by Leona (Heathisforme)
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.
It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing, the animals
were grazing in the fields. It was
almost July and they were making plans for the July fourth holiday. It promised to be fun. It was a time to be with family, friends,
neighbours, visit, play, and no work for anyone. There was to be races, games for the children, a picnic, a street
dance and fireworks. Janine was looking
forward to it, she missed it last year due to a bad summer cold but this year
she was going.
Janine brought Leah outside to enjoy the beautiful morning. Scout, their faithful watchdog, walked
beside them, wagging his tail. She saw
Heath in the paddock, exercising Titan.
Janine walked over to where he was, slowly, using her cane. She didn’t use it that much anymore, but
every once in a while she was prone to falling. Today was one of those days.
She set Leah on the fence to watch her father exercise the appaloosa. Heath walked towards the fence and handed
the reins over to Janine. Janine took
them, going under the rails, decided to ride Titan since he was saddled. Heath picked up Leah and watched as she
mounted, gingerly. She gave her cane to
him and she took off around the large paddock, her strawberry blonde hair
blowing in the wind.
Such freedom, she
thought happily. I miss riding. Must see if I can ride a little distance. She rode around the paddock, Heath and Leah
watching her. She stopped in front of them,
holding her arms out for Leah. “I’ll be
careful, Heath.” He nodded and handed her the baby. She placed Leah in front of her, wrapping her snugly with in her
arm. She handed the reins over to Heath. “Lead us Heath, so I can hang on to her
properly.” He grasped the reins in his callused hands and led them slowly
around. He looked back to see Janine
and Leah smiling as they rode. What a
beautiful picture they make he thought, giving a half grin.
“Hey Heath” called a male voice from beyond the paddock. Heath walked slowly over to the fence when
he saw his older, dark haired brother Nick sitting on the fence watching the
family ride.
“Nick. What brings
ya here on this fine Sunday morning?” Nick smiled as Heath took Leah and handed
her to Uncle Nick. Heath then helped
Janine down and handed the cane to her.
“Ya all right?” he asked her as she limped her way to the fence.
“Yes Heath. Thank
ya. That was fun.” Heath gave her a
half grin and took her hand. They
watched as Nick played with Leah, who was enjoying her antics. “Let’s go get some coffee” she offered. “Would you bring Leah in please? I don’t think I can carry her too far.”
“Are ya sure ya okay?” Heath grasped her arm while she
nodded.
“Just need to rest.”
“K. You go in and
grab a coffee. We’ll bring Leah in a
few minutes.” She nodded as she limped into the house.
“I came over to see about them horses you were tellin’ me
about. This little girl is really
somethin’ isn’t she?” Nick laughed as Leah struggled to get out of her uncle’s
arms. “Is Janine all right Heath? She looks in pain today.”
“She has her good days and her bad days. Fortunately her bad days are getting further
and further apart. I think she fell
this morning, she wouldn’t tell me, but that’s why she’s limpin’. I still feel so guilty about that horse
kickin’ her like that.”
“Heath, it wasn’t your fault! Ya just have to stop beatin’ yourself up about it! She sure doesn’t blame ya so there’s no
reason why ya should!” Heath nodded, Nick was right but it still didn’t help
him control his feelings. “Let’s go
have that coffee that your pretty wife offered then you can show me the
horses.”
They walked into the house and set Leah down in the play
pen in front of the window. Janine sat
up and was going to get them a coffee but Heath stopped her. “You just rest my pretty. I’ll get it.” She sat back down, relieved. Nick sat down in the big arm chair and
watched as Heath gave him his coffee, sitting down next to his wife.
“How many horses did you say you picked up?”
“Three mustangs” Nick whistled. “and two Clydesdales”
“Well now, we just have to train them and sell them to the
Army. They wanted the Clydesdales.” Heath
agreed with him and took a sip of his coffee.
Janine listened to the conversation with interest. She was learning a little about ranch life,
she never realized just how much work was involved. She got up to get Leah a bottle since she was fussing, leaving
the two men talking. Heath picked up
Leah and handed her to Janine.
The men went outside to look at the horses while Janine
stayed in the house and cleaned up a little as she felt a little better. They were going over to the main house and
having dinner with them. She dressed
Leah in her Sunday dress and changed her diaper. She found a bag and put bottles, toys and diapers into it. She laid Leah in the playpen and she laid
down, and fell asleep while waiting for Heath to come in.
She woke up to gentle kisses on her lips. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his
neck. She loved it when he woke her up
like that. She returned the kisses with
more passion then he was giving her. He
stopped and she opened her eyes. “Wow! I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to”
“That’s okay Janey.
We took a little longer out at the horses then I meant. Still wanna go to the ranch for supper?” She
nodded, gathering the things they needed for the baby.
“Leah may need changin’ before we leave.” She said,
hinting to her husband that she didn’t want to be the one changing her. He nodded, lifted Leah out of the playpen
and expertly changed her diaper. “You’re
pretty good at that, Sweetheart. Ya can
change diapers all the time, if ya want!” He threw her a look of disgust and
finished dressing Leah.
“Well she’s got new three cornered pants on, her dress on,
I reckon she’s ready to go now. How
‘bout ya? Ya ready to go?” Janine
nodded, picking up the bag and her cane.
Heath had Leah and opened the door for her. She stopped, lifted her head, kissing both of them on her way by. Heath smiled at her and closed the door.
He had the buggy hitched up and waiting in front of the
house. He helped her into the buggy and
handed Leah to her. Then he got in
himself, flicked the reins and they trotted off towards the main house.
They entered the house, chuckling at something Janine said. Victoria swept into the room, gathered her
granddaughter into her arms, barely saying hello to the couple. They looked at each other and burst out
laughing. “Well, Janey, it looks like
we aren’t important anymore!” Heath pouted.
They followed Victoria and Leah into the parlour where the rest of the
family was gathered. “Howdy!”
Jarrod shook Heath’s hand and gave Janine a brotherly kiss
on the cheek. Nick nodded at them while
Audra hugged her brother and his wife. “Janine
I need to talk to you!” She pulled her away from the family while the men
watched.
They went upstairs to Audra’s room. Audra closed the door and said quietly, “I
have met a man and I want you to meet him, sis.” It had been two months since
she broke up with David.
“Who is he Audra? Is
it someone we know?” Audra shook her head.
“He is new in town, just bought a spread a few miles south
of here. I don’t want the boys to meet
him yet. But I want you to meet him.”
“Well I’m honored, I think.” Janine giggled, “I know what
your brothers are going to say though!”
“Me too! That’s
why I want you to meet him first. So
you can help me when I introduce him to the family.”
“Oh I’m your ally am I?” she teased her sister-in-law.
“Please? Will you
meet him?” Janine nodded, “Great! I’ll
make a lunch date with Fred and we can meet him in town, okay?” Janine nodded,
hoping she didn’t get herself into something she couldn’t handle.
“Let’s go downstairs now.
The men will wonder what we’re doing up here!” They giggled and went
back downstairs where the brothers were playing a fast paced game of pool.
“Well its about time you two showed up!” remarked Nick, a
little annoyed that he wasn’t playing well.
“Oh did ya miss us Nicky?” teased Janine and winked at
Heath. She glanced at Leah who was
sleeping in the arms of her grandmother.
Nick gave her a glare and then smiled at her. “Audra just wanted to show me a new dress she bought.”
Janine stood by Heath and asked if she could take a shot. Heath handed her the cue and stood back,
watching her. She lined up the shot and
called the ball. She made it. She handed the cue back to him, thanking him. “One shot is all I want for now. Unless someone wants to play after supper.”
“Okay Neen, I’ll take your challenge. After supper.” smiled Nick. “After all you haven’t practiced in a
while!”
Janine nodded, “Get your money out Nicky. I’m feeling lucky!” Both Heath and Jarrod
groaned and shook their heads. They
both had the same thought in mind, those two truly enjoy competing with each
other!
After supper, Janine and Audra helped with the dishes,
while Heath fed Leah. It was a nice
quiet family evening, till the younger women joined the men. Audra sat down with her mother and picked up
her sampler, while Janine and Nick played a spirited game of pool. Heath smiled at his wife and brother. They enjoyed a little competition so it
proved to be interesting to watch them.
Victoria looked up from her mending when Nick got a little too loud, and
chastised him for it. Janine, grinned
at her brother-in-law, saying “Yeah Nicky, don’t be so loud!” Nick gave her a
look and sank a ball in the right pocket.
“Yippee! Nicky sunk one!” Heath
rolled his eyes, thinking that his wife was pushing her luck.
“Nick you been practicin’!” Janine was impressed. He was a formidable competitor now. She was going to have to work hard to keep
ahead of him. Nick won the game easily. “Wow!
Nick I am impressed! I guess I
wasn’t payin’ attention to ya this time round!” She handed him the five dollars
she bet against him. “Good game, big
brother!” She kissed his cheek. “I
think I have had enough.” She sat down beside Heath on the settee and took Leah
from him.
“Good game Neen! Be
looking forward to playin’ again maybe next week!” he challenged her. “Maybe next time you won’t be boastin’ so
much, huh?”
“Maybe! Better
have your money ready Mr. Barkley!” she teased him. Nick just grinned at her.
Heath got up to play a game with his brother while Janine sat back and
rested with Leah in her lap.
Audra and Victoria rose from where they were sitting,
telling everyone they were going to bed as it was getting late. Janine got up from her seat and hugged both
women. “Thanks for supper,
conversation, and games, Victoria” Janine enjoyed these family times. Victoria placed a kiss on Leah’s forehead as
did Audra. Audra hugged Janine telling
her that they would get together sometime this week. Janine nodded knowingly and said good night to them.
The men gave their mother and sister a kiss good night. Heath hugged her extra long and told her he
would be by in the morning for work. She
nodded and left the room, Audra following not far behind.
Janine took Leah out of the room to change her, Heath
watching her with a worried look on his face.
Nick and Jarrod observed Heath with interest. As soon as she was out of the room, Jarrod asked Heath, “Is she
okay? She seems to be limping badly
today.”
Heath nodded, stating, “She’ll be okay. She is a trooper but won’t say anything if
she hurts. This is just a bad day for
her. She went riding this morning a
little bit, that may have triggered something.” Jarrod nodded sympathetically,
he could see that Heath still felt a little guilt over her accident. Its going to take a long while for her to
heal, the older brother thought to himself, pouring a drink for everyone and
puffing on a Cuban cigar.
Janine entered the room and sat in the chair closest to
the pool table. She watched as the men
took shots, yawning. Heath took notice
and nodded. It was getting late and
they needed to put Leah to bed. After
the game was over, Heath put his cue away and said good night to his brothers. Janine gave each of them a chaste kiss and
said goodnight. The uncles held Leah
for a little bit while Janine steadied herself on her cane.
When they got home, they put Leah to bed and went outside
to sit on the swing. A quiet time
before going to bed so that Heath could enjoy his evening smoke and they could
discuss the events of the day. Heath
observed Janine as she sat down beside him.
“Boy howdy Janine! Today has
been a day, wouldn’t ya say?”
Janine nodded, “It
sure has, Heath.” She moved closer to him resting her head on his shoulder,
enjoying his warmth. He put his arm
around her shoulders, pulling her even closer.
It was nice to be around family, they both enjoyed the Sunday visits.
“Janey?”
“Hmmm?” she snuggled even closer putting her hand on his
chest through his shirt. He moaned at
her touch.
“How are you feeling?
Really? I noticed ya were
limping today as did everyone else.”
She sat up at the question, and moved away slightly. “Heath, I’m tryin’ not to complain. I don’t want ya to think I’m bein’ a baby or
anythin’.”
Heath pulled her closer, kissing her hair and placing his
head on hers. “Janine, when it comes to
pain, no one’s a baby. If ya hurt, ya
tell me. Then we can decide whether we
need to see the doctor or not. Do ya
understand me?” Janine nodded, tears in her eyes.
“Heath, ya care so much.
I’m still not used to it. Thank
ya for carin’!”
“My pretty, you been hurt so bad in the past. I want everythin’ to be good for ya. I love ya and that should explain
everythin’!” She giggled then snuggled closer to him caressing his chest. “What do ya say, we go to bed now?”
“Good idea. I’m
tired.” Heath helped her up, and kissed her passionately. The walked into the house hand in hand. They made sure the house was secure,
switched off the lamps and Heath picked Janine up, carrying her up the stairs
and into their bedroom.
He laid her gently on the bed and silently closed the door. He took off his boots, and laid beside her. He leaned on his left elbow, his hand
holding up his head while his right hand caressed her face. She stared deep into his blue eyes, amazed
at the love that was shining through. His
hands wandered from her face, down her neck and to her side. She moaned with pleasure and moved closer,
kissing his face. She gently pushed him
onto his back and she leaned over him, slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt. He gave her a lopsided smile and let her
undress him. She kissed him
passionately, lying on top of him, running her hands through his hair. He moaned and undid her dress, slipping it
off her shoulders, all the while kissing her face, cheeks, neck, chest. “Love me Heath” , he groaned and murmured
sweet words of love, as did she. They
made love passionately, and when their passions were spent, they held each
other, still caressing, kissing, eventually fell asleep with smiles on their
faces.
The next morning, they woke up to the crying of their
daughter. Janine got up to get her but
Heath told her not to worry, he would get her.
She smiled thinking that Heath sure spoiled her. He brought Leah to Janine, going to get a
bottle and make some coffee. “Did you
think to bring a diaper, husband?” He smiled and produced one from behind his
back. “Ya silly goose! Thanks.” He nodded and prodded downstairs. She heard him clanking around the kitchen,
smiling that he does things on his own without having to ask her for too much.
He does way too much for me, she thought.
He came up bringing the bottle, and two coffees on a tray. “Thanks Heath” she took the bottle, then
went out to the verandah to sit and watch the sunrise. They watched in rapt silence as the sun
turned the page to another day.
Heath went downstairs to make breakfast while Janine made
the beds and got dressed. By the time
she was done, the smell of breakfast floated up the stairs and into Leah’s
bedroom. She picked up Leah gingerly
and slowly walked down the stairs, using the rail as help. Heath had set the table and was just coming
in the door, bringing in some flowers he picked from their flower garden,
outside the porch. He put them in water
and set them on the table. He then
dished up their breakfast, while Janine set Leah down in the playpen.
“Ya out on the range today?” Janine asked as she ate her
breakfast.
“Yep. Them fences
need mendin’ again! Prob'ly be out
there all day.” Janine nodded. “What
are ya plans for today?”
“Don’t know as yet.
Some housecleanin’, prob'ly do some bakin’ that I haven’t done for a
while.” Heath nodded as he put another forkful of eggs and ham into his mouth. “Don’t overdo, k?”
“K. Father…I
won’t!” Heath gave her a sideways glance and gave her a half smile. She grinned at him and continued to eat. “Don’t worry Heath. I may not get done half the stuff I wanna
anyway. Not with Leah demanding my
time!” They both chuckled at that for Leah was sleeping now, not demanding
anyone’s time.
Heath put his napkin on his plate and stood up. “Reckon, I’d better go. It’s gettin’ late and Nick wants those
fences done today.” Janine nodded, picking up his plate and hers and put them
in the sink. She took his hand and
walked him to the door. He placed his
hat on his head, and gave her a passionate kiss before he left. She smiled at him, and closed the door
behind him. She missed him when he was
gone all day at the ranch.
Janine checked on Leah before she commenced on her chores. Seeing that she was still sleeping, Janine
went outside to feed the animals and collect the eggs. She was proud of her little menagerie, even
if Heath thought that keeping rabbits was a silly thing, he just wanted to eat
them. She checked to see if Heath had
fed the horses, and the cow, which had to be milked. She took the eggs in the house, checked on Leah, saw that she was
still sleeping and went back out to milk the cow. When she came back inside carrying the bucket of milk, Leah was
awake and playing with her feet.
Heath got to the main house just in time to see Audra and
Victoria ride away in the wagon towards town.
He waved to them and they stopped beside him. “Good morning Heath.” greeted Victoria.
“Mornin’ Mother. Where
are ya off to so early?”
“I am going to the orphanage, Heath. It’s my not my day to work but they asked me
to just for today.” Replied Audra.
Heath threw her a lopsided smile. “Well those children are luck to have such a
pretty girl to look after them!” Audra blushed at the unexpected compliment. Victoria was going to visit a sick friend in
town. “Y’all have a good day! Gotta go before Nick wages a war on me!” The
women smiled at him and went on their way.
They talked as they rode to town, discussing family, the
orphanage, and fashions. All of sudden
in front of them appeared two riders. The
blocked the road, making it so that they had to stop. “Whoa now” called Victoria to the chestnut coloured Clydesdale. The horse obeyed the order, coming to an
abrupt halt in front of the riders. Audra
looked at surprise at one rider because it was none other then Danny, the man
she was betrothed to, breaking off the engagement just two months ago.
“D-d-d-danny!” Audra said nervously. “What do you want? I thought you left town!”
“I did, for a little bit, but I couldn’t get over how you
broke up with me!” He sneered at her while Victoria grabbed her hand.
“Well we don’t take too kindly at being pushed around Mr. Sanderson”
Victoria was angry at being stopped for no apparent reason.
“Well Old Lady, I wasn’t really talkin’ to ya. I want this purty young lady as my wife, but
I don’t take kindly to being pushed away!” As he was talking he moved closer to
the wagon, “Move over ladies. You’re
comin’ with me!” The other man, took Danny’s horse and rode behind the wagon. They were heading away from Stockton and
into the hills.
Heath and Nick came back to the house to find that the
Padre was there looking for Audra. “What? You mean Audra never showed up at the
orphanage, they left hours ago!” exclaimed Nick.
“Boy howdy, Nick! What
could’ve happened? Come on!” Heath and
Nick lit onto their horses, riding towards Stockton, in search of their mother
and sister. It was a panicked run, they
didn’t know where to start looking. Heath
went home in case they stopped there for a coffee before going to the
orphanage.
Janine jumped when she heard the door open and slam shut. “Heath?
Heath? What’s wrong?” she looked
at her husband’s worried face.
“Mother and Audra didn’t show up at the orphanage.” Janine
gasped, “Did they show up here at all this morning?” Janine shook her head no. “Nick and I are going to look for them. Be back soon, honey. Love ya.” He kissed her quickly and left. Janine sat down, bewildered. Victoria and Audra never showed up at the
orphanage? That’s awful strange, she
thought. She was worried. It was not like them not to do something
they said they were going to do.
The brothers rode into town at breakneck speed. They went to see Victoria’s friend, Lena
Harwood who was ill, and they hadn’t seen either woman. Nick and Heath were frustrated. They decided to go see Sheriff Madden to
inform him of the missing women.
The women were being taken further and further up into the
hills. Victoria took note of her surroundings
and realized they were heading towards the old Barkley mine. Audra shuddered at the thought that
something terrible was going to happen to them. She was right to break up with this man, he was demanding,
wanting only to marry her to get closer to her. Luckily, Audra realized this before it was too late but nothing
could have prepared her for what was happening to her and her mother right now.
They stopped at the entrance of the old mine, forcing the
women out of the wagon and into the mine.
They went inside the dark mine shaft, Danny forcing them to sit down
while the other man tied their hands up against one of the poles.
“Why are you doing this?” demanded Victoria, panic setting
in but trying not to alarm her daughter.
“Yer daughter knows why.” Stated Danny, who was holding a
gun on them. Audra looked confused. She had no idea why they were being held
against their will. “Audra my love
things will become clearer. Ya
shouldn’t have refused my proposal. If
you’d married me like we planned, we wouldn’t be in this predicament!”
“Danny, you agreed with me that being married wasn’t right
for us! You said you were okay with
this!” Audra was close to tears but wouldn’t let Danny have the satisfaction of
letting them fall.
“I was at the time.
But its been two months, I thought maybe you’d changed your mind.” He
moved closer to Audra, “you’ll pay now for what ya did to me! Playing with my heart then crushing it!”
“You leave my daughter alone! You are the most despicable man I’ve ever met!” Victoria was
becoming alarmed at the way he was brandishing the rifle but keeping it pointed
at Audra. The other man watched in mild
amusement.
“Danny, aren’t you forgetting that we are supposed to be
in town, right now, meeting with……” Danny turned, smacking him with the butt
end of the rifle.
“Shut up Gerald! I
know where we’re supposed to be! Right
now I want to be with my little lady and she’s going to enjoy it!” He turned to
look at the now shaking Audra and licked his thin lips in anticipation of what
he had planned for her. He didn’t plan
on her mother being with them, but he would put his plan in place soon.
Nick and Heath went back to the place where the blond man
had met them earlier, and retraced the wagon tracks. They stopped a little while later, finding evidence that the
wagon had stopped, and two horses had surrounded it. They found that the wagon had turned left and headed into the
hills. Nick nodded his head at Heath
and headed in the direction of the ill fated wagon.
Victoria tried to think of a way to get out of this
situation, there seemed no way out. If
she had known that Danny was such a cold, calculating man, she would have
forbade Audra to even have anything to do with him. At that moment, Danny undid Audra’s bindings and took her further
into the recesses of the old mine.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Screamed Victoria. Gerald slapped her face and told her to be
quiet. Victoria spat at him, yelling
for Audra, but knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop the inevitable. She prayed that her sons would come find
them soon. She knew that they would be
missed by now. Help should be on its
way soon, she thought.
“Don’t worry old lady,” the man called Gerald told her,
“he’ll treat her fine.” Victoria sent him a look that was pure hatred.
Danny was taking Audra further into the old mine, further
than she cared to go. It was dark, dank
and musty smelling. There were remnants
of old mining equipment, an old mine cart, a pick axe, a miner’s hat lying
around. Audra was calculating a plan to
get out but she wasn’t sure how to put it in action. Danny had a hold on her arm, and a gun pointed to her side. She was worried that something would happen
to her mother. Like her mother, she
knew her brothers would be hunting for them as they were probably missed by now.
“Stop here,” demanded Danny, pushing her on the ground
near the wall of the mine. There was
water trickling down the sides, and it made an eerie sound. Audra let out a little cry when she fell to
the ground. Danny stood over her,
pointing the rifle at her and smiling wickedly. “Well, my love, we are alone at last!” He bent down and kissed
her gently. Audra tried to move away
but Danny had taken hold of her arms and grasped them tightly. She moved her head back and forth, trying to
get away. “Just how I like it! That’s right sweetheart! Keep trying to get away, I like a
challenge!” Audra managed to let loose from his gripping hands but not without
ripping her dress.
She ran, without knowledge of where she was going. She turned this way and that, looking for
her mother, looking for a way out, anything just to get away from that horrible
man! Danny watched in amusement as she
ran, then he followed her, intent on taking what he believed was his.
The Barkley brothers followed the tracks up into the hills
till they ran across the wagon in front of the old mine. Heath jumped off Charger and looked inside
finding Audra’s purse. “Nick!” The dark
haired man ran over to the wagon. “I
think they are in there,” Heath said quietly, pointing towards the mine opening. Nick nodded, then proceded towards the
opening. Guns drawn, they crept quietly
into the shaft, not making a sound.
Audra ran, tripping on various objects in the abandoned
mine, looking behind her and finding that Danny was still giving chase. Danny caught up to her, grabbing her and
holding her in his strong arms. She
squirmed, trying to get away from him, but he held her tight. He planted vicious kisses on her and ripped
her dress some more. She let out a
scream.
Both the brothers heard that scream, looking at each
other, they headed in the direction that it came from. They ran a little ways and saw a light. They saw their mother tied up to a post with
a man guarding her. Nick motioned to
Heath to cover him while he sneaked up behind him. He looked at Victoria who had seen them, and put his finger up to
his lips. She looked away and talked to
Gerald, asking him, “How did you and Danny meet?”
Gerald looked at
her suspiciously, and answered her curtly, “We bin friends for many years.”
Victoria nodded,
“Was he always so mean and cruel to others?” Just as he was about to answer,
Nick knocked him on the head with his gun.
Heath came out of the shadows, and untied Victoria.
“Danny Sanderson took Audra further into the mine. Hurry Nick, go find her! He is intent on hurting her!” Nick sped off
in search of his sister. Heath and
Victoria followed him, hurrying as fast as they could.
Nick followed the damp walls, slowing down when he came to
a corner. He stopped when he heard
voices. Peering around the dark corner,
he could make out Audra’s lifeless figure and a male one standing above her. Heath and Victoria stole up behind Nick and
peered over his shoulder. Victoria
gasped, then put her hand to her mouth.
Heath motioned for her to stay there, he and Nick crept slowly towards
Danny, guns drawn.
“All right Sanderson!” called Nick. “Put the gun down and let our sister go!”
“NO! She’s mine! She promised to marry me!” cried out Danny
“NICK!” cried Audra feebly. Nick wanted to run over there, but knowing if he did it would put
her in more danger.
Heath was creeping closer to them, his gun drawn, Nick
covering him. He stepped up and aimed
his gun at Danny, “Danny! Drop the gun
NOW!” Danny cocked the gun, and fired, Heath reacted, shooting his.
Danny fell to the ground, writhing, “ All I wanted was to
marry her! She refused me!” he
complained putting his hand to his chest.
He pulled it away, it was covered in his own red blood. He cried then, then closed his eyes. He was gone.
Nick ran over to Audra, who was crying at the scene around
her. Victoria and Heath weren’t far
behind Nick, who was holding the sobbing girl.
They walked out of the mine, soberly, knowing that it could have turned
out much differently.
When the Barkleys returned to the main house later that
day, Janine and Jarrod were waiting for them.
Janine had been pacing the floor, very worried that something had
happened. It was late when they
returned back to the ranch, looking very bedraggled and troubled. Heath was surprised to see Janine at the
ranch house, but overjoyed when she greeted them at the door. Jarrod held his sister and his mother,
soothing their fears. He suggested that
they get cleaned up and would hear their stories a little later.
Nick and Heath poured themselves a drink, and told what
happened from their point of view. Janine
was shocked to hear about Danny Sanderson.
She knew he was a rough man and had advised Audra against marrying him,
but never would she have thought he was capable of such violence. She was sick with fear for her friend.
“I’m going to see if Audra is all right. Be back in a few minutes.” Announced Janine,
who couldn’t stand still, knowing Audra was in so much danger. “Leah is sleeping in the spare bedroom Heath. Can you check on her?” Heath nodded, and
watched as she limped her way upstairs.
She knocked lightly on Audra’s door. “Come in” called Audra, quietly.
“Hi Audra. I came
to make sure you were okay.” She hugged her sister in law, tightly. “I was so worried when Heath came home and
said you were missing.”
Audra held her friend close, realizing just how close she
came to losing her life. “I was scared,
Janine. Real scared. I’m so glad I took your advice and found out
before we were married!” Janine was just glad to have her friend back.
“Ready to go downstairs and face those brothers of yours?”
she asked her. Audra nodded, wiping her
eyes. Arms locked together, they walked
down the stairs, and saw the family watching them. Victoria was just filling them in on what happened. Audra went to her brothers and planted a
kiss on each of their cheeks.
“Thank you” she told them simply.
Later that night, when Heath and Janine returned home, they
sat out on the porch swing talking quietly.
Janine snuggled close to her husband who had his arm around her holding
her tight.
“Audra sure is lucky she has you all for brothers!” she
told him.
“uh huh” replied Heath.
Janine sat up and looked at her husband.
“My, we’re talkative tonight aren’t we?” she teased him.
“yep” was all he said.
He didn’t feel like saying anything, he was emotionally drained.
“Okay I won’t talk to you then. I’ll just do this.” She started kissing his cheek, nibbling on
his ear, worked her way down to his chest.
He gave an involuntary groan, picked her up and went inside. She giggled as he returned the kisses. “Let’s go to bed!” she told him as he put
her down to secure the house, and turned off the lamps. He took her hand and led her to their
bedroom.
A few days later, Audra came by to pick Janine up for
lunch to meet her new beau. She seemed
to have recovered from the experience with Danny and was looking forward to
Janine’s opinion of her newest boyfriend.
Janine hopped into the buggy with Leah and they headed off
to town. They arrived in town, and
entered Griffins. Janine hadn’t been to
this particular restaurant since she was pregnant with Leah. She smiled at the thought. A lot had changed since then.
Audra dragged Janine and Leah to a table where a very
handsome, dark haired man was seated. He
stood up, kissing Audra’s hand, and introduced himself as Fred Benedict, the
newest rancher in the valley. Janine
liked this man instantly. He reminded
her of Heath. Janine sat down at the
table with them setting Leah down in her bassinet.
The lunch went very well.
Mr. Benedict - Fred - he told her to call him was very charming. He hung on to every word Audra said, and
treated her well, without any of the contempt that Danny Sanderson had towards
her. The lunch was over and Janine was
reluctant to leave.
“It was so nice to meet you Fred. Thank you very much for lunch. I hope we can meet again soon.” She said
sincerely. Fred kissed her hand, and
walked them out to the buggy, helping them in.
Janine turned her head away, letting them have a minute of privacy.
On the way home, Audra quizzed Janine about her new beau. Did she like him? What did she think? Janine’s
head buzzed with all the questions being thrown at her.
“Audra! Slow down! He is very nice indeed. Don’t rush into things though, okay? You need to think with your heart and see if
this is the real thing!” Audra realized that her friend was teasing her and
nodded.
“Yes I’m taking my time.
He seems so right to me. Wouldn’t
you say so?” Janine nodded and smiled, wondering if she was like that when
Heath and her were courting.
The Fourth of July celebration was a week later. Heath hitched up the wagon and loaded their
things they needed for the day. There
was the picnic basket, a blanket, Heath’s saddle, a few of Leah’s things, and
then he tied Charger to the back of the wagon.
He walked into the house, searching for Janine. Leah was sleeping in the playpen, but Janine
was nowhere to be found. He looked out
the kitchen window and saw that she was out there, feeding the animals. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. She looked so pretty out there amongst the
chickens. He took one last look at his
daughter and went outside to help her out.
“Almost ready to go, Janey?” he asked her, taking the feed
from her.
“Yep, just gotta feed the rabbits now.” She grabbed some
food out of the shed and went to the rabbit pen. She gave them some water, and food then securely closed the gate. “Okay all done, just have to take the eggs
in, then I’ll be ready!” Heath smiled and nodded to show that he understood. He followed her out of the chicken coop,
securing the gate as he left.
Heath gently picked up Leah out of her play pen and put
her in the bassinet. They then climbed
into the wagon and headed off to the celebrations. It was a beautiful day for it, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and the birds
were singing their morning songs. Leah
woke up with the gentle rocking of the wagon and glanced up at her parents. Janine smiled and picked her up, giving her
a kiss. Heath smiled at his wife and
daughter, flicked the reins so that they would make it to town in time.
Stockton was filled with townsfolk. It was a normally busy place but on the
Fourth of July, it was busier then usual.
There were people milling about, walking on the boardwalk, leaning
against the poles visiting with neighbours.
There was a big white banner with red letters saying: Happy Independence
Day, Stockton California above the street.
The buildings all had new fronts on them adorned with new paint. The saloon was open and men of all types
were entering and exiting with reckless abandonment. The stores were closed, the proprietors taking part in the
celebrations of the day.
Heath pulled up in front of Jarrod’s office, and stopped. Janine handed Leah to Heath, then jumped
down. He kissed her gently and said he
was going to take the wagon to the livery and be right back. She nodded and told him she would wait at
the starting line for the horse race. She
walked over there, quickly, looking for a familiar face in the crowd. She spotted Victoria and strolled over to
meet her. “Are Nick and Jarrod enterin’
the race as well?” Janine inquired of her mother in law.
“Well Nick is. Jarrod
preferred to watch. Is Heath in the
race too?”
Janine nodded,
“He’s been practicin’ all week. Drivin’
me crazy!” The ladies chuckled as the men lined up for the race. Audra joined them after a bit, she was busy
getting the orphans ready for their races.
Janine was going to join them after the race.
The men lined up waiting for instructions from the judge
with the bullhorn. This years judge was
none other then Jarrod. The men readied
themselves on their mounts as Jarrod ran through the rules, twice around town
on the main road and ending back at the starting line. There was to be no cheating, running through
side streets. “Have fun and good luck.”
Jarrod held up the gun to start the race, “ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET!
GO!” He shot the gun off into the air and the runners were off. Heath and Nick were neck and neck with each
other, ahead of the others.
After the first lap, Heath was ahead. “COME ON HEATH! YOU CAN DO IT! cheered
Janine. Leah cried at the noise and
Victoria took her from Janine, lovingly.
Janine handed her over, waiting in anticipation to see if her husband
was going to win. “Here they come
Victoria!” she yelled excitedly. Victoria
watched intently as the riders made their way to the finish line. Janine was yelling loudly when she saw that
her husband was crossing the finish line.
“He won! He won!” She went
running over there to congratulate him.
“AND THE WINNER IS HEATH BARKLEY!” shouted Jarrod over the bull horn. The family congratulated him and Nick said,
teasingly, “Next year Brother Heath, It’ll be me winning the ribbon!” Heath
grinned and hugged Janine.
They walked over to the boardwalk where Victoria was still
holding Leah. “Sorry Victoria for
leaving you holding Leah.” Victoria smiled at the couple.
“That’s okay, Janine.
I know you were excited! Congratulations
Heath, that was a great race!” greeted his mother. He gave her a kiss and took Leah from her.
“Heath, I promised Audra I would go help with the orphans. So I’m going to head off there. You coming?
Or do you have something else to do?” Heath said he promised his
brothers that he would do some events with them. She nodded, and told him she would meet him for lunch. Victoria was going to the orphanage as well
so the ladies would walk over together.
Janine took Leah, leaned on her cane, and they headed off down the
street.
Heath watched his wife and mother walk down the street,
smiling to himself, he went to find his brothers. He found them in the saloon having a beer. “Well are we going to compete in the greasy
pig contest?” Heath asked. He ordered a
beer and downed it. “Let’s go if we
are!” The older Barkley brothers grinned at their brother’s enthusiasm.
Heath met Janine at the orphanage. He watched as the children competed in the
three legged race, the potato sack race, and a relay race. He stood beside Janine and took Leah from
her. He watched her as she greeted each
team with a ribbon and a hug. Then it
was over. Audra took the children into
the building for lunch and the couple went to have lunch.
After lunch, they wandered around the town watching
various events and listening to speeches.
They drank lemonade, visited with friends that they hadn’t seen in quite
a spell. Janine watched as Heath
entered a few contests on his own, rodeo contests, like bronco riding, cattle
roping and barrel racing. By the time
the contests were done, it was getting dark and it was time for the town picnic. Heath spread out the blanket beneath a large
willow tree, and Janine laid down Leah on it.
They spread out their picnic supper, the other Barkleys joined them
spreading out their blanket and putting out their food.
The fireworks started shortly after. Heath and Janine laid down on the blanket
with Leah between them watching the amazing display. Bright colours of red, green, blue and yellow lit up the starry
sky. Leah liked the whistles and bangs
of them and smiled at the flashing. They
watched in awed silence then it was over.
The day was over and it was time to go home.
They arrived home a while later, tired and happy. Janine put Leah to bed and got ready for bed
herself while Heath secured the house. He
walked into the bedroom noticing that Janine was laying there, with her eyes
closed. Not knowing if she was sleeping
or not, he gently kissed her lips. Her
arms came up and around his neck, and deepened the kiss. He chuckled, “I have to take my boots off,
my pretty.” She nodded and crawled under the blankets. He undressed quickly and dove under the
blankets, drawing her closer. Arms
wrapped around each other, kissing and caressing, they fell asleep, contented.
July passed by without much incident. Janine was feeling better, her back didn’t
hurt that much anymore. Leah was
getting bigger and developing a personality that matched her parents. She was a happy child and her parents doted
on her.
Heath and Janine decided to join the family on the annual
trip to Indian Springs in early August.
Janine had never been there and was looking forward to it. She felt so much better, she wanted to go
for a trail ride. She missed riding all
the time. They met the family at the
main house, they brought a wagon the night before with their stuff loaded. Jarrod and Nick added the things that they
were bringing, so they were ready to leave bright and early the next morning. Heath decided they would stay the night at
the main house so they all could leave at the same time.
The next morning the Barkleys left after breakfast. Heath had hired a couple of hands to feed
their livestock while they were gone, so they left the ranch in good spirits
and no worries.
Victoria rode in the wagon with Jarrod and Leah. Nick, Audra, Heath and Janine all rode their
horses, enjoying the scenery to the cabin.
Heath and Janine stayed behind the wagon, talking quietly to themselves. Nick and Audra rode in front of the wagon
leading the way. After a few hours they
stopped to rest and to wait for Heath and Janine who were quite a way behind.
“Sorry about that,” apologized Janine. She blushed, “I stopped to watch a deer and
its fawn. Heath says I should warn
someone when I stop.” She gave her husband a shy smile and a wink.
“That’s okay, Janey.
It’s nice to know that you enjoy nature so much.” Jarrod smiled at her
knowingly. A little while later they
rode off again, knowing that soon they would be at the cabin.
Heath and Janine arrived last at the cabin, about twenty
minutes later. Heath jumped off Charger
and helped Janine off Titan. Her legs
buckled and she fell to the ground. “Would
you mind helping me up, Heath?” She chuckled at her predicament, “I gotta quit
making these elegant entrances!” Heath chuckled and helped her up.
“Sit here for a few minutes and I’ll take care of the
horses.” She nodded, feeling guilty that she couldn’t help out with the setting
up of camp. Tomorrow she would help by
making a meal.
It was late when the camp was all set up. Heath and Janine decided they wanted to
sleep out in the tent because they liked being outdoors. They sat around the campfire relaxing and
talking amongst themselves. Janine felt
out of place while they talked of being at Indian Springs in the past. She liked it so far. It was now night and couldn’t see much of
what it was like, but it was just nice being outside. Soon everyone was retiring to the cabin, and all who was left
sitting by the fire was Heath and Janine.
They moved closer to one another, putting their arms around each other. Janine laid her head on Heath’s chest,
listening to him breathe. Wordlessly,
they retired to their tent, falling asleep almost immediately.
Leah woke them up early, demanding attention. Heath picked her up and placed her on the
cot with Janine. Janine opened her eyes
and smiled, looking out the door, Heath started the fire and warmed up the
bottle for Leah. When it was ready,
Janine brought Leah out to be fed by the warmth of the fire. Heath got coffee going and went to chop some
wood.
One by one the others got up in various stages of
sleepiness. Victoria got up, happily,
grabbing a coffee. Audra stretched at
the doorway, and wandered sleepily towards the fire, looking for the coffee. Nick came out, grumping at everyone a good
morning, while Jarrod was happily pouring coffee and watching Janine as she fed
Leah.
“G’morning y’all!” greeted Janine as she looked up and
burped Leah. Leah burped loudly and
everybody chuckled, “You sound like your papa, Leah. Now excuse yourself!” Heath walked up to the fire at that point
and poured himself a coffee.
“Now, my pretty, that wasn’t nice ya know!” He chastised
her teasingly. Janine slapped him with
her free hand.
“ya know its true Mr. Barkley. Grab me a coffee, will ya?” Heath groaned and got her a coffee.
“Ya know wife, someday you’ll pay for the remarks you
make!” He told her accusingly.
“I’m waitin’ husband!
I’m waitin’!” The others watched this exchange between them, chuckling. Janine handed Leah to Heath and announced
she was going to start breakfast. Audra
decided she was going to help and Nick groaned.
“Nick! Are you
going to comment when I decide I want to help out with the cooking?” Audra
stood there, hands on her hips, demanding an answer from her older brother.
“Are you taking lessons in sassiness from Janine, sis?” demanded
Nick. Janine snickered behind her hand
looking at Audra, waiting for a retort.
“You didn’t answer my question, brother dear!” returned
Audra.
“If you would make something edible, I wouldn’t have to
comment on it!” Nick got up to pour another coffee and ended up spilling it all
over. Janine laughed out loud, and
dragged Audra away.
“Come on Audra, before he gets really angry!” They ran
inside the cabin to make the breakfast, but not without hearing Nick Barkley
roar,
“You girls are going to be the death of me yet!” Heath
snickered, he loved it when Janine got the best of Nick. She made life interesting for all of them.
Victoria went in to help the girls with breakfast. Janine was doing the cooking while Audra
chopped up the potatoes, put the bacon in the pan and cracked the eggs for
scrambled eggs. They were giggling away
about some secret they were holding out and didn’t hear the matriarch come in.
“Having fun girls?” Janine jumped while Audra laughed at
being caught in a secret conversation.
“Yes Victoria.” Janine couldn’t hide the smile she was
forming. “Audra, we need the potatoes
on now.” Victoria set the table for the breakfast. When it was cooked, they called the men in, and they sat down to
eat.
After breakfast, Audra and Victoria did the dishes, while
Heath and Janine went for a walk, taking Leah with them. They walked around the lake, talking about
anything that came to mind. It didn’t
matter, they were together, and they were happy.
Nick and Jarrod decided to try their hand at fishing. They caught a string of fish by lunch time,
with Jarrod catching the most. They
cleaned the fish and brought them back to be cooked for lunch. Heath and Janine weren’t back yet, they
would eat lunch when they did arrive.
The married Barkleys took a break an hour later. They sat at the edge of the lake, holding
hands and letting Leah play in the sand.
Janine thought to bring a blanket so she stretched it out, and put the
baby on it. They sat there, admiring
the beauty and the silence around them.
“Remember our honeymoon, Heath?” He nodded. “I sure did enjoy that trip. That was beautiful, meeting your aunt Rachel
and Hannah, and the trail to Sonora. I
keep that whole trip in my mind.”
“Yep, my pretty, me too!
It was quite the trip. I loved
every minute of it.” He kissed her gently.
Janine glanced at their daughter who fell asleep on the blanket. She cupped his chin and kissed him back
deepening the kiss. Heath drew her
closer and held her close. “I miss
bein’ outside like this with ya, Janey.” He whispered in her ear.
She kissed his shoulder, his neck, and his face. They moaned together and leaned against the
tree. He caressed her face, brushing
the hair out of her eyes. Blue eyes
stared into emerald eyes, the love flowing between the two of them. He took her petite hand into his large
masculine one and kissed it. She smiled
shyly at him. Heath flashed her a half
grin, still amazed that after all this time she was still shy with him.
They glanced over at Leah again, seeing that she was still
sleeping, Heath slipped his hand down her side. “Heath!” gasped Janine.
He chuckled,
“what?” he asked her innocently. She
giggled, and kissed him passionately, parting his lips and savoring his taste. “Janey” he whispered, breathlessly, “You’re
wicked ya know that?” Janine nodded, kissing and caressing a while longer till
Leah woke up. Heath sat up, untangled
himself from her and went to Leah. “Leah
you must learn to leave Mama and Papa alone when they are together!” Janine
giggled.
“Like she can understand you, husband!” Heath gave her a
look that said you just watch. She took
the hint and watched as Heath changed his daughter. He took Janine’s hand in his own and they walked back towards
camp.
When they got back to camp, Leah was demanding food. Heath found her a bottle, filled it with
milk, and warmed it up. He fed the baby
while Janine scrounged something up for them to eat. Audra was reading a book, Victoria was crocheting, Nick and
Jarrod were involved in a game of checkers.
Heath had finished feeding Leah and handed her over to Janine while he
finished eating.
“Did you two have a nice walk?” asked Victoria, looking up
from her crocheting.
“Yes Mother, we did,” replied Heath winking at Janine. She blushed immediately, nodding her answer
to Victoria.
Victoria smiled, enjoying the couple’s uneasiness towards
her question. The others watched in
amusement as they looked intently at each other, not noticing anyone else
around them.
The week passed by quickly. They fished, swam, read, and generally lazed around. One night, Nick found a bottle of whisky and
the men sat up drinking it. They had a
great time, drinking, telling stories and just enjoying the night time air. Janine had retired to bed saying that Leah
was going to be up early and she needed her sleep. She laid in bed listening to the men enjoy themselves. She checked on Leah again and fell asleep
after a while.
She woke up to Heath’s drunken snoring, he never snored much
except when he was drinking. Janine
smiled and placed a kiss on his lips as she got up to check on Leah. She crawled over Heath, and went over to the
bassinet. Leah was still sleeping
peacefully so Janine crawled back into bed, intent on getting some more sleep. Heath rolled over and flopped an arm over
her. Janine snuggled closer to her
husband and closed her eyes. She loved
mornings when she was awake before him.
This rarely happened so she just laid there with his arm draped over
her, enjoying the feel of his warm body next to hers. She couldn’t resist kissing him, so she placed a kiss on his chin. He opened one blue eye and mumbled something
incoherently to her. She giggled,
placing another kiss near his mouth. “wife,
leave me alone!”
She teased him unmercifully, “Ya owe me Mr. Barkley! How many times have ya woken me up when I
didn’t want to wake up yet?” She placed insistent kisses all over his face, he
finally relented and woke up fully. “Mornin’
love” she said innocently.
“Janey, sometimes…” he started, and chuckled when he saw
her face. She had her lower lip
sticking out, trying to look hurt. “Oh
honey! I’m sorry” He was surprised when
she burst into tears. “What’s wrong? I thought you were just jokin’ with me” He
was concerned, trying to hold her in his arms.
“Oh Heath! I don’t
know what’s wrong with me! Oh yes I
do!” She looked at him, smiling through her tear filled eyes. “We’re goin’ to have another baby!” Heath
smiled, giving his wife a great hug.
“Janey, my pretty, that’s the best news to wake up to! Even if my head feels like it was run over
by a herd of cattle!”
“Well I have no sympathy for you my love, if you’re goin’
to drink all night with your brothers!” He swung the pillow lightly at her,
missing her while she swung hers back at him.
They played back and forth for a bit, swing pillows at each other till
Heath grabbed her arms and pulled her closer to him. He lifted his head and kissed her lips.
“Heath!” she chastised him, laughing and kissing him back. They were interrupted by Leah’s cries for
food. “Well duty calls my love!” She
tried to get out of bed but Heath grabbed her waist and pulled her back. He pinned her on the bed, and placed a well
meaning kiss on her lips.
“I’ll do it, my pretty!” She slapped his arm and let him
go to his daughter. She shook with
laughter as Heath held Leah above his head and making her laugh. He handed Leah over to her mother and went
outside to get the fire going so they could warm up the bottle and make coffee. Janine changed Leah’s diaper and brought her
outside to wait for her breakfast.
By the time the bottle was warm and the coffee was brewed,
everyone came out of the cabin. Heath
winked at his wife and gave her a slight smile. Janine sat happily in the chair, feeding Leah and noticing how
hung over the men looked.
Victoria got herself a cup of coffee and sat watching her
family, enjoying the morning air. Heath
went off to chop some wood after he finished his coffee. After breakfast, Heath and Janine left Leah
with Audra while they went for a ride.
The ride started out nice and gentle. They enjoyed the quietness of nature,
watching for any signs of wildlife. They
saw a black bear foraging in the bush for food, mainly berries, they stopped
and watched it for awhile, taking in the scene with interest. They saw an eagle’s nest atop a very high
tree and saw the bird land in the nest.
They watched as the bird fed its young ones. As they were riding, they didn’t realize something was following
stealthily along behind them.
They were riding side by side, when they heard a roar and
a hiss behind them. Heath didn’t have
time to tell Janine to go ahead. The
mountain lion jumped onto his back, knocking him off Charger. Janine screamed, and jumped off Titan. She grabbed Heath’s rifle and pointed it
towards the cat. Heath rolled over and
over trying to get the huge cat off of him.
She got closer and butted it with the rifle but it didn’t move. Heath yelled at her to shoot, but she was
frozen. She got closer and butted it
again, but it was biting him. She
regained her composure, and took aim. She
was frightened that she was going to shoot Heath but she needed the cat off of
him. She fired the rifle and all was
quiet.
She ran towards Heath who was dazed at what happened. He didn’t move at first, so Janine made sure
the cat was dead, then dragged it off her husband. She felt for a pulse and found it strong. He moaned slightly, and tried to move, but
Janine told him to lie still. Her mind
thinking quick, she decided to see if he had any broken bones before she tried
to move him. Finding no broken bones
but lots of blood, she tried to clean him up and stop the flow of blood. He moaned again and tried to sit up. “Heath I can’t lift you onto Charger, do you
think you can get up if I help you? We
need to get you back to camp!” Heath nodded, his head pounding. “Just a minute, let me look at you first.” She
checked the back of his head and saw that there was a large bloody bump forming. She ripped pieces of his shirt and wrapped
it around the large scratches. He was
losing blood rapidly, and she needed to hurry to get him help.
She heard a sound coming up behind them as she attended
her husband. She grabbed the rifle,
poised to shoot if there was danger. She
sighed in relief when she saw that it was Nick and Jarrod riding up. “Oh thank you Lord!” she prayed silently,
out loud she told them, “Heath’s been hurt and it doesn’t look good!” The men
looked over their brother and nodded. They
picked him up and placed him on Coco so that Nick could hang onto him. Janine lit onto Titan, grabbed Charger’s
reins and followed the men to the camp.
When they got to camp, Nick gingerly got Heath down and
half dragged him into the tent, laying him down on the cot. Jarrod decided they needed a doctor, so he
rode off in search of one. Janine
stayed beside her husband, wiping his brow.
He was developing a fever and that worried her some. Victoria cleaned him up and kept an eye on
him as well. Audra brought some clean
cloths out of the cabin and changed bandages.
The blood was still seeping through them, but was slowly stopping. Janine couldn’t stop crying, she saw the
mountain lion attacking him. She
couldn’t get the image out of her head.
Bit by bit she told the women of what happened. She asked Nick how they knew that they
needed help.
“I felt it Janine.
I always seem to know when Heath is hurt. I don’t know how.” She got up and got Leah out of her bed and
held her. She prayed that Heath would
be okay. She automatically fed her and
changed her then rocked her for comfort, all the while keeping a close eye on
her husband. She prayed that Jarrod
would be back soon with the doctor.
Suddenly Heath started talking, his fever had risen,
causing alarm for everyone. Janine went
over to him to wipe his brow, but Nick held her back. “Nick! I need to go to
him! He needs me!”
“Neen! Mother and
Audra will take care of him, you stay here with me as we will be in the way. They have dealt with his fevers before!” Nick
held her tightly in his arms. Smoothing
her hair back, they stood there, watching as the women worked over the
thrashing man. Janine sobbed quietly
while Nick held her, holding his own tears back so as not to worry her.
Janine put Leah in the bassinet then went outside to stand
by the fire. Nick followed her, knowing
that if something happened, they would be told. She was terribly worried, but she knew he was in good hands with
Victoria looking after him, but she felt useless. Nick watched her struggle with her emotions. He knew what she was feeling, he felt it
himself. He walked over to her and put
his arms around her. Janine put her
arms around his waist and held him. She
was so worried and it felt good to know someone was there for her. They stood like that for a while when Audra
called them in. They held hands and
went in. Heath didn’t look well, he had
stopped thrashing, but he was very white.
The deep scratches had stopped bleeding and he was sweating profusely.
Janine gasped and held Nick’s hand tighter. She looked at him and saw that he was trying
to hold the tears back. She let go of
his hand and went to her husband. She
wiped his brow, talking softly to him. Victoria
and Audra left for a bit to get some rest.
Nick and Janine sat with Heath, worrying about him together and it felt
reassuring that his brother was as worried about him as she was. She stopped her ministering when Heath
started talking feverishly. Speaking of
things in the past that she hadn’t known.
She looked worriedly at Nick, but he told her not to worry. Nick took the cloth from her and wiped his
forehead. Janine held her husband’s
hand and talked to him softly, hoping to get him out of his feverish state.
Nick watched with interest when Leah woke up crying. He went over to Leah’s bassinet and picked
her up. She needed changing, so he
handed her to Janine who grinned at Nick’s expression. “Not up to changin’ her are ya?” Nick
grinned through his tears and shook his head.
Janine changed her swiftly, plopped a bottle into her mouth and took her
seat beside her husband. She talked
quietly to him, willing him to get better so that they can raise their children. She talked to him about how much she loved
him, how much he meant to her. The
tears rolled down her face as she spoke.
Nick listened in awe, realizing just how much Janine and Heath meant to
each other.
Victoria and Audra came back in after a while to relieve
Janine and Nick. Janine didn’t want to
leave her husband, but Nick convinced her she should get something to eat. He put his arm around her shoulders,
comforting her as well as himself. They
went into the cabin and Janine automatically went to fix something for them to
eat. Nick got up to help her. She looked at him, seeing that tears were
forming, she hugged him. They held each
other while they both sobbed.
“Jarrod is taking a long time with the doctor.”
“Town is a day’s hard riding” answered Nick.
“That’s right…I hope he hurries! Heath is in a bad way!” She hugged Nick tighter. Nick placed a kiss on her head.
“I know, but let’s have faith. Jarrod will be back soon.
We need to be strong. Heath
needs us!” Janine nodded.
“You’re right, Nick.
Thanks for trying to comfort me.” He pulled away, sitting at the table
and ate what Janine had prepared.
Audra came in a while later, to get something to eat. She took one look at Janine and came over to
hug her. “He’ll be okay Janey” she said
as she hugged her. Janine didn’t return
the hug. She needed her husband. She pulled away from Audra and went out to
check on Leah and her husband.
Nick told Victoria to go get some rest, he and Janine
would take care of Heath. Victoria
looked at the both of them, and nodded, slowly, and left the tent. Janine looked at Leah, saw that she was
still sleeping and went to sit by her husband.
He quietly wiped Heath’s feverish brow, talking silently to his brother. Janine sat there, holding Heath’s hand,
listening to Nick’s desperate attempt to get Heath to open his eyes and talk to
him.
Nick left for a little bit and Janine laid her head on
Heath’s chest, listening to his breathing.
It comforted her some, knowing that he was going to be okay. But only if Jarrod would hurry up with the
doctor. It was taking so long. Heath’s fever rose again during the night
and Janine would not leave his side at all.
She wiped his forehead, she held his hand, she talked quietly to him. Victoria came in soon after and tried to get
Janine to rest but she wouldn’t leave, not until the doctor came.
Dawn finally arrived, and Heath’s fever was down again. Janine sat beside him talking to him, Leah
woke up wanting to be fed and Audra fed her.
Janine had no thoughts but the man lying in the bed. Her beloved husband. She sobbed quietly but didn’t notice the
masculine hand that touched hers gently.
Nick put his arm over her shoulder and squeezed. Janine closed her hand over Nick’s, knowing
that he just wanted to comfort her. She
looked at her husband and saw that his eyes were open and staring at them. She let go of Nick’s hand and held Heath’s
hand in both of her petite ones. She
smiled at him. He raised his arm
painfully to her and drew her close. Janine
laid her head gently on his chest and thanked God for the strength to go on.
Jarrod arrived a while later with the doctor. Everyone waited outside so that the doctor
could check Heath over. Victoria called
Janine in after a while to talk to the doctor.
Heath was going to be okay. They
couldn’t travel for a while longer because there was an infection settling in a
couple of the scratches. Heath’s pallor
was looking better, not quite as white as earlier. He had stitches all through his body. His neck looked the worst.
The mountain lion’s fangs punctured his neck, leaving two huge gaps in
his neck. Tears came to her eyes but
Heath said, feebly, “Its not as bad as it looks, my pretty. I’ll be okay in a day or two.” Janine smiled
at his optimism.
“I need to talk to you outside, Mrs. Barkley.” Both ladies
nodded and the doctor chuckled, “I meant to say, the wife of Mr. Barkley here.”
Victoria nodded, knowing what he meant.
Janine followed him outside to where the others were waiting the
diagnosis. “I won’t lie to you Mrs. Barkley. Your husband is in bad shape. He will need to rest for a few days then no
riding for at least a week. I want you
to come to town in a week to get those stitches out.”
Janine nodded, “
Okay. But what about the fever? Will he be okay? Will he still get fevers?”
“He will be okay, I think the worst has passed, you all
did a good job with taking care of him.” Janine thanked the doctor for coming
out here. “I saw the cat that attacked
him. That was the biggest mountain lion
I have ever seen. You killed him, Mrs. Barkley?”
She nodded. “You did good. If you hadn’t……” He didn’t finish the
sentence, he didn’t need to.
“I think I will attend to my husband now. Thank you doctor.” She said absentmindedly. He nodded, tipped his hat and mounted his
steed. He left the camp, knowing that
this man was in good hands.
Janine turned and strolled into the tent. Heath was sleeping on the cot, hands folded
against his chest. She leaned down and
kissed him gently on the cheek. He
opened one eye and grinned. “I love ya
Heath” she whispered to him.
“I love ya too. Come
here.” he tried to pat the bed beside him.
She sat beside him, caressing his face gently. “I’m not going to break, sweetheart!”
“I know, but I was so scared, Heath. I thought I was goin’ to lose ya.” She
stretched out beside him, careful not to touch anywhere there were stitches. “I’m not ready for death do us part yet!”
she smiled at him, remembering his phrase when she was laid up with her back. She gingerly put her arm over him, and he
snuggled into her. She just lied there,
till Leah cried for someone to pay attention to her. She looked at Heath, who was sleeping, so she quietly slipped out
and picked up Leah.
She sat on the chair beside Heath, watching him sleep and
feeding Leah. The scratches on him
worried her, but he would survive. He
was a fighter, and he needed her. She
watched as he moaned her name in his sleep, smiling his lopsided smile. Boy howdy, he even does it in his sleep, she
mused.
Janine fell asleep holding Leah. Heath opened his blue eyes and watched his wife sleep with their
baby.. He reached out to touch Leah,
his pride and joy. Janine opened her
eyes and saw him watching her. She
smiled, rising from her chair, going to him.
“Let me hold her, Janey.” He reached out gingerly to take her.
She shook her head
no, “Not right now, honey. It will hurt
ya. I will hold her and ya can see her,
okay?” Heath almost pouted, he needed to hold his baby but he understood her
reasoning. He didn’t have to agree to
it, but he understood it. She sat Leah
up so he could at least touch her, caress her smooth cheek.
“She’s beautiful, Janey.
Just like ya. I can’t wait for
this new baby to be born.” He held Leah’s hand and was rewarded with a lopsided
smile from her. He grinned, “Boy howdy,
Janey! Will ya look at that! She just grinned at me!” She smiled at his
excitement, and leaned over to kiss him.
She laid on the bed beside him, playing and singing to them both. Heath loved the way she was with Leah, so
gentle, so loving. Closing his eyes,
listening to mother singing to her baby.
He fell asleep then.
Heath drifted in and out of sleep over the next few days
and Janine never left his side except to feed Leah and to eat.
Heath sauntered outside a few days later to sit by the
fire. He was tired of lying in bed. The scratches were healing, slowly, but they
were looking better. They were going to
leave in a couple of days to go home. Janine
was sitting by the lake with Leah, watching the ducks play on the water. Heath walked over and put his arm around her
shoulders. He drew her closer and she
put her head on his shoulder. They sat
there like that for a long while. Leah
fell asleep on her blanket while they sat.
“I’m sorry you got hurt Heath.” He kissed the top of her
head. “I was so scared when I seen that
mountain lion attacking you. I didn’t
know what to do.”
“It’s okay Janey. You
killed that cat, that was pretty brave of you.
It could’ve been you that he attacked and I’d be apologizing to you.” She
smiled at that. She hadn’t considered
that she could have been the one with all the scratches. They were lucky to be together and lucky
that she had the sense enough to shoot the cat.
They sat there while Leah slept and talked quietly of the
new baby to come. They had learned a
lot about what was important to them. When
Leah woke up, they walked back to camp, hand in hand, sitting down in front of
the fire, while Janine found a bottle and warmed it up for Leah.
They spent the last night in front of the fire, talking,
laughing and telling stories. It was a
nice night, and Janine leaned against her cowboy, lost in thought. She enjoyed this trip and was sorry to see
it end. One by one, the family went to
bed, leaving the married couple sitting by the fire, enjoying the night time
air before retiring to bed.
They left the camp the next day, Heath and Janine riding
their mounts. Jarrod and Victoria,
holding Leah, riding in the wagon with Nick and Audra leading the way. It was a quiet ride at first, all deep in
thought. Going over all that happened
at Indian Springs, happy that Heath wasn’t more seriously hurt.
The married Barkleys stopped in town while the others
continued on their way. They would be
home the following day. Heath had to
stop by and see the doctor about his stitches making sure he was able to ride a
little further. They decided to rest in
town before continuing home.
Heath walked slowly to the doctor’s office, not wanting to
go in, he just wanted to go home. Janine
held his hand and guided him in, knowing how he felt as she didn’t like the
physician’s office anymore than he did.
She needed a check up too, she was tired a lot more then with Leah.
The kindly practitioner observed the tanned couple. Heath looked more healthy than the last time
he had seen him. His wounds were healing
faster then expected, considering how deep they were. He did look fatigued though, and that worried the physician. “Mrs. Barkley, can you wait outside for a
few minutes while I examine your husband?” Janine nodded reluctantly, not
wanting to leave her husband, even for a minute.
After she left the room, the physician asked Heath to
remove his clothes so that he could remove the stitching and make sure there
were no signs of infection anywhere. “How
are you feeling Mr. Barkley. Last time
I saw you, you were, well lets say, under the weather?” He joked hoping to
bring a smile to the blond man’s face. It
worked for a half grin.
“I’m okay doc. Just
take the stitches out and let me go home, will ya?”
The physician was taken aback at the surly attitude and
didn’t say another word for a few minutes.
“There you go Mr. Barkley. Let
me just check and make sure there is no sign of infection. I see you can ride, but no hard riding,
okay?”
“We plan on staying the night and riding out in the morning,”
he was putting his clothes back on. “Can
you see to my wife? She’s with child,
and is not feelin’ well.”
The doctor nodded, “Send her in. I am giving you some headache powder for the headaches you may be
experiencing.”
“Thank ya doc. Obliged
to ya.” The physician watched the man slowly make his way out of the examining
room. His wife came in soon after. He examined her and told her everything was
fine and to look in with her doctor when she got home.
“All right Doc. I
am just concerned. More tired then I
was with my first one. Can you give me
something for my back? It’s hurting a
lot more lately.” The physician went to the cabinet and gave her some headache
powder as well.
“Only use this when the pain gets too much. I don’t know if it’s good for the baby’s
growth.” Janine nodded in understanding.
“Thank ya doc. My
husband will pay ya.” She dressed and went out to stand by Heath while he paid
the bill. They walked out the door,
untied the horses and mounted. They
rode down the street in search of a hotel where they could relax for the night.
They paid for their room and gingerly made their way up
the stairs. Heath put their saddle bags
down on the bed and told Janine he was going to take care of the horses. She nodded, saying she was going to have a
nice warm bath and have a nap.
Heath came in a while later, saw that she was sleeping. He picked out some clean clothes and had a
bath. The door opened a little while
later, and she came in to talk to him. She
kneeled on the floor beside the tub and watched him. He had his eyes closed, wore out from the ride to town. She leaned closer to him placing a soft kiss
on his lips. He opened an eye and gave
her his silly half grin. “Reckon I
should get out ?” She nodded and offered to help him out. He took her hand and rose out of the tub. She looked at him seductively, grabbing the
towel. He stood there, letting her dry
him. She stood close to him, kissing
his lips, tracing her tongue across them.
He moaned and wrapped his strong, yet gentle arms around her, devouring
her. He loved the feel of her body next
to his. His hands slid down her back
finding the laces of the nightdress she was wearing. She pulled away and let the nightdress fall to the floor. He looked at her, eyes in approval of her. He moved closer and took her in his arms
once again. He kissed her hungrily,
eagerly, leaving her breathless at his passion. She returned the passion, kissing him hungrily. They fell to the floor, rolling around in
their passion. They were breathing
heavily, their passions reaching a crescendo, and then relaxing.
They laid on the bathroom floor, catching their breaths,
not believing their passions were not spent quite yet. Heath stood up, drawing Janine with her. He kissed her tenderly and picked her up,
carrying her to the bed. . They kissed each other slowly this time,
caressing, finding their secret passion spots.
Passion soon consumed them both, when the time came, they both moaned
with pleasure and relaxed. “I love you
Heath.”
He caressed the wild hair off her face and kissed her
deeply before he answered, “I love ya too, my pretty.” They laid together for a
long time, holding each other till sleep finally claimed them.
The next morning they woke up refreshed and happier since
Heath got hurt. They got dressed, and
went downstairs for breakfast for they were going home today.
They rode quietly towards their home. The couple loved the outdoors and vowed to
spend more time doing the things they enjoyed.
Raising their children and the ranch work didn’t leave much time for
much else but they would make a point of having one vacation a year. The trip to Indian Springs was a turning
point in their relationship, making it stronger and aware of the vulnerability
between them.
Being in their own home that night, they watched their
daughter as she slept in her crib. She’s
gettin’ so big, thought Janine. Heath
put his arms around her as they stood over the crib. “Sure is hard to believe that she started out with such a rough
beginning.” She commented, leaning into his rugged body. He kissed the side of her neck, causing her
to moan softly.
“She sure has, Janey.
Reckon she’ll be walkin’ and jawin’ before long.” She nodded, snuggling
even closer to him. “Let’s go to bed,
my pretty.” He let her go out of his loving embrace and took her hand, leading
her to their bedroom.
As they laid in bed, waiting for the comfort of sleep to
overtake them, they both had a similar thought. “We are truly blessed.”
THE END