Chapter Ten

La'akea was folding some of her husband's clothes when she heard the sound of something hitting the fence outside, probably rocks. A few minutes later her husband walked into the bedroom of the small guest home that stood not a hundred yards behind the main house. It was a small ten by ten room that held a bed, dresser that set next to a window and a closet that stood in far right hand corner of the room. The walls were a plain white with a few pictures scattered here and there. He looked hot, tired and more than disgusted. She took a wild guess and asked, "Barrett?"

Jeremiah nodded as he took off his shirt and put it in the basket his wife used for their dirty clothes. "How that man lives with himself; how any man can live with themselves with the attitude he has, is beyond belief." He began relaying his first day working with the other ranch hands.

"This is Jeremiah," Nick, who had stepped outside the house with Jeremiah, looked at Barrett. "I just hired him. I was hoping you'd show him the bunkhouse and introduce him to the men. Heath and I have a few pressing matters to attend to."

Barrett looked the newcomer over. Without the capability to remember a face he'd only seen once years ago, Barrett was clueless as to who was standing before him. However, he was amazed he was being asked to show the man around. If anything, he'd expect for McColl to do such a thing. However, since he didn't care to argue with Nick, he smiled. "Sure thing, Nick." He then led Jeremiah to the bunkhouse. Shortly afterwards, he and Jeremiah were helping brand some of the cows.

"The man doesn't seem to know how to say more than a couple of sentences without adding either crude language or rude remarks. If I had a say in it, the man would be fired." Jeremiah told La'akea as she finished putting away the clothes and began rubbing his shoulders; he'd sat backwards on a chair.

"But he never recognized you." La'akea was relieved, as she'd prayed like crazy that would be the case.

"No, no he didn't." Jeremiah hung his head down while his wife rubbed the back of his neck. However, he surprised her when he told her he didn't want her leaving the house unless one of the Barkleys were with her. "In fact, I've asked the family if they can find someone who can stay here with you while I'm working with Nick, Heath or the men."

"What did Barrett say when he saw me, or what did the men say?" La'akea couldn't see any other reason for her husband to make such a request.

"Basically, the same thing Mr. Pierce said." Jeremiah answered, not caring to repeat the crude words spoken by Barrett. "It was all I could do to answer the way you and I agreed I would-should any of the men say such things." He visibly shuddered just a little. "It made me sick to my stomach, though I made it crystal clear you were not for sale." The fact that he was going to tell Nick what the man said after the mission was over didn't need to be discussed at the moment.

"Was it you rocks throwing before you came in?" La'akea gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Yes." Jeremiah shook his head and went on to say how he'd stuck with Barrett when Heath showed up, behaving as Barrett did. In fact, he admitted to acting a bit worse in hopes of gaining favor in their suspect's eyes. "I had to do something. Why did the general have to be part of the conspiracy to kill President Lincoln!" Jeremiah let out a frustrated growl. "I hated behaving that way towards Heath Barkley! He deserves better."

La'akea, who had finished giving her husband a backrub, waited until he turned around to say anything. "At least the gentleman knows it's an act. It would have been worse if you had went along with keeping the family in the dark." She then said that, for his sake, she'd pray that it wouldn't take him long to gain Barrett's trust.

Jeremiah gave her a half smile as he pulled her down onto his lap. "For everyone's sake I hope that will be the case and then," he paused, causing her to wonder what was coming. "I'm thinking you're right. After this is over, I need to quit taking these type of jobs. I mean, I have the freight business in Kansas, along with the two mines in Nevada. I also have my hand in the shipping industry."

"You also have your law degree." La'akea smiled when she thought about the few times he'd stepped in and helped out a friend or acquaintance. If anyone asked her, the law field is really where her husband really belonged.

Jeremiah simply chuckled before he started kissing her, something that might have led to something else if it weren't for the knock that came on their front door. "We could just ignore it." Jeremiah muttered as kissed the side of his wife's cheek.

La'akea laughed, but pulled away-standing up as she did so- when the knock came again. "No, I think we best answer."

Jeremiah stood up and walked out of the room, knowing there was no use in arguing with his wife. She won most of the time anyway. Both he and La'akea were surprised to see Nick on their porch, and wondered what had happened. However, Jeremiah didn't say anything until Nick had stepped inside and Jeremiah had shut the door.

"What brings you here?" Jeremiah asked once Nick was sitting on the plain brown couch that sat against the west living room wall while he and La'akea chose to sit in the two chairs near their fireplace.

"As far as Barrett and the men are concerned, I've come to talk to you about your behavior towards Heath." Nick leaned back and gave Jeremiah a soft glare, and then smiled wide. "The truth is I used that only as excuse to do as Heath asked me to do."

"What is that?" Jeremiah was confused. However, the confusion was quickly replaced by astonishment when Nick told him what Heath had realized when meeting them at Tom's grave. "My brother has a mighty good memory. He wanted me to thank you for getting him and his comrades out of that prison before anything more happened. I mean, we both hope for the best in this situation, but he doesn't want to risk waiting to tell you how grateful he is for that help either."

Jeremiah smiled. "There's no need to thank me. For the most part, I was raised in a home where you did what was right no matter what."

'For the most part' didn't surprise Nick-especially after having to look at his own father as a very good, but still human, man…not someone to be put on a pedestal. No living mortal belonged on one of those. "He still thanks you." Nick stood up and then added in a gruff voice-one that Jeremiah saw right through, "You need to pull back on the behavior. It won't be tolerated around here."

"Yes, sir." Jeremiah gave Nick a mock salute-one that had Nick laughing…until he walked over and took a hold of the front door handle. "Barrett's expecting you to work with him tomorrow morning, seemed eager to have you be the one to help him. Just be careful around him, I don't trust him now." Nick said as he stepped out of the home and shut the door behind him-the whole time wondering why he all of a sudden felt very protective of Jeremiah Shaw/Stone.