Author's Note One: I just re-watched 'Joshua Watson' and realize now that I meant to have Zack be the Morton who rescues Lily. I have gone back and fixed the references in the earlier chapters, so the use of Zack is correct in this chapter.
Author's Note Two: This chapter took me longer to write than I had anticipated, and actually went through five rewrites. The scene is the conversation between Nick and Heath, and I wanted to make sure that I handled it in a realistic way. If I have missed the mark, the fault is mine, and not the characters.
Conversations – Part Three
Nick had finished his cigar, but Victoria had not come back yet. Knowing how Heath was, Nick mused, she could be out there for a while. He went up to his bedroom, but Katarina wasn't there, so she was probably still with Lily he decided. Nick privately thought it funny that his younger brother, who liked to keep everything inside him, was married to a woman with red hair. Those gals were all fire, fury, and in your face, as he knew from firsthand experience.
He looked at their bedroom, wanting Katarina more than anything else. Nick sighed, and headed back downstairs, thinking about smoking another cigar, so he walked into the study. Nick had poured himself a drink, and had just taken a cigar out of his humidor when he heard the front door open. Putting the cigar back, he took a large gulp of the whiskey and went to see who had come in.
"Nick, I think it is your turn now." Victoria walked into the front hall and saw her middle son waiting for her. As she had walked back from the barn, she hoped that what she had told Heath had made an impact. He could dig his heels in faster than even Nick if he was pushed the wrong way. It was one of the many ways that he was so much like Tom. That thought brought her both joy and pain, as she had it.
"How is he?" Nick queried, wanting to know what he was going to be dealing with. Victoria shook her head, and told him some of what she'd said to Heath. Nick shook his head at his brother's folly, and after kissing his mother he headed out to the barn.
Entering the structure, he saw that Heath was in the tack room, cleaning Lily's sidesaddle. He knew that his blond haired brother found solace in building or cleaning something. Nick walked into the small room, redolent with the smell of leather.
"What are you doing here? Mother has already lectured me, and I don't need to be yelled at, since Lily took care of that." Heath announced in a 'go away' tone, as he looked up at his brother, before going back to cleaning the saddle.
"I am at loose ends because Katarina is upstairs with Lily, where they are probably talking about what a fucking asshole you are!" Nick leaned against the wall, an amused grin on his face. He could just imagine the conversation the ladies were having.
"Somehow I don't see your wife using that kind of language." Heath replied sourly, picturing his ever so correct sister-in-law in his mind. He was taken aback to hear his brother laughing loudly, so he turned to look at him.
"You obviously don't know my wife! Of course, it sounds like you are having problems with the whole wife concept anyway." Nick commented, tilting his head as he regarded his brother. The discomfort was apparent, and in other circumstances it would have given him a kick to see the taciturn young man put through the wringer because of a woman. There was also the issue that it was way past his bedtime, but he was pretty sure that Heath wouldn't care about that.
Heath shot his brother a very angry look, and went back to cleaning the saddle. 'Great' he thought, 'someone else to rub in my mistakes. Boy, oh boy, this night just gets better and better'. Heath kept on cleaning the saddle, hoping his brother would leave. After a bit Heath was aware that his brother had not left, which annoyed him.
"Has Catherine ever cursed you out?" Heath rather doubted it, but felt like striking out and his brother was the nearest target. He was disappointed when Nick laughed like his brother had just told a funny joke.
"She's told me to go fuck myself, and then explained exactly how I could do it. It was in Russian though, and when she saw that I didn't understand, she repeated it in English. Of course, we were on the ship coming down from Alaska, and she was vilely seasick." Nick smiled at the memory, as he retold the story.
"Somehow I don't think you are here to share your travel stories, Nick." Heath huffed, wanting to be alone. His middle brother standing there, with a self-satisfied look on his face was not helping his mental state right now.
"Katarina and mother seemed to think that I would be able to offer you some advice, one married man to another. I find the idea rather odd, since Jarrod is usually the one to do the advice thing." Nick paused, before he added "However, role reversals seem to be the order for the night. Never thought I'd see the day when I was restraining you from Zack, and not vice versa."
"Seeing as how you and Zack are drinking buddies now." Heath threw it out there, wanting to jab at his brother without understanding why. Remembering how Zack had ignored him, as he usually did, opened up the feelings of his birth that he usually kept hidden away. The Morton's and Don Alfredo were the only people who could still get to him by now. He had been able to keep away from the old Spanish Don, but the Morton's were another matter.
Nick knew exactly what Heath was doing, and why; it made him feel a little guilty. It had caught him off-guard that Zack was as agreeable as he had been, and Nick couldn't believe he was looking forward to having a drink with the man. They were arch-rivals in so many ways, but kindred spirits in other ways. Their land was their life, and both had been raised by strong willed men. Jarrod had been telling Nick for two years that the rivalry between the ranches was getting in the way of productivity and needed to end. He wondered if this could be the beginning of that end, but wished it had not come about the way it had. Sighing, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
"I know you don't want to hear it, but you owe the man a big thank you. If he had not found Lily who knows how long she would have been out there for." Nick retorted, not taking the bait his brother was offering. Instead, he went on the offense "What the hell were you thinking, letting Lily go ride by herself? I get it, you are 'Mr. Independent, I'll do it myself' but it is damn selfish of you to expect your wife to be the same way."
Heath was stung to hear Nick call him selfish, when he had just been, in his mind, treating Lily as her own person. He had wanted her to feel comfortable going out riding, and had really thought she would enjoy exploring on her own. Heath was still trying to figure out how you could not know which way north way too.
"I know exactly what the issue is, Heath – it's your damn stubborn pride." Nick announced, and Heath turned to face him, all set to say something, but Nick cut him off. "Now I know all about that subject, and have done a number of stupid things because of mine. However, I've never put another person's life in danger because of my pride." He had no doubt why Heath had turned Carlos down, and Nick was mad about it. He was also upset with himself, wishing he'd found the time to talk to his brother, after Carlos had talked to him.
"Look, I get it, I get it! Carlos can escort her when I'm not available, and take care of her horse too." Heath almost snarled, not liking the path Nick was heading down. He felt like he was beating himself up enough over it, and didn't need help. At the end of the day, he had let Lily down, for the reasons Nick was stating. It was bad enough that his mother was right, but Nick being right just grating.
"Oh, really? How decent of you Heath!" Nick gave him a sarcastic reply, as he shifted his booted feet. He'd taken off his spurs, and missed their reassuring jingle that they gave off when he moved. "Well now that we have that subject covered, do you want to talk about the other issues? That was quite the list that Lily had for you; and only after a week and half of marriage!" He knew he was being a bastard, but his brother's actions had upset him. Nick had also seen the fear in Catherine's eyes, at the thought of Lily being out by herself.
"I'm not sure it is any of your business Nick!" Heath wished Lily had not had her outburst in front of the family. He was a private person, only sharing what was absolutely necessary. Her temper was a surprise to him, as well as how it flared up. He had only been trying to figure out what had gone wrong, but her reaction was, in his opinion, out of proportion.
"Sorry about that boy, but you can't mount that high horse!" Nick declared, stomping his foot for emphasis, as he continued "Didn't anyone tell you about red heads? Those gals hold nothing back, and it is not a good idea to cross them." He remembered his earlier thought, and gave his brother almost a pitying look.
Heath sighed, yet again, knowing that his brother right, at least about getting on his high horse. The cutting remark that Nick had made, about Lily being mad at him after being married for a week and a half, had found its target too. It echoed what his mother had said, regarding the fact that even though he loved Lily, Heath had not changed his life in the least.
Victoria had pointed out the contrast with what Nick had done with Catherine, putting her in the best room without asking permission. Heath knew though that Nick would feel no need to ask permission because at the end of the day, it was his house, and he could damn well do what he wanted. Heath hated to admit that there was a small part of him that envied the assurance that his brothers, and Zack Morton had. The walked into any room, and right away you knew that they were in charge – it was an almost unspoken air that they carried with them.
Those thoughts reminded him of how Zack had walked up to the front door, with Lily smiling and looking happy at being with him. He had removed his hat, and let her walk in first before he followed, tucking his hand under her elbow. Both Victoria and Nick had been very welcoming to him, while his wife had smiled at Zack with pleasure. He wondered if maybe Lily was wishing she was married to Zack right now, who would fuss over her, and treat her like a porcelain doll. She could probably rearrange furniture all day, and Zack, along with his brother and father would be thrilled beyond words.
The thought of furniture reminded him of the quarrel they'd had, and Victoria's comments on getting used to married life. Heath looked at Nick and had to admit that Nick had successfully navigated married life, quite better than how he was doing right now. For a brief moment he thought about asking Nick if Catherine rearranged the furniture, but dropped it. His brother was one of those men who wanted a warm meal, a comfortable bed, and a pretty, soft voiced lady to fuss over them. Nick would care less where the table and chairs were, as long he could stretch out his legs, have good brandy, and be told how wonderful he was. Heath suddenly envied his brother, for his simple needs in life.
Nick for his part could see the emotions that were coursing through his brother, and it gave him pause to think. Heath was normally the most self-contained person that he had ever encountered. There was a certain amount of irony; Nick thought that it had taken the red haired Lily to bring Heath to this emotional state.
"Heath, what is going on here? I really don't understand, or even know what to say to you! Why are you acting like you are? Lily is your wife, and you should be doing everything to make her as happy, and comfortable as possible!" Nick exhaled a deep breath, suddenly wishing smoking was allowed in the barn.
The blond haired man looked at his brother, and saw the confusion, along with the annoyance on his face. Heath knew that Nick was the most direct person you could ever deal with, but also understood that his point of reference was so different than Heath's. His brother related to woman so differently than he did, which he'd noticed but never analyzed before. Now though it came to him that his approach was probably all wrong for someone like Lily.
"Everything I do with Lily is off-target, even though I'm only trying to treat her as her own person! I didn't think she needed to be followed like I didn't trust her! There is also the fact that I have opinions about furniture too, even if I'm a man!" Heath paused in the middle of his declaration, before he went on "Mother has been missing Jarrod, and likes company at night – not that you would care about that! Why should I go to bed when Lily wants to go to bed; we are two separate people!"
Heath knew that he was hitting below the belt, and being petty at the same time but he couldn't help himself. His bedroom had always been his sanctuary, and while he loved Lily he had never thought she would want to rearrange the room. It also bothered him how Nick was so cavalier about their mother's feelings. There was something unfair about the fact that Victoria was on Nick's side in the whole affair.
"Heath, it is not your responsibility to keep mother company! Mother can always go to San Francisco, to visit Jarrod and Audra, if she is lonely." Nick regarded his brother with a baleful expression, going on "Lily is your wife, and she comes first! Why don't you understand that?" Nick was aghast at his brother's reasoning, wondering how Heath was more concerned about Victoria than he was about his wife. "Why should she go to bed all by herself, while you stay up to talk to mother? How insulting is that?"
The younger man wanted to explain how important the time with their mother was to him. Heath remembered how the only time he ever had with Leah was when she would come home late at night, from her job. They would sit together and talk about the day's events, the only time he ever connected to her. His mother's death had hit him hard, and he now saw how the loss was still affecting his life.
"All I've tried to do is keep both mother and Lily happy – why don't you understand that?" Heath saw what his brother was saying to him, but found it hard to reconcile, based on his relationship with both Leah and Victoria. For the longest time, it had been him, Leah, and Hannah; after Leah's death it had been Victoria. He had always needed to be there for them, because they didn't have anyone else.
"Heath, what about your wife? Where does she fit in your life? You are Lily's husband, and she needs you! You loved her enough to marry her, and now you won't stand by her?" Nick felt like the problem was way beyond him, and even Jarrod too. He felt very sorry for Lily, and what she was dealing with.
"What do you mean, I won't stand by her?" Heath was shocked at what Nick was saying, not caring for what his brother was implying. It was as if he wasn't being a man, and taking care of his wife. That thought made him think of Zack, standing there with Lily, being all attentive to her. Heath had no doubt that Zack would understand exactly what Nick was saying.
"Heath, you need to spend time with Lily, outside of the bed! Talk to her, and find out what matters to her. Let her know what matters to you too! You've been to St. Louis, and the ranch is nothing like that at all. Explain your life to her, and what it means to you!" Nick told his brother, seeing the young man working hard to understand it all.
"Look, it is very considerate of you to be thinking about mother, Heath. Maybe you need to be as considerate to Lily, as you are to her. When you are married you need think about your wife's feelings, and she needs to think about yours." Nick offered, hoping Heath would see what he was saying.
Heath saw that Nick was telling him exactly what Victoria had, but in a different way. The comment about Lily growing up in the city was a good point; he remembered how he'd felt when he was visiting her house in St. Louis. It was different than the ranch, but he'd not taken the time to think about her opinion. "I guess I need to find out what is important to Lily." He sighed and Nick's face took on a cheerful look.
"That is just the ticket, Heath! Oh, and don't take what Lily said too personally – red haired women tend to have tempers, you know." Nick replied in a conspiratorial voice, as he slapped his brother on the back and said good night adding "You should probably be getting upstairs too, because you have a rather large slice of humble pie to eat!" He walked out of the barn pleased with how things had turned out, and hurried into the house; his bed and Katarina were waiting for him.
Heath heard Nick's laughter as he walked out of the barn, and was glad that at least someone was happy. He put away the saddle soap and rag, and closed down the barn, before he headed to the house. It was probably going to be a long night, he mused, as he entered the house.
