Chapter Eleven

Victoria and Audra stood near the corral as Jarrod, Nick and Eugene led their horses out of the barn. While the sheriff wanted them to wait a couple more days before heading down to Salt Springs, even he had to admit it was safe enough and that there should be no reason the water in, or around, Salt Springs wouldn't be down enough to make a search possible. Though, he told the Barkleys that he had men willing to go search for them if they wanted.

When it came to her sons, Victoria would have preferred for Eugene to get back on the train and head back to Berkley in time to start the new semester and let the men who the sheriff was talking about help. She'd said as much, and Jarrod had backed her up. It hadn't done any good though. Eugene and Nick would have no part of it. When Eugene, basically, said that Heath's body didn't need to be hauled to the ranch by strangers, Nick was quick to side with his baby brother. Though, Nick had looked at Jarrod as he backed Eugene up. Due to more than one conversation Nick and he had had, Jarrod knew what Nick was saying with his eyes. If Jarrod and Nick's feelings were right, and Heath was alive; they wanted to know why Heath hadn't come home. After everything was said and done, Jarrod had thrown his hands up in the air and agreed Eugene had every right to go with them.

"Be careful." Victoria and Audra, who had come to accept that Heath had passed away in the flood, pleaded with Jarrod, Nick and Eugene as they swung themselves into their saddles to stay safe. They did not wish to lose any more family members. The three brothers each nodded sharing the pain their mother and Audra were feeling. They then bade their mother and sister goodbye and rode away from the ranch.

~oOo~

While Jarrod, Nick and Eugene were riding hard to get to Salt Springs, Heath and Tamar were sitting on their horses and looking at the destruction the raging waters had done to the now abandoned town of Salt Springs. More than one building had completely collapsed while others were badly damaged. There were still huge puddles of water everywhere, and the places that weren't covered by water looked to be quite muddy. Though, from what they could see, there were small paths of dry land.

As Tamar thought on all the destruction the flood had brought, she couldn't help but think of Heath and the two women who had helped him get out of Salt Spring in time. Her mind then turned to her late uncle and her grandfather. She couldn't help but sigh. After packing her things, Tamar had changed her mind about going. She'd told her grandfather that she couldn't just leave him alone, not with his heart problem.

"No need for you to worry 'bout that." Mr. Ballard laid his hand upon Tamar's shoulder. "While you and Heath were digging Henry's grave, I was talkin' to Mr. Cornwell. I don't know he done it, but he succeeded in gettin' to confess everything. He's promised to stop by two or three times a week. He also swore up and down he'd talk to his cousin, Tyler, and get him and his sons to promise that one of them would check up on me the other days. There's no cause to worry 'bout me. I'll have the help I need."

Tamar shook her head and sighed. After she and her grandfather had talked a few more minutes, she'd given in and left with Heath. Now, looking at the empty town of Salt Springs, she couldn't help but feel bad for the people who had once lived there. "I wonder how many people will come back and rebuild, and how many will find homes elsewhere." Even in her short eighteen years of living she'd seen more than one family relocate due to one disaster or another.

Heath shrugged his shoulders as he dismounted his horse and then helped Tamar down. "I have no idea." He looked around and saw the hotel, one store and a few houses. All looked like they'd received plenty of damage. What on earth had possessed him to even step inside the town again? Why hadn't he continued riding towards Stockton? Heath didn't know for sure; he just knew he couldn't simply ride by either. He led his horse towards the only hitching post he could see standing; Tamar was right behind him.

After securing the horses to the post, Tamar and Heath made their way to the hotel and opened the door. Actually, more like moved it aside. It had been slightly opened when the flood waters hit and it sat on a slant blocking the entrances, as the top hinge was completely off while the bottom one was barely attached to the side of the doorway.

"Do you think we should really be in here?" Tamar asked as she and Heath stepped inside. A thin layer of water still covered the bottom of the floor. Anything that had been on shelves or counters lay scattered throughout the foyer.

"Probably not," Heath admitted, as he walked through the foyer and looked up the stairs.

Tamar didn't know what was going on, but she took a wild guess. "Did one of those rooms belong to Miss Fay and Star?" It was the only thing she could come up with that made any sense. She wasn't surprised when Heath nodded his head and turned to look at her.

"Fay basically said she didn't believe in unicorns anymore." Heath answered, remembering the first time he'd met Fay and Star. Tamar was confused. What did a mythical creature have to do with anything?

Heath saw her confusion and explained the best he could. "I think she was comparing unicorns to fulfilled dreams and to believing there were indeed people 'out there' willing to help her, or people like her. I hope Fay's found her dreams in Sacramento, and that Star is communicating better."

All of a sudden Tamar understood why Heath had stopped in Salt Springs. He needed closure to what had happened before the dam broke. "You know, Heath. Those men you talked about, the man who started the trouble and the old man? From what you said, I doubt their bodies are in this hotel. In fact, I'll be surprised if they're bodies weren't swept away in the flood waters."

At first Heath was stunned until he realized what Tamar was thinking, along with the fact that he realized she was right. His shoulders slumped slightly. "There was no need for the other men who were sent to watch the town to side with Mr. Cannon and start looting the town. There was nothing here that was worth risking their lives over."

Tamar couldn't have agreed more. Too many people in life put too high of value on irreplaceable items, but there was nothing the two of them could do to change that. She said as much too, and then looked towards the door. "Let's go look in the store I saw and the houses, along with simply walking around." She gulped slightly and then continued. "I think you need it even if it means finding those men's bodies." Okay, it wasn't very likely. Still, if Heath needed closure, it might help him to walk around and look.

Heath agreed and they stepped back outside. He looked around and again, still very sickened at the sight that met his eyes. As he began walking, Heath found himself taking a hold of Tamar's hand and allowing a small lopsided smile to appear on his face. If anyone had told him weeks ago that he'd come to Salt Springs only to eventually be reunited with Tamar Ballard, he'd have told them they were up in the night. He would have continued his train of thought only, as he and Tamar turned the corner of one of the few houses still standing, they heard a noise coming from the building.