity, I am really anxious to get our stuff and”

“I don’t see how it could hurt! We have plenty of time to get to town and back to the ranch before nighttime.” suggested Jack before Sue could finish speaking. “Wouldn’t you like to meet all of the new neighbors?”

“I can assure you they are fine people, Sue. I do have to head back to town though as Marie and I having Sheriff Madden over for dinner. Feel free to stop by anytime.” said Dan as he climbed in the surrey, turned his team and started back towards town.

Sue felt as though somehow she had been railroaded, but for the life of her she couldn’t see how. “After all it does make sense for Charity to deliver the invitations since we are close to the Barkley ranch.” thought Sue.

“Sue, is it okay or do you want us to head back to town? Charity knows her way to the Barkleys and back to Stockton.” suggested Jack.

“Jack Franklin, have you lost your mind? I would never allow Charity to travel to the Barkleys and back to Stockton by herself. What kind of person do you think I am?” said Sue with an offended look at her foreman wondering if he had lost all of his good sense.

“Of course, we will be happy to accompany you Charity.” offered Sue. “But so help me if that Nick Barkley runs me over again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Charity smiled at her friend. “I will protect you from Nick Barkley, Suzanne.”

“Oh great!” said Sue sarcastically as she climbed aboard Rio. “Let’s get this over with.”

Charity and Jack grinned at each other as they mounted their horses and the trio of friends headed to the Barkley Ranch to meet their new neighbors.

Chapter 15

After lunch at the Red Dog saloon, Barrett walked his horse to the south side of town where he tied him up in a grove of trees. Barrett had wondered all night about his new partner, John Travis and what he had in mind for the Barkleys. Barrett may not be the smartest man in the valley but he was intrigued and cautious of his new partnership.

Carefully watching the street and alleys, he slowly made his way to the small white house on the corner. Walking to the back door of the house, he knocked and waited.

John Travis opened the door and greeted Barrett with a grin, “Right on time, Barrett. Thanks for coming.”

Barrett walked in and looked at his new partner who was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. “Can’t say I have ever seen you in anything other than a suit, Mr. Travis.”

John chuckled, “Even I relax once in a while and now that we are partners, call me John when we are alone.”

“Oh, sure. I’m curious as to what you have in mind, John.” said Barrett sounding as though the name rolling off his tongue was foreign.

“How about some coffee or perhaps something a little stronger?” suggested Travis as he indicated to Barrett to have a seat at the table.

“Coffee sounds good.” said Barrett taking a seat at the table as he was thinking he wanted to have a clear mind while Travis was relaying his plans for the partnership.

As John set the coffee in front of Barrett and took a seat opposite him, he said “Did you know the Henderson ranch will probably be purchased today?”

“What! No, I hadn’t heard anything.” exclaimed Barrett.

“A woman from Texas is buying it.”

“That’s not gonna sit too well with the Barkleys.” chuckled Barrett.

“No, but it will sit well with our plans. This woman will be the unwitting catalyst that will be the undoing of the Barkley empire.” grinned Travis evilly.

Travis outlined his plans for Suzanne Weston and the Barkley family as Barrett listened thoughtfully and felt a growing admiration for the man across from him.

Chapter 16

When Victoria and Audra arrived home from church services, Audra rushed to her room to change into her riding clothes.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” questioned her mother.

“I thought that maybe I could entice Heath into a ride, Mother. That would give me a chance to spend some time with him alone.”

Victoria gave her vivacious daughter a hug, “I hope you have a wonderful ride with your brother, dear.”

“Thank you Mother.” Said Audra as she headed to the front door.

“Oh and Audra, please don’t torture the poor boy by talking too much.” teased Victoria knowing too well her daughter’s pension for babbling.

“I won’t Mother.” said Audra as she walked out the front door.

Victoria smiled as she walked to the kitchen to help Silas with lunch. She knew that if anyone in this family knew Heath’s true spirit, it was Audra. Heath truly loved his sister and would do most anything for her. He already felt a fierce protectiveness towards her, as if he had grown up with her. But would he stay just because Audra asked him to. Somehow, Victoria knew that he would not. He wouldn’t want to hurt Audra, but he was a strong man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He wouldn’t stand by while someone was being treated unfairly or unjustly. He would stand for what was right, but he wouldn’t stand here and fight for his rightly place in the family, if he thought he was a constant reminder to Nick of his father’s indiscretion and the source of Nick’s pain.

“What is a mother to do.” mumbled Victoria as she helped Silas prepare lunch unaware that she was speaking outloud “That is what I need to figure out.”

“What did you say, Mrs. Barkley?” asked Silas.

“What! Oh nothing Silas, just thinking outloud.” said Victoria “Sorry Silas, I was a million miles away just now.”

“Perhaps you wasn’t as far as the barn away, Mrs. Barkley.” suggested Silas with a small smile.

Victoria grinned, “Perhaps not, Silas. Let’s finish this lunch for our hungry family.”

“Yes’m Mrs. Barkley.”

Chapter 17

Audra walked to the barn and found Heath and Duke McCall in the stall talking softly to one of the mares that was ready to foal and rubbing her neck.

“How are you doing Lady? Ready to bring a new life into this world? I will be right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think the foal’s ready, Mr. Barkley” said Duke quietly.

“Well, Lady, Mr. McCall and I are here with you. Since he wants to keep calling me Mr. Barkley instead of Heath, how’s about we call him Mr. McCall.” said Heath with a small smile at Duke who was smiling back.

Lady rolled her eyes at the man beside her as if to say ‘I have better things to do right now than to worry about whose calling who mister.’

Duke grinned at his boss, “Somehow I don’t think she likes that suggestion, Heath.”

“I think you’re right, Duke.” said Heath as he continued to stroke Lady’s neck to calm her nerves.

“Heath, can I stay and watch?” whispered Audra and smiling at the two men.

“Sure, sis. Just stay outside the stall.” said Heath quietly.

As the contractions continued, Heath and Duke monitored Lady’s progress closely. Lady was going to start a new bloodline with this foal for the Barkley family and she was getting the royal treatment.

“Heath, there’s something wrong” whispered Duke anxiously. “It’s coming out backwards!”

“Audra, come in here and help Duke keep Lady calm. It’s breech. We have to push the foal back in so we can get it turned around.” explained Heath as he gave up his position to Audra.

As Audra and Duke talked to Lady soothingly and stroked her neck, Heath used his hands to push the foal back and turn it around. Lady whinnied in pain and tried to rise as Heath used all of his strength to turn the foal.

“Hold on, Lady. I’m almost there” grunted Heath.

“Here it comes feet first. Good girl, Lady.” panted Heath as he tried to catch his breath. “Okay Audra, thanks, we can let her up now.”

Audra exited the corral as Heath and Duke stood back watching Lady nuzzling the black foal and licking her new baby dry.

“What a beauty, Heath” said Duke as he watched the newborn try to get to its feet. “You did a great job with the delivery. I’ve never corrected a breech before, it’s a good thing you were here.”

“Thanks Duke. I think the three of us did a wonderful job too.”

Audra and Duke laughed as Lady whinnied while shaking her head and seemed to say ‘what about me’.

“Sorry, you too Lady” grinned Heath as he exited the stall. “Duke, would you get one of the other men to keep an eye on them so you and I can get cleaned up.”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it.” said Duke as he headed out the door and towards the bunkhouse.

“You were wonderful, Heath. I never tire of seeing a new baby born. It’s so amazing.” sighed Audra as she watched the mother and baby.

“Well, Audra mostly it was Lady. I just helped a little at the end.” replied Heath.

Scotty came into the barn and walked to the stall, “Duke sent me in to take over, Mr. Barkley. What a beauty!”

“Thanks, Scotty. I’ll be back later to check on them.” said Heath as he and Audra walked out of the barn.

“Heath, I was wondering if we could take a ride together later.”

“Sure, sis. The other mare probably won’t foal until later tonight. Boy Howdy, I’m starved! How about we go for a ride after lunch?” asked Heath as he opened the door to let his sister into the house.

“That sounds great! I’m going to tell Mother about the new foal and let her know you have to clean up before lunch.” said Audra as she walked towards the kitchen and Heath climbed the stairs.

Chapter 18

Nick arrived home in time for lunch after his visit to his father’s gravesite. He felt as though a light was shining at the end of the black tunnel he had been trying to escape from since his mother had revealed his father’s affair with Leah Thomson. After grooming Coco, Nick saw Scotty emerge from Lady’s stall.

“Hi, Mr. Barkley. Did you see Lady’s new colt?” asked Scotty as he shut the door to the stall.

“Hi Scotty. No, I just got home and didn’t know she had foaled.” stated Nick as he looked over the stall at the new colt. “Will you look at that beautiful new addition to the Barkley horse operations. It has some great lines, I can tell already.”

“Duke said Lady had some trouble. It was a breech delivery, but your brother was able to get the foal turned around and out the correct way. Mother and baby are both doing fine.” Scotty informed Nick.

“Wow, it was a good thing that Heath was here. I don’t know if I could have handled it so efficiently.” said Nick proudly. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them Scotty.”

“Sure, no problem Mr. Barkley.”

As Nick walked out of the barn and washed up at the pump, he realized that when Scotty had referred to Heath as his brother and described what Heath had done for Lady, he had felt nothing other than admiration and respect. “Those are better feelings than the other ones I have been having lately.” thought Nick. “Maybe I can talk my little brother into a ride after lunch.”

“MOTHER” shouted Nick as he entered the house.

“Nicholas, must you shout! I can hear you just fine when you use a normal tone of voice.” admonished Victoria.

“Sorry Mother.”

“Jarrod and Audra are in the living room. Heath is cleaning up and we will have lunch shortly. Audra was going to tell us about Lady’s foal.”

“Oh sure.”

As Nick escorted his mother into the living room, Audra was just starting the beginning her tale of the birth to Jarrod.

“So I was watching Heath and Duke in the stall. They were both wonderful with Lady, talking to her and keeping her calm. All of a sudden, Duke says something’s wrong and then says the foals coming out backwards. Then Heath tells me to get in the stall and take his place and help Duke keep her calm so he..”

“What did you say, Audra?” asked Nick as he felt his blood beginning to boil.

“I said, I helped keep Lady calm while Heath pushed the foal back in and got it turned around. Poor Lady was in such pain. I was so worried! I think we should call him Sir Lucky.” explained Audra.

“YOU WERE IN THE STALL WHILE LADY WAS FOALING!” shouted Nick.

“Nicholas, please”

“MOTHER, SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!”

“Nick, nothing happened and Audra’s fine.” said Jarrod.

“Yes, she’s fine Nick. Heath would never put Audra in danger.” reasoned Victoria as they heard whistling coming from the foyer.

“Boy Howdy, Nick! Did you see the new colt? I think it has some great lines, don’t you?” asked Heath as he was buttoning the cuff of his shirt.

When Heath looked at Nick he could see the fury flashing in his eyes causing him to become defensive. “What’s wrong now, Nick?” sighed Heath.

“What’s wrong now, he asks” said Nick sarcastically as he looks at the rest of his family. “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST HEARD!”

“Nick, since I can’t read your mind maybe you could just spell it out for me.”

“YOU LET AUDRA BE IN THE STALL WHILE A HORSE WAS FOALING. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!”

“Nick, Audra was in no danger” said Heath angrily. “I would never do anything to put my sister in danger and I resent you implying I would!”

“Oh, so you can forsee everything in the future! What if Lady kicked Audra with one of her hooves, what would you have done then, MR. FORTUNE TELLER.”

“She wasn’t in danger because she was on the other side of Lady. She wasn’t anywhere near her hooves. I’m not an idiot Nick and if I could have foreseen the future, I WOULDN’T BE HERE!” shouted Heath right back at his brother as he turned and started to walk towards the foyer.

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I’M TALKING TO YOU BOY!” yelled Nick as he grabbed Heath’s arm to stop him.

“Nick and Heath, stop this right now.” demanded Victoria as she watched her two stubborn sons face each other as Silas answered a knock at the door.

“Nick! Heath! Calm down before you say something you’ll regret!” pleaded Jarrod as he tried to reason with his hotheaded brothers.

“It means, that if I had known the kind of crap I would have to put up with from you since I arrived here, I would never have come to Stockton! It means that I’ve had enough of you and your anger. I’m not the one that caused this Nick! But I can solve this problem right now, because I am LEAVING!”

“You’re not going anywhere until we settle this.” said Nick as he grabbed Heath’s arm.

“It’s settled. Let go of my arm! You can put your sainted father back up on his pedestal , Nick.” snarled Heath as he shook his arm from Nick’s grasp.

“SAINTED FATHER! MY FATHER’S NO SAINT” shouted Nick as he swung and hit Heath in the cheek causing Heath to fly backwards in the foyer and land at Suzanne Weston’s feet.

“Heath Thomson! I see you still haven’t learned to duck!”

Chapter 19

Heath couldn’t believe his eyes as he gazed up at the woman standing above him and he hurried to his feet. “Sue! What are you doing here!” exclaimed Heath excitedly as he swung Sue around in a circle before putting her down and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“I like my feet on the ground cowboy.” said Sue as she cupped his cheek in her hand. “You look great except for that mark on your face. Jack’s here, too.”

Heath grabbed Jack and hugged him. “Jack! It is good to see you!”

“You too, Heath! If we had known you were working here, we would have come sooner.” grinned Jack.

“Is your father with you?” asked Heath.

“No, it’s a long miserable story that I will tell you about over a drink later.” said Sue quietly as she realized the room was deathly quiet and they had an audience of stunned faces staring at them.

“Heath, would you do the honor of introducing me to your friends?” asked Victoria after overcoming her shock at the appearance of the sudden guests and Heath’s emotional reaction to them.

“Oh, I’m sorry! This is Suzanne Weston and Jack Franklin, her foreman.”

“Sue, this is Victoria, Audra, Jarrod and Nick Barkley. Everyone, this is Suzanne Weston and Jack Franklin.”

Audra and Victoria shook Sue’s and Jack’s hands and greeted Charity with a hug.

“Mrs. Barkley, I have these invitations for you and your family for the festival. I also wanted you to meet Suzanne and Jack since you will be neighbors. Suzanne just purchased the Henderson property.” said Charity.

“What!” exclaimed Nick from his shocked state at seeing the way Heath had greeted the green-eyed beauty from their brief meeting.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Barkleys” said Sue sweetly. “Jack and I met them in town the other day, Heath.”

“Nice to meet you formally, Miss Weston.” stated Jarrod with a slight bow and a broad smile before shaking Jack’s hand.

“Heath, I heard you say you were leaving the Barkleys. Perhaps you would consider working with Jack and I at the ranch.” suggested Sue with a hopeful look on her face.

“He’s not leaving!” stated Nick firmly. “We’ve got some things to work out and he’s staying.”

“Well, Mr. Barkley, I do believe that decision is up to Heath.” replied Sue sweetly as she smiled at Nick.

“Miss Weston, we were just about to have lunch, would you care to join us?” asked Victoria.

“Please join us for lunch, Miss Weston.” said Jarrod. “I would love to spend some time with our new neighbors and hear your plans for the Henderson ranch.”

Nick rolled his eyes at Jarrod and his mother’s offer of lunch to the interlopers. “Heath and I need to clear some things up before lunch, Mother.”

“Well, from what I saw and heard when I walked through the front door, I doubt you have talking on your mind. Do you treat all of your hands that way, Mr. Barkley?” questioned Sue.

“He’s not a hand! He’s my brother!” said Nick as he saw the shock on Sue and Jack’s face and similar looks of shock on his family’s’ faces.

“We were just having a family disagreement when you arrived.” explained Nick .

Heath looked at his friends and tried to alleviate their shock, “I found out when mama was on her deathbed that Tom Barkley was my father.”

“Oh Heath! I’m so sorry to hear about your mama. I know how much she meant to you.” sympathized Sue as she hugged Heath.

“If we had known, you wouldn’t have had to go through that alone.” said Jack quietly to his friend.

As Victoria watched Heath’s friends responding to the pain of his loss, she felt a pain of her own. The pain of knowing that Heath may never call her mother. ‘At least it appears Nick has finally come around’, thought Victoria relieved that perhaps that battle was finally won. But had it been won in time?

“Will you stay for lunch, Miss Weston” asked Audra.

“Thank you kindly for the invitation, however, we do need to get back to Stockton. Perhaps another time.” said Sue as she smiled at the Barkley family. “Heath, perhaps you could come over to the ranch later, we would love to catch up with what you’ve been doing these last couple years. How about around 6?”

“Sounds fine!”

“Mrs. Barkley, it was nice to meet you and may I saw you have a beautiful home and ranch.” stated Sue as she shook Victoria’s hand.

“Thank you, Miss Weston and I do hope you will be able to stop for a visit sometime in the near future.” offered Victoria as she walked Sue to the door.

“If I have time, I would be honored.”

As Heath walked the guests outside to see them off, Victoria looked at Nick. “ I will have no more fighting, Nicholas. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mother. I will have a talk with Heath and straighten this whole thing out.” said Nick as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“I would suggest you do it sooner than later.” stated Victoria in a firm voice as she walked into the dining room with Jarrod and Audra.

As Heath walked his friends to their horses, Sue stopped and looked at him. “I know you said Tom Barkley was your father, but are you sure you want to stay here? From what I see, that Nick is none too friendly.”

Heath laughed as he hugged Sue, “Ever the protector, I see. Jack, hasn’t she learned that there are people in this world that can take of themselves?”

“Not yet Heath, not yet.” chuckled Jack as he helped Charity on her horse.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tonight. Nice to see you again, Miss Jones.” said Heath as Sue stepped into the saddle.

“Nice to see you too, Mr. Barkley.”

“Hey, where’s Satan?” asked Heath of Sue’s favorite horses’ whereabouts.

“In Texas. He hurt his leg on a stone and I didn’t want to take the chance by riding him this far.” explained Sue. “If you change your mind, you can stay with us anytime.”

“Yeah, Heath! It would be like old times.” said Jack. “She hasn’t gotten any better at poker, so if you are short of cash, bring some cards.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad of a poker player!”

Heath and Jack chuckled. “I could use some extra cash, so I’ll bring the cards when I come over later. Bye now!”

Heath waited and watched until Sue, Jack and Charity rode through the gate and were on the road to Stockton before he turned and walked back into the house slowly as he realized the arrival of the unexpected visitors had created only an interlude in a daily battle that he appeared to be waging since he had come to Stockton.

As he walked into the foyer, Nick was standing at the door of the study waiting, “Heath, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Chapter 20

Heath sighed wearily and looked at his brother, “Don’t worry Nick. I’m leaving. You only have to deal with me for as long as it takes me to pack my saddlebags. I may take Sue up on her offer.”

“Heath, come into the study so we can talk.” urged Nick.

“Why Nick? What’s the point? All we do is fight each other. I’ve had enough, Nick.” said Heath as he continued walking towards the stairs.

Nick stepped in front of Heath to halt his progress towards the stairs. As he stood and looked into his brother’s soulful blue eyes that reflected sadness and defeat, Nick knew he was responsible for all he saw there. He said “I’m sorry Heath for all of the pain I caused you. Give me a chance to explain.”

Heath looked into Nick’s hazel eyes as the words reverberated through his brain. “I’m sorry Heath for all of the pain I caused you”. These words he would have never expected to hear from Nick Barkley. Words that appeared to match what was in Nick’s eyes. Words that caused Heath’s throat to tighten with emotion. These were words one brother said to another brother after a fight.

His heart wanted to soar, but his mind said “be careful”. Why is he saying it now? What does he have to gain? What happened between them a few minutes ago was not just a squabble and if it hadn’t been for the interruption, who knows what would have happened.

As Nick stood in front of Heath, he could see the emotions churning in his brother’s eyes and felt it stirring up his soul. He knew that he had to make it right, not only for Heath but for the rest of the family.

“Heath, I promise it won’t be a repeat of what happened earlier. I was out of line.” said Nick quietly as he held out an olive branch to his brother.

Heath was too stunned to speak. He slowly nodded and walked to the study door. His legs seemed as heavy as the pillars in the front of the house, his mouth as dry as the California desert, his chest as constricted as a tight glove. He walked over and stood by the fireplace and leaned on the mantle as if the wood would give him the strength he needed.

Nick watched as Heath walked in a daze as if he were walking to the gallows. When Heath stood at the fireplace, Nick winced as he knew it was an unconscious gesture. A safety mechanism on Heath’s part in case he had to flee Nick’s wrath.

“Heath, I know you are my brother. I know this without a doubt.” stated Nick matter-of-factly.

“How Ni...”

“My turn to talk, little brother. Don’t interrupt when I have the floor as Jarrod would say."

Nick stood in front of Heath so he could look into his eyes. “I know it here in my heart and here in my head, Heath. I just didn’t want to admit that my, our father, was anything less than perfect. Not that he was a saint, mind you, but I didn’t want to admit that my memories, thoughts and feelings of him could be a lie. I didn’t want to admit that perhaps he loved another woman more than Mother or that maybe another family more than us. I’m ashamed Heath that I have put you and the rest of the family through so much pain because of my stubbornness.”

“You do know that I’m stubborn, don’t you?” teased Nick.

“I recall hearing something like that a time or two, Nick.” said Heath quietly.

“Well, I am! I am bullheaded just like you have said many times. I’ve been so angry since you came to Stockton. I know you’re not the person I’m angry with, but I couldn’t help myself. I just lashed out at you because the person I’m really angry with isn’t here. Heath, I know you’d never put Audra in danger. I know she was fine when she was in the stall when Lady was foaling, I am just so full of anger that I can’t control it.” admitted Nick.

“We all get angry, Nick.”

“I know but Heath, have you ever been so full of rage that it scared the daylights out of you? What if I never find a way to control it? Can you understand what I mean?”

“I was angry when I came here too, Nick. I was angry at our Father and angry at my mama. I had a big chip on my shoulder. I was angry at everything you had growing up while I had nothing. I still get angry Nick. I don’t know if our father knew and didn’t do anything or if my mama just didn’t tell him about me. It hurts, Nick, but there’s nothing I can do that will change the past. If I keep asking myself why, I’ll go crazy. You just have to remember that we have no way of knowing for sure what they knew or didn’t know, why they did or didn’t do something. It’s the only way to deal with something like this, Nick.” explained Heath.

“You’re right Heath, we may never know. You should have been here Heath, when you were growing up.”

“Nick, what’s done is done. We can’t change it.” stated Heath.

“I know. I want you to stay Heath and run the ranch with me. I’ll try to be the brother you deserve. We’re a family! Please don’t leave because of me.” pleaded Nick.

Heath’s heart soared as Nick’s words worked their way through the doubts and fears that had latched onto his soul. He wanted to be a part of this family and loved working on the ranch. His big brother was asking him to stay! He was finally hearing what he thought he never would.

“Heath, I’m also very impatient when I am waiting for an answer.” teased Nick softly.

“I guess we could try it and see what happens Nick.” offered Heath hesitantly.

“Try it? We’re not going to try! We’re gonna do Heath Barkley!” exclaimed Nick as he grabbed Heath and gave him a bear hug. “We’re gonna do it, little brother. Don’t you worry about that.”

Heath hung onto Nick as if he were his lifeline as he was being swept down river. The emotions coursing through his body causing his knees to go week and his eyes to tear.

“No more what ifs. We’ll do it, big brother, together.” whispered Heath as he felt Nick’s arms tighten around him.

“What say we have some lunch, little brother. You can tell me how you know this beautiful green eyed chameleon.” suggested Nick as he walked Heath to the study door with his arm over his shoulders.

“Chameleon? You mean Sue?” asked Heath with a puzzled glance at Nick.

“Who else has green eyes around here? I tell you Heath, she wasn’t so full of sugar and sweetness yesterday! She must change with her surroundings.”

“What’d you do to her, Nick?”

“ME! I didn’t do anything.” exclaimed Nick with an offended look as they walked out into the foyer.

“You must have done something. Sue’s one of the nicest people I have known.”

“Heath, it’s not like I hit her or something.”

“No, brother Heath, he just ran her over as he was coming out of the bank.” stated Jarrod as he came from the dining room to check on his brothers. His fears were calmed when he saw that he wouldn’t have to get the doctor for one or both of his brothers.

“Oh, so you did do something.” teased Heath as he walked into the dining room. “Nick, you really don’t want to get on her bad side.”

“I think I already saw that side of her.” mumbled Nick as he took his seat across from Heath.

Chapter 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why did you leave?” puzzled Nick.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh nothing, Mother”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 22

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

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

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

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

“No, I don’t need anything, thanks.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 23

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

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

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

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

“Sorry Sue.” blushed Jack.

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

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

“Really, about what?”

“Nothing in particular.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mr. Travis.”

“Did you like the Henderson ranch?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 24

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

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

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

“What do you mean?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Have a great time, Heath.” replied Nick as he walked towards the house.

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

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

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

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

“Why would she do that?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You either! See ya’ soon.”

Chapter 25

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I will and see ya’ in the morning.”

Chapter 26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 28

As Rio ran up the trail in a frenzied panic, Sue uncontrollably tumbled down the side of the mountain hitting her head and seeing stars momentarily. She continued like a ragdoll until a wild grab with her hands stopped her descent suddenly when her left hand grabbed a bush. The suddenness of the stop creating a searing pain in her shoulder as it was dislocated from its socket and darkness came crashing down.

Her first awareness was of pain coursing through her body, throbbing in her head and ringing in her ears. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to overcome the blackness that was threatening to engulf her again. Slowing her breathing, she closed her eyes to fight off the blackness while trying to take stock of her injuries.

Gasping for air and cursing, she gingerly held her arm to her chest as the pain in her shoulder came to a crescendo. Shaking her head gingerly to stop the ringing in her ears, she tried to gain control of her breathing and the pain that was overwhelming her.

Feeling the bile rising in her throat, she struggled to turn on her right side causing her gun to gouge into her side. She lost the contents of her stomach and fought the darkness that was on the edge of her consciousness.

“Stay awake. If you sleep, you won’t get off this mountain.” she mentally scolded herself

Opening the middle button of her shirt, she slid her left hand and wrist into the space creating a sling for her injured limb. Pushing herself back she leaned against a tree and using her right hand, untied her bandanna and gently dotted the stickiness she had felt on the side of her head. When she looked at the bandanna, she saw it was darkened with blood. Holding the bandanna to her head wound to stem the flow of blood, she searched her memory to come up with what had happened. There was a snake, but it wasn’t until the crash that Rio bolted. The crash… A rifle shot!!

The realization that someone had shot at her made her push herself up with her right hand and stand quickly causing the landscape to start swimming in front of her eyes. She leaned against the tree holding her eyes shut to overcome the dizziness and lightheadedness of the sudden movement. Taking her gun from its holster, she opened her eyes and slowly looked around at her surroundings.

Glancing up she saw she had fallen at least 500 yards from the trails edge. Looking down, she was chilled to the bone when she saw that if she hadn’t grabbed the bush, she’d have kept rolling and would have landed on some boulders at the bottom of a crevice.

“I’ve gotta move if I want to find Rio and see if I cannot locate the son of a bitch that was shooting at me.” thought Sue not looking forward to climbing the side of a mountain in a weakened condition.

Carefully using trees for concealment in case the shooter was still around, she reholstered her gun and slowly made her way up the side of the mountain. Stopping several times to catch her breath and to fight the nausea that came with a head injury. Two hours had passed before she was able to reach the trail she had been riding and sank to the ground in an exhausted state.

Spotting Rio’s hoofprints heading up the trail, she forced herself up and followed them. She stumbled up the trail with only the throbbing of her head, shoulder and other bruises on her body for company. Her will to find her companion driving her on. The anger over the fact that someone had used her for target practice grew inside of her almost overshadowing her pain. She walked on whistling for Rio, hoping he would hear and come bounding down the trail towards her.

When she couldn’t hold the bile in her throat down any longer, she vomited and leaned against a tree while standing to rest. She didn’t want to take the chance of sitting down as she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get back up. Once she had the nausea under control, she started off again.

Spying fresh horse tracks heading down a side trail, she paused staring at them knowing she had seen them somewhere before she remembered. “Those are the same tracks I was following.” Taking her gun from its holster, she walked on backtracking the strange horse before it had turned onto the side trail.

Five feet from where the strange tracks had swung off onto a side trail, she found the spot where the shooter had knelt in the grass by the impression left beside a boot track. Next to the impression, she found the remnants of a slim cigar and the cartridge from a 44 slug. Forcing her mind to focus, she cast around but couldn’t locate any other signs. Kneeling, she pocketed what she had found, struggled back to her feet and continued on following Rio’s tracks. She had to find Rio if she wanted to get off this mountain tonight. Her strength was fading and she knew she couldn’t walk out of there.

Blindly she walked whistling and keeping her eyes on Rio’s track until she heard a whinny. Looking up she saw Rio walking towards her with the reins dangling. Grabbing the reins, Sue leaned against Rio while stroking his neck and cooing to him. “Good to see you old boy. How about we get off this mountain?” Lifting her canteen with a shaky hand, she took a sip of the cool water to stave off the dehydration that could come from the shock of injuries and loss of blood.

Rio whinnied. He was happy to see his master who took such loving care of him. Sue slowly walked around Rio checking for injuries and found a bullet crease on Rio’s hindquarters which explained his bolting up the trail. Her anger grew at the person who’d shot at her and caused this injury to her horse. Finding no other injuries she commanded, “Down Rio.” Rio knelt on his forelegs and waited for his master. Sue climbed in the saddle and braced herself for the pain she knew was to come and commanded “Up Rio”. As Rio stood, the throbbing in her head and body intensified, a noise floated to her ears and she realized it was her moans.

Nudging Rio, he started down the trail with his master struggling to stay awake and on his back, her mind numbed by the pain. When they reached the bottom of the mountain with the sun starting its descent behind her, Sue started Rio towards Stockton.

Chapter 29

Jack Franklin had arrived in Stockton that Friday afternoon stopping at the mission to invite Charity to dinner that night. Charity was not at the mission, sighing he decided to check into the hotel and check back later at the mission. Jack was walking to the hotel from boarding his horse at the livery when he heard someone call out to him.

“Jack,” called Heath from atop Charger in the street.

“Heath! Nick!” exclaimed Jack happily “Nice to see you again!”

“Hi Jack. How about joining us for a drink?” asked Nick while glancing around for Sue Weston.

“Sure, don’t mind if I do. How about the Cattleman’s? I have to get a room there anyway.” explained Jack.

Heath and Nick tied their horses in front of the hotel as Jack walked in and got a room for the night. The three of them walked into the bar, grabbed a bottle and sat at a table sipping drinks.

“Don’t tell me your boss chased you off the ranch already!” teased Heath.

Jack laughed at his friend’s teasing, “She was going to take a ride and check out the mountains behind us for grazing land. She also said she wanted some peace and quiet.”

“In other words, she was trying to get you to take Charity out tonight, right?” asked Heath with a lopsided grin.

“Yep! Women!” said Jack as all three enjoyed a laugh. “I was gonna ask Charity out for dinner anyway, even without the boss’ help, but she’s not home.”

“Audra told us at breakfast that Charity was staying at the orphanage tonight with the children.” Heath informed his friend with a smile. “A missionary’s work is never done.”

Jack grinned, “Yeah, she’s a busy woman.”

“Jack, I heard your boss bought the Swenson’s herd and remuda.” stated Nick.

“Yeah, that’s some good quality beef there. We pick them up next week after the boys get here.”

“Mrs. Swenson was telling Jarrod that your boss paid market price and didn’t try to get Mrs. Swenson to lower the price. Even though, she knew Mrs. Swenson needed to unload them,” smiled Nick with a sideways glance at the foreman.

“Yeah, she’s got a soft spot for kittens and kids. And for widows with kittens and kids.” said Jack fondly as the other two men smiled.

“Kittens and kids, huh?” asked Nick quietly while thinking of the green eyed chameleon.

Jack looked at Nick and shook his finger at him. “Don’t you ever tell her I said that, Nick Barkley, or she’d nail my hide to the barn door.”

Nick laughed at the thought of Sue Weston taking after a tall guy like Jack, “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

“We sure wouldn’t want to see you without any hide, Jack,” snickered Heath.

The three of them swapped stories about their many travels and sipped drinks enjoying each other’s company. Nick listened to the stories that Heath shared with an enlightened awareness that he really didn’t know his little brother. Jack and Heath regaled Nick with stories about their time spent working with Sue Weston in Texas.

“Senor Jack! Senor Jack!” shouted Rafael, one of the boys who had helped on the ranch the past week, as he ran to the table.

“Rafael, you shouldn’t be in here!” chastised Jack until he saw the fright in the boy’s eyes. “What’s the matter?”

Rafael gestured wildly with his hands as he exclaimed, “La señorita está en la oficina del doctor.”

“What!” shouted Jack as he, Nick and Heath sprang to their feet and ran out the bar, past a smiling John Travis, to the doctor’s office down the street.