An Irish Lady

Ch. 1

Lochlan sat on the chair next to his mother's bed as she told him the story, once again, how she came to know the Barkleys. He remembered the first time he heard the story and the respect he had for his mom grew, but this time he wanted to write it down for people who knew her as the Irish Lady and his mom.

"Ready?" June asked. She was tired but she wanted to fulfill her son's request.

Lochlan nodded as he put pencil to the paper in his hand.

The sun was setting down as the lone rider rode down a small path leading who knows where. It had been five years since she had been able to stay in one place and that was something June wanted more than anything. Why did they have to die and why did her aunt want her dead to? Her back was screaming at her and not because of the amount of ridding but because of the cuts.

Her aunt had been tough and very strict leaving you no breathing room and if you tried to get an inch of breathing room you usually paid for it in a small harmless way. That's what June always tried to get; breathing room. The punishment she would get wasn't too bad until she told her aunt in no certain terms she would marry that idiotic man her aunt liked. That day was the day her life changed for the worse.

June looked around and spotted a place she could make a make shift cover for the night. It took about twenty minutes to the lean-to big enough for her and her horse. After she unsaddled her horse she made her make shift bed she laid down and she started singing a song that her grandfather taught her that she knew would help her to relax.

*There's a spirit that flows in an Irishman's soul

And carries within it, all the dreams of the past

Deep in our memories are the greatest of those

Believers, and Dreamers, who died with a hope

That the freedom ship sails

With an Irish flag high on its mast

Those who can realize these feelings of pride

To be linked to the people of this storied land

I return to this island and know deep inside

The stongest, the bravest, the faithful and true

Grant me welcome with smiles, and joy

In their open hands

Chorus Back home to Ireland for the first time

As I gaze on your fields and your shores

In each Irishman's heart

there's a part of you inside

In my heart I have been here before

Time calls upon me to fly o're the sea

To answer those voices, they're calling me home

The history has taught me what I am to love

My family, my country, to worship my God

It's your spirit that lives

in my heart and the depths of my soul

Chorus

Her eyes began to close as her body relaxed and she fell into deep sleep. In her dreams she dreamt of her family and the love that use to surround her before she went to her aunt's house. The last thought in her mind was 'I am not going to go back there no matter what!'.

~/~

Nick, Heath, and Jarrod were riding towards the cabin on the north end of their land. In the cabin they would hide in until the storm that was threatening to let loose had passed on. Then they would continue on to the lake were they would go fishing. They had decided a small trip before Nick's wedding to Shania would be great; besides Heath and Jarrod wanted to tease him.

Jarrod for whatever reason unknown to him looked over to his left and spotted make shift lean. Had he not known this area well he would never have spotted the shelter; it was that well hidden. It looked like it belonged there and whoever built it knew what they were doing. Jarrod pushed it to the back of his mind knowing this late the day with that storm coming him and his brothers need to get to the cabin. He would talk to his brothers once they got there.

Nick mind was on his bride-to-be and what she might be doing with Audra. Those two were having a ball planning this wedding and he wasn't about to deny Shania anything if he could help it. He was building them a house to come back to once Shania and he came back from their honeymoon.

Heath was simply tired from the long hard day of work and he wanted to be in the cabin. The storm was not helping him wishing the cabin would suddenly appear in front of them. If that cabin did appear in front of he would wonder if somebody had spiked his water.

All three men sighed in relief when the cabin showed up around the bend just as the rain started to fall. It wasn't long before they had their horses under lean hooked to the cabin and they had made it inside the cabin. It took a few moments to get the fire to start in the fireplace however once it started everyone felt their body start to warm up.

Jarrod's mind went back to the shelter he had spotted earlier and he wondered who made it and made it so well.

Heath and Nick noticed the faraway look in their brother's eyes; had it been either one of them they could tell you who it was on their minds. The answer would have been simply their ladies were on their mind, but they knew for a fact Jarrod wasn't dating. He hadn't been on a dating since his wife and twins sons died in a fire set by an angry father only son had been convicted of killing a man. The father who set the fire killed himself shortly after the fire.

Jarrod looked over and saw his brothers looking at him and asked,

"What?"

"What's on your mind?" Heath asked.

"I spotted a lean-to on the way here. The thing is no one I know have been sent here and had I not known this place well I would have never known that somebody made a shelter there. It was made very well and whoever made it I get the feeling they don't want to be found. Did either one of you send somebody out here? " Jarrod didn't think so because if they had the man or men would have used the same cabin they were now using.

That worried Nick and Heath with the trouble of bandits coming through this area and added with the fact Audra had gone to visit Gene and his wife a few towns up north. All they could do is pray that whoever the stranger was the person meant no harm because there is no way to find out now with this storm going on.

"Why didn't you say something when you saw it?" Nick barked.

"Because this storm was threatening to break and I wanted to be under shelter." Jarrod replied back with a small bite tone in his voice.

That got Nick to calm down and although he wanted answers right now he knew they could nothing until that storm cleared up. Heath suggested they all turn in for the night and soon enough all three Barkley men were sleeping soundly.

*Got this song off a site full of beautiful old Irish's songs.