Coming Home
A/N If someone wants to write a longer story on this, please, go for it. As long as these facts stay the same...1. Heath and Bettina have at least a common law marriage due to running from her people, and she dies in childbirth.
Mile after mile he traveled, not caring about the dust that his horse's hooves kicked up nor how many minutes ticked by. He was going home…though, after three years, he hoped he still had a home to go home too. He hadn't been there all that long when he'd been forced to leave, forced to "pay" for a crime that never was. After all, the man he had killed had been stealing his horse and tried to kill him first. But they didn't see it that way and said he had to pay.
He sighed as he smiled at the bundle in his arm, a product born out of a love borne out of trial and hardship. She had helped him escape, with a promise from him to help her start a new life…but he wasn't supposed to be a part of the bargain. Only problem was…they had chased them. Oh, sure, they'd lost them, but only after traveling close to a thousand miles, and then one thing after another had blocked their path as they made their way back to California.
Once again, he looked at the bundle in his arms. . Heath couldn't help but sigh and wonder if the love he had for Bettina had been more a mixture of gratitude and need. He didn't know and never would…as she'd died giving birth to their son.
As he drew close to the house, he could see Nick, Jarrod, Audra and his mother talking in the yard. Jarrod had his arm around a black haired beauty. He didn't know if it was Jarrod's girlfriend or his wife, but didn't worry too much about it. How could he when all of them turned their heads towards him when they heard the sound of his horse's hooves.
Nick and the rest of the Barkleys gasped when they saw who was coming towards them and, of course, seeing a baby in his arms they had a thousand questions. Though, the questions would wait as Nick hollered his name and ran towards him …with the rest of the family following close behind.
Heath smiled. Coming home was the best feeling in the world.